Ninjago - One-shots and short Stories

Changes // Kai x Skylor (*)

Happy New Year!

After spending most of December writing Christmas stories (btw, thanks for over 1000 views and 100 likes on that book 😚!!!), I've decided not to do another holiday special but try to continue my other stories instead.
Although in this particular case, it is more of a backtracking rather than a moving on: This one-shot and the next one take place in my main post-HoT storyline (I really need a better name for this!), filling the gap between Jay and Nya's wedding and events taking place in the Christmas book.
So Kailor shippers (and I consider myself one of them!) don't need to be upset about the slightly open ending of this chapter, I still have quite a few plans for these two!
[Oh, btw I have now marked all the chapters that belong to this storyline with an asterisk (*), both in this and the other book !]

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Changes

"Thanks, hot stuff." Skylor flashed her boyfriend a grateful smile as he handed her a glass of cool lemonade.

"No problem, babe." He plopped down in the chair next to her and took a big gulp from his own glass. "Thank you for helping us." He said, just as Cole, Zane, and Lloyd walked past them carrying a couple of black bin bags outside and looking rather jealously at the refreshing drinks in the couple's hands.

The Ninja (minus Nya and her new husband), Skylor, Seliel, and P.I.X.A.L. had just finished cleaning up the venue that had held the reception celebrating the wedding between the Masters of Water and Lightning on the day before.

"Why does it always take longer clean up after a party than doing all the preparations before it?" The red Ninja complained. The Master of Fire was not in a great mood this morning.

"Let me tell you a secret." Skylor whispered, wearing a smirk on her beautiful face. "It doesn't actually take longer, it just feels that way."

"Jay once said 'It's not work if you love what you're doing.' And I definitely don't love cleaning up." Kai agreed. "He and my sis already got to leave for their honeymoon, while we have to take care of this mess and our hungover parents..."

"Sounds like someone needs some cheering up." Skylor remarked. "And I might have just the right thing for you." She reached into her purse and handed him a fortune cookie.

Kai opened it. "'You are an incredibly attractive and very popular person. And your biggest fan of all is sitting right next to you.'" He read out loud. "I am wondering who that might be." He joked, looking around.

"Right here." Skylor placed her hands on his cheeks to turn his face towards her, leaning in.

"Just as a warning, I am probably more gross and sweaty than incredibly attractive after all this cleaning up." He mumbled, as he moved even closer towards her, their lips only centimetres apart.

"So am I." Skylor replied, finally connecting their lips.

"You always know how to make me feel better." Kai smiled, when they broke apart after a long, deep kiss. "I love you."

"I love you too." Skylor smiled back. "And I have another present for you. I was going to put it inside the cookie but it didn't fit in."

"You are not pregnant as well, are you?" Kai asked, his eyes wide open in shock.

"Don't worry, I am not." Skylor giggled at her boyfriend's antics. But then her face fell. "You make it sound like having a child would be the end of the world..."

"Of course not." Kai quickly reassured her, taking her hand into his. "I just don't think I could take another big announcement right now."

"Yes, there have been quite a few developments recently. To be honest, I was surprised about your reaction to Nya's pregnancy yesterday. It was so... grown up." She teased him.

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?"

"You can sometimes be very irrational when it comes to your sister."

"I know. I am trying my hardest to let go of her. I want her to be happy - and I know that she is happy - but it still isn't easy for me sometimes to actually act on it. For such a long time, she was all I had." The red Ninja admitted.

He sighed. "Can I tell you a secret?"

"You know you can tell me anything."

"I-I don't like changes at all." Kai admitted. "And it doesn't matter if they are good or bad ones. Because... the first major change in my life - well, the second one after becoming a big brother - was when our parents disappeared and I suddenly had to take care of my little sister. After that, I would for a long time avoid anything that could result in changes in our lives. Like when Sensei Wu first talked to me. I only rather reluctantly joined his team to rescue my sister. And then we stayed. I am glad I was so naïve back then and had no idea that being a Ninja meant constant adaptation to new situations, otherwise I probably would have left. But it was hard, especially when the first Monastery burned down, we temporarily had to team up with Lord Garmadon, our enemy, to save his son. And speaking of Lloyd, I still get sad when I think about what happened to him. When I look into his eyes, I can still see the little boy that I want to protect. And then we lost Zane..."

"But you - we - got him back." Skylor tried to comfort her boyfriend.

"Yes, we did." Kai gave her a weak smile. "But it took me way longer than the others to accept the 'new' Zane. But without all these events, if we had never entered the Tournament of Elements, we would have never met the other Elemental Masters. And most importantly, I would have never met you."

"So, not all changes are bad, right?" The Master of Amber concluded. "You even found your parents."

"That's right. Although I was again expecting the worst when we found the first clues about mum and dad being alive."

"I remember." Skylor said.

She had been pleasantly surprised when the Master of Fire had suddenly turned up at the Noodle House all these months ago. He needed her advice, and she was there for him. And although they were just sitting there in one of the booths, eating noodles and talking about their evil (or presumed evil) fathers, they somehow found again that connection they had first felt during the Elemental Tournament and the following battle against her father. (Ironically, at that first time, she had been the one who hadn't wanted to enter a new relationship, due to all those changes in her life.)

"Thanks for listening to me then. And thanks for doing the same again now." He told her.

"You're welcome." She replied. "And now before you could even get used to your sister getting married, you have the next big change coming up, huh? But I am sure you will be a great uncle."

"I hope so. And I know I want to have my own family one day. Just..."

"... you need more time." She finished for her boyfriend. "I understand. We're in no rush, we can take it one step at a time. But are you okay to maybe take a small step now?"

"I-I guess so. But we won't know that for sure if we don't give it a try."

"I want you to have this." Skylor took a small shiny object from her purse and placed it in his hand. "Is the key to my apartment. Lloyd seems to be a lot more generous about giving you time off. So, if you ever have some free time and don't know what to do, you can just drop by. And.. if you don't want to use it, you don't have to. What do you think?"

She anxiously awaited his reply.

"I think I can totally deal with this kind of change, thank you Sky." He smiled. "And I am sure I'm going to use it a lot."