Asking for a oneshot, where Morro is human, he was resurrected after the dotd events and became human again. He redeemed himself, and continued living with wu and the others
the ninja have a friend who helps them financially a lot, because she is rich ( I donβt mind whatever career you think is fitting for a wealthy young adult like reader, music producer?? Who is quite popular in ninjago)
Cole being a the music enthusiast he somehow became a close friend of hers, thatβs how sheβs close to the ninja (and wu too!) now. Reader often visits the monastery whenever sheβs free.
the next time she visits is the time she first meets morro.
basically, after finding out who she is and what she does for them, morro at first is a bit envious, untrusting, and many other negative things surrounding the way he feels about her. How comfortable she is with them. How easy-going and laid back she is. Even childish sometimes. From a surface level, she just seems like a privileged rich bimbo who has no worries.
Thatβs how he first sees her, until she stays over one time and decides to stay in Nyaβs room for more weeks just because she misses her family (the ninja) and the more time he spends around her, Morro discovers that her life wasnβt as perfect as he thought it was.
(note: reader is autistic. She had been abandoned by her parents and has built her way up from zero. She has chronic depression. Atp reader is an unnamed ocβ€οΈ )
(Sorry that was too long but the idea has been in my head since forever and im not satisfied with writing it myself..)
This concept is so cool! Iβll make it it a reoccurring universe if people like this oc as much as I do :) (Or if you recommend something again). Just to clarify, his behavior here may be a little different than DOTD, and Iβve written in this way because I donβt think he would be even moderately healed after that. He was only polite with the ninja because he assumed heβd never see them again. After being resurrected, the resentment is alive and well. Please peep the pun in the title haha bass means base ππ Iβm a dork. Also shrink = slang for therapist!
Back to bassline βΆβ«β
Resurrected !Morro, takes place after the events of day of the departed
ββββΰ¨ΰ§ββββββββΰ¨ΰ§βββ
Itβs been a couples months since he got out of jail on probation. How he earned it is a blur; He doesnβt think he could recall any memories from the time he spent in that cell. Well, he could remember being constantly reminded of how bad he stunk. It took some to time to learn water couldnβt hurt him anymore. It could only be described as torturousβ being such a clean-freak with a fear ofβ¦ showering.
Cold water still makes him spiral. Itβs such a pain in the ass to wash with lukewarm water after a workout, but thatβs what he was doing. How funny. Dying by fire and ash in the caves of despair, then in the freezing cold waters of Stiix. Itβs made him so temperature-sensitive. βJust another thing that makes me weakβ, the sentiment throbs in his brain like a headache.
He walks by the monasteryβs living room while towel-drying his hair. He glances into the room, and his eyes hone in on the unfamiliar face. You notice him, his catlike head tilt and dagger-sharp gaze assessing you. It makes you shiver, ever so slightly. Itβs quite clear that he used to inhabit the cursed realm. His unnerving energy is diluted by what heβs wearing: A shirt says βCats are awesomeβ. For somebody like him to wear that, it must be comfy.
Zane and Cole turn their heads toward him, taking notice of the tension. Cole clears his throat, introducing you to Morro, and him to you. But you donβt need an introduction. Everyone knows him. Stiix still suffers from the aftermath of his attacks, now far more impoverished and crime-ridden than before. Heβs faced the consequences already, atleast thatβs what the public information regarding his case says: Severe mental illness impairing his judgment and function, coercion from the Preeminent playing a significant role in his choices, too young at the time of committing the crimes to be charged as an adult. If heβs been let out, you trust it mustβve been the right thing to do.
β..Hiβ You smile, but it doesnβt quite reach your eyes. The nerves get to you.
He doesnβt acknowledge you. Turns to the others.
βYou didnβt tell me somebody would be over. What if I walked out in a towel? You have to think about this stuff!l
Zane tries to reason with him, βYou have never done that, Morro. We had no reason to suspect you wouldβ¦ it would be quite out of characterββ
βJust warn me next time!β Morro interrupts. βI hate seeing random people in this place.β
Cole looks at Morro with barely disguised annoyance. Cole would normally call somebody out for being this unreasonable, bluntly so. You suppose Wuβs requested him to be patient, for Morroβs sake. His response is preceded with a sigh.
βAlright. We will, unless itβs too short notice for us to tell you. But.. look, this is just as much our place as yours. You can bring people here, too.β
Morroβs eyes flash with hurt, before reverting back to their squinted state. Cole should know he doesnβt have anyone to bring over.
He scoffs. Walks off to what you assume is his room.
Cole apologies on his behalf. Says heβs had it pretty rough.
βItβs obviously no excuse, but heβs a bit of a baby, so we have to walk on eggshells around him. Itβs not like heβs the only one that been through something.β His resentment slips through. Everybody must be really annoyed with Morro. Because Cole, who you know to be super compassionate and down-to-Earth, canβt hide his bitterness any longer.
βBad things affect people in different ways.β You look down, playing with your fingers. βIβm sure he doesnβt mean to be so annoying.β
Days pass. Youβve been coming over pretty often. You just finished your work on another album, so lately, youβre free to hang out with everybody. Youβre in Nyaβs room, showing her and Jay an instrumental you made. A certain artistβs label is considering buying it for them.
βCome on. You canβt tell us who?β
βJayyyy. She told you, itβs confidentialβ. Nya emphasizes the last word, making a joke out of the lingo you use now as a producer. They used to know you when you couldnβt convince anybody to let you make music for them. Thatβs how you know they donβt keep you around just for money.
But somebody comes in to make you doubt that.
βI see how it is.β You overhear from the hallway, returning after having left to fetch some water. Itβs Morroβs voice. βYou need money. I guess being a hero doesnβt pay enough, huh? Real grateful to youβ The people of this place. They pay you so fairly you guys need to leech off of her?β
Nyaβs voice comes in after a groan.
βOh donβt you dare, asshole. Iβm not even gonna dignify that with a response.β
βCuz itβs true?β He eggs her on, getting closer to Nyaβs face. Jay gets in-between them, but not before Nya pushes Morro back.
Jay almost calls him a bitch, but Nya told him she despises that wordβ and Jayβs said he considers swearing to be a sign of βweak verbal skillsβ sooo often, itβd be embarrassing for him to cuss after being provoked.
βWhy do you only ever open your mouth to bother people? Maybe your intentions with somebody well-off would be to take advantage of them, but weβve known her forever. Before money was even in the question.β
βRight. Her company is the enjoyable part. The things she buys you.. just a nice bonus, right? You donβt even notice it?β
βDonβt talk about me like Iβm not here.β You muster up. They turn to you. Nyaβs face drops. She canβt believe you had to hear all that.
βIt talks?β Morro jeers. He flinches a little when Nya raises her hand.
βGo home.β She says. βBack to rehab, back to jail, back to wherever the hell. And donβt come back until you learn how to act around other people.β
βOh.. Nya..β You quaver. βThatβs a little farββ
βI donβt need you to stick up for me.β Morro glares at you before turning back to Nya and Jay. βSorry, I guess. Didnβt know this was such a touchy subject for you.. thereβs just no honesty around here..β he shoves past you.
What did you do to make him hate you so much?
Itβs nighttime, and you keep asking Nya if itβs okay youβve been hugging her so much. She keeps reassuring you itβs fine. Sheβs polishing the cover of her blade, your cheek rests on her shoulder.
β..Iβll kick his ass, I swear..β She mutters.
βIβm not upset about him!β You lift your head, now facing her.
βYou were fine the past few days until he opened his big mouth.β
βNo.. I..β you sigh, looking down at your lap. βI really missed you guys. Whenever Iβm.. free, which is rare, you guys are always on the verge of death in some other realm or something like that.. Iβ Iβve been thinking, you know..? How much this place sucks..β You meet Nyaβs eyes. βThis realm is always under attack. We never have any peace.. and.. making music during these times while you guys are out fighting your your lives feels soβ¦ useless..β
β..Art is important.β Nya smiles at you. βIt gives people hope. Itβs also a distraction. βCause not everybody can handle thinking about real life all the time. You donβt need powers. You donβt even need to do .. anything manual, really. Thereβs a lot of ways to save people.β
You look down at your lap, fidgeting with your fingers. Sheβs right. Intellectually, you agree. But emotionally, you arenβt convinced. Your mind will be do anything to convince itself of your supposed uselessness. You speak, low and begrudgingly.
βI guess soβ¦ but I think, thatβs easier for you to say. Like, if somebodyβs life is on the line, you can sort ofβ¦ force them, physically, to comply. I mean. If youβre stronger than somebody.. you can make them not give up. I guess, what Iβm trying to say is.. when your only way of helping people is making artβ¦ you canβt really save those that donβt want to be saved.β
You stir awake with Nya asleep by your side. Your throat feels dry.
You walk over to the kitchen, and swear you see a strange, elongated silhouette. Youβre used to seeing things. It comes with being anxious. You rub your eyes, only to remove your fists and see Morro. It scares you shitless. You didnβt hear anyone, and suddenly somebody just manifests in front of you. The moment you open your mouth, he closes his hand over it and puts his arm behind your head so you donβt pull it back. Heβs so swift. Itβs like heβs done this before. Oh, yeah. He has. Heβs a ninja. Honestly, it never occurred to you that you were in a house full of people with reflexes a thousand times faster than your own. Kinda scary.
You hear a crack. You look down to see.. an egg?
βShit..β Morro mumbles, before glaring at you. βMake any noise and I promise Iβll kill you.β He removes his hand from your face before wiping it on his pants, mumbling something about drool.
You blink away your tears, you donβt even know why theyβre there. You probably kept your eyes open too long in shock. You look at the broken egg on the floor.
βYou um.. you need a mopβ¦?β You look up to see him already getting one out of the nearby storage closet.
βClean that up.β He hands you the mop and gently kicks the bucket in your direction. You take the mop into your hand without even realizing what youβre doing. You look at him confused.
Morro raises his brow at you. Or, it looks like he does. You canβt see that well right now. βWhatβs with the look? I only dropped it βcause of you.β
He turns to the fridge to get another egg.
ββ¦What are you doing?β
He ignores you, grabs a spoon.
βWhatβ what are you doing?β
βI heard you the first time..β
βYou didnβt answer meβ¦β
He cracks it open, carefully separating the yolk from the whites. You can see him contemplating if he should throw the yolk away before he just swallows it.
You take the bucket to the sink to fill it. You hear him rummaging around in the drawers. You leave the tap on and turn to him. Heβs holding parchment.. so, heβs probably looking for scissors. Theyβre next to you. You tap him on the shoulder and hand them to him.
ββ¦Thanks.β He carefully positions the paper before he begins cutting. You never thought youβd admire the way somebody cuts paper, but the line is perfectly straight throughout, no bumpy edges at all. Itβs like everything he does needs to be flawless. He can feel you staring.
βWhat?β He snaps his head at you.
You flinch. He moves so fast. βI.. what are you doing all this for?β
He scoffs, returns to the paper. βSo nosy. Why wonβt you stop asking?β.. after a moment of silence, he answers. As if he actually wanted you to keep asking. βItβs to repair a torn page..β you assume he tore it, but he words it in a way that suggests it was torn without his ministrations at all.
βMust be really important if you had to fix it at midnight.β You reply, turning around to turn the tap off.
Morroβs eyebrows furrow as he faces the counter, clearly a bit more upset with himself than with what you said.
β..Yeah. One of Wuβs books. He.. told me to copy some of it downβ¦, βcause the original bookβs ink is wearing off.. but I didnβt intend to accelerate the bookβs decaying process..β
ββ¦You do everything really carefully.β You declare, not really thinking before speaking . It was an observation that felt necessary to voice. βYou cut the paper perfectly straight.β
His eyes narrow into their typical judgmental squint.
βYou canβt do that?β
βMost people canβt..!β Your ears redden, the insinuation that youβre the only person in the world that canβt cut paper perfectly straight is profoundly embarrassing , so you had to shut it down. You continue speaking. βI never thought to use egg-whites for that.β
βItβs made of animal skin. Egg-whites create strong bonds when they dryβ¦ and itβs weaker than glueβ¦.so, it wonβt warp the paper when I try to repair it.β
βInteresting.β You take a step, attempting to follow him into his room.
βWhat are you doing?β
βOh.. I.. I wanna see.β
ββ¦You want to see me fix a tear?β
βIβ.. no, itβs alright.. nevermind, Iβll goββ
βClean the egg off the floor first. Iβll wait for you since youβre so interested.β
βOh..okay, yeah..β You blink. Then you feel a sense of shame sink into your stomach. This guyβs been such an asshole to you. And itβs not even your fault the egg fell. He dropped it while he was covering your mouth.
βHelp you? Mop an egg? God, youβre lazy.β
βItβs not my fault you dropped it.β You clench your fists, they rest on either side of you. βAnd the kitchenβs also a mess. You left a bunch of things out.β
He stares at you with the textbook definition of contempt in his eyes, before kissing his teeth.
βYeah, Iβll clean up the kitchen, but I wonβt touch the mop. Just wait..β he drops his things off in his room before entering the hallway again.
You mop the egg off the floor, but the smell remains. You look up to see Morro lighting incense to get rid of the stench.
You retreat to his room, where you hold the parchment down so he can apply the egg whites to the tear in the page. It is literally miniscule.. If Wu noticed, he wouldnβt care.
βIs this seriously what you were so worried about..?β
βDonβt be insolent.. itβs not just any book.β Morro does this thing where heβll use words only elderly people use in casual conversation. It makes you giggle.
βWhatβs funny?β
βUhm..β You compose yourself. βYou justβ¦ you talk likeβ¦ a professor, sometimes.β
He rolls his eyes, a smile peeking through on his lips. βYeah. After I went to prison I realized the average IQ mustβve dropped while I was in the cursed realm. Nobody there talked like I did. Used a bunch of dumb slang I still donβt really get.β
βLike bitch?β You blurt out, referencing the fight between him and Jay yesterday.
β..Yeah, exactly like bitch.. itβs used less sparingly now.. but, that word definitely still existed when I was a kid..β He brushes the egg-whites into the paper with precision, creating a thin layer to mold the torn edges together. βThe blue one looked like he was going to choke on his tongue when he tried to call me a bitch in front of.. water girl.β You arenβt sure if he calls them nicknames to be rude, or if he genuinely doesnβt have their names memorized yet. Either way, their names are clearly too insignificant to occupy space in Morroβs head. βIf youβre going to insult somebody.. at-least do it with some.. linguistic competenceβ¦ donβt stutter like an idiot.β
βJay doesnβt swear because he thinks itβs a sign of the linguistic incompetence youβre talking about.β
βThen he should find a few better alternatives for bitch, because it took him too long to stop stuttering.β Morro takes your hand to lift it off the parchment. He does that a lot. Instead of asking people to do things, he does it for them. He doesnβt trust anyone to do anything right.
You understand the humor in Morroβs complaints. The average IQ seemingly dropping, peoplesβ speech patterns becoming less formal. But it does make you feel sympathetic toward him. Heβs supposed to be older than all the ninja. But his time in the cursed realm paused his grown, mentally and physically. He was essentially born 20 years before them, but he's the same age as them. He must feel so out of place. Heβs practically a teenager who missed out on an entire generation of normal human development, thrown into an era where he doesn't know the slang and doesn't understand the dynamics.. making him feel like an outsider in the only place he ever wanted to call home. You β¦ relate to him in that sense. Having to learn the things that everyone just.. knew. Being looked at weird because you forgot a social rule that everyone else in the room knows how to follow except for you.
ββ¦I like the way you talk. Itβs.. precise.β
Morro pauses, then continues to smooth over the parchment until it dries.
βPrecision is mandatory..β He says, finally lofting his finger to get a good look at the book over the direct light of his lamp. βIf you arenβt precise.. well, itβs hard to be of use to anything.β
Of use. Just another thing he says that reminds you of his total isolation. He thinks of himself as a product. Something you either sent to get fixed or throw away when it doesnβt work properly. If you thought that way, you wouldnβt really want to talk to people either. Heβd see them enjoying themselves without doing anything. Without being productive, without being useful. And people liking them and wanting their company anyway, and it would hurt him. Make him feel like the perfectionism heβs devoted his life to, didnβt matter at all. And now itβs too late to undo all the conditioning and just be normal. Of course it would cause resentment.
ββ¦About the.. uh, thing.. I did yesterday..β He scratches the back of his head, his soft, jet black hair falling smoothly over his fingers. βIβ¦ shitβ he clears his throat, his ears now pink. βSo much for linguistic competence..β he looks down. βIβm sorry. I was being a dick. Nya shouldβve punched me. She got pretty close.β
You stare at him, worried accepting his apology will solidify to himself that heβs made one at all, wounding his pride all over again and causing him to retreat. So you stay silent. You nod.
βI.. I dunno, I thoughtβ¦ you justβ¦you seemed like you didnβt care about anything. And they love you anyway. Butβ¦ you care about a lot of things, clearly. Youβre humble.. and, way too nice to me after all that I said and after I made you clean up my mess..β
βYou said it yourselfβ¦ I kinda, do everything weirdly perfectly. Although anybody should be able to cut paper the way I did.. um.. yeah, just.. seeing somebody that doesnβt have a stick up their ass all the time like me, being considered soβ¦ successful.. I.. I guess it pissed me off, maybe I got jealous. I donβt know. Itβs all I ever do.β
Your heart thuds against his chest. Heβs done. Heβs waiting for you to respond. But what the hell do you say? How do you fix this? How do you console somebody who hates being consoled?
βIβm.. Iβm glad youβve changed your mind about me.β You manage to say. βI canβt.. Iβll be honest, whenever people .. tell me this kinda stuff, my instinct is toβ¦ try to fix it. But what youβre describingβ¦ well, itβs a complex youβve got. Thatβll take years to undo.β
βYouβre a shrink now?β He looks bored again, but the vulnerability is still there.
You ignore his comment. βJust.. itβs a conscious thing, alright? Is what Iβm trying to say. You think you need to do everything like your life is on the lineβ¦ But anybody that hates you after a mistake never cared about you at all. And you shouldnβt try to cater to them because someone that wants people to be perfect is looking for something that doesnβt exist, because we all fuck up. And I know whateverβs convinced you you need to be flawless isnβt just going to go away. Itβs part of your brain, but.. thatβs what I mean by the whole, conscious thing. Itβs about your choices too. You didnβt choose what hurt you, but.. but you choose who to hurt and who to care about, and if you choose to.. care about people that love you for you, mistakes be damned, and you choose them over and over and over again, eventually, you wonβt feel the need to walk on eggshells anymore. Because you know they arenβt going anywhere.β
Morro doesn't move. He stands entirely still, his hand frozen against the smooth wood of the cabinet door, his dark, green-streaked hair completely obscuring his eyes. For five agonizing seconds, youβre terrified that you misread the cues. All this hyper-fixating on how neurotypicals talk, how they say what they donβt mean and mean what they never sayβ maybe itβs led you to nothing. Maybe you couldnβt console him after all. Maybe you went too far, missed another social cue, took a certain thing too seriously and treated a serious thing like a joke. You worry that your words cut too deep, that you just accidentally backed this hypersensitive, volatile ex-convict into a corner, and that heβs going to lash out just to protect his pride.
He just lets out a slow, quiet breath through his nose. His shoulders, usually so rigid and defensive, drop a fraction of an inch in the dark room. He doesn't look at you. He canβt. He closes the book with a loud thud.
"You talk too much," he mutters, before leaving you in his room and going off to .. meditate, maybe. You notice him doing that early in the morning. Right now is probably around the time he wakes up. So, no point in going back to bed.
You stare at the book, deep in thought. Maybe you got through to him. Maybe he listened. Maybe heβll take your advice. Maybe he.. even likes you now. Even if his reply was abrupt, dismissive, rudeβ¦ you feel a sense of accomplishment. Of course, if he ever wanted to be your close friend, heβd have to change significantlyβ¦ but, itβs safe to say youβre acquainted now. Maybe. Atleast from your point of view.
Λγγγγβ¦γγγ.γγ. γβΛγ.γγγγγ . β¦γγγ γΛγγγγ . β
β. ΰΏΰΏ γγγ.ββ γγΛγγ γγ*γγ γγβ¦γγγ.γγ.γγγβ¦γΛ γγγγβΛγ.Λγγγγβ¦γγγ.γγ. γβΛγ.γγγγ
Iβm actually really proud of the advice I wrote here :) There are many people out there like Morro that think love is earned through proving oneself worthy. It makes sense for him, considering how little love he received as a child. If you know anybody like him, be patient when they mess up. Theyβre already beating themselves up about it in their head. And if youβre the one thatβs more like himβ choose the right people. And when they stay throughout all your fuck-ups, youβll realize you didnβt have to be perfect for love, ever.