flumptober day nineteen : inspired by your birth flower

big surprise here: i have been insanely busy and (as a result) struggling to get all of my flumptober oneshots out at anything even slightly resembling a reasonable rate. life has been crazy and i've had a lot on my plate, but in all honesty, i'm just glad that i've been able to chip away at a few oneshots in the meantime! there are more where this one came from, so if you're willing to wait, it should (hopefully) be worth it!

for some reason i really struggled with this prompt, and i had like zero ideas for it, but then i randomly had a very strong desire to write something cute featuring morro and one of lloyd's kiddos, which i was able to work into this prompt. (i was born in november and my birth flowers are chrysanthemums, so that actually worked quite well for an autumn-themed writing challenge!)

the oneshot below is the first au for this challenge (featuring a redeemed morro!), and it has quickly become one of my very favorite 'universes' that i've written so far- mostly because morro's softer side and his relationship with the other characters has been so fun to explore and so sweet to write about. i may write more for this au one day, especially if there's interest, so if you happen to enjoy the oneshot and would like to see it continued (perhaps a prequel or two as well as/or some further oneshots), please do let me know! <3

trigger warnings : brief depictions of a pregnant character (if that happens to be a trigger for any of y'all), but other than that, there shouldn't be anything unless you can't handle the tooth-rotting fluff below.

universe : this is technically a 'balance of light and darkness' au, but as there are very little details in here that actually pertain to my fics, this can very easily be read as an au of just the show itself. the main thing that's different from the storyline is that this is a morro redemption au, which means he's still around as opposed to his canon season five storyline arc.

(as a final note: the name of lloyd's wife has been redacted to avoid spoilers, and the name of their daughter is subject to change because i'm always working on and developing the next gen kiddos! ^^)

words : 2,710

dedication : this oneshot is dedicated to @ ColeKessler1. thank you for inspiring me with all of your morro content! again, your posts including morro were actually the thing that gave me the idea to include him in at least one of my flumptober oneshots, so i wanted to thank you by including you in the dedication section of yet another oneshot! <3

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[ our lives are made in these small hours, these little wonders ]

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( title taken from little wonders by rob thomas )

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"Is that one yours? She's absolutely adorable."

"Excuse me?" Morro questioned politely, glancing up from his book to address the feminine voice with a practiced smile.

The unfamiliar brunette woman smiled at him from underneath a backwards tan baseball cap, her bleached white teeth a stark contrast to cherry red lipstick. She seemed nice. Perhaps too nice. Only time would tell.

"That blonde little girl over there with the pink streak in her hair. I saw you helping her with her jacket and talking to her earlier; so I assumed she was yours. She seems like a nice girl."

He glanced instinctively to where Audrey was seated on the swing set, a genuine smile gracing his lips this time. "Oh, she's not mine. She's my cousin's, actually. Well- sort of. It's complicated. I'm one of her uncles. Or godparents. Depends on who you ask."

The woman seemed intrigued by this answer. "How sweet. I'm sure your cousin appreciates the extra help. I know I would. I have my hands full with three little ones."

"I see. They must keep you busy."

"They certainly do. But I love them to pieces anyways." She was about to say more, attempting to continue the conversation that he was no longer interested in, but lucky for him, she had to attend to one of her 'little ones' right about then.

No longer required to make polite, awkward small talk with a stranger, Morro was content to devote his attention to both the book in his hands and to keeping an eye on the little girl under his care.

All around him, kids were laughing and having fun, enjoying their carefree years while they still could. The late autumn sunshine was welcome, chasing away the chill of the morning and illuminating the cheerful colors of the playground equipment.

It was good to see Audrey out and about with other children her age. Things at the monastery could be hectic at times, so many people were always coming and going, and it was often hard to stick to routines and schedules when the entire family was always busy; but they made it work.

It was hard to believe how far they'd come these past few years. How far he'd come.

As Morro watched Audrey swing back and forth, her pretty blue eyes alight with joy and her mouth open mid-laughter, he couldn't help but remember what a huge part the little girl had played in his recovery and reintegration back into society.

It would have been perfectly acceptable, perhaps even expected of Lloyd to do everything in his power to keep Morro away from his daughter after all that had happened between them. After all the pain that he'd caused.

It had taken a long time for Lloyd to acknowledge and accept the fact that Morro had changed his ways; to realize that he truly desired to change- that is wasn't just some awful trick or tactic dreamed up by an enemy to catch them all off guard.

It took even longer for the two to be even remotely comfortable in each other's presence, instead of avoiding each other and fighting over everything- insulting and verbally attacking each other whenever they got the chance. They had every reason to do so, had hated each other for so long.

It took longer still for Lloyd to be comfortable with Morro being anywhere near his daughter. His ancestry, as well as his countless unfortunate experiences in life had made him extremely protective of his little family. No one dared get in between them. No one who valued their life, that is.

If it weren't for [Redacted]'s continual kindness toward him, even after he'd caused her so much pain, it was likely that he wouldn't have gotten to be a part of their daughter's life. [Redacted] had given him a second chance, one he certainly didn't deserve, and this was something that he would always be grateful for.

"Uncle Morro! Uncle Morro!"

The little voice startled him out of his thoughts, bringing back that familiar and bittersweet happiness into his heart. He turned to face the girl as she ran up to him, sliding his bookmark back into its place and adjusting the glasses on his nose.

"Hey, Sunshine! What are you up to?"

Audrey came to a stop just in front of him, her freckled cheeks flushed from a combination of excitement and the chilly air.

"I brought you a present!"

In her hands she held a little bouquet of flowers, the stems all different lengths and the flowers themselves slightly wilted from having been held so tightly and with so much love.

"Look at the flowers! Aren't they pretty! Look, this one is almost the same color as my hair!"

Morro smiled as he accepted the flowers Audrey offered him, tucking one into her hair just above her ear. "They are very pretty. Do you know what kind of flowers these are?"

She wrinkled her nose in concentration, frowning as she thought for a moment. "I don't remember. I think Mama told me once, but I forget it."

"That's okay. The only reason that I remember what these are called is because Sensei Wu told me a long, long time ago," he replied, a sudden fond nostalgia creeping into his voice.

"They're called Chrysanthemums, or just 'mums' for short. They represent loyalty, friendship, and joy- kind of big words, I guess, but all of them are things that make me think of you, actually."

He playfully poked Audrey's nose at those last few words, and her resulting giggle made him smile yet again.

"They really make you think of me?"

"Yes they do, Sunshine. You've always been a loyal friend, which means that you show support and care about someone no matter what. We've had a really great friendship, and I care about you a whole lot. And you're almost always full of joy and sunshine-"

"Just like Mama!" she interjected quietly, a bright smile on her face that really did remind him of [Redacted]. "That's what Daddy says!"

Morro chuckled. "Your father's right, I suppose. As usual. You do have a lot in common with your mother, and I think your joy and sunshine are both examples of some of those things."

"But I'm also like Daddy, and Grandma, and Grandpa, and Uncle Wu, and you," Audrey continued reflectively, not looking up from where she was now occupied with taking his long hair out of its messy bun and attempting to braid some of his flowers into the wavy black strands.

"You're right," Morro replied, a wry smile settling on his lips as he resisted the urge to move away from the tiny fingers that kept pulling (and most likely tangling) his hair in an attempt to style it. 

He slipped the reading glasses carefully off of his nose and put them back into their case, then helped Audrey tuck some of the hair she had neglected to integrate into the beginning of the braid back up where it would hopefully be added in later. As he was doing this, however, he had a sudden thought.

"Audrey, where did you get those flowers?"

"I found them!" was her immediate response, though she sounded a little bit guilty.

Morro exhaled through his nose, torn between just letting this go and following the nagging voice in his head that sounded an awful lot like Lloyd did when he had to scold or discipline Audrey. That was the voice he eventually listened to- knowing that Lloyd and [Redacted] would want him to do so.

"Audrey, sweetheart- those don't just grow naturally out in the wild. Did you pick them out of a planter or a flower bed?"

"I found them in the planter over there," the blonde admitted with a mumble, after a moment or two had passed. "But I thought they were really pretty- I just wanted to give some to you and Mama. I wasn't trying to steal them, I promise."

"I know you weren't, Sunshine," Morro replied gently, having picked up the sad sniffle from behind him. "Just. . . make sure you ask first next time, okay? I'm sure somebody worked really hard to make them look so pretty for us to enjoy."

"Okay. . . I will," Audrey promised. She was quiet after that, content just to work on the braid she was weaving together, but soon came to an end with that and tied it off with one of her glittery pink hair ties.

"I'm done! You look really pretty!" She exclaimed, popping up in front of him so that she could inspect her work.

He grinned at this sweet, childlike compliment; running a hand over the lumpy and messy braid with pieces of hair sticking out at odd angles, the hair tie that snagged on and irritated his callused fingers, and the sticky-stemmed pink chrysanthemums shoved into his hair haphazardly.

"I'm sure I look amazing! Well done- you're really getting better and better at braiding!" he praised, giving her a huge smile for this seemingly small accomplishment; because she was his whole world right now and he loved her dearly.

Audrey beamed as he spoke, launching herself forward and into Morro's arms for a hug. His smile widened as he returned the embrace, gently rubbing her back and smoothing away some stray golden hair from her face.

She pulled away after a moment, her blue eyes shining and face serious as she gazed up at him. "I love you Uncle Morro."

His heart tightened at those five little words, so sweet and so innocent, that had come to mean so much to someone who had hurt so many people and lost so much as a result.

"I love you too, Sunshine."

These words were genuine, causing his breath to catch in his throat as he was overwhelmed once more with gratitude for the chance that he had been given to be a part of Audrey's life in such a way.

She was the most important person in the world to him, and he would do almost anything to keep her safe and happy, even if it came at a cost to him. 

He wouldn't trade anything in the world for these little moments with her.

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[ bonus scene because i love them so much and had more to write ]

The afternoon sunlight was warm and inviting as they reach the monastery, the rays of gentle light slanting through the walls of the courtyard that protected and sheltered the families who lived inside.

Morro carried a sleepy Audrey on his back, her warm breath tickling his ear and strands of golden and pink-streaked hair brushing his cheek as she nestled her face into his neck.

His own hair was still messily braided and interwoven with flowers, bedazzled with a glittery pink hair tie to top it all off; and he was somehow carrying Audrey, her shoes, and her backpack all at once as they finally reached their destination, but he really didn't care.

[Redacted] was waiting out on the porch for them, one hand supporting her lower back as she brought the other one up in a small wave, a smile much like Audrey's gracing her lips.

"Welcome back," she said softly, her eyes sparkling with amusement as she took in the appearance of the little group.

Morro returned her smile, glancing back at the girl who had finally fallen asleep on his shoulder. "She must have tired herself out, she played pretty hard this afternoon."

"I'm sure she did," [Redacted] replied with a laugh, pulling the sliding door aside so that he could follow her into the monastery.

"Thank you so much for watching out for Audrey this morning. I really needed the rest."

"It's no trouble at all," Morro was quick to reassure her. "It was nice for both of us, I think. Good to get outside for a little while. Is Lloyd back from his mission yet?"

"He got back half an hour or so ago. I'd better make sure he hasn't fallen asleep yet too- but he should be around here somewhere. I know he wanted to say hello to Audrey before her nap."

Morro hummed in acknowledgement, walking alongside [Redacted] as they made their way down the hallway and in the direction of Audrey's room.

"You uh. . . you feeling any better since this morning?" he questioned after a moment, just attempting to make conversation.

"Much better. Thank you," she replied quietly, sounding surprised. Perhaps she hadn't assumed that he had picked up on her earlier discomfort and exhaustion.

A sudden flash caught his eye, sunlight reflecting off of the golden band on [Redacted]'s finger as she instinctively placed a hand on her stomach; over the barely-there bump just beginning to show under her dress.

This brought a slight smile to his lips, reminding him of how happy he was for Lloyd- instead of being bitter like he might have been only a few years ago.

How much had changed since then.

"Here we go. Easy does it," Morro mumbled, carefully lowering Audrey onto her bed with his best attempts not to wake her up. With [Redacted]'s help, he managed to get the sleeping girl into bed without disturbing her; which was a fairly big accomplishment.

[Redacted] gently tucked Audrey into bed, smoothing the hair away from her face and removing the limp flower above her daughter's ear with an questioning and amused expression.

"Don't ask," Morro replied with a wry grin, stretching his back and rolling his shoulders to try and ease out the kinks and aches in his muscles.

"Good grief- what happened to your hair?"

Lloyd's voice came from the doorway just behind them, the incredulous inflection in his tone audible even with his exhausted state.

"Your daughter," Morro replied immediately, not even missing a beat, a quiet laugh escaping his lips despite his efforts to contain it.

"I walked right into that one, didn't I?" the Green Ninja asked, rolling his eyes. "But seriously- have you seen your reflection? The others won't let you live it down if they see you like that," he teased.

Morro shrugged his shoulders. "I don't really mind- I think it's sweet." He ran a hand over the braid, immediately grimacing as he touched the tangled mess of hair and the wilting, sticky flowers.

"Maybe I should take it out now."

[Redacted] surveyed his hair with a sympathetic glance, her brow furrowing. "You probably should. Before it gets any messier."

"Boy- that should be fun to deal with," was Lloyd's helpful contribution. "Good thing I'm due for a nap right about now. Let me know how it turns out!"

"Thanks for the help. You're a real pal."

Lloyd grinned, stifling a laugh as he gave Audrey a kiss on the forehead, then made a beeline for the doorway.

"Glad to help."

[Redacted] placed her hands on her hips, shaking her head as she watched the retreating form of her husband.

"I apologize for that, he's pretty tired. Do you need any help?" she asked, chuckling quietly as she turned in Morro's direction.

"No worries- I get it," he replied, an amused smile tugging at his lips. "And I should be good, you go and rest for a bit. I'll figure it out eventually."

"Alright. I won't say no to that offer."

As they both stepped out of the room, [Redacted] quietly closed the door behind them, turning to face Morro once more.

"Thank you again for watching out for Audrey. I really appreciate it."

He waved a hand dismissively. "Like I said before, it's no problem. I love spending time with her- and she's a great kid."

"That's very kind. I know she loves spending time with you too."

The two of them exchanged their good-byes, then [Redacted] left; leaving Morro alone, but with a full heart and very messy hair as souvenirs from the afternoon.

He went to sit out on the porch where he could be alone with his thoughts, then began the long process of undoing the braid that Audrey had given him; picking out the colorful chrysanthemums from his hair one by one and setting them with great care on the floor beside him.

Maybe he'd keep the little flowers, mangled and limp and sticky as they were, because they reminded him of happy times; both from the past and from the present.

As he sat there overlooking the courtyard, the breeze ruffling his tangled hair and sweeping the colorful leaves across the stone floor, he realized that there was no other place in all of the realms that he would rather be.