Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The robot stood there, blinking around the cell it was in as Garmadon watched from the shadows. Samukai had wanted to tear it to pieces and strip it for parts, but Garmadon had shot that idea down instantly. That mechanic claimed this robot as his ‘son’ and was willing to do anything for it to survive. That was what fathers did. Garmadon knew that well. Who was to say if the mechanic would keep working without proof that the robot was in one piece? If he was as smart as Samukai claimed, then he would ask for proof of ‘life’, if a robot was capable of such a thing.

He watched as the robot stared at its own hands like it had never seen such a thing. Maybe it hadn’t. Maybe the skin was new. It lifted its left leg and bent the knee, the foot, rotated the ankle, experimenting with all the different joints. Still, the robot’s expression did not change.

Then, it placed the foot down, a little further away from the right foot, an attempt at a step. The robot’s arms were out, swinging around widely in an attempt to balance as it wobbled on its feet. Its eyes glanced up at the slab on the opposite wall, a ‘bed’ if you could even call it that, and then lifted the right foot.

That proved to be the robot’s undoing.

It couldn’t figure out how to balance on its left leg for the split second, the wobbling proving too much. The robot fell backwards, landing on its bottom. It sat there in the dust of the unclean cell, staring around the room with that unblinking gaze it had, almost as if looking for something.

Garmadon felt his eyes narrow. He had memorised his son’s first steps, replaying them on repeat until he didn’t even need to close his eyes to watch them. Lloyd had been sat playing with some toy Garmadon couldn’t remember, but when Garmadon had walked into the room and sat across the room to watch, that hadn’t been good enough for his boy. He hadn’t huffed or puffed or cried. Instead, he used the nearby sofa to push himself to his feet and start his trembling first steps to his dad. Lloyd had barely made it three steps before his tiny legs gave up on him, but Garmadon was there to catch him. He would always be there to catch him.

The robot’s eyes landed on Garmadon and widened. The two stared at each other for a few seconds, the silence of the room deafening. Garmadon blinked and watched as the robot copied it. Slow and hesitant, but it still managed to copy the blink. Garmadon watched as it kept copying his blinks and lifted his left hand. The robot copied the motion, all the way down to the wave Garmadon decided on.

Garmadon was going to regret this, wasn’t he? He took a step out of the shadow he had thought kept him hidden and approached the cell. The robot continued to blink up at him, eyes sometimes switching to watching his steps.

“Hello, Zane.” Garmadon had heard the mechanic call for his son, for Zane, as he was dragged to a temporary workshop. Samukai was in charge of setting up a permanent residence for their new mechanic.

The robot did not respond, just blinking at him from the floor. Garmadon sighed, reaching through the bars and lifting the robot up. He was Darkness Incarnate; he could lift a bunch of wires and metal. Garmadon let the robot find its feet and kept his hold steady until it found its balance. It still stared at him, but at least the blinking made it seem less… whatever this was. Why had the mechanic made the robot’s face so human?

“Garmadon,” he gestured to himself. “Garmadon.” He gestured to the robot. “Zane.”

The robot only blinked at him. Garmadon bit down the urge to sigh. What was he doing? Clearly the robot was-

“Ga,” the robot’s mouth was open, the first sound he had heard from it escaping, “ga.” Its facial expression had changed for the first time, its lips curling down slightly into the smallest frown Garmadon had ever seen. Most people wouldn’t even call it a frown, but after staring at the unchanging expression on the robot’s face, Garmadon could see the slight change in expression. “Gaaaa.”

Garmadon raised a hand to his chest. “Gar-ma-don.” It was a practised breaking down of words, pronouncing them clearly and slowly, one he learnt from teaching his own son, even if Dada was a lot easier than his name.

“Ga. Maaaaa. Ma,” Zane’s face was scrunching up as he tried to repeat the motions Garmadon had made with his mouth. Garmadon wondered if Zane had vocal cords. With how realistic some of his design was, it wouldn’t surprise him. “D… d… donnn.” Zane blinked at himself, a smile spreading across his lips as he looked up at Garmadon. “Don! Ga. Ma. Don!”

Garmadon couldn’t help the small chuckle that escaped him. “Yes, that’s me, Zane. Well done.” He froze, his hand hovering above Zane’s head. It had been an instinctive reaction, praising Zane with a hair ruffle like he did with Lloyd. But this wasn’t Lloyd. This was leverage.

“Ga. Ma. Don?” Zane’s smile was gone as he looked between Garmadon and his hovering hand.

Samukai could never know about this.

“You did good, Zane,” Garmadon told him as he ruffled the surprisingly real feeling hair. He did not want to know where the mechanic got that from. “Well done.”

Zane was smiling again, watching Garmadon’s arm with pure awe. Garmadon hadn’t seen such an expression on anyone’s face, not since showing Lloyd how to pick apples. His son had been so easily entertained, fascinated by everything his father showed him. The world was brand new to him and he trusted Garmadon to show him it all.

Zane reached up, tugging Garmadon’s hand from his hair and bending it back and forth, inspecting all the ways it moved like Zane had done with his own body parts when he had first woken up. He wasn’t loud about his discoveries, just glancing up at Garmadon every few seconds, not like Lloyd who had yelled until he was certain that Garmadon was looking.

…

Oh, Garmadon was so doomed, wasn’t he?

“Gama-don?”

Zane had stopped fiddling with Garmadon’s arm, staring up at the Lord of Evil. His eyes held no hate, no fear, no wariness. Garmadon had only ever seen eyes like that once before. Not even Misako had been able to look at him with only love in her eyes.

“I am just thinking, Zane,” Garmadon smiled, careful to only use his lips and not his teeth. Toothy smiles always made everyone take a step back.

Zane smiled back, still clinging to Garmadon’s hand. Maybe he should get some of Lloyd’s old stuff… it was probably still in storage at the monastery. Garmadon hadn’t wanted to take anything and deprive his son of his own belongings and Wu could be very sentimental sometimes. It wasn’t like Misako took anything with her and Lloyd only had the tiny plush dragon and a change of clothes when she dropped him off at Darkley’s. There should be plenty of stuff, perfect to liven up Zane’s cell. Blankets, pillows (did a robot need those? Zane felt cold. Was he supposed to feel cold?), a few baby pictures, maybe a few of Lloyd’s old toys to keep him occupied. It had to be dull in there.

Garmadon glanced at the exit to this cell block. There were two skeletons standing guard, the same two guards that had stood there for as long as Garmadon had been here. It wasn’t like food was necessary, but Garmadon was surprised they hadn’t started a union yet- that had happened with his last ‘employees’. Unions existed to do nothing but cause Garmadon unnecessary headaches.

There were two cell blocks and a very small amount of prisoners. Zane didn’t need to be surrounded by Garmadon’s enemies, whispering falsehoods and manipulations into his developing mind. No. Children needed good influences and to form their own opinions, make their own choices. Garmadon had that option stolen away from him by the venom running through his veins; he would not steal that from this child.

A small part of Garmadon reminded him that the dark and damp of the Underworld was no place to raise a child; there had been a reason he had not brought Lloyd with him, but Zane was already here. Garmadon did not bring him here, but he was here nonetheless. It wasn’t like Garmadon could leave the Underworld, not with his banishment still in place, and he was not about to send Zane out in the world on his own, not when the entire world would rip apart the boy who seemingly knew nothing of the himself, let alone the world. Maybe he could send Zane out with a skeleton, but Garmadon wasn’t that stupid. He knew far better than to trust any of his army with anything beyond the menial tasks. Anything more ended in failure or Samukai attempting to use it to overthrow him.

He carefully tugged his hand out of Zane’s grasp, the boy attempting to reach for it again. When the bars stopped Zane, his hands reached through, trying to grasp Garmadon.

“Gama! Gama-“ Zane whined.

Garmadon took one of the hands, squeezing it as Zane smiled. “I cannot stay here, Zane. I have a realm to run and supplies to retrieve.”

Zane only held the hand tighter as Garmadon tried to pull away. The unyielding grip was a friendly reminder of the metal that laid beneath the false skin.

“Zane.” Garmadon freed his trapped hand with his free hand. “I have to go. You must stay here.”

“Gama!” The boy had given up on attempting to grab Garmadon’s hand and was instead attempting to squeeze through the bars. “Gama!”

Garmadon laid a hand on Zane’s shoulder, softly pushing him away and stopping his attempt to squeeze through. He seemed completely intact, even if his previously white outfit was stained black with the grime from the cell now. No peeling skin, no exposed wires…

“No, Zane. You cannot accompany me.” Garmadon did not know if his words were understood by the robot. He seemed to understand that he was Zane and that Garmadon was ‘Gama’, but Lloyd hadn’t understood most things Garmadon had said when he was at the age where he was just learning how to speak.

…

Did robots age? Zane did not look like a child, but his speech and movements were similar to Lloyd’s when he was but a handful of years old. Perhaps the metal would grow and stretch with age? That was sort of similar to how Ray had once explained the art of crafting weapons. Wu had appeared to understand it better than him, but Garmadon still wasn’t completely convinced that his brother hadn’t just been bluffing.

“Zane.” The young boy blinked up at Garmadon, his hands clenching the thin layer of so-called clothing he wore- the bottom of where the shirt should be. A one piece outfit had proven to be too much trouble once Lloyd could start squirming around. Maybe the same would apply to Zane. “There are many dangers in this realm that would want to cause you pain.”

Zane was clearly not understanding the words, more focused on mouthing along to Garmadon’s words. This would require a different approach.

Garmadon pinched his left hand. “Ow!”

Zane’s attention snapped to the hand, grabbing it and looking it over with distressed cries, “Gama?”

So Zane understood pain. Pain was a part of growing up, from grazed knees to fist fights with your nuisance of a brother. Could Zane feel the pain? Or did he just recognise it? Garmadon didn’t have much experience with robots, but he didn’t think most of them were supposed to learn like this or clearly feel distress like a child. They were made of metal, but could metal feel pain? Zane had a layer of skin over that metal too… Garmadon would have to wait and see.

“Ow is pain,” Garmadon explained. “I didn’t like it. It was bad.”

“Ow. Ba-baddd. Ow bad?” Zane questioned.

Garmadon smiled, settling his right hand in Zane’s hair. It was softer than Misako’s, but rougher than Lloyd’s. “Yes. Ow is bad. And if Zane goes out there,” Garmadon pointed down the hallway, “Zane will get an ow.”

Zane frowned. “Ow bad!”

“I don’t want you to get an ow, but I need to go-“

“No!” Ah. So Zane could be loud. Noted. “No go! No want Gama ow!”

Lloyd’s lower lip used to tremble like that whenever Garmadon left, whether it was for date night or to drag Wu out of his moping in the monastery. It was why he sometimes thanked Misako and Wu for never entering the Underworld, never approaching him, never bringing his son to visit. Garmadon would never be able to let Lloyd leave.

Garmadon pulled his arm back through the bars. “I am strong. I will not get an ow, but I need to leave. You cannot come with me.”

“Strong?” The blue of Zane’s eyes almost seemed to flicker.

His father had never once called Garmadon strong, afraid of how the venom would warp the word. Wu was the strong one. He was the one who obeyed the rules and held their father’s beloved creation. But he was only strong in their father’s eyes. Garmadon saw who Wu truly was, saw that boy who trusted that snake, the same boy that never dared to retrieve what was his.

He wondered vaguely if their father chose who inherited his power of creation and who inherited his power of destruction. At least Garmadon still held the power. Perhaps there was still hope for Lloyd.

“I will teach you how to be strong. I promise.”

———

Garmadon should not go back. He should leave the robot in the cell to rust. There was no reason to go back, not when the mechanic complied. Garmadon had skeletons to order around and plans to create. With their incompetency, he couldn’t waste time playing in the dust with the robot.

Garmadon sighed as he sorted through the supplies. Wu had kept a small handful, mostly blankets and pillows. There weren’t even any of the toys that Lloyd had left behind . There was Lloyd’s old highchair, crooked as always. Misako had always wanted to buy one from the city. Unfortunately, being the First Spinjitzu Master’s sons did not equal wealth. They had some items to trade, but Father had always taught them to be self-sufficient and, well, Garmadon broke most things he touched. Wu was the wielder of creation, but he was not gifted in using his hands for such tasks.

His shadow had managed to locate the items, sneaking a few skeletons in whilst Wu was out at the fake tea convention. Garmadon knew his brother could never resist such an invite. Normally, Garmadon would never bother with such a task, but a quick threat about dismantling Zane passed on to the mechanic meant two bikes were completed as night fell over Ninjago. The skeletons could not complain about the countless steps now (they could, but Garmadon was no longer listening. If they wanted to complain, they could walk it next time. Garmadon used to live there).

Samukai wouldn’t stop asking about the weapons within the boxes. Honestly, he should be more subtle with his plans to overthrow Garmadon. At least give him a challenge. But Samukai would be sorely disappointed at the true contents. Garmadon was. He pulled out the few balls of yarn and his old crochet hooks were tucked into the bottom of one of the boxes, buried beneath Lloyd’s stuff.

“Where are your toys?” Garmadon murmured. He had crocheted several different toys for Lloyd, but there were none in the monastery and none in the boxes.

Garmadon did not want to be right.

His shadow ducked its way into Lloyd’s dormitory. The few other boys were already snoozing away, having beaten their previous records of staying up late. No one ever slept when curfew was enacted, staying up and laughing until the early hours of the morning. It left them exhausted and everyone knew evil needed a good night’s sleep as a child, so evil would never have to sleep in the future. Garmadon had told Lloyd that many times, but the boy was always awake far later than his classmates. As his father, Garmadon should be against it, he should stop coming as a punishment, but-

“Dad!”

Lloyd would always be his greatest weakness.

“Shhh,” Garmadon laughed as he drifted to sit beside his son. “We don’t want to wake your classmates, now do we?”

Lloyd glanced over at the closest one, frown quickly being replaced with a smile as he pulled out his tatty book from under his covers. His hands dug into the pages like he once clung to the little dragon Garmadon had made. Garmadon would never forget the first time he saw his tiny infant, his, clutching that little dragon as Misako’s blinking slowed. He had cupped the tiny creature up, hesitant, but unwilling to entertain the alternative of Misako falling asleep holding the newborn. Misako slept peacefully through the sobs, but Wu never let him forget his relentless tears.

Stupid brother. He was crying too.

Lloyd opened the story to the first page, a story about dragons. It was mostly a picture book, one Wu had bought Lloyd for his second birthday, but Lloyd insisted on Garmadon always reading this one. Garmadon smiled down at his boy, not that Lloyd could see that on the shadow.

“Where’s Mimi?”

Lloyd froze, crinkling the pages. Strange. “…I lost her.”

“Oh… do you know where?” Lloyd shook his head. Garmadon’s shadow flowed over the sheets, staring up into his son’s watery eyes. “Hey, I can always make you a new one, son.”

Lloyd managed a small wobbly smile. Garmadon had never wanted to hold his boy more.

He drifted back to his spot at Lloyd’s side, draping an arm over the boy’s shoulders. Neither of them could feel it, but Lloyd sunk deeper into the bed. Garmadon was counting that as a win. He began to read, careful to give Lloyd plenty of time to stare at the pictures, even though the five year old (six in twenty three days- how time flew… how much time had he missed?) had seen them hundreds of times by now. Garmadon made sure to use the same voices he always used, letting his shadow flicker across the book and animate the scenes he spoke.

But then the Sun started to rise.

Daylight peaked over the horizon, starting its march to banish Garmadon back to the depths, but that was fine. Lloyd had fallen asleep before Garmadon could even finish the third page. The moon hadn’t been high in the sky then, but it had been a few hours at least. Garmadon wished he could linger, wished he could be there when Lloyd awoke, kiss his forehead and serve him a homemade meal; he used to make some mean eggs. But that wasn’t an option. Not for them.

Garmadon bit back a sigh, hand brushing over the strands of hair that tickled Lloyd’s nose. He couldn’t push them away like this, couldn’t move the book to its spot under Lloyd’s pillow and pull his blanket over him. Garmadon had always been on bedtime duty, tucking his son in and reading books to him as his wife took the peaceful opportunity to read some new scrolls her colleagues had sent her. She was always working, immediately after her maternity leave ended, diving in with more ferocity than she ever had before.

Garmadon loved that woman.

The night used to end with him crawling under their covers and a shared kiss. Sometimes, she would talk him through what she was reading or even read passages in foreign languages as she deciphered them. Most Ninjago citizens spoke the same language in the current era, but, long ago, they had no reason to interact and developed their own languages and dialects. Some people still lived isolated, with their own cultures and languages unknown to the rest of Ninjago. It was enchanting to hear her attempts to replicate those tongues. She was a natural, learning languages with ease, similarly to Wu and Father. Garmadon had never quite picked up a knack for it, but it was fascinating all the same.

Tonight, he looked around his son’s shared room, far smaller than the rooms in the monastery. It was mostly empty, little else other than the beds and a single table next to each one. There were no toys, no books, no pictures. Clothes were in piles under the beds, hastily kicked under and peaking out.

Garmadon swallowed dryly. He would make Ninjago in his own image and he would be able to reunite with his family. And it wasn’t like Misako didn’t visit Lloyd. She couldn’t take him on dangerous work trips and… well… Morro was a few decades ago, but Garmadon had perhaps lost some of his cool last time Misako even suggested leaving Lloyd alone with Wu. Darkley’s made sense. They wouldn’t judge him for his father, not like other schools or babysitters. Just because Garmadon never saw her didn’t mean that his wife wasn’t looking after their son. If he was unhappy here, she’d stop working in dangerous places and take care of Lloyd full time. He trusted his wife to do what was best for their beloved son.

Lloyd’s toys had to be at her new apartment, to keep them safe, far away from the pranks five year olds were prone to.

There were some days that Garmadon wanted to linger outside of the Sun’s sight. To wait for Misako’s inevitable return and see her smile with that same soft look in her gorgeous green eyes. They were warm like a summer’s field, the same sort of field he had taken her to on their first official date. He was so glad Lloyd inherited her green eyes instead of his bloody red. Maybe Lloyd would have inherited his original brown instead, but Garmadon much preferred the green. It was a permanent reminder that he and Misako made this incredible, pure being themselves, no favour from his father. Although sometimes he wondered if Lloyd really did take anything from him. Wu insisted Lloyd looked exactly like Garmadon did in their baby photos, but babies could look like anything! And Garmadon and Misako had brown hair. His baby was clearly blond!

It was stupid. Lloyd was his. Garmadon should be glad he didn’t take after him. He didn’t want his son to be cast away by his family like he was. Lloyd deserved nothing less than complete and unconditional love.

A yawn echoed around the room, the first of Lloyd’s roommates rising with the Sun. Garmadon didn’t stick around, his shadow slinking away, dipping into Lloyd’s shadow to return back to his side. Or his back. He didn’t move at first, remaining laid on the bed. The rocky ceiling was a far cry from the wooden planks of Darkley’s, but at least he didn’t bang his head every time he stood up. Some of the other rooms weren’t so lucky.

Samukai’s scowl was very much worth it, but Garmadon didn’t think Kruncha and Nuckal noticed.

Garmadon curled on his side, staring at his locked door. He might be the greatest evil that Ninjago had ever known but he was not an idiot like the skeletons. Garmadon was not going to leave his door unlocked. He had flesh that could be pierced, even if it was tougher than that of a true human’s. It was one of the few traits Garmadon wished his son had inherited from him.

Garmadon had never slept with a locked door before entering the Underworld. He had made that lock himself, using his limited knowledge from his once dear friend Ray. Did Wu ever check on him and his family? Without a war, a blacksmith who specialised in weapons struggled to provide for his family, but that did not mean his other metalwork was bad quality. Garmadon’s lock had worked well so far and that was without the touch of a master blacksmith.

He wished the lock was unnecessary. He wished he was back home, moved into the monastery once more with his brother down the hall and his wife in bed beside him. He wished his door was open and slightly ajar, an open invitation for a son who could not sleep. That had been the life he longed for.

That was the life he would create.

Wu just had to stop him from claiming the power of the Golden Weapons. Didn’t he understand that this was the only way they could be a family again? Didn’t his brother love him? Well, that was the question, wasn’t it? Garmadon had seen the words written in the letter and, with Lloyd’s hair, he could always pass as Garmadon’s son’s father. He could have wanted this for some time- maybe, deep down, his brother was just as evil as-

No. He wasn’t.

Wu was the good one. Their father’s beloved, perfect son. The one that didn’t go against the rules and climb over the monastery walls for his brother. If Wu wasn’t good, then why would their father show him the secrets of the monastery and not Garmadon? Why did he spend his time teaching Wu about meditating and the insight it could give you into future events whilst Garmadon focused on the decaying gardens? Why would he entrust his brother with guardianship over the Golden Weapons and have Garmadon sit off to the side? He simply wouldn’t trust Garmadon with such a responsibility.

Garmadon’s thumb ghosted over the scars that marked him, the bite that had doomed him. His father had every reason not to trust him. Destiny had dictated that he was doomed and no cure Father had tried had done anything but quicken the venom’s march. Preparing Wu for that eventuality had been the only option their father had left.

Garmadon sat up. Enough of that. His father couldn’t save him; he wasn’t going to cry about it. Garmadon would forever live with evil in his heart, but he had been happy. He would be happy once more, the day the world is recreated in his own image and he can live with his beloved family once more. All Garmadon had to do was be patient and let his plan come to fruition. He couldn’t physically leave the Underworld and return to Ninjago directly, but his Army could. They would retrieve his way out and then he would have his power and his family.

The door clicked open with the key. If he had Wu’s elemental power, he would no longer need to lug a key around. What was with keys in this world? Why did they all have to be half the size of him? At least his pockets swallowed it easily. His father had given his people some strange quirks; the skeletons couldn’t do that.

A room sat next to Garmadon’s room. He walked past it, not daring to glance at the incomplete bedroom. There wasn’t much in there besides a bed, but Garmadon had intended on getting Lloyd to pick out some colours and posters when he moved in.

And then Garmadon had remembered that he could not leave the Underworld.

Like he would trust these skeletons with his family. He didn’t even trust their idiocy with Zane. And Zane was made of metal under that very real feeling skin… probably. Not like it mattered. Zane was in his cell and Garmadon had confiscated all skeleton keys in the Underworld. As long as Zane stayed away from the bars, the skeletons would never be able to hurt him.

“Gama!”

Of course, if he sat by the bars, waiting around like some lost puppy, then he would be an easy target.

Garmadon chuckled. “Hello, Zane.”

The robot was jumping in place on his knees. Considering his earlier lack of body coordination, Garmadon was impressed he could manage that without tipping over. He would have preferred for Zane to not be sat in the same place he left him, where anyone could reach him, but the boy’s joy was contagious. Garmadon would just have to leave him away from the bars and maybe avoid teaching him to walk for a bit. That would work, right? Lloyd was talking long before he walked. That was just how children developed.

Garmadon pulled out the only key to Zane’s room, unlocking the door and shutting it behind him. Zane’s eyes followed him, the sound of shuffling filling the cell. Garmadon bit back a laugh as he lowered the box to the ground, pulling out the first blanket and laying it out across the slab that dared to be called a bed. Would Zane even notice the lack of mattress? Did a robot need a mattress? It didn’t really matter. Garmadon had more than enough of Lloyd’s old blankets and his and Misako’s old bedding in the box to make up for it. He was careful with every pillow, placing some of them around the outside of the bed so Zane wouldn’t just roll off. Lloyd had been a wiggly baby, always trying to wiggle his way off high edges. Zane wasn’t a baby, but-

A hand tugged at Garmadon’s leg.

He picked the kid up, returning the small smile and placing Zane onto the bed. “How is it? Comfy?”

Zane tilted his head at Garmadon, the smile dissipating and replaced with a small frown. Confusion. Right. Robot. Would he even sleep? Zane acted human enough and the mechanic was human, so the mechanic had to sleep. What else would Zane do during that time?

Garmadon pushed the robot down into the pillows and pulled one of Lloyd’s blankets over him, tucking Zane in. It was supposed to be for when Lloyd moved to his own bed instead of the crib, a blanket decorated with scrolls. Misako had cried over it, but she had also cried over everything at the time. Being seven months pregnant did that to you. It wasn’t very thick, but it was soft and sometimes that was far better.

Zane stared up at Garmadon, his expression unchanging. He didn’t know what sleep was. Had he just been sat by those bars, waiting for Garmadon to return?

“Close your eyes,” Garmadon murmured, voice quiet but clear. “It’s late and children need their sleep.”

“Sleep?”

“Sleep means no talking and no thinking. We shut off and rest for a few hours,” that was technology speak right? ‘Shut off’? “Just listen and drift away.”

There weren’t any books to pull out of the box, but Garmadon didn’t need a physical book. He had read Lloyd the same book every night for years now; he knew it off by heart. It wasn’t the same without the pictures, but Zane didn’t seem to mind, the faintest of smiles spreading across his face. Garmadon let his words trail off, the robot’s breathing slowing. It seemed that Zane could at least do his own form of sleeping.

He brought his hand up to Zane’s hair, tugging free a few tangles. Despite the lack of care, it wasn’t a mess. Garmadon would have to be careful. He doubted the hair would grow back.

What about scraped knees? Would it clot- would it bleed-

It didn’t matter. Garmadon did not need that knowledge. It wasn’t like Zane would go anywhere that would lead to injuries. Besides, the mechanic was still alive. If it was absolutely necessary, Garmadon could always threaten him for information.

His hand darted away from Zane’s skin. He bit down on his lip to contain a yelp. Zane’s scalp was freezing. Garmadon slowly reached his hand out, touching the skin hidden beneath the hair. The immediate change in temperature was painful, even with Garmadon’s oni-empowered skin. Surely Zane would notice such a drop in body temperature and make his discomfort known. Perhaps oni were better with heat? Father never really spoke about them that much.

Nowhere else was quite as cold, besides the ends of Zane’s fingers, but his skin was colder than before and only getting colder. Was this a robot thing? Did telling Zane to shut down do irreparable damage? Was this some sort of failsafe?

Garmadon stood up, approaching the cell door. He could leave. Go to his own bed and sleep and return to see if Zane was awake in a few hours. Surely this wasn’t dangerous. It felt like a terrible design flaw that the mechanic would have surely fixed.

He locked the cell door.

Garmadon pulled the blanket back, climbing into the bed with the child. It hurt to lie next to Zane, but that didn’t stop Garmadon from pulling the boy close and dragging the blanket over them both. He even reached over and grabbed a second blanket. Despite the biting cold, Garmadon refused to let go, even as he began to shiver throughout the night. This was nothing compared to those endless weeks adjusting to the venom running through his veins. Garmadon could handle a little bit of pain.

“You will be okay,” he murmured, the same reassurances he had once whispered as he cradled a sickly, sobbing infant. “I’m here. I’ll make sure of it.”

Chapter Text

The next two nights, Garmadon settled by Zane’s side, the words flowing from his lips on command, weaving a tale of grandeur and love. Even if the robot could not seem to remain ‘awake’ past the first chapter. Lloyd used to manage four, before his dorm started staying up until the early hours of the morning. On the third night, Garmadon began the story once more, the words tumbling out of his mouth before he could even register them. He almost steamrolled past Zane’s quiet request.

“No!”

It was the refusal that startled Garmadon into pausing. Zane was a curious child (a worrisome thought for a child that could not leave this part of the Underworld, but that was future Garmadon’s problem), interrupting without a single care about how rude it was (not that he knew anything about manners- Garmadon wasn’t in a rush to teach them. That was evil, right?). Poorly worded questions paired with hand signals led to a guessing game until Garmadon explained whatever had caught the child’s attention this time because yes, Zane, the skeletons can remove limbs without pain and no, Zane, throwing them in lava may be funny, but the supply of skeletons was limited and please do not put that pencil in your mouth-

Safe to say, Garmadon has his hands full. He almost wished for a second pair. Almost. Garmadon knew the cost of something unnatural. He wasn’t that far gone in his madness yet.

But Zane was curious. His vocabulary expanded every day, mimicking the words Garmadon spoke to him with impressive accuracy, almost instantly. And with that curiosity, the word ‘why’ became a constant ringing in Garmadon’s ear. Why do you sleep? Why are your eyes red? Why do you leave?

When Lloyd had been young, he would throw whatever he was curious about at Wu, despite their best attempts to curb the behaviour. Wu claimed it was proof that this was Garmadon’s genes, but Garmadon enacted older twin rights and claimed that Wu had attacked him like that ever since before they were born. He was older so he remembered. That’s how that worked. Not that it mattered- not when Wu tossed him down INTO THIS INFERNALDAMNEDPIT-

Deep breathes, Garmadon. He wouldn’t be here forever. And the army of skeletons practically hand-delivered on a platter to him was very helpful, dear brother.

Zane was curious, but he did not refuse. The word ‘no’ had quickly been a staple of Lloyd’s vocabulary, something Misako hadn’t wanted to admit came from her. ‘Why’ could at least be answered and worked with, ‘no’ implied an incoming tantrum. Garmadon had only known Zane a few short nights, but he hadn’t parented in years! Not to a kid the same age that Zane mentally was! And sure, they say you’re never ready and you can figure it out or whatever but he doubts that there are any parenting books about ‘How to take care of the robot you technically kidnapped and imprisoned who is the equivalent to a toddler mentally right now’.

“No?” Garmadon tentatively repeated the word with a questioning lilt to it.

Zane nodded, expression firm, similarly to how he looked at the ground when walking. He was trying to figure out his next step as the rest of his body wobbled, indecision freezing him in that moment. “No.”

Garmadon sighed quietly. ‘No’ could be a lot of things. “No… what?”

Zane stared blankly up at him. Because of course he did. Garmadon always explained things from what little Zane gave him. But he couldn’t extrapolate from nothing, so ‘no’ just wasn’t going to cut it.

“No… sleep?” Garmadon tried.

Zane’s expression did not change. That was a no to not wanting to sleep. Or sleep equivalent. Whatever. What else could Zane be saying? It wasn’t the collection of supposedly heat-enchanted blankets that did nothing against the cold leaking from Zane’s skin that Zane was complaining about, nor was he complaining about staying in the cell. Zane grumbled about the cell a lot, but the word cell had not left his mouth. No… no… he wasn’t trying to tug anything off, like Lloyd would when he got too grumpy and threw a tantrum, his tiny body sweltering with the heat his flailing created. Yes, the cell was empty of anything besides the few items Garmadon retrieved from the monastery. And Zane valued those few possessions, holding them with a care Garmadon hadn’t believed children could be capable of.

Except that time he flung a pillow at Garmadon’s face. Apparently, leaving without saying goodbye was a good reason for that. He gently corrected that misconception, despite the boiling in his veins.

No… no… “No story?”

Out of everything Garmadon expected, the glare shot his way was the very last thing on his mind.

"Zane," Garmadon sighed, "I can't help unless you tell me what you want."

Zane crossed his arms and Garmadon almost worried that the kid would not answer. "Yes story. No Gama story."

Some parents wished their babies could talk so they could tell them why they were crying. Garmadon almost wished Zane would cry instead. At least he knew what a crying baby needed.

Yes story. No Gama story. Zane wanted a story, that much he had made abundantly clear, but did he want someone else to tell it? Garmadon wasn't even sure the kid knew other people existed outside of the two of them; no one else ever came near this cell. But what else could he be upset about?

"You… want a story…" the kid nodded, "but you don't want one from me?" That was a vicious headshake. "Do you not like the story?" Another headshake. Guessing games. Misako had always been better at them than him.

"No…" Zane frowned, mouthing words he didn't pronounce. "I want story. No sleep story?" How could a robot's eyes gleam with pride? The mechanic had no idea what sort of menace he had created.

"You want a story and you want to sleep, but no sleep story," Garmadon murmured under his breath. He couldn't wait for Zane's vocabulary to advance. "Do you want a new story?"

Garmadon's cold heart sunk as Zane nodded. Lloyd had never wanted a different story, so Garmadon had never needed to learn another story. He didn't even think Lloyd owned more than just that old book, as unnecessary as it was.

But Zane was staring up at Garmadon, eyes wide as he waited for the promised story. And just like with Lloyd, Garmadon was weak to the eyes of children. He might not have a memorised story, but Garmadon did have a son and the many tales that came from such an experience.

"This story begins many years ago," Garmadon pulled the blanket over Zane, barely wincing at the frozen air beneath it, "when my beloved wife and I brought our precious boy into the world. His name is Lloyd. He is the sort of child that is too kind to disturb anyone that is sleeping, who is brave enough to leave his home and stay at his school instead for his mother's career." He weaved his fingers through the strands of Zane's hair. "He's perfect, too perfect- because he is so good, just like his mother."

Garmadon smiled down at the child next to him. Zane's eyes were locked onto his mouth, listening and watching the story being told. "Lloyd has always been his mother's son. I am glad for it."

He had many stories about Lloyd's life, from when he was raising his son to even now, when he visited every night. He shared stories with the listening child about Lloyd's tears whenever Garmadon put him down, about the first steps and the first words and where he was now.

But his stories weren't never-ending.

Garmadon sighed as he tucked in the sleeping kid. He made a mental note to order some of the skeletons to retrieve a few new books. Maybe Garmadon could even teach Zane to read. The cell could be dull after all. Wu had recommended a few different adventure novels to Misako in the past, but those would probably be better for Zane once he was older. Garmadon and Wu both had experience in discrepancies between physical and mental age.

Perhaps Kruncha and Nuckal would be the best for this task. They didn't tend to ask questions… or at least they didn't ask difficult ones. They might even ask for their own copies.

———

Samukai's report was as dull and as uninformative as ever. Wu continued to mope around the monastery and not lead them to the locations of the Golden Weapons. He was useless, but Garmadon knew his brother well. Wu considered himself clever and would hide the weapons where most mortals would never dare tread, but also where their exorbitant power would go unnoticed. Locations where they felt most at home.

Unfortunately, their father had wielded all four to create the land of Ninjago and left a variety of terrain most mortals could not cross, but were the perfect extremes to hide weapons of legend in.

Ice-filled lands with glaciers that reached beyond the clouds hid the snowfall and frost the Shurikens of Ice created passively. Volcanic chambers where the lava threatened to melt the skin off the bones of those that dared venture near. Eyes of lightning storms that circled the peaks, attracted to the lightning rod that was the Nunchucks of Lightning. Rumbling that shifted the continents below their feet. There was far to search, but Garmadon had time and expendable minions to throw at the problems. With luck, the Caves of Despair would prove fruitful and the countless broken bones would not be a waste of time.

Samukai, ever the 'loyal' commander, prattled on about the location, of the many losses and the lack of progress. However, he was still a skeleton and failed to see the greater picture. Those losses came from quakes destabilising the caverns, crushing their forces beneath them.

They would find it. They had time and manpower. Wu was nothing more than a sad, old man these days. How far he had fallen from the grace of their father? If he were still with them, would he still look at Wu with pride or turn him away for something newer?

Garmadon hated the thought. In many ways, he felt relief that his father's presence in his life was no longer physical. Lloyd did not need his grandfather in his life.

"Enough."

Samukai wisely shut his jaw.

"You will keep searching the Caves of Despair until there is nothing more to search. If you have to hollow out the land beneath your feet, so be it!" Garmadon snarled from his throne. "My brother is not lax enough in his duties to make the search for the Golden Weapons easy. This search will continue as long as it must so I can gain my father's power and reshape Ninjago in my own image!"

He would have his family back. No one would stop him, especially not his father's golden child.

The fists of Samukai's lower arms clenched as he glowered at the ground in front of them. Garmadon bit back a sigh, preparing himself to remind Samukai of who held the power here. It had been a few weeks now since the last time the skeleton had attempted to do more than snivel at Garmadon's feet. An argument was long overdo; a fight even longer.

CRASH!

The two occupants of the room twisted to face the commotion, but neither were surprised at the two causes. Kruncha and Nuckal were infamous among the skeletons for somehow holding the record for breaking the most bones that weren't their own. Which was impressive, considering that they also held the record for most bone breaks in a single day on your own body.

… Skeletons got bored in the Underworld and they were mostly immortal. And reckless. And foolish. It was an… interesting combination.

"What are you two fools doing here?" Samukai hissed. "This is a private report-"

"Kruncha. Nuckal," Garmadon interrupted as the two pulled themselves together. Literally. Although Nuckal seemed to not have realised that she had the wrong arm yet. "Did you retrieve what I asked of you?"

"Yes, Lord Garmadon." Kruncha saluted. "We have delivered them to your quarters."

Samukai's eyes were narrowed at his two subordinates, despite the fact he had no skin to use to do so. The inherent magic in those bones had been fascinating when Garmadon had first arrived, but the novelty had long since worn off.

"Very well. You are dismissed."

The shared look between the two skeletons left Garmadon externally sighing. The elbow fight that broke out two almost made him walk out of the throne room. Almost.

"ENOUGH!"

The two froze. Garmadon's eyes burned as he glared until Kruncha and Nuckal ducked their heads in shame.

"Is there a reason you linger in my presence?" He raised his left eyebrow.

"No, my-"

"Are we still allowed to pick some?" Nuckal interrupted, getting an impressively effective elbow to the ribs.

One downside to being an evil lord of darkness: no one ever seemed to trust the 'kindness'. What they failed to see was how self-serving it was.

"Are you doubting my words?"

"N-no!" Kruncha was the one to answer, hand shoved hastily over Nuckal's jaw. "Never, Great Lord of the Darkest Pi-"

Urgh. Bootlickers. "Then get out of my sight!"

At least that got rid of the two headaches, but it left a singular migraine to focus his full attention on Garmadon.

"I was unaware you had requested a delivery, my lord."

"I did not request it from you, Samukai."

Samukai bowed low, his forehead brushing the bottom stair to Garmadon's throne. "As your loyal servant, your request is my comm-"

"I did not request it from you. Do not make me repeat myself again."

"Of course not! My lord," he tacked on the end. Smooth. "I live to serve your might and spread your reign throughout Ninja-"

"Then, spare me your words and leave me in peace."

Samukai hesitated at the bottom of the stairs for a few moments, just long enough for Garmadon to prepare for an attack from the general. The shift of Garmadon's feet seemed to knock some sense into that thick skull for once. Samukai bowed again, making a quick exit from the room and shutting the door behind him.

Two seconds passed, before Garmadon slumped into his throne. The loud sigh he released drained all of his remaining energy. There was only so much of these skeletons he could handle, pawns that barely felt worth the effort most days. It wasn't like Garmadon had much choice, however; he could not exist in Ninjago as anything more than a shadow anymore and this realm was barren.

"You really hated me, didn't you Father?" Garmadon muttered to the air. The spell behind his sealing was not something Wu had created, but a contingency he remembered overhearing the whispers of when he was young.

It was one of many reasons he sought out Chen.

GRRRNNNN.

Garmadon startled at the sound, his hand flying to his stomach. Hunger pains stabbed at his stomach lining, a reminder of an essential need he had forgotten to attend to today. Where was the condensed evil delivery? He knew the skeletons didn't need to eat, but they still needed to consume something to fuel the magic keeping their body together. It wasn't as regular as Garmadon needed to consume food, but it was better than living surrounded by creatures that did not understand any form of hung-

Did Zane feel hunger?

He had only been in the Underworld for a week and Garmadon hadn't even considered the boy's potential needs. Zane was so human, but he could be so quiet that it was so easy to forget what he needed. He was no Lloyd and that had already been a challenge at times. His son's humanity had taken some adjustment to, the difference in Lloyd's aging, how often he needed to eat and how just Lloyd he was. Without Misako's guidance and Lloyd's vocal nature, Garmadon would have been blissfully unaware early on as Lloyd withered away.

What did Zane need? Did he have some way to grow like humans? Did he need the right nutrients or his growth would be stunted? Was he more like Garmadon and needed far fewer meals or did he just not need them? Would they clog his insides?

Garmadon crushed down the part of him that regretted sending the mechanic far away. He didn't need some fake 'parent' disrupting his progress with Zane. Garmadon was doing fine tending to the kid's needs all on his own.

He swiped the bowl of condensed evil sat by the door to his room. A quick check behind the door revealed a large pile of books that would take at least two trips to Zane's cell. He had to admit that Kruncha and Nuckal hadn't disappointed him this time around. Garmadon snatched a single book on the top of the pile, a large bird painted onto the cover, sheltered by a tree. It would do for today. Next time, Garmadon would have both hands free and be able to take half of them over to Zane.

"Gama!"

Garmadon didn't even try to bite back his smile. "Hello Zane." He wrapped his arm around Zane as the boy clung to him. At least Zane wasn't running yet. A robot kid charging Garmadon to hug him whilst he's holding a bowl of condensed evil? That was just asking for a mess.

"Hello Gama!" Zane smiled up at him, laughing as Garmadon shuffled his way over to the bed.

"You can't make things easy for me, can you?" Garmadon placed the book on the bed. "I brought you a gi-"

"Falcon!"

Zane snatched the book up immediately, skipping through the pages. He stopped nearly every other page to point out a new painting of the bird on the cover to Garmadon, happily declaring it to be a falcon.

"Do you like falcons, Zane?"

Zane didn't look up from the page. His eyes scanned the words, but Garmadon knew he couldn't read yet. Nothing was being processed or understood; no questions tossed Garmadon's way. Plus, no one could read words when their head was nodding so fast.

"Falcon... is good." Zane seemed to hesitate at the words, tilting his head at the book. "Yes," he nodded to himself. "Falcon is very good."

Garmadon pushed his concerns over the word away. He knew a falcon was a bird. That was it. He had never said the word 'falcon' to Zane before and no one else visited him in the cell.

The only thing keeping Garmadon from taking the book and burning it was Zane's gleeful smile. He'd just take it back when Zane was distracted with a different book.

"Are you hungry?" Garmadon smiled, pushing the book closed and to the side. The bowl of condensed evil sat on his lap. It didn't exactly look appetising to most people, but it was the only food available in the Underworld and extremely difficult to subtly poison.

"Hungry?" Zane placed the book next to him.

"It is… a sort of grumble?" The confusion remained. "An… emptiness- because you need to eat- to consume fuel?"

"Oh!" Zane's eyes glowed lightly. That was a major non-human indicator, but there were many non-humans in the realms. And, when combined with Zane's blue eyes, it was subtle enough to go mostly unnoticed if you didn't know to look for it. Clever mechanic. Very clever. "Fuel!"

"Do you want fuel?"

The glow returned. It lingered for a few seconds, Zane staring emptily across the cell. "Yes, please!"

Okay. Note to self: Zane needs fuel. "This is condensed evil. Do you want to try it as fuel?"

A positive of a life in the cell: Zane did not consider the sight of condensed evil gross. Garmadon hesitated for a moment as he held the full spoon up to Zane's mouth. Surely if it would cause Zane harm, he would refuse it- and if it didn't, the skeletons would spill the mechanic's location.

The evil spat back in Garmadon's face made the Lord of Evil contemplate giving that mechanic a less than friendly visit. Because of course the stupid mechanic gave Zane taste buds. Of course. He just had to make Zane human enough to hate the only food they had and make life twenty times harder for Garmadon specifically. It was like the man was working to make Garmadon's life a living hell, despite Garmadon sacrificing his valuable time tending to his creation.

"…sorry."

Garmadon bit back a sigh, picking up the grub stuck to his cheek. "It's okay, Zane. Next time, aim for the bowl." Or his brother, not that he had any intention to let the two ever meet.

Zane shuffled in place, staring at his feet. The socks replaced the bottom of the dirty, full body onesie he had been wearing when he arrived, some simple pyjamas adorning his body. The top right shoulder of the top kept slipping down, an unfortunate result of Garmadon's broader shoulders. He had been meaning to get the boy some better fitting clothing, some warmer clothing too. Zane was still freezing to the touch.

"I'll get you something else to eat. Something better," Garmadon promised. "You don't have to eat anything you don't like."

Zane's teeth tugged on his top lip. Garmadon always worried one day that skin would rip. "It…" his face scrunched up, the same face Lloyd pulled before a tantrum. But Zane didn't cry or yell. He moved his arm up and down, a wave pattern forming in the air, "bad. Ew."

That startled a loud laugh from Garmadon. Children. They would never fail to fascinate them. "Was it slimy?"

Zane tilted his head to the side as his eyes glowed. "Sli-ey. Sliim-m-m-eyyy. Slimy." The robot shuddered. Garmadon was relieved the rattling metal was barely audible to his Oni hearing. That was a good sign, he was fairly sure. "It slimy. Ew."

"Yes," Garmadon laughed. "It's very ew."

He purposely ate another mouthful. Zane was not impressed.

———

Garmadon should have known better than to tease a kid with gross food. It didn't matter which kid it was, the food always ended up tossed his way. Usually, he could grumble and clean himself off quickly before finishing his assault on the kid's taste buds. Maybe manage to have a quick rinse before getting back to parenting or babysitting, if he was lucky and nap time came after feeding time. Sometimes, the kid would be coated in their own food too, but Lloyd had been a fairly neat eater- for a baby.

He ate with his hands and dribbled a bit, but most of his food ended up in his mouth. What was left usually wound up on dribbled on his chubby cheeks or smeared over his tiny fists, very little staining his bib.

Or decorating Garmadon.

Misako and Wu had found that hilarious, always completely spotless after feeding time. At least Ray always apologised profusely for his brat. Garmadon swore he had it out for him, always tossing toys at Garmadon's face.

But this time he couldn't grumble until his wife took pity on him and washed their son so Garmadon could enjoy a moment of tranquility in the bath. He couldn't whine and complain as Wu relentlessly reminded him that this was what he signed up for when he decided to have a kid. His brother did not know the definition of mercy.

"Zane," Garmadon sighed. "It's just water."

Turned out that chewy and sticky condensed evil was a bad idea for the kid with a mouth made of gears. It stuck between Zane's teeth and around his gums. His tongue kept sticking out, trying to pick it away, and his hand kept coming up to his mouth to try and help, but all it did was spread the mess to his fingers. It was uncomfortable, a sensation Garmadon knew intimately.

For his own teeth, a metal file was the only approach for his constantly growing teeth with insanely strong enamel. It was a trait he shared with his brother and father, characteristic of both dragons and oni, according to Father. Rats too, apparently. He wondered if Lloyd suffered from it as well. Garmadon had never seen him excessively chew or file his teeth before. Except for that one snake toy Garmadon always hated. Wu thought it hilarious until he had to tug it from Lloyd's mouth.

Garmadon couldn't hold back a laugh. Lloyd bit it back for him.

However, the metal file was not something Misako or Lloyd, as far as Garmadon was aware. Toothbrushes found their way to their sinks, in a little pot with some toothpaste.

During his early years in the Underworld, the skeletons had no choice but to provide for their master and his whims. Whims that included preparations for Garmadon's family, until Garmadon looked in the mirror. Lloyd did not need to live under the shadow of Garmadon and his failures. Garmadon should have kept away completely, but he was selfish.

Zane poked the water stream from the tap. He startled, hiding behind Garmadon and glaring at the stream of water. Garmadon couldn't resist splashing him with it. The offended gasp was very much worth it.

Garmadon was very selfish.

At least by the end of it, Zane was no longer worried about water. The bath Garmadon had prepared had long since cooled, but Zane didn't seem to mind. Garmadon needed his baths hot, but Misako always said they were skin-melting instead. Perhaps Zane was the same.

Garmadon pulled the covers over Zane, ignoring the way the frigid temperature beneath them tugged at his skin. It was a foreign sensation, especially in the boiling depths of the Underworld. Cold. Yet, Garmadon did not outwardly react to the temperature change. It was as much a part of Zane as his pauses as he considered his response to Garmadon's words, his obsession with falcons (that Garmadon might have given in to slightly. He pointedly avoided looking at several members of Zane's increasing blanket collection), his tiny smile as he listened to Garmadon's stories about their family.

The boy blinked slowly at Garmadon, a perfect mimicry of Garmadon's own exhausted struggle against his eyelids on the best of days. A world without day and night made his sleep schedule non-existent. Garmadon climbed onto the bed next to him, nudging Zane over to make space. The covers served as minor protection from some of the cold temperature, but with Zane leaning into his side, Garmadon could only rely on his own skin. He found himself not minding. It was a nice change from the burn of the venom in his veins.

He picked up the book next to him. It was the one they had picked yesterday, a short story titled 'Jack the Rabbit and Jamie the Snake' that was Wu's favourite when they were children. Garmadon used to read it every night their father was too busy on his newest weapon: golden, scroll or other. He only stopped when they finally reached their teens, far later than a human would, but Father had made it clear from the start that that was a possible future.

And he created them a way out. The spell both cast when they finally had other friends and when they both decided they wanted to grow old with someone.

Garmadon would never grow old with Misako, like he had once dreamed. Even though he regularly visited Lloyd, his son was growing up without him. His own bones were starting to ache from age, just one more pain to add to the list. Wu would be slowing down and they would no longer share tea and gossip.

Not unless something changed.

A hand reached out to the book, underlining a word. Zane's mouth moved as he tried to repeat the letters he had recently learnt.

"J… ah… cee… k? Ja-cee-k?"

"Some pairs of letters sound different when combined," Garmadon explained. "Cee and k become ck."

"Words are weird," Zane complained.

Garmadon chuckled. "Yes, they are."

"J… ah… ck. Jack?" Zane turned the question to Garmadon.

Something really had changed.

"Well done, Zane! You figured it out all on your own!" Garmadon praised.

Zane's mouth quirked up into a small smile. He was embarrassed. "Thank you, Gama."

Garmadon rolled his eyes at the nickname. He would never admit it, but he was grateful for this change.