Garm, Wu, and Misako
Context: Fic is set right after Garm leaves Chen and joins Wu for the Serpentine War. He's already stolen the letter and gotten with Misako. Morro ran away very recently. Some elemental masters will join them soon, but right now, it's just the three of them and tensions are running high.
Garmadon and Wu were fighting already. Misako sat on the deck, elbows on her knees, chin in her hands, and looked up with resignation at the two young men standing in front of her.
They had argued all the time when she’d first met them, all those years ago. And then, when the First Spinjitzu Master had left them, the every-day arguments had turned almost irreconcilable. Then Garmadon had left—to train with Chen, to get away from Wu and the Monastery—and they had started writing letters. Misako had been involved in almost every step of some of those letters. She’d write what Wu dictated, deliver it to Garmadon, and then watch him read them. She had watched them attempt to maintain some form of connection, because even through the anger, the love was still there.
Now, Garmadon had left Chen and returned to his brother, and here they were, arguing once again.
These two, Misako thought to herself and sighed.
Garmadon dumped the last bag next to her without looking away from Wu, whom he was yelling at. She propped it against the other baggage they had brought from Chen’s, and leaned against it. She shut her eyes. It had been a long trip and she was tired.
“Look!” Garmadon said, gesturing at her. “Misako needs a nap, I need a nap, Wu. Just let us sleep!”
Misako cracked an eye open. “I’m good with whatever. Let’s just speed this along shall we?”
“I’m not having either of you in Morro’s room, and that’s final,” Wu stood his ground. “Misako can stay in the guestroom, like she always does, and you can share with me, like we used to.”
“We used to share our room, Wu. There’s no way you’re getting me to stay in Father’s room!”
“Well there’s only the three rooms, so unless you want to sleep in the library, I don’t see how you can get out of it!”
Garmadon shut up suddenly and looked over at Misako.
“Not happening, Garm,” she said with amusement.
Wu’s scowl deepened. “Fine! Let’s put Misako in the master bedroom, and you and I can share the guest room.”
Garmadon scowled back. “You’re really going to fight me on this, Wu?”
Wu glared levelly at his older brother and said nothing.
A moment passed.
“Agh! Fine!” Garmadon shouted, and turned to grab his bag again, mumbling “Some homecoming.”
Wu looked away, out to the still-open gates.
In a much gentler voice, Garmadon spoke to his yang, “Misako, my love, could I grab the bags you’re leaning on?”
Misako put a hand on his cheek and looked up at him patiently. “Love,” she said. “You need to be nicer to Wu.” Then she got up and shouldered her own bags.
“Lead the way,” she told Wu.
“Yes, Wu, lead the way,” Garmadon echoed.
Wu sighed, Garmadon was like this.
Misako set her bags down in Wu’s room. It was rather plain, and unremarkable, and did not seem like it had once housed Ninjago’s creator. She wondered if Wu had redecorated since he had moved out of the boys’ room or if the First Spinjitzu Master had been just that minimalist.
She looked at the sliding doors to the inner rooms where Wu kept the Golden Weapons. Surely he’d have locked it, right? Out of curiosity, she tried the door.
Ah, she’d been right. Of course they were locked, Wu was growing up to be quite responsible these days.
Feeling vaguely disappointed, and unsure why, she turned back to her bags and started unpacking.
Across the hall, Wu was setting up a spare bedroll into the guest room.
“Is that for you or for me?” Garmadon asked, still sounding a bit irritated.
Wu unrolled it, picked up Garmadon’s bag from the bed, and dumped it onto the red and purple patterned blankets. “Would you rather I got the bunk beds out of the attic and set those up?”
Garmadon’s lip twitched. “No,” he chuckled. He flopped onto the bedroll. “This works well enough.”
Wu allowed a small smile to come to his face. “Good. I’ll go make dinner. You can take a nap if you’d like but it’s getting late enough that you could probably just go to bed after eating.”
Garmadon nodded, closing his eyes and pulling a blanket over himself. “Alright brother. I’ll just lie here and try not to fall asleep.”
Wu looked down at him and sighed, but went to prepare the food with his heart feeling a bit lighter.
Dinner that night was a livelier experience than Wu had had in months. Misako told stories of her adventures on archaeology digs, and Garmadon spoke of Chen and the war.
“Things are getting bad,” he said. “And Chen was making them worse. I’m sorry. I should have left sooner.”
It was certain now. The different serpentine tribes had united, and one group had attempted to invade a town. Garmadon and Misako had fought it off, rallying the townspeople to fight with them. But they had ended up fighting against Chen’s other apprentice.
Garmadon’s master had betrayed humanity.
“I never liked Clouse,” Misako said offhand.
“I’m not sure anyone did, Love,” Garmadon replied. “Except perhaps Chen, and even there I’m not entirely positive. But whether you like him or not, he is dangerous. Not as skilled as me of course, but then, who is?”
Wu could feel Misako and Garmadon’s teasing gazes on him. He looked up from his beef stew and raised his eyebrows. “What could you be implying, dear brother?”
Misako laughed.
“It’s been ages since we sparred!” Garmadon grinned. “I’m curious how you’ve grown since we last fought.”
Wu chuckled softly and forced a smile. “We shall see, won’t we? The elemental masters will be joining us over the next few weeks. We will all need to test our strength.” His pleasant expression grew a bit strained. “Besides, I’m tired tonight.”
Misako cocked her head, concerned, but Garmadon just laughed. “Too bad,” he said. “I’m in such a mood to spar right now… Misako?”
“Sorry Love,” she said. “You’ll just have to wait till morning. I am neither immortal nor elemental master, and am also very tired tonight.”
“If you’re feeling restless, you could take care of the dishes,” Wu offered.
“Oh very funny.”
Wu laughed softly, looking down at his bowl, empty but for the bay leaf from his stew, stuck on the side.
Misako watched him from the corner of her eye, carefully avoiding his gaze when he looked up.
Garmadon watched Misako with his whole body turned toward her, his chin in his hand, elbow on the table. When she looked at him, he smiled lazily.
“Well,” Wu said, standing up abruptly. “Enjoy the dishes, brother. I’m off to bed. Good night, Misako.”
“Good night Wu.”
“Yes… good night, brother.”
An hour or so later, Garmadon slid open the door to the guest room. In the light from the hallway, he could see Wu curled up on the bed, face to the wall.
Garmadon sighed and looked down at his fingertips, wrinkled from doing the dishes. He slid the door shut heedlessly and Wu flinched awake, looking over his shoulder with a strange flash of hope in his face.
Garmadon frowned, watching Wu’s face fall as he peered into the dark. Wu couldn’t see in the dark as well as his older brother. Garmadon spared a moment to worry about that. But no, now that Misako was his, and he was home with Wu, things were okay now. He was safe now. If all the remains of venom in his veins did was give him good eyesight, he would thank fate for her mercy.
But what was up with Wu these days? Garmadon had never seen him this despondent and twitchy. He hadn’t seen him in five years, but that was a short enough time in the length of their lives. He wondered, with a small twinge of guilt, if Wu had needed his big brother in those five years. But that sentiment was dismissed quickly. Since when had Wu ever needed Garmadon?
“Thanks for making me do the dishes on my first day back,” Garmadon said.
Wu squinted, and rubbed his eyes. “...Garmadon?”
“Mm.” Garmadon said, watching Wu’s face carefully. “Twas quite hospitable of you. Making me clean up after, making me sleep on the floor, you really missed me huh?”
Wu sat up and Garmadon watched his brother’s vacant downward stare curiously.
“Garm, if you want the bed that bad, it’s fine. I can sleep on the floor.”
“I mean, we both could’ve had beds if you’d just let me sleep in my own room,” Garmadon suggested.
Wu’s voice was testy. “I said no. When Morro comes back, I need him to know that I was waiting for him.”
Garmadon lay down on his back in his bedroll. “Don’t you think leaving the gates open all day and night is a bit of a safety hazard though? Seems like a waste of having a gate if you never close it.”
“I don’t need your sarcasm right now, brother.”
“Oh, feisty.”
“Shut up.”
Wu lay down again. Garmadon rubbed his wrinkly fingertips together. He kind of hated that feeling. It reminded him of the nightmares he used to have about shedding his skin like a snake. It had been a while since he thought of those dreams. It had been a while since he had done the dishes either. Master Chen employed many servants.
“I don’t get it,” Garmadon said. “You first wrote to me about this boy… what, a year after I apprenticed to that traitorous loon? This boy ran in and out of your life in the short time I was training. Why are you so sure he’s coming back?”
“You don’t get it,” Wu agreed. “He’s not just some kid, Garmadon. He wasn’t even just a student. He– he’s more like a son.”
Garmadon frowned at the ceiling. “A son, huh?”
The silence stretched.
“I can’t imagine it, brother,” Garmadon finally said. “Neither what it is like to have a son, or you as a father.”
Wu said nothing.
“You didn’t do this when Father left.”
“Father wasn’t coming back.”
Garmadon breathed in sharply, and grew angry. “And your son is?”
Wu’s voice carried such sorrow as he said “I don’t know.”
Garmadon instantly felt guilty. Wasn’t even the venom, he thought. That was just me being a horrible person.
“Sometimes I think he’ll never come back, but then… I thought you were never going to come home.”
So that’s why you had no problem putting the kid in my room. “...I’m sorry for that, brother. It’s just… this house. It got so uncomfortable. The whole mountain did.”
“But it’s okay now?”
“Everything’s okay now,” Garmadon said, his voice softening considerably.
“Because of Misako?” Wu’s voice was steady.
Garmadon felt a warmth in his chest. “Yes. Because of Misako.” He closed his eyes and pictured her familiar face: that particular brand of warm brown side-eye, a small smirk playing on her lips.
Wu took a shaky breath that didn’t match his steady tone as he said, “She really loves you, you know.”
Garmadon opened his eyes. “Yes. I know.” His voice was tense.
“Brother, I…” Wu trailed off.
“Yes?” Further strain was audible in that one word, but Wu was fighting internal battles and didn’t notice.
“I– I wrote –her– a letter.” Wu forced a deep breath and grew calmer. “I told Misako I loved her.”
Garmadon was silent, so Wu continued.
“I’m glad I did. Not because I’m thinking anything weird! Just because… now we know, right? Now we know. I don’t have to wonder or– or wish. I’m tired of wondering what could have been if I had just spoken up. Now I know.”
Nothing, Wu thought. Nothing changes when you speak. Even if my tongue hadn’t stilled, even if I had begged him to stay, nothing would have changed. Father was going to leave, regardless.
“But you know I’d never try anything else, right? You know I’m– I’m done. I got my closure. She’s my sister now. And I respect you, and I respect her. I’d never–”
“I know, Wu. Stop worrying about it. You’d never do anything to hurt me. Or her. You’re a good brother like that.”
Wu sighed. “Now we know, Garm. After all these years. She really loves you.”
“Yes Wu. She really loves me. Now shut up and go to bed or else I’ll drag you out into the courtyard to spar like you said you were too tired to do.”
Wu laughed softly. “Good night brother… I did miss you.”
Garmadon rubbed his fingertips together. They were back to normal again, thankfully. One bad thing, he thought. It was one bad thing, and it was my last bad thing. The last one, and now I will be good. I left Chen, I have my family back, I’m on the right side of this war. I’m Good. I’m finally good again.
“I missed you too, Wu.”
Misako and Garmadon sat on the deck and ate persimmons from a woven basket: a gift from Wu’s students.
Wu and the children stood by the gate, and Garmadon and Misako watched them from afar, musing to each other their attempts to make out what was being said.
“I think the blond boy is quitting. He’s bowed like three times already.” Garmadon observed.
“The gift also lends to that theory,” Misako said, looking at the persimmon in her hand.
“Oh, the girl is saying something.”
Wu turned to look at Chloe as she spoke, and from the new angle, Misako and Garmadon could see Wu’s face grow more drawn and gray.
“Something bad, I suppose,” Garmadon murmured, and leaned over to take a bite from Misako’s persimmon.
She barely noticed, staring intently at the group across the courtyard.
“Trying to read lips or something, Love?” Garmadon asked, a bit put out that she hadn’t noticed his theft.
Chloe and Daigo bowed once more, and then took their leave.
Victor stepped up next and Wu turned to him, discontent written all over his face.
Misako handed Garmadon the rest of her persimmon. “I think… they might all be quitting. Oh poor Wu, this has to hurt.”
Garmadon watched her breath on her fingers and then tuck them into her sleeves.
“Do you want to go inside, Misako? Or want me to get you a coat or something?”
“Oh, would you get me a coat? It’s colder up here than it was at Chen’s.”
“Sure, Love. I’ll return in a second.”
When he came back, slipping a thick and cozy cloak around her shoulders and kissing her cheek, she told him. “The one with bangs left, but now the one with spiky hair is talking, and I think he doesn’t want to leave.”
Garmadon wrapped his arms around Misako and she smiled back at him, offering him another persimmon.
“No thanks, Love. What’s happening now?”
She smirked. “Use your eyes. They’re better than mine anyway.”
He buried his face in her cloaked shoulder. “No. You tell me.”
She laughed lightly. “Fine.”
Bo, the only one who still wanted to keep training, was still trying to convince Wu. As his voice rose, it became audible even to Garmadon and Misako on the porch.
“Ninja never quit, didn’t you say that?”
“And I’m not asking you to quit being a fighter, Bo, I’m just saying that I can’t keep training you right now. There’s a lot going on!”
“Chloe was right! This is all Morro’s fault!”
“Bo!”
“He thought he was too good for us this whole time and he started thinking he was too good for you too, huh? He ran off and now you feel like you can’t train anyone?”
“Silence, Bo.”
Bo’s bitter expression was clear even to Misako.
“If I’m wrong, then what's the real reason Sensei?”
Wu tilted his head as he looked at the boy before him. “Because there’s a war coming, Bo.”
Their voices dropped low again and Garmadon looked up at his yang.
“I don’t think this is going very well,” he stated.
Misako nodded slowly, her jaw tense. “I didn’t want it to go like this for him. I’m not surprised it did, but I had really hoped it would go better. I wish they hadn’t come up here to quit. It would have been better if he’d been the one to tell all of them to go. Thank goodness for this last one.”
Then, to everyone’s (including Wu’s) surprise, Bo dove forward and hugged his sensei. Bo, easily the shortest of Wu’s students, barely came up to Wu’s chest.
Wu froze for a millisecond, but then closed his eyes and hugged the child back.
Bo broke free and ran down the mountain, and as Wu sighed and walked back to his family, sparse snowflakes started falling gently in the courtyard.
“Are you alright?” Misako asked as Wu sat next to his brother and grabbed a persimmon.
“Fine. I told him to go home. With the war starting, the time for training is over.”
Garmadon nodded and changed the subject. “Since when does it snow up here?”
“Since you left.” Wu replied, chewing his persimmon mournfully.
“What?” Misako asked.
“It’s never snowed up here,” Garmadon explained. “Even though we’re on one of the highest mountains. I always assumed we were too high or something.”
“I guess Father was keeping the snow off the courtyard,” Wu said. He got up.
Misako was baffled. Not only by the idea that the First Spinitzu Master had managed the weather above his house, but also by the fact that Garmadon had just changed the subject instead of pressing Wu about how “fine” he really was.
“Are you sure you're okay?” She asked.
Wu forced a smile. “I am well, Misako. It is a bit chilly though. Tea anyone?”
“I’ll take a cup,” Garmadon said.
“Wu,” Misako tried.
“My Love, let the man be. She’ll take a cup too, Wu. If only to warm her hands.”
Wu nodded and went to the kitchen.
“He’s not okay, Garm.”
“I know, Misako. I know, you know, he knows. Why push it?” He kissed her.
She scooted away, and shot him an irritated look. “Don’t try to shut me up with kisses, Garmadon. I won’t be distracted, no matter how much I love you. Wu isn’t okay, and just because you were raised with this “forgive and forget but mostly just don't talk about it” mentality, doesn't mean it's healthy. If you don’t want me to check up on him, you’d better do it.”
Garmadon grimaced. “Fine. But you should head back inside, Love. It’s cold out here.”
“I was planning to anyway.” She kissed him this time. “Now go. Wu needs you.”
In the kitchen, Wu leaned on his elbows against the counter and watched the little blue flames of his gas stove flicker under his kettle. Three blue cups sat on the counter to his left, one of which had a little chip and crack running down it from when Morro had dropped it. It had been back when Morro was new to the monastery, and Wu had given him tea for the first time. Morro burnt his tongue and dropped the cup. He’d never drunk anything that hot before.
Wu looked over to the door as Garmadon opened it, a cold breeze and a few snowflakes sweeping in with his older brother.
“Hey,” Garmadon said, leaning his back against the countertop next to Wu.
“Where’s Misako?”
“Went inside. She told me to come check up on you.”
Wu laughed shortly. “Thanks.”
“So… Do you want to talk about it or something?” Garmadon said, and congratulated himself internally for not feeling venomously jealous or mischievous. He was going to be such a good big brother from now on.
Wu sighed through his nose and smiled unhappily. “I think I misunderstood my students. Daigo was skilled, but not aggressive. Did he even want to be there? As for Chloe, she held such resentment towards Morro, and I never knew… She said he had anger management issues… I’m not sure what to make of that.”
Garmadon didn’t know what to make of that either. He knew he had anger management issues, but he’d always considered that more of a chronic illness than anything else in his case. Might work differently for normal people.
Wu continued. “Victor has the makings of a diplomat, and because of that he would probably be the best ninja in a way. He’s not the most skilled, but he’s good at picking up the slack and smoothing over Chloe’s rough edges. He’d be a good team player.
“As for Bo… he’s never been very good. But he has the enthusiasm and drive to take him further than the others even want to go, if he’d find someone to teach him…” Wu sighed. “But the time for training is over.”
He rested his head in his arms and spoke into the counter. “Apparently, none of them liked Morro. I knew that already. He’s always been pretty stand-offish. But I didn’t realize they disliked him. I was far too distracted.”
Garmadon frowned. “What was the kid like, Wu?”
“Morro?”
“Mm.”
“He was like you.”
Garmadon barked a startled laugh. “What, devilishly handsome, charismatic, and skilled in the ways of martial arts?”
The kettle started hissing and Wu poured steaming water into the cups. The little teabags floated to the top. Garmadon got spoons out of the drawer and put them on the teabags to sink them.
Wu moved the string from one of the teabags to sit inside a little notch chipped out of the lip of his cup.
“He was angry,” Wu said. “Hurt. Extremely powerful. Laughed a lot. He teased, and trained incessantly, and never caught anything when we went fishing, and made very good beef stew.”
Garmadon stirred honey into his tea contemplatively.
Wu continued. “Morro grew up on his own. Out in the world, with no one to protect him. We don’t know who his parents were, or how far he wandered before he found his way to me. Do you remember ever meeting a Master of Wind before?”
“I do not.”
“Me neither. I wish I could ask Father. I searched the libraries once, but didn’t find anything.” Wu sighed. “You should’ve waited longer to put the honey in, brother.”
“Should I have?”
“Yes. Timing is everything. If you drink it now, you’ll barely be able to taste it.”
“Oh well.” Garmadon took a sip. It burned his tongue.
“Morro…” Wu sighed. “I think he was hurt badly before he came here.”
“Did he have an injury that prevented him from training well? You said he never learned spinjitzu, right?”
“No, well, yes, but it wasn’t a physical injury. I don’t know what happened, but it made him so stubborn and scared sometimes.” An image of those terrified eyes flashed in Wu’s mind. “Maybe it wasn’t anything in particular… just his whole life before he came to me.
“He was hurt, and I couldn’t heal him.” Wu wrapped shaking fingers around the chipped cup. “That was how he was most like you.”
Garmadon took another sip of his tea, ignoring the burn of his tongue tip. “Neither you nor father managed to fix me, despite your best efforts,” Garmadon said with trace bitterness, and then, with sarcasm “Only Misako did that.”
“I think you did it yourself, brother. I’m proud of you… I hope Morro figures out whatever he needs to, out there, in the world. And then I hope he comes home, like you did.”
“I… really don’t think it was me, Wu. I feel so much better these days. I genuinely feel healed. But I can’t really take credit for that. Being with Misako… She makes everything easier.”
“And I don’t,” Wu said with calm finality. His hands had stopped shaking.
“You know it’s different.”
“I do, but that doesn’t change the fact that I was not good enough. For you, or for…” Misako. “Or– or for…” Father. Or for Morro.
Wu started spooning honey into his and Misako’s teacups, while Garmadon watched uneasily.
“I have to let people go sometimes.” A lot, both Wu and Garmadon understood. “I let go of Dad, I let go of Misako. When you left… When Morro left, I let him go, because I can't make people stay when they don’t want to. But if he comes back, I swear I will make it worthwhile. I will no longer be distracted. If destiny gives me my son back like it gave you back, I will not let anything or anyone distract me from making him feel loved.”
Wu smiled briefly and offered Garmadon the second teacup. “You should go give this to Misako, or else it will get cold.”
Garmadon’s face had gone pale. “You go ahead and take it. I’m going to make myself something to eat.”
Wu nodded and left the kitchen.
Garmadon drained his teacup and smashed it against the counter. The cup shattered, showing its white ceramic insides underneath the blue glaze.
Wu wasn’t going to be distracted anymore? He already was! His grief over his “son” was distracting him from loving his brother! Very impressive, Wu— golden, perfect Wu! Good job on your resolutions, Wu!
Guilt and anger warred in his mind. Wu was wallowing in his grief, and it was Garmadon’s fault. It was Garmadon’s fault, like everything was, ever since that day with the blasted snake. And, yeah, he never should have listened to his hilarious and conniving race-traitor of a mentor and done what he did, but there was no way in any realm that he'd undo it, because he needed her more.
Wu was sad, but look at him! He was handling this grief worse than when their father died, and when their father died, Garmadon had trashed the courtyard and then blown up a neighboring mountain top!
This is what drowning looked like for Wu, and he was fine.
Garmadon’s little brother might be in the sea of grief right now, but Garmadon had lived in that ocean since he had been bit. Misako was a life raft, and Wu knew how to swim. No, Garmadon didn’t owe Wu anything.
Garmadon looked down at the bloody ceramic shard in his palm. Well. He might owe Wu a new teacup.
Misako walked in. Her eyes immediately found the crushed cup on the table and Garmadon’s bloody hand. Her jaw tightened and brows drew together.
“Garm?”
Garmadon pulled the teacup shard out of his hand and tossed it onto the counter with the rest of the cup remains. Its bloody edges showed bright against the blue glaze and white countertop.
“Yes, Love?” He asked lightly.
“The elemental masters of fire and earth are here.”
“Delightful. I’ll be there in a moment.”
