Maddie is Not a Baddie

Misako wasn’t normally out of bed this earlier, typically trapped in her husband’s loving (and very tight) embrace. This morning, she managed to slip out, watching Garmadons face crinkle and then return to normal as she slipped a pillow into the spot she was just in. She smiled softly at the sound of his soft snoring, tying her robe as she slipped quietly into the hallway.

She hummed a gentle tune as she prepared to brew Garmadons favorite blend of tea. Misako turned on the small radio on the counter, playing some quiet easy-listening music and setting the kettle on the stove to boil. Neither her nor Garmadon really cared for breakfast. The two usually were too busy in the morning to eat, opting for quick piece of toast to tide them over until lunchtime.

However, it didn’t feel right to not make every meal special on Valentines Day; especially considering this was the first time they were celebrating this romantic holiday as a married couple. On the other hand: would a heavy and elaborate spread pair well with the tea?

Misako stepped away from the stove to ponder her options, peering into the pantry and fridge. After a couple of minutes, she settled on making toast with an assortment of jam and some oatmeal with fresh fruit. It was fancier than their typical set-up, but it wouldn’t be overwhelming.

Her breakfast planning was interrupted when the kettle began to squeal. She made quick work of taking the kettle off the burner and pouring the steaming water into the cups. Garmadon was a bit of a light sleeper due to his life of growing up as an elemental master, so she tried her best to be as silent as possible. It would only take a few minutes to steep to perfection, giving her a small amount of time to quickly whip up breakfast.

Misako tied her hair back into a loose ponytail before getting to work. Used to making meals in a crunch, it wasn’t long before she had the two trays set up. She stood back and admired the meal she had made, thinking the display was perfect for a romantic breakfast in bed. Carefully picking them both up, she turned around and began walking towards the bedroom.

Only to promptly crash straight into her husband, spilling the hot tea all over them both and the food splattering onto the floor. She looked in horror as her efforts went in vain, hissing at the hot tea on her skin. She grabbed a hand towel off the counter and began to frantically try to wipe the tea off him.

“SHIT! Are you alright?” Misako asked as she rubbed the towel along his bare chest, wiping away the tea droplets. She furrowed her eyes, the stinging on her own skin quickly overpowered by the concern she had for her husband. A short trip to the beach left him burnt all over; She could only imagine what hot tea would do to his skin!

“I’m fine, my love- Are you?” Garmadon grabbed her arm to stop her. He tilted his head in concern when she met his eyes. He looked apologetic about ‘causing’ the crash. His hair was messy from just getting up, his pale face flushed with embarrassment. It made her heart flutter as he leaned down and kissed her forehead. “I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to sneak up on you like that.”

Misako nuzzled into his affection with a sigh, closing her eyes for a moment. She let her shoulders sag, her disappointment and frustration about the ruined breakfast was apparent. “It’s not your fault, baby… I just- I really wanted to surprise you… Happy Valentines Day.”

Misako opened her eyes when Garmadon suddenly swooped her up into his arms. He began to walk towards the bedroom, ignoring the mess on the floor. She raised an eyebrow but wrapped an arm around his neck. She always felt a wave of giddy thrill when he picked her up so easily, but she still found herself questioning him. “What are you doing?”

“I can’t leave you in tea-soaked clothes, can I?” Garmadon gave her a small smirk, making her giggle a bit. He nudged the bedroom door open with his toe and strolled over to the bed. “What sort of husband would that make me?”

“You’re silly.” Misako let out a laugh as he lied her down on the bed and leaned down over her. She gently placed a hand on his chest, directly over his heart. She smiled as she felt it thump against her palm. “Hey, we still need to eat breakfast.”

“Oh, I know… I really want to thank you for the food you made for us, even if we didn’t get to eat it…” Garmadon leaned down closer to her face, his grin becoming wolfish. “But I think I’ve found my preferred choice of breakfast~”

It was well after the sun rose when the two left their bedroom to deal with the mess, even more disheveled than they were previously.

This area of Ninjago was still chilly in early spring, so the couple dressed warm as they left their quaint house. The sun felt warm on their skin as they walked together, hand in hand.

Misako smiled at the other couples they passed, the amount increasing as they grew closer to the downtown area. She squeezed Garmadons hand as they passed a small family, the baby cooing in the stroller. The two had been planning on starting a family someday, especially now that that the war was over and peace spread across the lands.

She blushed with a dopey smile as she imagined them pushing a stroller next Valentine’s Day. It almost made her heart ache for a moment. She tilted her head to look at her husband, seeing a similar look in his eyes. She pecked his cheek. One day, they’d have a family of their own.

The sweet scents of various flowers filled her nose; she looked ahead and saw a flower stand. She thought about how nice it would be to have a vase of flowers on the kitchen table, but she couldn't bring herself to ask for them.

Luckily, her husband could usually pick up on her whims, wants, and needs by now. He led her to the stand wordlessly, already using his free hand to take his wallet out of his pocket. Misako let out a gleeful giggle, placing another couple of kisses on his cheek.

“Get some for yourself too, handsome.” Misako cooed, referencing his hidden love for gardening. They didn’t have a lot of plants around their yard, but the small selection they had was well cared for by the destruction elemental. He had admitted that the hobby reminded him of his mother; the hazy memories of her floral scent, the way she carried him through the gardens, and how she encouraged him to play in nature to connect with the world around him.

It seems like Garmadon was thinking of that as well, his smile slightly more somber as he nodded his head. He squeezed her hand, trying to assure her that he was alright. “I’m thinking of grabbing some chrysanthemum sprouts… there’s a spot by the back door that looks barren.”

"That sounds like a great idea." Misako hummed in agreement. The two approached the stand, the older woman behind the counter smiling warmly at them. Her name tag reads 'Violet'; perfect for someone running a flower stand. The stand had a very colorful assortment of flowers, but there were no roses in sight. Misako craned her head to look for the familiar red blooms on the stand, feeling a swell of disappointment rise in her as she saw none.

"Hello, Happy Valentines Day!” Violet smiled, leaning on the counter as she watched the two survey the flower selection. Her nails were painted the same color as her namesake, although the paint was chipping in a couple of spots. “How may I help you two?”

“Hi, thank you,” Garmadon cleared his throat before he spoke, rubbing at his nose with his free hand. His eyebrows furrowed when he noticed the lack of roses. “My wife and I are looking for some roses and chrysanthemums, and maybe some seed packs?”

“Oh, we have plenty of chrysanthemums! Seeds included!” Violet clasped her hands together excitedly before quickly placing a bouquet of them on the counter. There were three seed packs tied to the ribbon that held it all together. “A lot more than I was expecting this year, so the seeds are free! As for roses…”

Her smile turned apologetic, tapping a nail against a clipboard. “Those have unfortunately been sold out… I sold the last bit I had about three hours ago.”

The married couple shared a disappointed look; Violet immediately tried to offer up some sort of compromise. She picked up a bouquet of vibrant red flowers from behind the counter, holding them up for the two to survey.

“It’s not the roses you were looking for, but… I think they look just a beautiful, no?” She held them over the counter invitingly. Misako picked them up and inhaled their scent. They were heavenly. “Red charm peonies, they’re called; It’s lesser known, but peonies are also a symbol of love.”

Misako inspected the bundle of red peonies in her hand, admiring the beautiful overlapping pattern. While not the typical flower for a romantic holiday, she fell in love with it just the same. She looked up at Garmadon and nodded, giving him a happy grin. It made him chuckle and kiss the top of her head.

"Yeah, I think we’ll take it." Garmadon nodded, pulling out some cash as he bargained a fair price with Violet. The two soon took off down the sidewalk towards their house with the two bouquets and many seed packs.

Garmadon, being the gentleman he is, insisted on carrying the peonies and seeds. However, Misako noticed her husband’s demeanor change. His eyes seem to redden (and not because of the venoms affects), he keeps sniffling and clearing his throat, and generally just seemed… very uncomfortable.

Garmadon sneezed, holding the vase with one arm as he used his sleeve to wipe his face. She poked fun at his ‘cute little sneezes’, but he kept sneezing. It almost felt like to her that he was unable to stop. She looked at him in worry when it clicked in her brain; It was the flowers!

"Beloved, wait.” Misako stopped them both from walking just as they turned onto their street, stepping in front of him as she fished a tissue out of her purse. “I think you might be allergic to those peonies.”

Garmadon immediately tried to deny this, shaking his head and sniffling, twitching as he fought back a sneeze. His voice was as nasally as it was stubborn. “No, I don’t have- “

He cut himself off with a sneeze attack, nearly doubling over with the force of them. Misako placed her bouquet gently on the ground, cupping his cheek and wiping his nose for him. She looked at him sternly. “I’m going to give those peonies to our neighbor… you’re going to go inside and rest for a few minutes, alright?”

“Yes, lovey…” Garmadon murmured, still clearly stuffed up. His shoulders sagged a bit; she knew he was sad about his gift not entirely working out. Misako kissed his forehead.

“Love you, sneezy.” Misako cooed, giggling as she took the peonies (and the seed packs) from his arms and bounded across the road to their elderly neighbor’s house. Misako made Garmadon take an extra-long shower to get him to stop sneezing.

The rest of the day followed this disastrous trend.

Hours had gone by at this point; The two were having probably the unluckiest Valentine’s Day a newlywed couple could share. After the mishap with breakfast and the flowers, the two tried to do a myriad of typical romantic activities with very limited success.

The next thing after the flower fiasco they tried was going for a romantic stroll in the park. The two had just started to relax and snuggle up on a bench, sharing small kisses when the romantic atmosphere was once again interrupted; this time, it was a soccer ball smacking both on the side of the face. It wasn’t hard enough to hurt them, but just enough to snap them out of their moment of relaxation.

“We’re really sorry…” The kids were very apologetic, their parents making them come up and talk to them directly. The two assured the children that they were alright. Even as the family moved away they decided that the park wasn’t going to work out today.

No worries, why don’t they go see a movie? There was some ridiculous rom-com currently screening, and while it wasn’t their normal choice, they decided it was worth watching just to get out of the house. The couple waited in a long line, hand in hand, for a good half-hour before they reached the front.

“Two tickets to the three-thirty-five showing, please.” Misako requested, opening her purse. She had insisted on paying this time, and Garmadon knew better than to argue with her. Her hand faltered just as it started to reach into the contents of her bag when the cashier cleared his throat. He gave an apologetic and very tired smile as he gestured up to the board above the counter. The movie was sold out. Misako felt her eye twitch before she led Garmadon back out to the car.

“Why don’t we try out that restaurant on fifth street?” Garmadon suggested, glancing over at his clearly frustrated wife. He kept one hand on the steering wheel as the other grabbed and squeezed hers. “Hey, c’mon… I’m supposed to be the grumpy one. We can still turn this day around, Lovey.”

Misako squeezed his hand back and took a deep breath, trying to keep positive. This was supposed to be a day of love and connection, not despair! “Yeah, alright. I could eat. Does this place have a dress code?” “Nah,” Garmadon scoffed, shooting her a lopsided grin. “I’d never pick a stuck-up place like that… they’d never let an unsophisticated person like me in. You, on the other hand…”

He let out a whistle, making Misako laugh and push his arm. It made her blush at how silly he was being, but she couldn’t help but add to the ‘joke’. “Behave yourself, or they really won’t let you in!”

The first sign of the upcoming disaster should have been the crowded dining room of the restaurant and the very flustered waitstaff. Misako simply brushed it off, too hungry to change her mind. It was a simple restaurant; dark wood furniture, simple tile floors, and classic paintings of people eating lined the walls.

She took her time to inspect them all from her seat as they waited for their orders; two steak dinners and drinks. Garmadon snorted as he looked at the painting set above their table.

“This is the most cross-eyed looking man I have ever seen.” He gestured upwards when Misako turned to gaze at him. She raised an eyebrow as she looked, giving a little giggle herself. The two people in the piece had a bad case of cross-eye, along with very ancient clothing. She noted the signature on the bottom.

“It’s because the painting is in a medieval style; this is most likely a replica of the style, rather than an original piece.” Misako explained, pointing to the clothing the subjects wore. “Artists back then had such an interesting way in painting people. We just received a piece in the museum like this a couple months ago.” “Oh?” Garmadon smirked, putting an elbow on the table and leaning his head on his hand. She was reminded then just how lucky she was to have married a man like him; he may not be completely human, but he was absolutely smitten with her. “Do tell me more, professor.”

Misako gladly indulged in his request, telling him everything she knew about medieval paintings, poetry, life, and all the way down to what they typically ate for dinner. It made her stomach growl, so she was very excited when the waiter approached with two steaming plates of food.

It wasn’t until the plate was right in front of her when the thick charred smell became apparent. She hoped it was just the outside of the steak that was a bit crispy. By then the waiter had disappeared, off to deal with one of their many tables of the night. She looked across the table to see that Garmadon was cutting up his steak.

Well, more like sawing with his fork and knife. Both his hands were tensed around the fork and knife, his knuckles looking paler than the rest of his skin with effort. He tried and failed to cut through the extremely tough piece of meat on his plate.

“Hmm… seems like mine is a little well done.” He joked with a slightly strained tone, failing to hide the annoyance behind the humor. Misako made a noise in response and frowned, trying to cut at her own steak and finding she had the same issue.

In fact, it seemed like everything on the plate was overcooked. Her eye twitched as she let her silverware rest on the plate with a small clatter. She sighed and rubbed her temples. “More than well done, this is… clearly inedible.”

Garmadon, who would normally insist his food was fine and just ate it anyways, nodded and looked around. “I’ll go flag down a waiter and see if they can remake it for us.”

“No,” Misako sighed and lowered her hand, pushing her plate a couple inches away from her. She was a little embarrassed to be so grumpy over burnt food but come on! Hadn’t she dealt with enough today?! “I’ve lost my appetite. Let’s just go home.”

Garmadon frowned, reaching across the table and gently squeezing her arm. The concern in his eyes was obvious. “Sure, lovey… we can go home. Go wait in the car and I’ll deal with this.”

Misako reluctantly agreed with this and headed out to the car. She sat in the passenger seat with a heavy sigh, taking her braid out and threading her fingers through her hair. She winced when it snagged on a tangle.

“Can this day get any worse?” Misako mumbled to herself. Perhaps she was being a little bit dramatic; she knew realistically that it could be a lot worse. She worked on braiding her hair back up again, thinking about the things she did have and feeling the slightest bit better about it.

Garmadon opened the car door and slid into the driver’s seat a couple minutes later. He held up a piece of paper. “They gave us a coupon for ‘our troubles’.”

“Thank you...” Misako mumbled, leaning over and kissing his cheek. She felt guilty for having what she deemed a ‘childish attitude’ and leaving him to talk to a manager by himself. “I’m sorry for rushing out like that… I suppose I am a bit starved.”

“Misako, there’s no need to apologize.” He assured her quickly, turning his head to peck her on the nose. “Let’s hit up a drive-thru and head home, yeah?”

“That sounds amazing.” Misako’s mouth watered at the thought of a greasy fast-food meal, which would normally sound mediocre at best. Garmadon chuckled, starting up the car and heading towards the nearest drive thru.

Two bags of greasy food in their laps and the radio turned up, listening to her husband’s off-key singing in-between bites of food made the perfect atmosphere. Misako let herself relax and smile once more. She crumpled up her bag as she finished eating, finally feeling satisfied.

“Uptown girl! She’s been livin’ in her white-bred world!” Garmadon sang after swallowing the last bit of his fries; the window was down and his hair whipped around. It made for a stunning view Misako couldn’t take her eyes from. How she wished she could paint like the renaissance masters of centuries ago.

Her daydreams were interrupted when their smooth ride home suddenly became very bumpy. Garmadon stopped singing immediately, furrowing his brows and turning down the radio. “What the hell?”

It clearly wasn’t the case of an uneven road; Garmadon turned on his hazards and pulled over to the shoulder. The two both tensed up, already knowing where this was heading. “Please don’t be what I think it is…”

He was mumbling to himself as he got out of the car. Misako opted to stay inside and closed her eyes, sighing when she heard her husband let out a stream of curses.

“Damn it! Flat tire!” He groaned, rubbing at his face. Misako rolled her window down, peaking her head out and looking down. Yikes, it was completely flat. There was no way they could drive home like this!

It took some waiting but eventually someone pulled over to help them out; the man didn’t have the necessary equipment, but he did promise to give them a ride home. He was a seemingly docile older gentleman, so the two agreed and thanked him profusely.

“You two seemed to be having tough day, huh?” The man chuckled as he peered into the backseat at them. They’d have to call a tow truck and deal with their car later.

“You have no idea.” Garmadon commented in a somewhat dry tone, rubbing at the bridge of his nose as he leaned back in his seat.

It was dark outside when the two arrived home and collapsed heavily onto the couch, feeling defeated. Misako let out a heavy sigh, kicking off her shoes and leaning against his shoulder. He nuzzled into her immediately. She shut her eyes, turning her head and breathing in his scent. She smiled a little; although today nothing went like either of them had planned, they still had each other.

Her eyes opened when he grabbed her hand, looking down just in time to see his fingers tracing over her wedding band. Misako’s smile grew as she remembered that lovely day. She remembered how the two of them were so tired after the wedding, they spent the rest of the night watching crappy sitcoms in their hotel bed and laughing until they fell asleep.

Well… they weren’t in a hotel, but… that sounded like a lovely idea.

“Baby?” Misako asked gently, nuzzling into his shoulder again. He made a little noise in response, his reddish-brown eyes glimmering in the dark room. “Wanna watch some tv?”

Garmadon grinned, albeit a lot more sleepily than he had all day. He looked at her as if that was the smartest thing she’d ever said. “I thought you’d never ask.”

He leaned forward slightly to pick up the remote off the coffee table, clicking the power button before settling back down. The television hummed to life and Misako curled up against his side, tiredly humming a bit. Garmadon immediately wrapped an arm around her.

It wasn’t long before the two were laughing; the show that was on truly wasn’t even that funny, but laughter infected them anyways. They locked eyes during the next fit of giggles. Misako couldn’t help it then; she cut off his chuckles with the press of her lips against his. Her hand on his chest, his hand on her hip… she didn’t pull away until they were both utterly breathless.

As she gazed into his eyes, silent and unmoving, she secretly hoped that every Valentine’s Day would be like this. Screw the cliché movie-like dates, gifts, expensive outings, etc.… Misako would gladly spill tea, get denied entry, and give away her flowers endlessly if it meant she could be here forever; In her husband’s arms, tv streaming a cheesy sitcom, and no one else but them.

“Happy Valentine’s Day,” Garmadon broke the silence in a quiet tone, making her face flush even further. “I love you.”

“I love you more.” Misako replied, sealing their lips once again before he could even begin to argue.