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Vinny didn’t even bother setting his alarm anymore. Even when he had to wake up at 3 in the morning to get to the station for the early morning news, he knew he’d be up well before then. He had tried explaining the concept of sleeping in, and what a snooze button was for, to his new roommate, but it had just fallen on deaf ears.
“You’ve slept your required eight hours, Vinny from NGTV News. I do not see why you choose to sleep more than that. I require breakfast.”
Vinny would say that living with an undead embodiment of destruction was getting old…but Vinny was also working on himself, and part of that was trying to tell himself the truth. Even if he didn’t fully understand what the truth meant, he was actually growing…fond of the once-villain.
He was trying to keep the whole “I’m somehow roommates with Lord Garmadon” thing on the down low. It was hard to keep the biggest scoop in the city while under Gayle’s eagle eyes…but he was managing by being the least interesting person on the face of the earth. It helped that Garmadon didn’t want his family finding him either.
On days when Vinny didn’t have to go in for work though, they spent lazy days in his apartment together. Vinny was a little self-conscious that a literal demigod was sitting on his shitty couch and eating pizza with him while they binge-watched trash tv…but Garmadon didn’t seem to mind. And he wasn’t terrorizing Ninjago if he was watching the fiftieth episode of Super Ninja Challenge!!! So…Vinny thought it was probably okay.
It had been a couple of months of living like that, and although he could be pretty annoying at times, Vinny was actually starting to like Garmadon. He was curious about everything, constantly asking Vinny cryptic questions about things like survival and family and friends… At first, Vinny had thought the questions were maybe the start of some nefarious plot, but Garmadon seemed to be sincerely trying to be a better person, and that was more than Vinny could say about a lot of people in Ninjago City.
But back to the matter at hand. Vinny hummed softly, snoozing against his comfortable pillow and letting sleep roll over his body. His calm pleasure didn’t last however as he was poked in the nose, hard.
“Vinny, get up. It’s morning. Vinny.”
Vinny knew he was fighting a losing battle, but wars weren’t won in a day. He squinted open his eyes to be greeted by the pitch black face of his roommate. “Garmadon…it’s the weekend. I don’t have to be up for work. I told you that the cereal is on top of the fridge and you can watch Saturday morning cartoons all you want if you don’t wake me.”
Garmadon clicked his tongue dismissively. “Tch, I know that. But there is a movie I wish to rent and I did not think it would be…polite…to use your credit card without your permission. That is the polite thing to do, right?”
Vinny just blinked at him, sleepily. While, yes, he did want Garmadon to clear any purchases with him before making them (they did not need another fifty-pizza disaster) he’d also woken Vinny up from a really nice dream to ask him. The whole thing kind of balanced out and became neutral, but Vinny knew how much Garmadon valued his praise. For better or worse, he was the man’s only support system.
It was a little sad.
“Yeah, it is. Good job.” Vinny grumbled, voice raspy from sleep. “What…” he yawned. “What did you want to watch?”
Garmadon perked up, his red eyes sparkling. “You can join me if you wish. It is called Footsteps of Love. I think it is time I study romance in order to fully understand the power it has over people. Why anyone would devote their entire life to another person outside of mating is a mystery to me. I wish to learn more.”
Vinny just gave him a confused, sleepy look as his brain tried rebooting. “Garm…don’t you have a wife and son?”
Garmadon sobered considerably. “Had,” he corrected. “My marriage to…Misako apparently ended when I went to the Cursed Realm. Being brought back to life through oni magic is apparently not included in customary wedding vows. She does not want to see me anymore. And…” Garmadon withdrew into himself some more. “I wish to understand certain things before I see…” He trailed off, unable to say Lloyd’s name.
Vinny swallowed, his eyes finding the alarm clock on his nightstand. It was way too early to be Garmadon’s therapist…At least without coffee.
He sighed, long-sufferingly, and turned back to his roommate. “Fine, just give me a couple minutes to shower and shave. Do you think you can handle the coffee maker?”
Garmadon scoffed. “Hah. Handle a simple machine like that? It should be child’s play.”
“How did you burn it? The machine’s automatic,” Vinny looked down at the black sludge in his favorite coffee mug skeptically.
“It insulted me.” Was all Garmadon said before coming over to the couch and thrusting a muffin at Vinny. “Here. You need breakfast.”
“Oh! Uh…thanks?” Vinny set down the muffin on the coffee table and picked back up the remote. “I got the movie you wanted. Are you…y’know, sure you want to watch it? It’s kinda…”
“It is a movie depicting romance, yes? And not the kind that Kendra and Tony had on Love and Murder in Ninjago City?”
“I mean, I think so, yeah. It’s listed as a rom com but-”
“Then hit play.” Garmadon huffed, slumping back in his seat on the overstuffed couch; his moth-eaten robe wrapped around a black t-shirt and an old pair of jeans Vinny had that didn’t fit him quite right. “Or are you questioning my judgment…?”
“No, no,” Vinny said, turning back to the TV as something in his chest made a weird movement. “I was just asking.” He did as Garmadon had requested and hit play.
The movie was just as cheesy as he’d thought it would be. Something something childhood friends. Something something dead mom. Something something meeting again twenty years later. It was all pretty standard stuff, and while Vinny let his mind wander, he noticed that Garmadon was completely engrossed.
He would ask questions occasionally and pointed out inconsistencies that were typical for rom coms like this. Vinny tried to respond as best as he could, but in between the questions, Vinny had to wonder…where exactly did this curiosity about romance come from? It was kind of sudden, but Vinny had to guess it had something to do with their discussions on friends and family.
Unless… Maybe…
“Now what are they doing here, Vinny? Why are they linking to each other like that? If they are attacked, they will have one less limb to defend themselves with.”
Vinny blinked, coming back to himself. “Um…” He looked at the TV to find that the leads were holding hands and looking into each other’s eyes meaningfully. “You mean them holding hands?”
“Yes, I suppose if that is what you call it.” Garmadon frowned. “I saw the lightning and water ninja doing it when we were supposed to be fighting the oncoming oni army. It seemed foolish. Does it have a purpose?”
Ah…maybe that was why Garmadon was so focused? Jay and Nya’s engagement was pretty big news after all. Gayle had been so excited to get an exclusive.
“I mean, I wouldn’t call it a purpose,” Vinny said carefully, turning back to the TV. “But it’s kind of nice to touch someone else, y’know? Especially someone you love. It’s comforting and it makes you feel special.”
“Mm…self-gratification, then” Garmadon hummed as if he understood.
“Not really?” Vinny tried. “It feels nice for the other person too. It’s just a sign of affection. People do it all the time, even people not in a relationship.”
Garmadon was quiet for a moment as the TV continued to showcase the young couple falling in love. But then he slowly turned and gave Vinny a curious look. He looked down at where Vinny’s hand was resting on the couch cushion between them and, before Vinny had a chance to really react appropriately, he reached out and took Vinny’s hand in his own.
Garmadon’s hands were icy cold, with talons instead of nails, but they were firm and grounding regardless. Vinny’s eyebrows shot up his forehead as he looked at Garmadon, and then their intertwined hands. He could start to feel a blush creeping up his neck. “H-huh?”
“Like this…?” Garmadon murmured softly, and all the hair on Vinny’s arms stood straight up, but not in a wholly unpleasant way.
“Uh…y-yeah. I guess?” Vinny’s thoughts were scrambled like eggs. What in the Cursed Realm was going on?
Garmadon just hummed again and turned back to the TV. He didn’t let go of Vinny’s hand, but squeezed it tighter instead. “Guessing is weak. Either you know or you do not. That is a lesson for you, Vinny Folsom of NGTV News.”
Alarm bells were going off in Vinny’s head, but he wasn’t about to argue with Lord Garmadon of all people. That and…holding hands did feel nice. It had been a while since anyone had shown him any kind of physical affection. He moved to Ninjago City a while ago, but he didn’t have many friends, and he had even less luck dating. Garmadon had to be touch starved too at this point…
And, looking at him from this angle, Vinny could almost see why someone would call Garmadon handsome. Sure, he didn’t look human per se, but the inky blackness of his skin contrasted the gray lines swirling across him and the red of his eyes. The fangs he had poked out a little, biting into his bottom lip. He had a strong jaw, even at his age, and carried an air of authority with him that was…attractive?
Garmadon looked over at Vinny, and tilted his head, squeezing Vinny’s hand again.
“You are turning red, Vinny,” he pointed out.
Oh…
Oh no…