Five Times Wu Trusted His Team

3. Friendship

I, if you haven't already figured it out, have something of a crush on Wu. Young Wu. I am not completely insane. I just thought I should explain this before you read on and wonder why I write him in a way that might seem weird, but it's just that I like my guys distant and awkward and shy. Anyways, this chapter will focus on the relationship between Misako and Wu, and it varies a little from what we see in the show (where Wu liked Misako as well but she chose Garmadon). Btw, Algaria is the kingdom I made up, and it's where Misako lives as a princess. Read my FanFiction series for more information.
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It was cold, colder than it usually was in Algaria, and so dark it could have been midnight, and not late afternoon, when Misako found him huddled in an alleyway, shivering and half-frozen, snow gathering on his shoulders and eyelashes and hair. She was riding past in a carriage, having been shouted down by her mother when she suggested she walk herself through the streets to deliver food and blankets to the poor of Algaria, but she caught sight of him through the window as she peered out. For a moment, she didn't recognize him, but she called for the driver to stop and hurried through the howling wind and driving snow towards him, holding a thick blanket in one hand and a lantern in the other. As she drew nearer, Misako realized, with horror, who the 'beggar' was.

"Wu!" She nearly dropped the blanket in surprise and hurried towards him, falling to her knees in front of him and shaking him by the shoulders. He blinked, his eyes drifting open as he stared at her dazedly. Misako gripped him tightly by the arm and hauled him to his feet, or at least tried to. Wu wouldn't move, and he seemed incapable of doing so on his own.

"Wu," Misako said again, her voice low and urgent, "come on, you have to come back to the castle with me." She shook him again, and this time, he seemed to register that she was there.

"Misako?" His voice was very small and shaky, but at least he was talking, and at lest he recognized her. Misako nodded encouragingly, trying to pull him again to his feet, and this time succeeded. She draped one arm over her shoulder, allowing him to lean on her. Violent shudders racked his entire body and he seemed too weak to stand on his own, causing her concern to heighten.

"Come on," she said again, and half-carried him back into the carriage, where she sat him down on the cushioned seat and began brushing the snow off of him.

"What were you doing out there?" She demanded, her voice sounding much more angry than she felt. She hoped he wouldn't take it the wrong way; she knew how much it meant to Wu that people liked him, although wild horses wouldn't have dragged the admission out of him. "You said you were going undercover to catch a thief."

"I was," Wu slurred, "undercover as a beggar."

Misako sighed heavily. "Wu, how many time are you going to risk your life before you realize there is always a simpler way of doing things?"

He smiled a little, shifting in his seat. "Probably never." He swatted her hand away as she went to rub his arms up and down to coax some feeling into them. "It's okay," he mumbled, "I'm... I'm fine."

"No," Misako said firmly, placing both hands on his arms and squeezing, "you're not. Let me help you, Wu."

Maybe it was the way she said it. Maybe it was the look of sweet concern in her eyes, the way she smiled down at him as she spoke. Or maybe it was just us frozen, addled mind, his exhaustion and dull numbness brought on by the cold that made him do it. But when Misako asked Wu to let him help her, when she offered her care to him, he didn't refuse.

"We're gonna get you home," she said gently, rubbing his arms firmly as he shivered under her hands. "Here, put this blanket over you— don't give me that look, you're almost frozen to death— you are not above cuddling in a blanket." She wrapped the blanket around his shoulders and held it closed in front of his chin. Wu smiled weakly, his teeth chattering, and Misako sighed again, and before she could let him slip away again, she hugged him.

He was cold and stiff in her arms, and for a long moment, he didn't move, his arms slack at his sides. Misako hugged him tight, rubbing his back with one hand and clapping the back of his head with the other, her chin rested on his shoulder. Then, slowly, he wrapped his arms around her, too.

"M'sorry," Wu mumbled as he pulled away, bowing his head and folding his hands tightly in his lap. "I... I was being stupid, I shouldn't have gone undercover in the streets..."

"No, you shouldn't have," Misako agreed, "but Wu— you don't have to apologize. You don't have to feel guilty. You don't have to feel bad about everything." She placed a hand over his, his frozen, shaking hands warming under her touch. "And we'll always be here for you, you know. Me and Alex and Garmadon... Ray and Maya... your parents..."

"I know," Wu said, but he sounded wounded and small and alone, and Misako's tender heart aches for him. She placed a comforting hand on his arm, fixing him with that pitying look she knew he secretly loved, and let him sit there in silence until they reached the castle.

She helped Wu inside and ordered him into his bedroom, where she forced him under the covers of his bed, buried him under a pile of blankets, and had hot soup and tea brought up for him. He lay there, looking more disgruntled than cold now, which was a relief, until the servants had all gone and it was just them.

For a while, neither spoke, while Misako sat at the window and watched the snow fall and Wu drank his tea slowly. Finally, he set down the pot and looked up at her, his expression unreadable.

"You should be out helping the poor," he said, "not here. I'm okay, really. You can go."

Misako shook her head. "Garmadon's out there, he'll take care of them." She walked across the room and sat beside Wu, smoothing out his hair that hung in his eyes. He huffed a little through his nose but didn't bat her hand away. "I'm going to stay here and take care of you."

Wu stared at her for a moment, then asked, "Why?"

Misako bit her lip. "You're— you're my friend," she said after a pause, and Wu smiled.

"Thanks," he whispered, and he did not complain about being taken care of at all after that.