Chapter Text
Cole always believed in second chances.
He's not exactly sure why that is, to be honest— he's got rules to follow and policies to enforce, just like any other agent, but there's always this nagging feeling he gets in his gut whenever he comes across his quotas. It's sharp and uncomfortable, and it grows tenfold whenever he even thinks of raising his taser-gun at them, regardless if it was for his own safety or not.
So when today's quota, some dissenting monk from the Cloud Kingdom, barrels into him in a desperate attempt to escape, Cole refuses to follow protocol and lets himself be slammed to the ground with a grunt. Compared to him, the monk is young and twiggy; there's no way he could beat him in a fight, but then again that's not what he wants, what either of them want.
"I-I...!" The monk sputters as he scrambles off and away, running for the door. "I-I'm sorry, but I...! I can't...!"
Cole turns his head slightly, totally not pretending to be dazed enough for the monk to escape, the nagging feeling in his gut settling slightly with relief, only to blink when something shoots out from the other side of the doorway. In a burst of bright, crackling light, the monk shrieks and shudders and collapses as he's tased by—
"Morro, no!" Cole shouts, sitting up and bolting for the door. "Don't!"
"Seriously?" Morro huffs, stepping into view as he casually flicks the safety of his taser-gun back on. "You were gonna let another one escape? Are you stupid?"
Sparing the other a heated glare, Cole quickly knelt down to examine the unconscious monk. He twitched slightly, but other than the nasty burn punctures in his arm, he looked like he'd be just fine. Probably.
Beside him, Morro groaned and rolled his eyes, pulling out his walkie-talkie. "Agent Wynd reporting. Got one in custody." He paused for a moment, then sighed. "...Might need medical again. Brookstone took a pretty big hit."
Cole refused to look at him, but he tensed when someone replied back. "Copy, Agent Wynd. Does Agent Brookstone require immediate attention?"
"Mm, nah. He'll live. Just following protocol and all..."
"...Copy. Sending over Escort and Medical to your location, ETA...twelve minutes."
"Whatever."
Putting away his walkie-talkie, Morro stepped closer and knelt beside Cole, nudging him with his taser-gun. "Wanna tell me why you almost let our quota get away again?" When the other stayed quiet, he frowned and pointedly flicked the safety off. "I'm being serious here, Cole. Tell me before I tell medical that this guy woke up in a violent frenzy and add more charges to his name."
That obviously worked, as Cole looked at him with wide, panicked eyes. "Woah, Woah, Woah, you are not gonna do that!" He batted the gun away from him, and Morro quickly set the safety on again.
"Fine. You've got..." Morro checked his watch. "...nine minutes before medical arrives. Better make it quick."
Cole sighed heavily, running a hand through his hair as he took the moment to think of something, anything to say. "...Sorry, I..." He frowned. "...It's just...well...this doesn't feel right. Like, at all." His gaze wanders back to the unconscious monk and he flinches, closing his eyes. "He doesn't even know what he did wrong. Most of these people don't know what they did wrong!"
"And how's that our problem?" Morro said in a bored tone. "Look, we're just agents, okay? We don't write the rules, we enforce them." He gestures to the unconscious monk. "He'll be fine. If anything, they'll just wipe his memory and send him to Reassignment. Doesn't that count as a second chance?"
Cole thought about it, looking conflicted. Did it really...?
When the silence stretched on, Morro scowled and rose to his feet, holstering his taser-gun. "Get over it already. The last thing we need is for us to rank last again, and I am not risking a demotion because of your stupid bleeding heart." He held out a hand. "So c'mon, partner. We've got paperwork to fill out before the others get here."
Cole looked up at him, then at his hand. With a disgruntled groan, he took it and was hoisted up on his feet. When Morro turned and began to walk away, he couldn't help but look down at the unconscious monk one last time...then at the retreating back of his fellow agent.
Second chances. There's always second chances. Maybe not from him, but in general.
...He hopes so, at the very least.
Seriously, how the hell did Morro get saddled with the babysitting job if he's the one with the warning under his name?
Watching from afar as medical examined Cole for any lasting injuries, Morro pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed deeply. It was stupid— this was all so stupid. So stupid, in fact, that he'd very much prefer to be back in the Cursed Realm, or the Departed Realm, or literally anywhere else besides here.
But no, destiny just loves to ruin his life...err, afterlife, and throw him back into the living world and into some stupid business cult. And to make matters worse, he gets thrown into it with the goddamned Earth Ninja himself.
...Sort of.
"Nothing too serious." One of the Medical Agents comes over to tell him, rattling off her notes. "Got some bruising around the abdomen, definitely gonna feel it for the next couple of days, but he's still in working condition." She glances at him. "And you?"
"Other than a headache? I'm doing just peachy." Morro huffed, slipping out his handbook and tearing out one of the pages to toss at her. "Here's the paperwork. You can leave now."
She catches it and reads it briefly, then nods in satisfaction. Turning to leave, she throws a glance over her shoulder and says. "Best watch your attitude, Agent Wynd. Heard you already got a mark under your name, and I'm sure you wouldn't want another for something ridiculous like poor conduct."
...This little bi—
"Hey, hey, don't go saying unwarranted things now." Cole says as he appears, holding up his hands in a placating manner. "Go easy on him, alright? He's the one that filled today's quota. Cut him some slack."
The Medical Agent blinked at him, then hummed. "...Hm, I suppose so. Still, best to keep him in check, Agent Brookstone. You are in charge of his reformation status, after all." And without waiting for a reply, she marches off.
Cole watches her go with a casual smile plastered on his face. The sight of it makes Morro want to punch something; preferably him.
"Y'know, you can always request for a switch."
"Huh?"
Looking at him, still smiling that damn smile, Cole says. "A switch. Find yourself a different partner, or something. I know the higher ups saddled you with me, and I'm getting the impression that I've offended you in some way, so uh...yeah. If you want somebody else, I don't mind putting in the request myself. They'll listen."
Morro crossed his arms and frowned. "Why the hell would I want that?"
Personally, the former Master of Wind would love to be rid of the Earth Elemental once and for all. He'd love for nothing more than to burn the whole Administration down and all of its stupid polices and rules and endless supply of paperwork. He'd love to go back to being a ghost, being in the Departed Realm...alone...where he belongs...
Shaking his head, Morro shoves the other away from him and grumbles. "It's fine. I don't care. Just stop being so nice all the time! It's getting annoying, and I'm not always gonna be around to save you from your stupidity!"
Cole blinked at him. First Spinjitzu Master above, Morro could not believe that he had tasked himself with protecting this goddamned idiot. While it would've been hilarious to leave him to the dogs, the possibility of Wu finding out and being disappointed in him had outweighed the funny. He was pretty sure karma would've come for him too.
"...I mean, if you're cool with it." Cole eventually shrugged, grinning a little more like himself now. Disregarding Morro's personal space, he slung an arm across his shoulders. "How about we celebrate a job well done with lunch? Eh? My treat."
"You better be treating me." Morro muttered, uncomfortable by the other's proximity and the casual touch. Had this been like any normal day, then Cole would've remembered just what kind of person Morro had been in the past. Cole would've remembered that it was Morro who nearly destroyed the realm with the Preeminent, that it was Morro who could've killed Lloyd if he had even the slightest advantage to do so.
Cole would've remembered that he was a ninja, the Master of Earth, and that he'd been separated by all of his other stupid ninja friends after the Merge.
But as the two of them made their way towards the portal that led back to the Administration, not as ninjas or enemies but coworkers, Cole doesn't remember, and it's up to Morro to keep the idiot alive and safe until he could figure out how to get them the hell out of the Administration.
This was Morro's second chance, and even if the prospect of it made him gag to think about, he was not going to waste it.