#ninjago fandom

☯︎☾ ﾟ.

"Your form is off. Again."

The group of ninja let out a series of groans at their teacher's instruction. "{Name}, can't we take a break or something? My back is killing me." Jay was always the first one who would complain during your harsh training sessions. You weren't trying to kill this group but they had gotten lazy. The elemental masters had gotten idle after months of no major crimes or threats to the city. To you, this was unacceptable. A true warrior was at the top of their game even when there isn't a threat of danger.

"A break? So, you're all confident enough to take me on a match right now?" The ninja winced at how firm your tone was. The last time they tried it, they all ended up with dark bruises that were still healing. They each shook their heads, going back into their fighting stances as they challenged each other. A soft scoff escaped you. "That's what I thought."

"You're scaring them, my love."

You turned to see your husband, now known as Sensei Garmadon, walk in the training room with a lighthearted smile. Lloyd looked over and gave him a wave but quickly returned to his training after the firm look you'd given him. 

"I'm teaching strengthening their skills. They've gotten lazy and have grown an ego."

Jay immediately looked over in offense. "Hey! We're right here you know?!" 

"Did I say training was over?" Jay's face paled instantly before returning to his stances again. Garmadon laughed at his husband's way of intimidating the ninja. He stepped closer and placed a hand on your lower back, rubbing small circles with his thumb.

"Be patient with this group. They seem like rebels now but they have done remarkable things for Ninjago." You knew we wasn't lying, the ninja had saved Ninjago several times over the years which you were there for. It was still no excuse for getting as lazy as they did. "They seem like they could use another hour of training." 

The ninja let out collective groans but quickly composed themselves at your glare. Garmadon couldn't help the chuckle that escaped him. "Actually, I think it's time for a break. Wu gave me some tea I hoped to share with you." The ninja looked over expectantly, hoping you'd let them go for a break. You wanted to protest to keep them training but at the offer of tea you couldn't refuse. "Fine. Trainings over for the day."

The ninja cheered and filed out the room, Lloyd looking between his friends and his father in thought. He waved goodbye at his parents and left with the group. You shook your head with a groan as Garmadon chuckled again as he led you out of the room and towards the kitchen.

☯︎☾ ﾟ.

Despite how the ninja reacted, they were actually grateful you were training them. You had years of experience and gave them a new perspective on their line of work. Unbeknownst to you, the ninja see you as a role model they hoped to resonate with one day. As strict as you were, you cared for each ninja like they were your own. Besides, you secretly thought it was funny the way they whined whenever you made them repeat a move. It reminded you of how you were as a student. Garmadon was trying to get you to admit it out loud.

"They're good kids, I'll admit. But I did not sound like Jay." You were making yourself some tea, a habit you got from your brother-in-law, as your husband relentlessly teased you.

"I was wondering why his whining sounded familiar. He's a carbon copy of you when we were at their level." You rolled your eyes, fighting back a smirk. "I didn't whine either. Our sensei was a stern man. If anything I'm going easy on these kids." Garmadon chuckled fondly as he drank his own tea. 

You turned around and sat next to him, lightly smacking his hand away when he tried reaching for one of your snacks. Before your husband could tease you any further, Lloyd walked in. He wore a guilty expression as he sat in front of you, "Hey, dads." His voice was quiet then it usually was. It was a sign he wanted to talk about something serious but he was still contemplating his words. You remembered his habits since you helped raised him for a majority of his childhood. 

You nodded at his greeting while taking a sip of your tea as Garmadon set his down. "Are you alright, son?" Lloyd finally met his father's eyes with a smile. "Yeah, of course I'm fine."

You huffed, setting your cup down. "Your eyes tell a different story." Lloyd let out a nervous laugh at your stare, and how right you were. "I swear it's nothing to do with me. I only wanted to apologize to you." You stared at Lloyd for a long moment. What could he possibly apologize for? The only thing that came to mind was last week when he had accidentally messed up the scroll room while looking for something. You hardly remember what the reason was as the only recollection from that moment was how much he apologized and used Spinjitzu to clean the room again. You glanced at Garmadon who looked as confused as you did. He shrugged, grabbing his cup again, as you cleared your throat. "Apologize for what?"

Lloyd meet your gaze with a soft smile, "For the team's behavior. We've all realized how lazy we've become these past couple months while you take training seriously. It's not fair to you, dad." You were honestly surprised Lloyd was the only one here. You'd definitely demand an apology from the other's too if that's what they felt. His words were true, you trained them hard because you knew they were already at that level. Their only flaw was getting unproductive the moment Ninjago was no longer threatened. You wanted to change that so they stayed at peak condition at all times. You were just naturally strict because you cared.

You shook your head with a sigh, a smile creeping up on your lips. "There is no need to apologize. I understand that you're young and have other distractions. You kids aren't just ninja, you know." Lloyd opened his mouth to try and reason why that somehow wasn't fair when Garmadon beat him to it, "I think that as long as you all agree to train harder, we'll come to an understanding. Correct?" 

Lloyd nodded as he apologized again profusely, getting up to share the news with his teammates. You guessed it was because he was glad you didn't scold at him that much. When he left the kitchen, your Garmadon turned to you. "He looks up to you more than me, you know that?" 

You looked over at him with an amused smile. "Well I practically raised him. He has my sass." Garmadon laughed as he took your hand in his. "I'm glad it was you. I never properly thanked you for being there for him when…" He trailed off but you knew what he was talking about. When he was consumed by darkness, he never had time to be a father or a good role model towards Lloyd. That's why he's glad Lloyd found the ninja and had you to guide him towards the right path. You squeezed his hand in return. "I already told you. Don't mention it. I promised you I'd take care of him, didn't I?"

That earned a fond chuckle out of Garmadon. The promise they made when they were young, before the darkness consumed him. He remembered how safe he felt when you held him throughout the nights. When you slept beside him, he could almost forget there was an evil inside him waiting to emerge. Lloyd was still a baby at the time so he had no way of understanding what was happening. He made the promise with you the night he had his worst nightmare.

As Garmadon pressed a firm kiss to the side of your head, his mind drifted off to that night. While you went on about the day's training he couldn't help let the memory reply in his head.

☯︎☾ ﾟ.

Garmadon woke up screaming.

His body was aching with a pain as he sat up gasping for air while clutching his head. His nightmares had grown more frequently lately but this one was vivid. It was like the evil inside him was trying to consume him that very night and the only reason it didn't succeed was because he woke up. You sat up after him, holding him in your strong arms as he sobbed. Garmadon felt small in that moment, but he felt himself calm down in your arms. You wiped his tears, whispering sweet words into his ear as he clutched onto you.

At some point, you got up to bring him a towel and water. He didn't realize how much he was sweating and how dry his throat was until after he stopped crying. All he wanted was for the evil to leave him so he could be the man you wanted.

"Are you alright?" Your voice finally cut through his thoughts after his breathing went back to normal. He nodded as he flopped down onto the mattress. "Yes…Thank you. I didn't mean to scare you." You sat beside him, gently dabbing his forehead with the towel. "You definitely frightened me. It's nothing I can't handle." Garmadon nodded before looking over at the crib that sat near them. Inside was his infant son. Miraculously, Lloyd hadn't awoken from Garmadon's outburst. The baby boy was still sleeping soundly in the dragon onesie you got for him.

Sensing his concern, you caressed his cheek with your finger. "He didn't so much as gurgle. That baby is resilient." Garmadon sighed in relief as he took your hand and kissed your palm. "I'm scared for the day this darkness consumes me. All I can think about is what will happen to you two."

Your expression softened as you leaned in and pressed your lips against his for a quick kiss. "We'll be fine. All three of us. We'll find a cure so you don't have to worry anymore." Garmadon sat up, letting you lean back so he could place cup your face with both hands. "And what if that day comes too late? What if there isn't a cure for me?" You held his wrists firmly, his words sending a shiver down your spine. "We will. Wu is making plans too-"

"There isn't a guarantee, {Name}. Anything can happen so I need you to be prepared. Promise me-"

"Garmadon."

"Promise me. Promise me you and Lloyd are far away from me when that happens. He doesn't have to grow up fearing his own father." You wanted to protest. You wanted to say that there would be a cure but the look he gave you said otherwise, so you gave in. For his sake. With a shaky sigh, you pressed your forehead against his. "I promise, Garmadon…But we will find a cure. No matter how long it takes." Garmadon chuckled as he kissed you, wiping the tears that had started to run down your cheeks. His kiss was firm, grounding you both in the moment and the life long promise you swore too. 

As you broke away, Lloyd made a small gurgle sound from his crib. You both looked over at the baby in surprise. "I spoke too soon. He made one sound tonight." 

You shared a quiet laugh as Garmadon pulled you down on the bed beside him. You stroked his cheek as you went on to ramble about how you dreaded the training your sensei would make you endure in the morning. He listened to you as his arms wrapped secularly around your body. Once you fell asleep, he pressed a final kiss to your forehead as his final thought of the night drifted off towards the promise he knew you planned to keep.

For everyone's sake.

☯︎☾ ﾟ.

"Alright, take a ten minute break."

The ninja collectively collapsed onto the floor in exhaustion. They've gotten better over the best few days. That still didn't leave out the fact they were spent after your training sessions. After they all had come to you to apologize like how Lloyd did, the ninja had gotten increasingly sharper with training. They no longer whined or complained about how strict your teachings were. The ninja had shown improvement in all areas. There was always the occasional protest but you hardly minded.

You had also given them more leisure time as a reward. 

While the ninja sat around drinking water on the mat, you sat beside your husband as he read a scroll. "I never thought I'd see the day where you would go easy on them." You scoffed while picking up a scroll from beside him to read yourself. "Easy? I'm only warming them up. Now that they're better I plan to move on to teach them more advanced moves." Garmadon chuckled as he shook his head, you were getting soft on those kids.

Garmadon set his scroll down and took your hand in his. Your wedding ring gleamed on your finger, a reminder of the love that you two shared. He lifted your hand and pressed a kiss to your ring. "Thank you. For keeping your promise. I know it was hard for you both." 

Your eyes softened as you squeezed his hand reassuringly. "Told you there would be a cure, didn't I?" Garmadon let out a warm laugh at your words as he was reminded of how stubborn you are. Even after all these years, his husband never gave up on a cure. When the evil inside him consumed his body, he held onto hope deep inside that you never gave up on him. For that, he'll always be grateful. "That you did, my love."

As you shared your moment together, Jay leaned close to Nya and whispered, "Do you think if we sneak out now, they'll notice?"

Nya gave him a firm look. "Don't even think about it. Let them have their moment." Lloyd looked over at his parents whispering to each other. He knew they were talking about their past by the looks they gave each other. Lloyd smiled and turned back to his friends, happy that his dads could live in the moment peacefully without fear.

☯︎☾ ﾟ.