Thanks to chocoqueen29 for giving me this writing prompt. 😊

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"We'll be home in about forty minutes! Will you relax?" Kai yelled into his phone while driving with one hand on the wheel, trying to keep the car from jumping off the road.

"I would relax if you would just stop at someplace. A storm is brewing and there's gonna be a lot of rain and snow," Nya's worried voice sounded at the other end. "Please! It's dangerous to drive at two in the morning, let alone driving in a storm!"

"Alright, alright," Kai grumbled. "We'll find a place to stay for the night. Just . . . go to sleep, will you?"

Some shuffling could be heard as Nya argued with someone before a completely different voice spoke, "Don't worry about Nya, Kai. She's just paranoid. Me and Jay will make sure she goes to sleep and does not stay up the whole night worrying about you."

Kai smiled as he turned the car towards the right. "Thanks a bunch, Lloyd. We'll see you tomorrow. Goodnight!"

There was a chorus of three goodnight's from the other end before Lloyd hung up. The Master of Fire sighed as he placed his phone on the dashboard. His sister could be very overprotective of him at times even though it was supposed to be the other way round.

Kai leaned forward and tried to look at the sky through the windshield. The sky was dark so he couldn't see if there were clouds forming or not but the absence of the moon and stars was enough to convince him. Besides, if Nya said that there was a snow storm, then she must be right. She always was.

He heard a yawn from the seat next to him. He turned his head and smiled at Skylor who was leaning her head against the fogged up window, trying hard to stay awake.

"Sleepy?" he asked, taking his eyes off the road momentarily to look at her.

"And cold," the redhead replied sleepily, shivering. She pulled on the fur lined cuffs of her black coat, hiding her hands in them.

Kai shivered slightly as well. It was too cold. Not even the heater was working up to its expectations. Maybe Nya was right. Maybe they should try to find a place for the night.
He reached out and took one of Skylor's hand in his own, warming it up with his fire. "Better?"

She raised an eyebrow and smirked. "I can do that myself, thank you."

Kai felt a very feeble tug on his hand, the one which was holding Skylor's. She let go and leaned back into her seat. She held up her hands as if she was praying and a few seconds later a small flame erupted between them.
She threw a triumphant glance at the brunet who chuckled and said, "See! I'm so useful!"

Skylor rolled her eyes good-naturedly. She brought her flaming hands close to her face to warm herself. "I'm sorry I had to drag you into this," she said, looking at Kai.

The boy shrugged. "Nah, it's okay. If anything I feel good that you turned to me. We've already been distant what with Aspheera raining fire on Ninjago and Zane becoming an emperor in another realm," Kai replied, chuckling nervously at the memory. "At least we got to spend a little time together."

He glanced at the redhead who was thankful it was dark in the car otherwise her red face would be a sight to see.

Chen's Noodle House had decided to open up another outlet in a small town two hours away from Ninjago City. Skylor -being the head of it all- had to go and sign papers and stuff.
She had thought it wouldn't hurt to have Kai take her and even though she didn't want to admit it, she was hoping to spend some quality time with him. Which is exactly what they did. The selfies in her phone was all the proof the world needed.

She yawned again. She was really tired and was hoping that they would soon arrive home so that she could climb inside her warm, cosy bed and then come out of it when winter was over. Hibernation was the word.

"How far is home?" she asked Kai, extinguishing the flame in her hands.

Kai clicked his tongue and honked loudly at the car in front of them. "We're not going home tonight."

The redhead squinted at him in the dark. "Huh? Why not?"

Kai glanced at her as if the answer was obvious. "My mom called and said that it was dangerous to drive in rain and snow so she wants us to stay the night somewhere."

Skylor furrowed her eyebrows. "Maya called? How did she know what we're doing?"

The brunet chuckled. Skylor obviously didn't know that he had more than one mom. "Not her. My other mom. The one who's on my case all the time."

Realization seemed to dawn on the Master of Amber. Of course he was talking about her. "Oh, I get it. That mom. Who goes by the name of . . ."

"Nya, the important part of the team and not just Kai's sister," they both finished together, laughing afterwards.

"How did I not notice that she called? You were literally right next to me," Skylor stated disbelievingly.

"Guess you were really sleepy," the brunet smirked. "We're gonna find a place to stay and then you can sleep to your heart's content. 'Kay?"

The Master of Amber smiled in response. "Let's just hope we make it there before the storm starts."
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The door of room number 12 opened with a creak as the redhead and the brunet walked in, carrying their coats and jackets. The room wasn't very big but it was enough to accommodate two people. Except for the single bed in the middle.

Skylor raised an eyebrow. "This is . . . homey." She wasn't very impressed with the room but there was no point in complaining since they were here for just one night.

She rushed to the window and pulled back the curtains to look at the dark world outside. Thunder rumbled and before long, the pattering of the raindrops could be heard. Skylor drew the curtains close and turned to the brunet whose lower lip was extending outwards in a pout.

"There's only one bed to sleep in and no couch to crash on," he said, looking around the room and finding nothing but a TV, a table and two apricot wood chairs.

"Guess we'll have to share it then," Skylor answered absentmindedly. When she realized what she had just said, she looked up to see Kai. Their eyes met as both their cheeks turned pink.

. . .️❄️. . .

(Timeskip brought to you by blanket screaming for help)

. . .❄️. . .

"Ugh! Kai, will you stop tugging on the blanket? I feel cold too, you know."

"But it's not covering my feet. They're going to freeze and snap off if I don't cover 'em up!"

"Then make yourself smaller!"

The two of them had agreed on sharing the bed after a lot of smiling and blushing but sharing the blanket was a whole other issue. The brunet would pull it from one side while the redhead would pull it from the other, their fight never stopping. It was a miracle the blanket hadn't ripped apart yet.

"You know what," Skylor stated, getting tired of the tugging and yanking, "maybe you should sleep with your jacket and coat on and leave the blanket for me."

There was a moment of silence in which Kai contemplated this suggestion before asking doubtfully, "Will it work?"

Not really sure but ready to occupy the entire quilt for herself, Skylor hummed in response. "Here, you can wear my coat too," she added, reaching over to the nearby chair and grabbing her black coat which was draped upon its arm.

She threw it at Kai and pulled the entire blanket towards her. "I don't want you ruining my coat so don't sweat in it!" she warned, turning on her side.

The brunet rolled his eyes as he pulled on his jacket. "How in the world am I gonna sweat when it's less than zero degrees outside?"

"You'll find a way to do it, I'm sure. Boys sweat no matter what the temperature is," the redhead responded from under the cover.

Kai huffed and glanced at her. "From where did you get that misinformation? Girls sweat as much as boys do."

"In your dreams, hotshot."

Kai groaned. Why wasn't she wearing coats and him having the quilt to himself? "If you're so worried about your expensive coat, why don't you have it," he said, throwing the black garment at the girl, "and give me the blanket?" He tugged on the blanket, exposing the curled up redhead to the chill air.

"No way!" Skylor complained. "I'm not wearing your sweaty overalls." She pulled and reclaimed the quilt.

Kai groaned in frustration. He restrained himself from pulling at his hair while gritting his teeth. The fire inside him lit up, evidently showing its rage in his brown eyes. "I always thought that there was nothing in this world that can ever make me say this but . . . I HATE YOU!"

"Feeling's mutual," the redhead concurred coolly.

Kai slapped a hand to his forehead. He was hoping that saying those three words was going to make Skylor freak out so much that she would give up the blanket herself. But it was obvious that Miss Confident here wasn't afraid of any threats or hate remarks.

He took off his jacket (why was he foolish enough to wear it, he didn't know) and disdainfully discarded it on the floor next to the bed. He rested against the bed's headboard and stared angrily at the wall opposite him, folding his arms.

He stayed like that for a few minutes, shivering in the cold while his companion was snug under the cover. But this sudden silence was enough to pique the redhead's curiosity and she wondered if Kai had completely disappeared into thin air.

She poked her head out of the blanket and looked around to find him sulking beside her. If someone would just look at him, they would think that the cold never bothered this guy. But Skylor knew him perfectly and she could sense that he felt extremely cold despite his tough facade.

She reached out a hand and took his in hers. She used the fire she had taken from him earlier and warmed up his hand. "Better?" She asked, smirking.

But the brunet wasn't in the mood for jokes. He yanked his hand away and said coldly, "I can do that myself, thank you." Like Skylor had done before, he held out his hands and watched as a flame danced between them.

The girl sighed. No wonder Nya was always so worried for him. He was crankier than a toddler. "Okay, I'm sorry," she apologized. "Can you please stop acting like a big baby now?"

She couldn't deny she saw Kai smirk a little. That little weasel! She raised an eyebrow as the Master of Fire still didn't respond to her apology. After a few seconds he shortly stated, "Sorry won't cut it."

Skylor closed her eyes and pressed her lips together to keep herself from bursting with anger. She took a deep breath before raising her eyelids to look at the boy. "I know you want the blanket. So do I. But it's not enough for the both of us." She wasn't sure if what she was about to say next would be the answer but anything was okay as long as it pleased the impatient and hotheaded guy.

"The only way we can both get it is if we . . ." She trailed off, cringing.

Say it, Skylor. Just say it, she encouraged herself quietly. Otherwise he won't stop making this ridiculous sulky face you hate and love at the same time.

"Is if we what?" The brunet demanded, getting more impatient.

"The only way we can both have it . . . is if we snuggle," Skylor finally blurted out. "And by snuggle I mean . . . sleep closer . . . than what is considered . . . not awkward."

Kai looked at her and raised his eyebrows. "And did I say I have a problem with that?" He asked.

"Not that I've heard you mention-"

"Then it's settled. We sleep closer than what is considered not awkward just for the sake of keeping my feet warm."

"Okay . . ." The redhead said slowly.

She shuffled closer to the brunet who did the same. Kai sighed contently as he buried himself under the warm blanket. He curled up into a fetal position, his back to Skylor. The redhead lay in the same position as the boy, both their backs to each other while they had enough blanket to cover their feet, faces, legs, hands, arms, yada, yada, yada and any other body part that was sensitive to cold (try all of them).

"Good night," Skylor mumbled sleepily.

Kai was about to bid her goodnight as well but stopped as something brought him to attention. The rain. Had it stopped? It was quiet.

"Do you suppose . . .?" Kai said, getting up to see out the window. Sure enough, the rain had stopped. But the black abyss that was the outside world was now coated with white as tiny snowflakes silently floated down from the heavens.

"It's snowing!" The Master of Fire exclaimed. "Huh, seems very peaceful for a snow storm."

Skylor shook her head as she propped herself on her arm. "The storm's more closer to the mountainous areas than here."

Kai smiled. "Meaning that the monastery will be covered with snow in the morning." He chuckled before saying, "Lloyd must be super excited to get out there and build a snowman."

Skylor shivered. She laid down and covered herself with the blanket once more. "All this talk of snow is making me feel more cold."

Kai let out a loud yawn as he walked back to the bed, stretching his arms. "Yeah. We should go to sleep though. Have to reach home early otherwise Nya's gonna go ballistic."

He climbed onto the bed, laying down beside Skylor. During this, his bare feet brushed against hers which caused her to draw her feet back. "Wow, your feet are freezing!"

"I told you that before, didn't I?" He replied, regaining his sarcastic tone.

"Here, let me warm them," she offered. She felt with her toes till she found Kai's freezing feet and sandwiched them between her own warm ones.

"I used to stuff my feet into Nya's just like this when it was a cold weather," Kai recalled. "We would share the same bed during the winter. And the same blanket."

Skylor giggled. "Did she fight with you over it as much as me?"

"Nope," Kai replied in the negative. "She fought more than anyone in the history of blanket wars."

The Master of Amber yawned, raising one arm to the ceiling in a stretch. "I'm pretty sure she won every time." Kai rolled his eyes good-naturedly but froze as the girl wrapped her raised arm around him, burying her face into his chest.

Kai didn't say anything nor did he pull away. He simply lay there, blushing redder than a tomato which has been painted red several times. You can imagine how red that is.

"You never wished me good night," the girl whispered.

"Oh yeah . . . um, sorry. Uh . . . good night," he responded, stuttering. He could feel her tightening her grip around him. Hesitantly, Kai put his own arm around her, pulling her into a snuggly hug. "When I said that I hate you, I didn't really mean it," he added.

"I know," the redhead whispered back. She picked up her head and placed a soft kiss on the brunet's cheek before settling down to sleep.
Kai cheered internally, assuring himself that he would never lose at being the best ladies' man ever.

_______________________________________

The Master of Fire woke up and yawned, making a lot of noise while doing so. He raised his head and groggily looked around, trying to figure out where the heck he was before realizing that Skylor's head was resting on his chest while both their arms were around one another.

It was morning and it was evident from the light that shone through the pearl-white muslin curtains. There was no doubt that the entire world outside would be the same shade of white. It must've snowed all night long.

He laid his head back down and closed his eyes, listening to the redhead's deep, rhythmic breathing as she continued to sleep on. However, he snapped them open as tranquil music started playing from somewhere within the room.

Groaning, he looked around till he noticed the silver phone on the nightstand next to Skylor, its screen glowing as the music of the ringtone poured out of it. Careful not to wake up the girl, Kai slowly stretched a hand towards her phone and grabbed it. He squinted at the screen and read the caller ID.

Nya.

Kai groaned again. Will this girl ever quit? He wondered why his sister was calling on Skylor's phone instead of his. Regardless, he swiped a finger over the screen and placed the phone next to his ear.

"Hello?" He asked sleepily. He was expecting his sister's angry voice to start yelling at him, not a loud one that forced him to pull the device away from his ear with a cringe.

"Oh thank the First Spinjitzu Master! Boy, am I glad to hear your voice," exclaimed Jay from the other end.

"Jay?" Kai asked, not expecting his "soon-to-be brother-in-law" to be the one who answered. "Why the heck are you calling Skylor with my sister's phone so early in the morning?"

"Early?" Jay asked, surprised. "Dude, it's one hour before noon! Get with the times, man. Literally!"

"It is?" Kai looked around the room and located the clock on the wall to his right. Sure enough, it said eleven o'clock. "Holy Spinjitzu, I overslept!"

"Holy Spinjitzu is right!" Jay yelled. "You were supposed to be here by eight. You're three hours overdue!"

Kai bit his lip. "Man, Nya's gonna skin me and put my head on a plaque!" He could imagine Nya's reaction perfectly, her voice getting louder and shriller as she pummeled him with insults and swear words. "She's going crazy, right?"

"Crazy is an understatement," the blue ninja stated. "She's gone mental! She thinks you guys have been kidnapped for ransom by some low-level carpenter in order to pay for the budget of his daughter's Super Sweet Sixteen birthday bash!"

Kai whistled. "Woah, that is crazy." He was pretty sure he and Skylor could handle any low-level carpenter who wanted ransom money if need be. That really was nothing to worry about.

"I know right!" Jay exclaimed. "She's usually so sensible and calm but she's off her rocker right now!" Kai could hear Jay's teeth chattering from the cold. It must be -10° all the way up on the Mountain of Impossible Heights where their monastery was situated. "She's even arranged a search party to look for you guys. Can you believe it? Searching for the two of you out in the cold!" the blue ninja added incredulously. "Brrr"

Kai sighed. Of course Nya was doing something totally over the top which could result in his team having chances of suffering from hypothermia, bronchitis and flu. Not to mention Lloyd getting ridiculously wet by making innumerable snow angels in the courtyard. "She didn't even bother to call me before freaking out?"

"She tried your phone a few times," the Master of Lightning countered, "but maybe you had switched it off or something because she couldn't get through to you." Jay chuckled smugly here before saying, "I, however, used my head. I took Nya's phone, called on Skylor's number and voilà, mah man answers it!"

"My phone's battery is probably dead or something," the brunet answered. "Thank the stars Skylor's phone was on. Now you can update Nya about our status."

"Well anyway, how did the trip go?" Jay inquired, getting a mischievous tone in his voice. "I bet the two of you are super warm and snuggly together all the way out there."

"Nope," Kai lied, tightening his arm around Skylor. "We both have our separate beds and are quite comfortable." He briefly glanced at the redhead's sleeping form.

"Yeah right!" The blue ninja said, detecting the fib. "You can't even lie convincingly."

Kai rolled his eyes and was about to say something when he heard muffled yelling from the other end. Someone -probably Nya- was giving orders by the sound of it. "What's going on?" He asked.

"I have to go, I gotta get ready," replied Jay. Kai furrowed his brown eyebrows. "Get ready for what?"

"Y'know, for the search party," Jay said as if it were obvious. "I'm teamed up with Lloyd or in other terms, the worst search partner ever! For a guy who fought the Oni and defeated the Overlord, he gets distracted too easily. Especially when it's snowing. Maybe the little kid side in him is-"

"Jay, will you please stop your rambling and tell Nya that I'm okay!" Kai yelled, cutting his friend off after listening to him blabber about Lloyd's short attention span. He bit his lip as Skylor shifted in her sleep, probably disturbed by all the noise he and Jay were making.

"Just tell her we overslept and that we'll be home soon," he continued, speaking softly this time.

"Aye aye, bro!" Jay said and Kai knew he had done a salute. "Not to worry. I'll tame my short tempered but beautiful fiancé. Just get back soon or else she'll think I was bluffing. Bye!"

"Bye," Kai muttered. He pulled the phone back and smiled as he saw the home screen wallpaper. It was a picture of him and Skylor at Chen's Noodle House making funny faces. He turned off the phone and placed it on his nightstand.

The redhead was still asleep on his chest, her slumber unperturbed. Kai yawned for the umpteenth time. No way would they be able to get up right now and make preparations to go home. Staying up till 3 a.m. meant you would your start your day at around noon the next morning. And that's what they were gonna do.

The brunet settled comfortably back into the warm covers and placed a light kiss on the girl's head. No one was gonna know about their snuggly night. It would be their little secret.

❄️~❄️~️❄️