Chapter Text
Morro was in the zone. After three years of working at Parker’s Place, they'd developed a rhythm. Take the order, make the drink, serve the drink, occasionally wipe down the counter, and pretend not to listen in on other people’s conversations. It wasn't his fault drunk people would talk about their personal lives so loudly.
Parker’s Place had started as a rather quiet queer bar. But over time, it began to pop up on more queer people’s radars. Most likely because the popular gay bars were becoming overrun by straight women looking to have a good time without the fear of creepy guys hitting on them.
While Morro didn't blame those women for wanting to get away from those uncomfortable situations, he wasn't going to let this place become just another random bar. This was the first place where they'd truly felt accepted.
A year and a half ago, when some serpentine sorceress had set fire to most of Ninjago City, everyone was supposed to evacuate. However, Morro had stayed to make sure Parker’s Place didn't burn down with the help of his wind. They could've taken her on themself if they'd tried. But, there had been no point in doing that because the fruit-colored ninja ended up saving the day again.
They didn't care for the ninja that had replaced them. He didn't know anything about them apart from some stories of how they'd defeated a couple villains and that they wore brightly colored outfits, which must've made being a stealthy ninja difficult.
“Hey there, what would you like?” Morro asked a group of five that had just sat down.
All of them were wearing a different color from each other, which was strange. He went down the line, taking their drink orders. When he got to the green one, they said they'd need a minute to think about it. The green one looked pretty lost, so Morro assumed that they'd never been to a bar before. He pretended not to eavesdrop on their conversation as he made their drinks.
“If he’s not gonna drink anything, then why did we pay for a taxi?” Asked the navy one.
“You don’t have to get a drink if you don’t want to,” Assured the cyan one.
“I mean, I wanna try one. I just don’t wanna get wasted,” The green one replied.
“Hey, do you guys have just plain old white wine?” The black one asked before sipping his drink.
“Yeah, we do,” Morro answered.
“Um, can I get white wine, please?” The green one asked.
“Yeah, let me just finish your friends’ drinks first,” They responded.
“Sheesh, you sound so awkward,” The red one teased.
They all laughed at the green one’s expense. They seemed a bit embarrassed, but they were smiling. Morro felt a small pang of loneliness. He'd never had a group of friends before. When they got the job, they thought they might end up making some queer friends. But the place was so busy it was rare to get the chance to talk to coworkers about things that weren't work related.
“Here you are,” Morro said. He handed the green one a small glass of white wine.
“Um, excuse me?” Someone tried to get Morro’s attention, he winced at the obvious sound of entitlement in their voice, “You got my friend wet! You owe her a free drink!”
He should've put on the fake customer service smile and apologized, but instead he looked at them and in the most deadpan voice said, “I tend to have that effect on people.”
They bit back a smile when they heard the color coded group of friends start laughing. He was pretty sure one of them spat out their drink, but he didn't turn around to check. He kept his attention on the entitled person, who seemed stunned. Their friend looked extremely embarrassed by the whole situation.
“Look, when you’re sitting at the bar during a busy night, you’re in the splash zone. Especially if there’s only one person who's trying to man the whole ship by themself. If you don’t wanna get wet, you should sit at a table,” Morro advised.
The two friends didn't say anything else, they just got up and walked away. He couldn't tell if they just straight up left or if they sat down at a table. But it didn't matter. Either way, they weren't his problem anymore.
“That’s the coolest shit I’ve ever heard someone say,” The red one exclaimed.
Morro failed to stop themself from smiling this time, they were caught off guard at the sudden compliment. “Uh, well, I’m glad you appreciated it, because those two certainly didn’t.”
“Are you really the only one working the bar right now?” Asked the navy one, "I feel so bad for you."
They shrugged. “Everyone old enough to be handling alcohol called in saying they couldn’t work tonight for one reason or another."
A group of three sat down and just like that, Morro was back in the zone.
---
Lloyd and his friends had been dancing for hours. He wasn't a dancer by any definition, but he didn't care as much about embarrassing himself as he usually did. The slightest bit of alcohol had made him feel so carefree. He checked his phone, it was just past midnight.
They all leaned up against a wall and tried to catch their breath. Lloyd found himself staring at the bartender. Morro their name tag read. He'd also noticed the pins under it. One of them was the demiboy pride flag, and the other read he/they.
Lloyd thought Morro looked stunning. Their black hair had a bright green streak in it. It was barely shoulder-length, and somehow never covered their hazel eyes. Not to mention he was witty and smooth. Well, until Kai had complimented him. When they'd smiled shyly to themself, Lloyd’s heart had melted.
“Would you stop making eyes at the bartender and just go talk to them?” Cole asked.
“What!?” Lloyd squeaked as he snapped out of his trance.
“Dude, it’s really obvious,” Jay teased.
“Go ask for his number!” Nya exclaimed.
“But they’re busy, and they probably get asked out all the time. I’d hate to bother him…” Lloyd responded.
“If you don’t talk to him, I’m gonna go tell him you think he’s cute,” Kai warned.
“Ugh, you guys are the worst,” Lloyd sighed, “At least don’t watch me fail to flirt.”
The four of them dashed back onto the dance floor. Lloyd made his way back to the bar slowly. He wasn't sure why he'd agreed in the first place. Trusting anyone new, especially in a romantic context, was difficult for him after Harumi had broken his heart. He blamed the alcohol for what was definitely a lapse in judgment.
“Hey, again. You want another glass?” Morro asked.
“Uh, no. I just need to sit down for a bit,” Lloyd said.
Morro peered over the blond's shoulder and snickered, “I bet you also need a break from your drunken friends.”
He turned around to watch his friends’ horrid dancing and screaming. “Gosh, the stuff alcohol makes people do is insane.”
“You’re telling me? I’ve been working here for three years. I’ve seen some crazy shit. It’s fun to watch drunk people do their thing.”
“Three years? So, you’re twenty-four?”
“Twenty-two. You can handle alcohol at nineteen in Ninjago City, you just can’t drink it.”
“Excuse me, can I get around round?” Someone a few seats down asked.
Morro made a drink that Lloyd didn't know the name of. He desperately tried to think of some kind of conversation starter. Was I always this bad at talking to new people?
“What’s your name?” He blurted out.
“Can you not see my nametag?” Morro asked.
“Well, I mean, yes. I-I just thought it would be weird not to ask—”
Morro snickered, his eyes lighting up, “Relax, I’m just teasing you. What’s your name, since you know mine?”
Wait, do they not know who I am? Lloyd hoped that was true. Harumi had seduced him because he was Garmadon’s son and hated him because he was the green ninja. If Morro didn't have any idea who he was, he wouldn't have to worry about any ulterior motives.
But what if they're lying?
“It’s Lloyd,” He replied.
“So, Lloyd,” Morro smirked and leaned over the counter, “care to tell me why you’re still talking to me instead of dancing with your friends?”
Lloyd’s face flushed pink. He looked away and huffed. “You know why, you jerk.”
Morro giggled, “You’re cute when you’re flustered.”
“Well—I think you’re cute all the time.”
That actually would've sounded super smooth if he hadn't said it so softly. Morro looked surprised, then he smirked again. “Ooh, you think you can outwit me?”
Lloyd laughed, “No, I don’t think I can.”
“Uh, sorry to interrupt,” Cole said as he tapped Lloyd’s shoulder, “but Kai’s about to pass out. We should head home.”
“Don’t keep us waiting too long,” Nya teased. Lloyd glared at her as the four of them walked out.
“Um, I know you probably get asked this a lot, but…” Lloyd fidgeted with his hands, “Can I get your number?”
Morro didn't answer verbally, he just wrote his number on a napkin and handed it to Lloyd. “Text me tomorrow?”
“Yeah, I will.”