Varka trying to court and impress reader who is a stable hand and loves every horse dearly and Varka does everything from muscle showing to combat performing to trying to be wittingly charming to make them swoon but reader isn't having it because they think Varka is planning to steal all the horses again...lmao

can be read as a sequel to [drowning in the night stars] or a standalone!

ⴰ ⸰ ⴰ ⸰ ⴰ ⸰ ⴰ ⸰ ⴰ ⸰ ⴰ ⸰ ⴰ ⸰ ⴰ ⸰ ⴰ ⸰ ⴰ ⸰ ⴰ ⸰ ⴰ ⸰ ⴰ ⸰

Sometimes when you were deep in thought, Kaeya would watch you weave your fingers through the scarlet thread looped around your pinky and his. An invisible string nobody but you and he could see, but had never left since the day he locked eyes with you on the street.

“Why is it red?” you wondered aloud, head on his lap as he aimlessly scrolled through various different channels. “It should be blue.”

Kaeya chuckled softly, intertwining his hand in your outstretched one. “And why is that, darling?”

You frowned at him as if the answer was obvious. “Because it matches your hair, of course.”

“Ah, of course.” Kaeya nodded seriously, failing to hide his adoring smile. You continued to hum, while Kaeya committed to painting every bit of your tranquil expression into memory.

Blood dripping down the side of her skull, splattered onto his hands that cradled her face, choking sobs strangling his throat, yet not a single sound could escape.

Kaeya flinched, reality slamming back into him like a truck. Your eyes looked up at him quizzically, but he slipped into a laid-back crooked smile. After a few blinks, you tilted your head but shrugged and continued playing with the red string.

He tried to play it off. Tried to shove the memory into the crevices of his mind. It wasn’t this life- he had to remind himself. The stars had given him and you another opportunity to fall in love once again, given him another chance to see your smile again.

That fateful day- nearly five years ago already, when he had been walking along the street, and you ran by his shoulder holding what was likely a far too sugary coffee, nearly spilling it on him.

You had spun around in shock, eyes wide open and mouth about to utter an apology, when Kaeya felt a tug on his right hand pinky. Both of your gazes trailed downwards, the silent realization at the truth when you saw the faint red string loosely connecting both of your fingers.

He still remembered the little squeak you had made, nearly dropping your drink, but Kaeya automatically reached out to steady it. Pedestrians and the bustling city melted into the background, as he wondered why your eyes looked so familiar. Perhaps you were wondering the same, when after sleepless nights of dreams of the past, it was undeniable- the connection between you two went far beyond a simple thread. Beyond just this life.

Beyond death itself, perhaps.

Yet along with the memories of your once-shared joys came the devastation that tore it apart. More recently, visions and nightmares had been lurking behind every moment he closed his eyes, of the day the gods had ripped you from his grasp far too early. Worser even, the visions had become clearer as of late.

And now, it seemed they’d begun to haunt his waking life. Kaeya couldn’t bring himself to imagine what message the fates were trying to send. All he knew was he would never yield to their cruel tricks again.

*****

That night, Kaeya woke up in yet another cold sweat. You barely stirred in your sleep as he resisted the urge to vomit, shakily making his way towards the bathroom. Blindly fumbling around the wall, he felt his fingertips brush past the switch, and fluorescent lights fizzled to life like an ominous halo.

Blue bangs stuck to the sides of his face and forehead as Kaeya groaned, blearily staring into his reflection at the mirror. Yet in the hazy reflection, all he could see was you.

Your corpse, your body, dangling like a marionette in his arms. Eyes rolled backwards, the blood you had choked out still trickling down your neck. Kaeya could only kneel motionless, frozen by the horrors.

He held you closer to his chest, muffled prayers against your hair, begging you to return to him. There was still so much left, so much time you deserved to be able to embrace.

“Just hold on, please.” Raw emotion clawed at his throat, as the flowing tears swirled with the scarlet pooled on the destruction. “Alright, darling?”

It hurt to breathe. Every slow inch of realization that you would never once more pull his hand along, running through fields of grass, felt like a puncture in his lungs. Every blanket of silence filled only with his stifled sobs only made him feel as if a screw were twisting his insides, trying to wrench out every drop of hope in his heart.

He remembered holding you until sunrise, when armor-clad soldiers had found him. He recalled the sunlight peeking through the mountains, almost warily. Most of all, he remembered how your body was pulled out of his grasp, and he lacked any ounce of strength to protest, only collapsing onto his side, eyes devoid and blank, watching the haunting orange sunrise melt past the night.

The sun may have rose that day, but his life never felt the same summer warmth again.

Kaeya splashed cold water on his face, the freezing temperatures prying him back to reality. To this life, where you were only a room away, sleeping soundly without a care in the world.

When his heartrate had slowed and the nightmare felt like just a speck in the horizon, he sat down softly on the edge of your shared bed, holding out one pinky above him the way you would. In a few moments, the dimly glowing red string appeared, a silent comfort that both of you were no longer in that accursed life.

Perhaps he was starting to understand why you enjoyed studying the vermillion thread. Even if you had rarely shown any waver, the memories had to have haunted your waking thoughts before. How much more debilitating would they have been, from the eyes of the dying? Did you feel the ghost of pain whenever they were evoked? How he longed to ask you, and lift that burden for himself. As the one who failed to save you before, it was only right in his mind.

“Why’re you awake?” you murmured, shifting slightly in the bed, propped up by an elbow.

“Just needed the bathroom. Why, you want to join me there?” Kaeya smirked, his worries melting away just at the sound of your voice. You scoffed, only to yelp when Kaeya poked your cheeks with a devious grin.

“Release me this instant,” you mumbled, despite the fact Kaeya appeared to be having far too much fun pinching your cheeks as if you were a squirrel.

“You can have your turn later, sweetheart,” Kaeya assured, placing a small peck on your forehead. You huffed indignantly; face scrunched in displeasure, only for Kaeya to place another light kiss on the tip of your nose.

Kaeya studied your eyes, humming gently. Eyelids fluttering from recently waking up, crinkled at the corners from your pout. Nothing like the lifeless vision that plagued his subconscious.

Placing one last kiss on the edges of your eyes, Kaeya flopped backwards onto the bed, tugging you down with him.

“I’ll protect you,” he muttered sleepily, and you smiled softly. How could you do that? Comfort him with just the smallest gesture? Even without a single word, you still knew how displaced he was feeling. The unsettling emotions all washed away when he held you in his arms.

Soulmates were intertwined, after all. For one heart to stop would be to mangle the other.

*****

Ah.

No.

Please, gods, no.

I’m begging you, the stars, the fates, whatever accursed divine being enjoying this mockery-

Don’t take her from me-

Not again-

*****

Under the moonlit sky, Kaeya couldn’t help the shiver down his spine, the exact same crescent wane hung against the obsidian backdrop, yet not a single star in sight.

Gripping your hand only a little tighter, Kaeya tried to push away the insecurities clawing at his mind. You glanced back at him, slight confusion mirrored in your expression, but all he needed to feel was your pulse against his.

The last three days had been hell, unabashedly. Sleep had fully eluded him, the same horror painted across his eyes every time he even dared to rest. Even looking at you made his chest feel as if the entire world were crushing it.

Then it had been quiet ever since midnight. He’d gotten the most sleep he had in the past month, finally able to rest without being violently thrown awake with his heart in his throat. Both of you took it as a sign of hope, that finally, you had severed the final tie of the heartbreak from your former lives. No longer would either of you be tormented, free of the clutches of destiny.

It felt like a quiet understanding, something that settled deeply as if it had always been part of your core- if you could survive one more day, than the tragedies of the past would finally be purged, letting bygones be bygones. And for the first night in a long time, Kaeya would sleep past the crevices of early dawn.

“Just a little longer,” you whispered, excitement shining in your voice. “It’ll be our first lazy morning in almost two years.”

“Oh, really? What’re you thinking, then?” Kaeya encouraged, knowing your voice was probably the only thing keeping him from collapsing right then and there. A definitive proof that you were alive and still with him.

“Pancakes, maybe? Or a café date?” you wondered, leaning your head against his shoulder, footsteps slowing. “It’s almost winter. We could go skating tomorrow- should we invite Diluc and the others?”

Kaeya chuckled. “I’m sure ‘Luc will just give another flimsy excuse about being too busy. Besides, let me spend at least one day alone with you, hm?”

“You just want an excuse to laze around,” you lilted, lifting your hand to the skies, the red thread shimmering against an empty night.

“Twelve more minutes,” you whispered. “And then we forget all those horrors.”

Kaeya kissed the top of your head, outstretching one hand to hold yours.

“Pancakes sound nice.”

You offered him a delighted grin, and his world froze as he engraved it into his mind.

The smallest weight of a sapphire ring in his coat reminded him of the surprise he had arranged for you the second that the clock struck twelve.

“Eleven minutes,” he echoed softly. “Care for a dance, my dearest?”

Your laugh chimed in the nightfall, and Kaeya certainly believed you could illuminate the entire boardwalk with your light.

“Of course, my prince.”

Wooden planks creaked softly underneath your feet as he gently swayed you back and forth, one hand on your waist, the other holding your hand.

He was too ensnared by your eyes to notice the red thread unravelling for every step you took, floating in midair as if echoing your movements.

Up until he spun you around, and azure eyes landed on the scarlet string encircling your neck, as if it were a snake coiling to strike.

Two minutes left until midnight.

Your eyes widened, as if struck by lightning, and your entire body went limp in his arms, falling to your knees. Shallow breaths turned to chokes as you clawed at your throat, but the thread only strangled you tighter.

No, no, no, it was almost over, we were about to be free-

Kaeya grasped at the thread, trying manically to untangle the strings of fate. Yet it was unmovable, as if it were made of steel, even as the color drained from your cheeks. No amount of strength could tear it apart, not when fate controlled its path.

“Kae- Kaeya-” you choked out, blood spurting all over the wooden boards of the dock.

“Save your breath, just hold on, you’ll be alright-” he didn’t know whether his ramblings were meant to pacify you or his own impending dread.

A starless sky enveloped your silhouettes as your eyes rolled backwards, every muscle going loose like a marionette whose strings had snapped. Blood continued to trickle down the edge of your mouth, all as Kaeya could only plead to whatever divine being making a mockery of him to show mercy.

The fact you had lost the strength to struggle terrified him even more. The quietude that fate had blessed you two with wasn’t mercy, it was the calm before a hurricane tore through your lives.

One more minute. The ticking seconds were meaningless by now, not when your pulse was null and void against his choking cries.

An ethereal whisper, filled with malice, slinked into his ears. You failed to save her again, haven’t you?

“No- no- I can’t lose her, please, no-” Kaeya crumpled over, sobs heaving against your body, until the sound of a taut string snapping drilled into his mind.

There it was- the red thread you had so taken to admiring in those tranquil moments, the one that had stolen life from you, now lay motionless and split in two in a pool of your own blood. Frayed and no longer illuminated like the glow of the setting sun.

You were gone.

It was undeniable, written against the scrolls as an inevitable cataclysm.

Crawling to kneel beside your head, Kaeya placed a shaky kiss on your eyelids before placing them shut, a silent promise.

“Wait for me just a little longer, sweetheart,” Kaeya whispered hoarsely, hand fumbling in his coat, grazing past the sapphire-silver ring. He stilled, the shattered shards hopes in his heart piercing further. The gods had made it clear- never would they allow a world where he would slip a ring onto your finger as he knelt with a promise to protect you. A promise he had failed to uphold twice now.

Unlike the first time, he refused to live as a hollow, walking corpse haunted by your smile.

Deeper in his coat, his fingers clenched around a vial of poison deadly enough to stop a heartbeat within seconds. As he popped off the cork and held the glass edge to his lips, Kaeya paused, closing his eyes and inhaling deeply, letting the cool night air fill his lungs.

Shall he pray for a life in which you two never meet, where he would never be graced by your smile, if only for it to remain?

Ironically, the poison tasted like bitter amber wine, from the first dinner you two had shared. The same wine he drank to erase his sorrows in his former life. And now, it would bring him salvation.

Death came easily and swiftly, the life fading from his eyes as they fluttered shut, a corpse crouched over your own, still shielding you even with his soul departed.

The rose-red string faded into pure darkness.

reblogging this again because it might be one of my favorite fics I’ve written yet

can be read as a sequel to [drowning in the night stars] or a standalone!

ⴰ ⸰ ⴰ ⸰ ⴰ ⸰ ⴰ ⸰ ⴰ ⸰ ⴰ ⸰ ⴰ ⸰ ⴰ ⸰ ⴰ ⸰ ⴰ ⸰ ⴰ ⸰ ⴰ ⸰ ⴰ ⸰

Sometimes when you were deep in thought, Kaeya would watch you weave your fingers through the scarlet thread looped around your pinky and his. An invisible string nobody but you and he could see, but had never left since the day he locked eyes with you on the street.

“Why is it red?” you wondered aloud, head on his lap as he aimlessly scrolled through various different channels. “It should be blue.”

Kaeya chuckled softly, intertwining his hand in your outstretched one. “And why is that, darling?”

You frowned at him as if the answer was obvious. “Because it matches your hair, of course.”

“Ah, of course.” Kaeya nodded seriously, failing to hide his adoring smile. You continued to hum, while Kaeya committed to painting every bit of your tranquil expression into memory.

Blood dripping down the side of her skull, splattered onto his hands that cradled her face, choking sobs strangling his throat, yet not a single sound could escape.

Kaeya flinched, reality slamming back into him like a truck. Your eyes looked up at him quizzically, but he slipped into a laid-back crooked smile. After a few blinks, you tilted your head but shrugged and continued playing with the red string.

He tried to play it off. Tried to shove the memory into the crevices of his mind. It wasn’t this life- he had to remind himself. The stars had given him and you another opportunity to fall in love once again, given him another chance to see your smile again.

That fateful day- nearly five years ago already, when he had been walking along the street, and you ran by his shoulder holding what was likely a far too sugary coffee, nearly spilling it on him.

You had spun around in shock, eyes wide open and mouth about to utter an apology, when Kaeya felt a tug on his right hand pinky. Both of your gazes trailed downwards, the silent realization at the truth when you saw the faint red string loosely connecting both of your fingers.

He still remembered the little squeak you had made, nearly dropping your drink, but Kaeya automatically reached out to steady it. Pedestrians and the bustling city melted into the background, as he wondered why your eyes looked so familiar. Perhaps you were wondering the same, when after sleepless nights of dreams of the past, it was undeniable- the connection between you two went far beyond a simple thread. Beyond just this life.

Beyond death itself, perhaps.

Yet along with the memories of your once-shared joys came the devastation that tore it apart. More recently, visions and nightmares had been lurking behind every moment he closed his eyes, of the day the gods had ripped you from his grasp far too early. Worser even, the visions had become clearer as of late.

And now, it seemed they’d begun to haunt his waking life. Kaeya couldn’t bring himself to imagine what message the fates were trying to send. All he knew was he would never yield to their cruel tricks again.

*****

That night, Kaeya woke up in yet another cold sweat. You barely stirred in your sleep as he resisted the urge to vomit, shakily making his way towards the bathroom. Blindly fumbling around the wall, he felt his fingertips brush past the switch, and fluorescent lights fizzled to life like an ominous halo.

Blue bangs stuck to the sides of his face and forehead as Kaeya groaned, blearily staring into his reflection at the mirror. Yet in the hazy reflection, all he could see was you.

Your corpse, your body, dangling like a marionette in his arms. Eyes rolled backwards, the blood you had choked out still trickling down your neck. Kaeya could only kneel motionless, frozen by the horrors.

He held you closer to his chest, muffled prayers against your hair, begging you to return to him. There was still so much left, so much time you deserved to be able to embrace.

“Just hold on, please.” Raw emotion clawed at his throat, as the flowing tears swirled with the scarlet pooled on the destruction. “Alright, darling?”

It hurt to breathe. Every slow inch of realization that you would never once more pull his hand along, running through fields of grass, felt like a puncture in his lungs. Every blanket of silence filled only with his stifled sobs only made him feel as if a screw were twisting his insides, trying to wrench out every drop of hope in his heart.

He remembered holding you until sunrise, when armor-clad soldiers had found him. He recalled the sunlight peeking through the mountains, almost warily. Most of all, he remembered how your body was pulled out of his grasp, and he lacked any ounce of strength to protest, only collapsing onto his side, eyes devoid and blank, watching the haunting orange sunrise melt past the night.

The sun may have rose that day, but his life never felt the same summer warmth again.

Kaeya splashed cold water on his face, the freezing temperatures prying him back to reality. To this life, where you were only a room away, sleeping soundly without a care in the world.

When his heartrate had slowed and the nightmare felt like just a speck in the horizon, he sat down softly on the edge of your shared bed, holding out one pinky above him the way you would. In a few moments, the dimly glowing red string appeared, a silent comfort that both of you were no longer in that accursed life.

Perhaps he was starting to understand why you enjoyed studying the vermillion thread. Even if you had rarely shown any waver, the memories had to have haunted your waking thoughts before. How much more debilitating would they have been, from the eyes of the dying? Did you feel the ghost of pain whenever they were evoked? How he longed to ask you, and lift that burden for himself. As the one who failed to save you before, it was only right in his mind.

“Why’re you awake?” you murmured, shifting slightly in the bed, propped up by an elbow.

“Just needed the bathroom. Why, you want to join me there?” Kaeya smirked, his worries melting away just at the sound of your voice. You scoffed, only to yelp when Kaeya poked your cheeks with a devious grin.

“Release me this instant,” you mumbled, despite the fact Kaeya appeared to be having far too much fun pinching your cheeks as if you were a squirrel.

“You can have your turn later, sweetheart,” Kaeya assured, placing a small peck on your forehead. You huffed indignantly; face scrunched in displeasure, only for Kaeya to place another light kiss on the tip of your nose.

Kaeya studied your eyes, humming gently. Eyelids fluttering from recently waking up, crinkled at the corners from your pout. Nothing like the lifeless vision that plagued his subconscious.

Placing one last kiss on the edges of your eyes, Kaeya flopped backwards onto the bed, tugging you down with him.

“I’ll protect you,” he muttered sleepily, and you smiled softly. How could you do that? Comfort him with just the smallest gesture? Even without a single word, you still knew how displaced he was feeling. The unsettling emotions all washed away when he held you in his arms.

Soulmates were intertwined, after all. For one heart to stop would be to mangle the other.

*****

Ah.

No.

Please, gods, no.

I’m begging you, the stars, the fates, whatever accursed divine being enjoying this mockery-

Don’t take her from me-

Not again-

*****

Under the moonlit sky, Kaeya couldn’t help the shiver down his spine, the exact same crescent wane hung against the obsidian backdrop, yet not a single star in sight.

Gripping your hand only a little tighter, Kaeya tried to push away the insecurities clawing at his mind. You glanced back at him, slight confusion mirrored in your expression, but all he needed to feel was your pulse against his.

The last three days had been hell, unabashedly. Sleep had fully eluded him, the same horror painted across his eyes every time he even dared to rest. Even looking at you made his chest feel as if the entire world were crushing it.

Then it had been quiet ever since midnight. He’d gotten the most sleep he had in the past month, finally able to rest without being violently thrown awake with his heart in his throat. Both of you took it as a sign of hope, that finally, you had severed the final tie of the heartbreak from your former lives. No longer would either of you be tormented, free of the clutches of destiny.

It felt like a quiet understanding, something that settled deeply as if it had always been part of your core- if you could survive one more day, than the tragedies of the past would finally be purged, letting bygones be bygones. And for the first night in a long time, Kaeya would sleep past the crevices of early dawn.

“Just a little longer,” you whispered, excitement shining in your voice. “It’ll be our first lazy morning in almost two years.”

“Oh, really? What’re you thinking, then?” Kaeya encouraged, knowing your voice was probably the only thing keeping him from collapsing right then and there. A definitive proof that you were alive and still with him.

“Pancakes, maybe? Or a café date?” you wondered, leaning your head against his shoulder, footsteps slowing. “It’s almost winter. We could go skating tomorrow- should we invite Diluc and the others?”

Kaeya chuckled. “I’m sure ‘Luc will just give another flimsy excuse about being too busy. Besides, let me spend at least one day alone with you, hm?”

“You just want an excuse to laze around,” you lilted, lifting your hand to the skies, the red thread shimmering against an empty night.

“Twelve more minutes,” you whispered. “And then we forget all those horrors.”

Kaeya kissed the top of your head, outstretching one hand to hold yours.

“Pancakes sound nice.”

You offered him a delighted grin, and his world froze as he engraved it into his mind.

The smallest weight of a sapphire ring in his coat reminded him of the surprise he had arranged for you the second that the clock struck twelve.

“Eleven minutes,” he echoed softly. “Care for a dance, my dearest?”

Your laugh chimed in the nightfall, and Kaeya certainly believed you could illuminate the entire boardwalk with your light.

“Of course, my prince.”

Wooden planks creaked softly underneath your feet as he gently swayed you back and forth, one hand on your waist, the other holding your hand.

He was too ensnared by your eyes to notice the red thread unravelling for every step you took, floating in midair as if echoing your movements.

Up until he spun you around, and azure eyes landed on the scarlet string encircling your neck, as if it were a snake coiling to strike.

Two minutes left until midnight.

Your eyes widened, as if struck by lightning, and your entire body went limp in his arms, falling to your knees. Shallow breaths turned to chokes as you clawed at your throat, but the thread only strangled you tighter.

No, no, no, it was almost over, we were about to be free-

Kaeya grasped at the thread, trying manically to untangle the strings of fate. Yet it was unmovable, as if it were made of steel, even as the color drained from your cheeks. No amount of strength could tear it apart, not when fate controlled its path.

“Kae- Kaeya-” you choked out, blood spurting all over the wooden boards of the dock.

“Save your breath, just hold on, you’ll be alright-” he didn’t know whether his ramblings were meant to pacify you or his own impending dread.

A starless sky enveloped your silhouettes as your eyes rolled backwards, every muscle going loose like a marionette whose strings had snapped. Blood continued to trickle down the edge of your mouth, all as Kaeya could only plead to whatever divine being making a mockery of him to show mercy.

The fact you had lost the strength to struggle terrified him even more. The quietude that fate had blessed you two with wasn’t mercy, it was the calm before a hurricane tore through your lives.

One more minute. The ticking seconds were meaningless by now, not when your pulse was null and void against his choking cries.

An ethereal whisper, filled with malice, slinked into his ears. You failed to save her again, haven’t you?

“No- no- I can’t lose her, please, no-” Kaeya crumpled over, sobs heaving against your body, until the sound of a taut string snapping drilled into his mind.

There it was- the red thread you had so taken to admiring in those tranquil moments, the one that had stolen life from you, now lay motionless and split in two in a pool of your own blood. Frayed and no longer illuminated like the glow of the setting sun.

You were gone.

It was undeniable, written against the scrolls as an inevitable cataclysm.

Crawling to kneel beside your head, Kaeya placed a shaky kiss on your eyelids before placing them shut, a silent promise.

“Wait for me just a little longer, sweetheart,” Kaeya whispered hoarsely, hand fumbling in his coat, grazing past the sapphire-silver ring. He stilled, the shattered shards hopes in his heart piercing further. The gods had made it clear- never would they allow a world where he would slip a ring onto your finger as he knelt with a promise to protect you. A promise he had failed to uphold twice now.

Unlike the first time, he refused to live as a hollow, walking corpse haunted by your smile.

Deeper in his coat, his fingers clenched around a vial of poison deadly enough to stop a heartbeat within seconds. As he popped off the cork and held the glass edge to his lips, Kaeya paused, closing his eyes and inhaling deeply, letting the cool night air fill his lungs.

Shall he pray for a life in which you two never meet, where he would never be graced by your smile, if only for it to remain?

Ironically, the poison tasted like bitter amber wine, from the first dinner you two had shared. The same wine he drank to erase his sorrows in his former life. And now, it would bring him salvation.

Death came easily and swiftly, the life fading from his eyes as they fluttered shut, a corpse crouched over your own, still shielding you even with his soul departed.

The rose-red string faded into pure darkness.

loving you a million times over ~ lloyd garmadon x reader drabble

pairing ~ ⁺ ◟lloyd garmadon x ninja!reader

word count ~ ⁺ ◟ 571 wds

includes ~ ⁺ ◟ninja reader, female reader, third person pov, drabble, established relationship, fluff, lazy mornings, no use of yn, nickname- pretty girl, lloyd’s thoughts

notes ~ ⁺ ◟ this was so sweet that I am now obliged to write devastating angst right after I post this. Stay tuned to have your heart broken! Ninjago was my first love as a child, and oh boy was eight-year-old me down bad for lloyd, so finally posting a short fic dedicated to him feels like tribute. Also, im sorry how short this is, I just wanted to get the idea out of my head quicky so I could go back to finishing some requests and other upcoming fics! Consider this a filler before I post the other ones <3

synopsis ~ ⁺ ◟ it’s one of those lucky mornings where neither of you have any training scheduled, not to mention, the monastery all to yourselves. for once, life can wait a little longer while you and lloyd enjoy the scarce tranquility.

ⴰ ⸰ ⴰ ⸰ ⴰ ⸰ ⴰ ⸰ ⴰ ⸰ ⴰ ⸰ ⴰ ⸰ ⴰ ⸰ ⴰ ⸰ ⴰ ⸰ ⴰ ⸰ ⴰ ⸰ ⴰ ⸰

For a rare occasion, warm, early noon sunlight streamed through the manilla curtains, coating her in an ethereal glow. Soft breathing turned into a small yawn and shuffle of her fetal position, causing Lloyd's heart to swell more than it already had.

How did he keep falling in love with her more and more? It seemed impossible, but every little moment with her had him eagerly awaiting a forever together.

With Wu away, giving a deliverance at the museum, Nya and Jay at the junkyard with his parents, Kai, Cole, and Zane leaving for a weekend camping trip, she and Lloyd had the Monastery all to themselves, with no grueling morning training to follow.

Her eyes blearily glanced up at him, before frowning adorably, still half-asleep. Lloyd chuckled softly, gently coaxing her closer to him, a silent invitation to continue sleeping.

Burying her face in his chest, he felt her smile slightly, and he slung an arm around her back, chin resting on top of her head.

"Sleep a little longer, pretty girl."

"Oh? When did you get so smooth talking?" She snorted, before letting out a small yawn. "Kai's been rubbing off on you."

Lloyd kissed the top of her head gently with a grin. "My charm is all natural, love."

"Was it all natural when you tripped and got sick for a week after confessing to me?" she quipped.

"Did you not take care of me for that whole week? I'd say it was a success," Lloyd smiled. She rolled her eyes, but still snuggled closer to the Green Ninja. Her green ninja. He was all hers.

Lloyd hummed, listening to the sound of nothing but his lover's heartbeat. Even now, it was surreal that it was he who was entrusted to guard her heart, and he'd do so with his life.

Time stood still that morning, like it always did with her in his arms.

Maybe at that moment, it settled in him like the last drops of sand in an hourglass.

His own heart didn’t just belong to her. Every heartbeat, every pulse, it was all her. Her smile, her tears, her love.

Yeah, forever wouldn't be so bad if it was with her.

a series of idiotic events ~ felix x reader oneshot

order details ~ ⁺ ◟ established relationship, no au, but they’re hiding it from the rest of skz (crack)

pairing ~ ⁺ ◟felix x childhood friend!reader

word count ~ ⁺ ◟1559 wds.

includes ~ ⁺ ◟idiocy, light swearing, second person pov, christmas vibes, stray kids shares one collective braincell and they lost it

notes ~ ⁺ ◟this is coming in so late ToT I hope you like it!

event ~ ⁺ ◟ requests here!

synopsis ~ ⁺ ◟the adventures of you and felix as you hide your relationship from the rest of stray kids- of course, you’ll have to tell them someday, but felix refuses to lose a bet he made months ago, bartering that you two wouldn’t get together that year.

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Escapade #1: The Recording Studio

Felix was draped upside down over the couch of the studio, texting you absentmindedly as the faint sounds of Jeongin and Han wrangling each other could be heard. They’d been working for almost an hour late, and you were checking to make sure none of the boys had thrown each other out the window yet.

“Why does she have a heart in her contact name?” Hyunjin popped up out of nowhere, and Felix let out a falsetto scream- when had the damn ferret gotten so sneaky? Purely out of instinct, Felix tossed his phone all the way across the booth, squarely landing on Minho’s head, who squawked out in surprise, swiveling around with an accusatory, rage-filled glare.

“Hyunjin did it!” Felix said immediately, pointing at the ferret. Hyunjin let out a squeak of betrayal, stumbling over his own feet as Minho took off at a sprint towards him. Felix sighed a breath of relief, hoping Hyunjin would forget about what he saw after Minho exacted his wrath on him. A saddening, but necessary sacrifice.

“Felix- you- traitor!” Hyunjin screeched distantly from the hallways outside.

“Eat tissues, idiot!” Minho demanded, and an echoing thud against the wall, paired with Hyunjin’s girl-group worthy high shriek, told Felix he’d been unable to outrun the ferocious rabbit.

Escapade #2: The Coffee Shop

A few weeks later, you and Felix had planned a lunch date at the new coffee shop around a block from your apartment. Being family-run and rather local, neither of you had bothered with disguises, which caused one teeny-tiny issue: Felix had accidentally forgotten that Changbin and Han had mentioned plans to visit this very same café before going to the arcade nearby.

“Hey Felix?” you said sweetly, placing his Snoopy latte-art cup of coffee in front of him. Felix let out an ooh upon seeing the latte art, practically bouncing in his seat.

“What’s up, sunshine?” Felix asked, waiting patiently for you to take out your phone and snap your pictures. You smiled, leaning in next to him for a selfie, and he grinned, kissing your cheek.

“I thought you’d like to know I saw Changbin and Jisung walking this direction across the street,” you hummed, reciprocating the kiss before changing camera angles to snap a picture of the coffee and croissants. You said it so calmly that Felix took five seconds to process it, as the bell at the entrance of the café rang, Jisung’s loud voice echoing off the walls.

You barely reacted as Felix practically fell out of his chair with a crash, landing face-flat on the floor. Changbin and Han both turned to look at the source of the commotion, and you waved with a smile.

“Hey, you two!” you said. “How’s it going? What’re you two doing here?”

“I could say the same for you,” Changbin joked, knowing full well you lived less than a five minute walk away. “Are we going to question the, uh-” he gestured towards Felix, still laying on the floor, groaning in pain.

“Nope!” you said in the same cheery tone. Changbin shrugged, but Han’s eyes narrowed.

“Are you two on a date?” he asked suspiciously, eyes narrowed at the bouquet of flowers Felix had brought you, placed on the chair beside you with your handbag. On the ground, the blonde sputtered like a faulty engine, as if the very words had given him psychic damage. You couldn’t blame him, either- after you two had started dating about a year prior, he’d begged you to keep it a secret from the boys for just another year longer, as they’d been running bets on when you two would finally confess. Not only had you confessed first, but before that, Felix had thought he was so deep in the friendzone that he confidently declared you two would ‘never be an item’. The rest of the members had taken it as a bet (all of them had drank a bit much), betting that you two would be in a relationship before the end of the year.

With too much pride and dignity to lose, Felix had resorted to hiding both of yours relationship until the day he had sworn he would ‘confess’, coming up in a few weeks.

“Jisung, you know Felix and I have literally been friends for years, right? It’s not unusual we’d meet up for coffee,” you snorted. “And the flowers I bought myself. I saw them at a floral shop and thought they looked pretty.”

Seemingly relaxing somewhat, Han nodded, looking a bit sheepish. “Sorry about the accusation. It’s just that we have a bet running, y’know, and Felix is about to actually win something for once in his life-”

“Oh? Is this bet about me?” you teased, enjoying the fact your boyfriend seemed to be flinching at every word you said, still on the floor for uncomprehendable reasons. Changbin laughed, taking Felix’s former seat.

“You could say that. I think you’ll see what it’s about by Christmas,” he grinned. As a far better actor than Felix, you smiled along, pretending to be oblivious.

“Yeah, I guess we’ll see!”

The Reveal: Felix Loses a Lot of Money

Christmas Eve rolled around sooner than you’d thought, and Felix was absolutely ecstatic. Filled with both Christmas spirit and the hubris of knowing he was about to prove his members wrong and win their bet, he might’ve gotten a bit too cocky.

Really, it could’ve happened to anyone. He let his guard down, just one small little mistake.

You two were waiting for the Christmas cookies to finish baking before you started frosting them, and the Christmas music over the radio had you swaying back and forth as you tried to hang up an ornament on the tree, only to let out a yelp as you tripped over one of the many, many cords plugged into the outlet.

“You’re looking festive,” Felix grinned, seeing you completely tangled in the Christmas light cords. Letting out a huff, you glowered at him until he raised his hands in surrender, walking over from the kitchen to untangle you.

“Why’re you pouting? You look cute all glowing and sparkly,” Felix teased, placing a kiss on your forehead as he offered you a hand while you shook the light cords off your ankle.

“I’m surprised we haven’t started a fire already with so many cords in a single outlet,” you tutted, nose scrunched up. Still chuckling, Felix pulled you in closer to him, chin resting on the top of your head.

“You smell like cinnamon,” you mumbled, face still buried in his chest. “Have you been eating cookie dough again?”

“Shh, let’s dance,” Felix took your hand, spinning you around. A grin stretched across your face, wrapping your arms around his neck as you two twirled around the living room.

A crash at the door had both of you jumping away from each other, Felix tripping over the couch and falling onto the floor. You, meanwhile, hit your head on the stockings hung over the fireplace, clutching your head with a hiss.

Standing at the door, all seven members stood completely flabbergasted, jaws practically dropping onto the floor. By the looks on their face, they’d definitely seen enough.

“You two are dating,” Seungmin said bluntly, the first to recover. You weren’t sure whether Felix was alive or the terror had already sent him into cardiac arrest, crumpled on the floor, staring at the ceiling blankly as if contemplating his entire existence.

“Surprise?” you shrugged, waving your hands. Jeongin appeared still frozen in shock, while Minho prodded Felix’s unconscious body for signs of life.

“Since when?” Hyunjin demanded, crossing his arms.

“Since… tomorrow?”

Han fell to his knees, hands clutched together. “Please tell me you two got together around Halloween. Please. I would win so much money if that was true-”

“Sorry, we got together during New Year’s last year,” you smiled sheepishly.

“Wait, did you confess or did Felix?” Chan butted in. “You, right?”

Changbin and Seungmin looked at you expectantly, and when you nodded, Seungmin let out a “Ha!”, with Changbin grumbling and grabbing his wallet from his pocket.

“I think he’s dead,” Minho declared, Felix still unresponsive on the floor.

“Give him a break. He was 24 hours away from winning a bet for the first time in his life,” you laughed, before your smile fell, the smell of smoke wafting from the kitchen. “uhm- do you guys smell that-”

Felix suddenly shot up, eyes wide in horror. “My cookies!”