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It was 2am in the fucking morning. 2AM! A sensei needs his beauty sleep. That's what Wu thought anyways. But still, he was unphased when his older brother opened the door (obviously without knocking) and clamoured next to him onto the bed.
He latched to him, as if his younger brother was a lifeline. Still, Wu was unphased. Being alive for like 2000 years had its perks you know. One of them being to know everything your older brother would do. Wu would never stop making the cringe joke "I've known you for 200 decades brother, 20 centuries! I can predict your every move!"
"Brother, that's not even funny anymore," He would say. And that would be it.
Wu had a unique bond with his brother. When Wu was teaching his pupils, he would set a good example onto them, as an experienced sensei should. But with Garmadon... That was hella different. The duo would cuss and swear like there was no tomorrow, and break every rule given to them as if it were a competition. It was quite the sight to see 2 old men act like 3 year olds.
Speaking of two old men, Wu thought the best way to start today's night time event, would be to ask, "So brother, why the fuck are you here at TWO IN THE MORNING?"
So naturally, Garmadon looked up at him and said "I can't sleep bitch, you've known me for 2K years and you haven't worked out how I have insomnia?"
The other grinned and returned the embrace he was getting. These were good times. Just cuddling up and appreciating each others' existence, supposedly. The feels were immaculate. His feelings of pleasantness were interrupted with a sticky substance he could suddenly feel on his hand.
"Hey Garm..., what do you have with you there?"
And here you have it, the most ridiculous sight you could ever see. Garmadon, the former dark Lord and the current master of destruction holding a...
"It's a lollipop. Are you getting blind with age?"
Wu could do nothing but gape. He didn't know if this was funny or downright appalling. Whenever Garmadon had candy in his hands, nothing ever ended well; unfortunately his nephew ended up with the same trait.'Great.' Wu thought. 'I'm going to have to deal with my brother acting like he's an infant. You would have thought the crazy shit in my life was over, after all, I am an old man now. But NO, I suppose crazy snakes, psychopathic murderers and ghosts were not enough. Father, are you cursing me?'
Whilst Wu was going through his... Interesting... Thought process, Garmadon gave him one of his signature boxy grins and said delightfully, "I managed to find an orange flavoured one," (and Wu had to resist the urge to vomit because it was so sweet and wholesome, and those traits do NOT match a former dark Lord).
And if it couldn't get worse, the brunette continued,
"Orange is obviously the best flavour, because it tastes all fruity and refreshing and it's such a nice colour you know? I mean obviously purple is the best colour, especially when it's in flowers -FSM, DID YOU SEE THOSE PRETTY PURPLE FLOWERS IN THE PARK IN NINJAGO CITY?"
Wu sighed. "No I have not. And everyone knows orange isn't the best fla-"
"WHAT?" Garmadon shrieked (It's a surprise everyone stayed asleep). He looked at his brother as if he had been possessed.
"I HAVE TO SHOW YOU THE FLOWERS!!"
"Brother, its 2 in the fucking morning."
"NO its actually 2:23 in the fucking morning"
...
Silence.
"Brother, you know we can't go out at night -"
"Why." Garmadon protested. He didn't even say it like it was a question, it was more of a demand.
See? Sugar + Garmadon = Grown ass man acting like an infant.
Wu actually felt bad for himself.
"Because," He began, "It is dangerous in the nigh-"
"In case you did not know, we are literally Ninja."
Good point.
"Well what if we look like 'creeps'? Imagine two old men walking around in the street at night, one of them most likely singing a song about waffles or something of the sorts?"
The latter looked Garma-Done.
"First of all, you're just making excuses now. Ninjago literally knows who we are, and thanks to our Oni genes, we don't look creepy. I actually think I look sexy, you know I'm the brother with a full head of hair right?"
...admittedly another good point.
'Hey, maybe Garmadon's coming off his sugar high? He seems so be somewhat using that brain of his,' Wu thought.
"Also, how dare you assume that I'm going to be singing a song about Waffles? I'm obviously going to sing a mashup of 'what if the sky was purple', 'ladybugs are actually creepy', and I'm contemplating making a lollipop song. As people say these days, 'duh?'"
Wu took his thought back immediately.
Before Wu could say anything about how he thought ladybugs were harmless and the song was stupid, the older was already up on his feet and raiding his younger brother's cupboard for pair of socks.
"Monty, what in the name of our father are you doing?"
"Do you think I'm going to walk to the park without having socks on?"
'Oh' Wu thought. 'So we're actually doing this'.
-------------
A full ten minutes later ( Wu failed to find a half decent sweater to wear and ended up stealing a massive one from Garmadon, and then they had to find a sticky note to write "We're coming soon suckers, you'll find us in Ninjago City >:3", and THEN Garmadon had to explain what the emoticon meant) they were walking down the 2874 steps down the stupid mountain their father decided to put their whole fucking monastery on.
The air was crisp and clear, it wasn't too hot or too cold. There wasn't a cloud in the deep, inky coloured, late night sky, and you could see the little stars littered about like shiny paint having been flicked into a hard canvass. But what caught the pair off-guard was the perfectly round full moon, which illuminated the night and set a sensual glow on the brothers faces.
You read that right, I said sensual.
The vibes were immaculate.
254 steps in, until Garmadon said "Shouldn't we just use my elemental dragon?"
Wu looked him dead in the eye, and tried to ignore how mystical his Hazel eyes looked in the enchanting moonlight. He looked like some sort of sexy, magical demon. Even if he was pure of the great devourers venom, his eyes sometimes looked creepy like that. Misako found them real hot though. He never understood those two.
Quickly, he coughed and muttered "Conjure it up then you idiot. You're eyes look like they came straight from an anime,"
The older grinned showing his boxy smile again (as if it were a compliment?), and soon enough, purple orbs of destructive energy formed the destruction dragon.
Well.
"C'mon Seishin, we have some flowers to see!!" Garmadon said to his dragon.
They climbed on and took off, wind blowing their hair about, and from that point on, nothing really happened. For 3 minutes anyways.
"Wu, were you staring at me because you thought I looked better than you?"
And just like that chaos ensued.
Wu yelled a big "NO WTF" which could've broken anyone's ears within 100 meters of where they were - lucky they were in the middle of the sky.
As Garmadon laughed at his brothers misery, Wu got his fucking stick and bonked the elder on the head way too hard, sending him falling off, his dragon going 'poof!', and Wu falling hard and fast, not too far from him.
Well zang.
And it may sound a bit concerning hearing how this wasn't the first time this had happened.
So, Wu decided to be really fucking helpful by adjusting himself in a sitting position, whipping out a tea pot and a cup and drinking some tea, (bear in mind that he was falling at like over 60mph).
Soon enough, he found that the falling sensation stop, and saw that he was back on the scaly purple dragon, his brother in front of him.
It's called brotherly trust you know, it's the act of not letting your brother die.
With consequences.
"I'm not talking to you anymore." Garmadon said bluntly, huffing a tiny bit.
Wu stifled back his laughter. Maybe he enjoyed this vulnerable side to his brother. Well, somewhat vulnerable.
"You're talking to me now..."
"That doesn't count."
Wu rolled his eyes and smiled. It was as if they had swapped ages.
"I can get you something from the store to change your mind?"
"No."
....
"Okay maybe get me more candy -"
"NO, NO MORE CANDY, I DON'T WANT TO DEAL WITH YOUR STUPIDITY AGAIN,"
...
Garmadon seemed somewhat upset with this and murmured "I'm sorry."
He coughed and pretended to have said "Then don't talk to me!", and pretended to be very focused on controlling what way the dragon was going.
However, a few minutes later, Wu felt sort of guilty (only a bit) about snapping at something that was supposed to be a joke. So he thought up of a real emotional speech.
"Hey Garm, you know I would always care for you, no matter what the situation. I know you have had it hard with the venom... And when you were 'Emperor Garmadon', you did some bad things, some being quite unforgivable. But you must realise that it wasn't you. Now we have you back, I'm determined to help you out more than ever. Especially mentally. I know that you are blaming yourself, however dwelling on the past serves you nothing but grief. You must think about your future. Think positively." He thought this emotional speech got a bit carried away, but hoped Garmasdon liked it.
.....
Silence.
Gently, Wu took a hold of his brothers shoulders to get a good look at him, only to see him with his eyes closed, lips slightly parted, and mind probably wondering in a hazy dreamland -hopefully not a bad one.
He was asleep.
Wu was beginning to wonder why Seishin only kept flying forwards for the past few minutes - now that he had his answer, he conjured up his own elemental dragon, Yume, and shifted Garmadon as gently as possible onto it. Once they were both secure (and the destruction dragon went away with a poof), Wu wrapped his arms around the other, in order to reach the dragon reins.
He sighed before redirecting Yume to Ninjago City Park.
Because they were going to see some flowers.
Great.
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It was around 3am now, but Ninjago city was bursting with light - artificial light. It was beautiful, nonetheless. Wu landed his dragon in a quiet area (he didn't want to hear anymore 'OMG LOOK, IT'S ONE OF THOSE NINJA ON THOSE ELEMENTAL DRAGON THINGS!').
'My Yume is not a thing!' Wu thought.
Once his dragon vanished with a poof, he heard a thud and a groan. Because again, Wu obviously left Garmadon sleeping on the dragon as it poofed.
"Ow! ... you're a jerk."
"The pleasure is mine."
Suddenly, it was raining ever so slightly.
The two strode towards the yellow gate of the park. The fencing was coloured a bottle green, and the park itself was way too vibrant, even in the dark. Red and blue swings, a slide made to look like a caterpillar, a neon orange and magenta round-a-bout...
No wonder 2 adult men thought this whole place was too juvenile to exist.
"We didn't come here for the playground!" Garmadon said from afar, running towards an emptier side of the park, full of wet grass. "The flowers are here!"
Wu followed him with tiny puffs of breath. He was running, mainly because he didn't trust his brother to get caught up in some sort of mess when he was alone. He eventually spotted his brother, standing in front of a whole bunch of flowers.
Each of them were like beautifully sculpted cupcakes, each so detailed and perfect - the types that look so perfect you don't want to eat them. You'd rather set them up for display instead. And admittedly, Wu was the type of person who enjoyed the sunlight, happy feels, the colour yellow and brightness. Obviously, Garmadon was on the opposite side of... literally everything. But today, Wu finally understood why Garmadon loved the dark.... It was beautiful when there was a light in it.
Each flower was unique in its own way, almost representing the team. The bold, blood red flowers, with a fiery streak of orange on each petal, a tiny cornflower blue flower with very sharp and exact geometrical shapes as petals, an elegant baby blue tulip, a green cactus -?
A whole array of purple flowers, littered in rainwater that shone in the moonlight. They stood alongside some common evening primroses, that were a buttery yellow.
It was like Garmadon who was littered in tiny orbs of rain alongside Wu, who was being way to deep and psychological about this whole situation.
There was a small smile on Garmadon's face, and he looked overall calm, with a straight posture. He must've come over his sugar high.
"I often come here at night." Garmadon said quietly, a soothing edge to his voice. Wu got the impression that he should just listen, so he remained silent.
"Misako is usually working late night and despite how much I tell her not to overwork, she always finds a loophole to everything I say," he laughed a bit, "I just hope she's okay."
...
"I just hope that everyone I've ever hurt is okay."
...
"Garmadon, you know that's not -"
"Hush."
That shut Wu up.
"I probably hurt you the most. You're my own brother. That obviously means that it's some sort of uncanny ritual for us to copiously annoy each other all the time. But I was a terrible brother because of the snakes venom. I know you blame yourself Wu, but don't. I should've fought harder. At least a bit longer so I could've given my own child a bit of a childhood. Our family has been cursed... but I'm very proud of you, Lloyd, everyone, for pushing through."
Wu squeezed the other's hand encouragingly, even though he wasn't much of a physical contact person.
"I just feel like my life was also ruined. I had to suffer pain every day, just because I was a tool for the overlord to come to life. I was just a mere tool, and the price was my life. It may sound selfish, but I can't help but dwell on what would've happened if I never got bitten. There's a lot of things I think about that keep spiralling in a circle, until I decide to come here."
He turned to face Wu, and the pair hadn't let go of each other's hands yet. "You know I come here to rewind and stuff. But do you know what makes the dark truly beautiful?"
Wu shrugged.
"When there's a light in it."
Wu realised he was thinking correctly this whole time. "So the whole Yin-Yang philosophical shit?" He asked.
Garmadon smiled and nodded, into the distance. "Like now, don't the flowers look so beautiful as they're caked with raindrops? And don't those raindrops look so...unreal... as they shine with reflected moonlight?"
I mean he wasn't wrong. The two shared a comfortable silence as they stared at the flowers.
Purple Flower Gallery:
yum flowers
"Today," Garmadon continued (and Wu knew he was gonna get all sappy and deep and boring), "You're the moon."
"Excuse you but my head's not that massive -"
"No you idiot, heh... Your my teeny light in the darkness."
Wu's heart swelled with joy and pride - as always it felt good being complimented by your older sibling. The two didn't share many moments like this. Wu wanted to express his gratitude towards Garmadon's statement with a string of cheesy words, but instead, it came out as,
"Wow, that's so beautiful. Hah. Hah. Hah."
Mind you that was sarcasm.
"Damn, no need to be so mean about it," Garmadon muttered, "And actually, I was thinking, you're not the moon."
Wu's chest fell.
"You're actually the Earth, and I'm the moon."
Well now Wu was just plain confused as heck.
"You see Wu, we are watching each other from afar. You are the Earth, I am the Moon. We are similar yet completely different. I, as your moon, will revolve around you, and keep you safe. I swear on my life, I'll be your light."
Wu smiled. "You were always protective."
"Heck yeah. You're my earth. To you I'm just a moon, your little star that brightens up your heart."
"Awh"
"Everything about you has always been perfect. Flowers bloom on earth, and the sky is blue. Meanwhile I'm the moon - my oceans are black. Even in the daytime, or the night, you stay by my side and keep shining... Wu, you really grew on me. Even though you're an annoying piece of work sometimes."
Wu smiled, and from that point onwards he couldn't help himself; he wrapped his brother into a bear hug, and the two just sort of melted.
And yes, looking back, Wu would probably think that was all cringey and disgusting, but hey. The moment was magical.
"Oh yeah Wu, I also wanted to tell you that I'm non binary."
Well that was subtle as fuck.
Wu grinned as they let go of each other, "Oh I think me and our father knew the whole time."
"Seriously? And you didn't think to tell me?"
"I mean, the terminology for it didn't exist. Now that we have the actual words for everything, I figured you were non-binary. You know what, I think the entire team knows!"
"Well so much for me trying to hide it."
"You don't need to hide any more Garm.
You're not alone any more."
--------------
Suddenly, the pair heard loud shouts from across the road.
"GIVE US YOUR MONEY!!!"
"Stop, the boss said he needs new hostages!"
"SHUT UP, PEOPLE COULD HEAR US!!"
"LEAVE ME ALONE!!! DON'T TOUCH ME AND MY STUFF!"
Wu and Garmadon grinned at each other, and without a word, conjured up their dragons.
Another night for crime-fighting Ninja.
And just another day in Ninjago amirite?
"OMG LOOK, IT'S ONE OF THOSE NINJA ON THOSE ELEMENTAL DRAGON THINGS!"
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Bonus
" 'We're coming soon suckers, you'll find us in Ninjago City' ????" Jay read from the post it note in the Kitchen.
Lloyd giggled like a maniac and said something about how 'It was the Sensei's' and how they 'always do shit like that'.
"Should we go look for them?" Kai asked.
"Nah!" Nya exclaimed from her room, "Me and Misako are gonna meet in the city right now so we can rant about gay anime like 'Sassaki to Miyano'!!!! We'll have a look for them there!"
Cole walked in with an energy drink. "I have no idea what she just said, but sure!"
-------- 40 mins later ---------
"This is all WU and GARMADON'S fault." Misako whisper yelled.
"I'll take ya word for it." Nya replied.
Surely enough, next to the mini library, was the park. And near that park, were a bunch of police men and woman. And about 8 meters away from the crime scene, stood a blond and a brunet, both with lollipops in their mouths.
Misako stormed up to the pair (Nya followed like a puppy) and yelled "WHAT DID YOU DO THIS TIME?"
Garmadon turned and grinned at his wife, and took the orange lollipop out of his mouth with a 'pop'.
"We just beat up some dudes who happened to be harassing another dude at around 4am. We also captured their boss and released some hostages. We've been here ever since."
"You were up at 4am? Wh-"
"No, we were actually awake since 2:23 in the morning." Wu cut in with a smile.
"I'd be a hypocrite to tell you to get more sleep. And where tf did these lollipops come from?" Misako asked. ("Can I have one?" questioned Nya, very seriously.)
"Umm...." Garmadon looked down at his lollipop.
"I have no idea where they came from."