Chapter Text
The ninja were incredible.
This wasn’t an opinion - it was a fact, and everyone in Ninjago knew it. In the short few years since their first appearance, the team of warriors had already saved Ninjago half a dozen times. Fighting villains and monsters alike, they had gained many fans from their heroic deeds.
Morro was one of these fans. A damned soul from the cursed realm, Morro had been freed from The Preeminent’s tyrannical reign when the ninja destroyed her. In doing so, the ninja also destroyed many of the ghosts inhabiting the realm, though a few managed to escape. You’d think that these souls would be angry and seek revenge on the ninja for destroying their queen but you’d be mistaken, at least in Morro’s case.
No, he was actually incredibly grateful. The Preeminent had been horrible to him ever since he arrived in her realm. It wasn’t personal, she treated all the souls under her reign the same. Like toys. Not sentient beings who felt pain but playthings to be toyed with, tortured and discarded whenever they stopped doing what they were supposed to. Morro was glad to be free of her.
With not much else going on, Morro developed an interest in his saviors. Six regular people, who had somehow managed to kill a God. One in particular caught his eye though. Cole, the earth ninja. Physically the strongest of the group, Cole had the muscles to show for it. Though built like a mountain, he was actually incredibly sweet. effortlessly charismatic in a way that contrasted Kai’s more flamboyant charm. He always seemed so genuine, and he gave the impression that he would give the best hugs. The thing that drew Morro's attention the most though? He used to be a ghost. A ghost, just like Morro.
It wasn’t all that intense an interest to start, but Morro had basically nothing else. He’d been trapped in the cursed realm for decades, and even before that he hadn’t had all that much in life. Orphaned young and raised on the streets, his life had been a lonely and pathetic one until his untimely demise. Now free and no longer living in constant terror of his queen, he really hadn't a clue what to do with himself.
So, he took an interest in the ninja. Nothing unusual really, just average fan behavior. Even his interest in Cole was little more than having a favorite ninja. He kept up with news, watched an interview or two, bought a bit of merch here and there. Nice normal fan things.
But that would soon change. Whether that was for better or worse was a matter of perspective.
—
Morro heard a massive BOOM and felt the ground beneath him shake. The bakery around Morro was crumbling, dust and small rocks raining down. Panicked screams echoed throughout as its occupants struggled to evacuate, but to Morro it was nothing more than a mild inconvenience. One of the perks of being a ghost was that there wasn’t much that could hurt him, and luckily collapsing buildings were not on that list.
With no need to rush, Morro took his time gathering up the pastries he had bought. Before he could walk out though he was startled by an extra BOOM , and jumped back. Landing on his bum he looked up just in time to see a large chunk of rubble falling straight towards him. Though instinct begged him to run, his rational mind knew he could just phase through it. It was a shame his treats would be crushed though.
Closing his eyes in focus, he prepared to become intangible and waited. But the cold feeling of phasing through solid material never came.
Confused, Morro opened his eyes. There, standing over him, holding the chunk of debris he should have been passing through right now, was a man with arms that glowed like lava in a way that was mesmerizing. Dressed in a sleeveless black gi, the Earth Ninja smiled down at him.
“ Holy shit he’s gorgeous. Wait, what? Wait shit. Fuck. He’s bleeding. He’s bleeding everywhere ohhhhhh fuck he’s hurt. The rock stabbed him. I gotta kill the rock. What?”
Though Cole may have caught the chunk of the building, a piece of rebar had embedded itself deep in his shoulder. Despite the obvious pain he must be in, he smiled at Morro like he didn't have a care in the world. It was the most wonderful smile Morro had ever seen, far warmer than the wicked grins he saw in the cursed realm, and wonderfully genuine.
“Hey, you ok there?” Cole asked him.
Snapped back to reality, Morro was forced to remember how words worked “Y-yeah. Fine. Thanks”
“Good, I’m glad.” Cole responded, and his smile was back. His damned beautiful, warm, gorgeous smile.
With a grunt and a “Hup!” Cole threw the rubble he had been holding with barely a wince of pain. Bending down, he offered Morro a hand to help stand up, which Morro took. Pulling him to his feet, Morro found himself only inches away from Cole, the ninja’s breath warm in contrast to the cold of whatever passed as Morro’s flesh. Really, with how close they were, Morro couldn't help but look at the ninja’s extremely muscular chest.
“Who walks around with a v neck that deep anyway?” Morro thought, before realizing he had been staring. As he backed up he had never been more grateful that ghosts couldn’t blush.
“Are you sure you’re alright? Not hurt or anything?” Cole asked, his voice laced with concern. “There are ambulances on the way, if you hang around a few minutes the paramedics can check you over.”
“No no, I’m fine, really,” Morro said, visibly tensing at the suggestion. He was NOT in the mood to deal with nosy medical professionals today. “Thank you, very much, for saving me. I’ll get out of your way now, I’m sure you’ve got plenty of other people that need help.” He rushed to say, practically running away.
“Well… alright then. Take… care?” Cole’s words fell off, but Morro was already gone.
Another perk of being a ghost? It was much easier to get out of awkward situations.
—
Days after the building-collapse incident, Morro couldn't stop thinking about his “savior”. Morro would have been just fine without him, but the way he had rushed in to protect him made his heart flutter. His mind kept coming back to the way his arms had glowed and flexed as he held the rubble, the way he didn't even seem to notice his own injuries in favor of making sure Morro was ok, the way his strong grip felt as he pulled him up, and the genuine concern over Morro’s well-being.
But most of all, he couldn’t stop thinking about his smile. So warm, so genuine, and so reassuring. For the first time in ages, in his life really, Morro had briefly felt like someone actually cared about him. That he mattered . That maybe things would be ok, and maybe he shouldn't just throw himself into the ocean. He’d been considering it for a while, now that it was actually an option. He was tired of suffering, and with nothing left for him in Ninjago, what reason did he have to stick around? Well, now he had a reason. He wanted to see that smile again, and he wanted it directed at him.
Ever since he was freed from The Preeminent’s control, Morro had just been wandering around aimlessly. He had no idea what to do with himself, and no idea how to start figuring it out. But now he had a goal. Something he cared about. And he would give it his full attention.
He started by getting a phone. He barely knew how to use the modern device, but it had the internet, and the internet had information about Cole, so he would learn, and fast.
With literally nothing else to do, it was only a few weeks before Morro knew everything publicly available about the Earth Ninja. He watched every interview, every advertisement, and read every fun fact list he could find.
But that wasn’t nearly enough.
He dug deeper. Old news articles, police reports, shitty videos taken by fans, anything that had even the slightest glimpse of Cole. He found the ninjas’ private social medias and made fake profiles so they would let him follow them. He made sure to like and save every post, and was especially delighted when the included locations. When he learned about Cole’s father, a member of a musical group, Morro began researching him too. History, performances, the other band members, even listened to their songs, which were pretty good. He learned everything he could about Cole, and to an extent the other ninja. Everything from his birthday to the day his mother had died, Morro managed to dig it up. If it was out there, he would find it.
Sure, maybe it was a bit creepy to know all this about someone he had barely met. But it wasn't like he was hurting anyone! Cole didn’t even know about it! And it made Morro happy. Happier than he’d been in a long time.
But it still wasn’t enough. He needed more. He needed to see Cole again, in person.
He needed to see his smile.