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onesillybeach · 2 years

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New Beginnings Ch. 19

F!Reader x Liu Kang/Kung Lao

This chapter is extremely rough. As in, I didn't edit it much. It may be sloppy. But editing pisses me off. So here it is: raw.

It has been a while since I posted a chapter of any of my fics. I'm sorry. I lost my muse as stress grew in my life.

Merry Christmas everyone.

@ancientowlgirl @poor-unfortunate-soul-85 @shang-hung

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“It has been months. I’m sure she would appreciate a break,” Lao said.

“What do you have in mind?” Liu asked Lao.

“I don’t know. But she deserves it. I don’t know if it’s the mark, or just a natural determination, but she’s come a long way.”

“Where is she, anyway?”

“The crypt.”

“Again?”

“She wants to clean up the former defenders.” Lao shrugged.

“She really took to them, didn’t she?”

“She respects them.”

“Of course she does. And she should. They gave their lives for Earthrealm.”

“I think she just likes it down there.”

“What?”

“She seems more relaxed in the crypt. That place gives me the creeps sometimes, but she can’t seem to get enough of it.”

“Perhaps she just likes the silence,” Liu quipped.

Lao opened his mouth to protest, then promptly shut it. His eyes squinted at his brother. Liu grinned. “So what do you think she would enjoy as a break?” Liu asked, bringing back their original discussion.

“I don’t know.” Lao rubbed the back of his neck. “But she’s been depressed lately.”

“I noticed.” Liu frowned. “She hardly ate dinner. I didn’t want to pry.”

“Maybe she misses home? You know, where she came from?”

Liu nodded. “She does. Are you suggesting we bring her home for a while?”

“Maybe?” Lao shrugged. “I’m sure she’d love it.”

“And what if she refuses to come back?” Liu argued.

“You know she’ll come back. She’s set on fighting in the tournament.”

Liu would admit that. You were determined to help them in Mortal Kombat. He nodded again. “We can ask her. She may not want to return to New York. It could be a distraction.”

“You need to stop worrying,” Lao teased.

“When you tell me not to worry is when I worry the most.”

“Fine. Worry more. I’m going to go ask her.”

“Why do you get to ask her?”

“It was my idea.”

“We’ll both ask her,” Liu demanded, having already turned to head to the crypt.

It took you months, but you had finally done it. Each and every former defender of Earthrealm had been tended to. Cleaned and straightened. Incense. Tiny offerings of things you could spare. You’d learned some chinese funeral customs. And offerings were huge. No matter how small. You had made sure each fighter had one. And standing back, hands on your hips, looking over all your hard work, a triumphant sigh escaped you.

Hearing coming footsteps, you turned and waited to see who was coming. Seeing Lao and Liu, you smiled wide to them. You were still seeing both of them. You’d stopped the alternating days however. You just went to whoever you wanted at the time. It seemed more natural to you. Easier. As far as you could tell, the boys seemed to like it as well. But you could see jealousy in both of their eyes on occasion. At least they didn’t fight. That was the deal. No fighting. If they fought over you, you’d stop seeing both of them. So far, they hadn’t fought… not that you knew of anyway.

“Y/N,” Liu greeted, then stopped as he noticed all your work. Lao was indifferent to it, he’d seen the progress everyday when he came to tend to his ancestors. But Liu hardly ever visited. “You did all this?” Liu asked.

“You like it?” You asked, looking over the former fighters. “Finally finished. Now I just have to maintain it.”

“It’s impressive. I’m sure they all appreciate your tributes,” Liu told you.

“They better.” You grinned and watched Liu smile with your quip.

“We wanted to ask you something,” Lao spoke up, walking over to you.

“Oh?” Your grin softed as he came closer and you looked up into his chocolate eyes. Once he was within reach, you lifted your arms to wrap them around his neck as his arms wrapped around your waist. He gave you a quick kiss on the lips.

“We were wondering if you’d like to take a break from training.” Liu said, watching the small display of affection. Ah, there was that little sparkle of jealousy in his eyes again.

Your eyes shifted from Liu and back to Lao. Your brows bunched. “What do you mean?”

“It’s been months since you arrived. And you’ve worked hard. We just thought you’d like a break,” Lao explained.

You wouldn’t lie. A break sounded wonderful. A chance to just relax your body and let all those aches from training heal. “It sounds great… But I don’t know if I should.”

“What do you mean?” Lao asked, letting go of you.

You stepped away slowly and over to Liu. You were addressing his silent jealousy. Arms wrapped around his neck and a soft kiss on those warm lips took care of that. “I mean, I should be training everyday. I can’t afford to take a break. I only have five years—”

“Four and a half,” Liu corrected you.

You brows knotted again as you looked up at him. Had it really been that long? Wait… “What month is it?”

Liu cocked one brow of his own. “December?”

“December?!” You held him at arm’s length in disbelief. “Really?”

Liu nodded. “You didn’t know?”

“I knew it’d been a few months, but not that many…”

“Is something wrong?” Lao asked.

“No… No I guess not. Just… lost track of time, I guess.”

“You sure?” Lao pressed.

“Not much I can do about it,” you frowned and sighed.

“We thought bringing you home for a break would be nice,” Lao said, catching your attention.

Home? New York? In december? You almost cringed, but… Being home for Christmas would be nice. But a New York Christmas? That was cold, wet, and dirty.

“What?” Lao asked. He must have noticed your hesitance.

“Nothing,” You said quickly with a shake of your head. “Just… New York at Christmas? I know the media paints it as a winter wonderland, but in reality it’s pretty bad.”

“Ah, right. Christmas,” Liu mused. It was easy for him to forget about Christmas. It wasn’t celebrated in the monasteries. “I forgot about that.”

“We don’t have to go to New York,” Lao said. “Anywhere you want. California? It’s warm there, right?”

“Yeah… In the south anyway.” You were still frowning. “Look. It’s okay. I’ll be fine.”

“Y/N…” Lao protested.

You forced a smile to him. “I promise. I’ll be fine. Besides. If I don’t train enough, there might not be anymore Christmases in five years.”

“All the more reason to enjoy them while they’re still around,” Lao argued.

You watched him. He was good at that… arguing. They both were. And they always had a point. This time wasn’t any different. Lao was right. You may only have five Christmases left.

You lifted a hand and scratched at your scalp. Should you really take a break?

They wanted you to take a break. Which meant they were confident you could take one without sacrificing your training. So, yes. You agreed to take a break. As you were packing, you couldn’t help but notice something brushing against your backside. You grinned and pretended to ignore it. But that hand had a friend. It’s twin soon snaked around your waist. You still ignored it. Then that hand went just a little too low…

“If you want to keep that hand, you’ll remove it,” you warned.

“Mm.. Tempting,” Lao whispered in your ear. You rolled your eyes and reached to his hand, moving it for him. He pouted and stepped away.

“You know I’m not ready for that.”

“Your ass is fine, but not your—?”

“No,” You cut him off.

“Are all women this confusing?”

“Yes. Now either help me pack, or go away.”

“What are you even packing? You don’t have anything,” Lao said as he flopped back onto your bed.

“I’m going to need a change of clothes once I get there. Unless you happen to have money on you for shopping.”

“Maybe I do.” He stretched out.

“Do you?” You turned your head to look at him.

“Maybe~” He teased, then gestured for you to spin around for him.

You lifted a brow. You couldn’t believe him. You shook your head with some amusement. “You’re unbelievable.”

“And yet you believe me.”

You looked back at him. Did he just quote you? Was he mocking you? He was, wasn’t he? He was trying to get under your skin… or rather, under your pants. You rolled your eyes again and chucked a folded up gi at his face.

He let it hit him. He pulled it from his face to look back at you, that cocky grin still plastered to his face. “We can go shopping. No problem.”

“Good.” You took your gi back and packed it away. “Gi’s are nice, but they won't be warm.”

—-------

Civilization! People! Trees! You couldn’t help it. You hugged the first tree you saw after stepping out of the lightning. You never thought you’d be so happy to see a tree. Or pavement! Or snow! You bounced in excitement. Life! You didn’t bother to wait for the boys. You were wandering off towards the city.

“Y/N! Wait!” Liu called out, but it was no use. You were running now. He and Lao just grinned and laughed it off. They’d find you later.

Store fronts on Main street and snow on the ground. Food trucks on the curbs and people all around. Hot grease in the air, Oh, Thank god, Mickey D’s. These are a few of my favorite things.~

You were a whirlwind going from store to store. Liu had given you a credit card with “more than enough” funds on it. You could go wild. This was your treat for doing so well in your training. You all agreed to meet up at the DoubleTree Hotel in midtown. You knew the guys wouldn’t mind you being late. You just had to enjoy yourself first. Hours went by before you finally made it in to the hotel lobby.

“There you are! We were starting to worry--That’s a lot of bags.” Lao stared as he noticed your arms absolutely crammed with shopping bags. “Nice coat…” It was. Long and black, lied with synthetic fur. Lao looked from the bags, your new coat, and to your face. His brows knotted. “Your hair…” You’d gotten it properly washed and trimmed. You decided to keep it long, but now it was curled and pulled back in a high pony tail.

You frowned. “What? What’s wrong? Is it messed up?” You went to reach for your hair, but almost dropped five bags.

“No, it’s… fine. Here.” He reached out and took some of the bags from you. “We’re on the top floor.”

Your nose scrunched at him. He picked the top floor on purpose. He still tested you every chance he got. Higher the better for him. He scrunched his nose back at you as he led you to the elevator.

“Did you wait for me this whole time?”

“No. We figured you’d be back two hours ago. When you didn’t show up we got worried.”

“Scared I’d run off?”

Lao laughed. “It crossed my mind--Hey, what did you buy anyway? Rocks?” He peeked into a bag.

“They’re not that heavy,” you defended.

“Is that… a bra?” Lao asked as he reached into the bag.

You dropped your bags and reached for that particular bag. “Give me that bag!”

He laughed and turned away. “Red lace, huh?”

“Lao! Give it back!” You went to move around him, but he turned away again.

“And what’s this?” He whistled as he pulled out the matching thong.

You jumped right onto his back, reaching over his shoulder for the garments. “Stop it! Give it back!”

He laughed and held it out of your reach.

You wrapped an arm around his neck and went for a well practiced choke hold.

Lao gasped through his laughing fit.

Ding.

You both froze as the elevator doors slid open and revealed a waiting Liu in the hallway. He stared at you both, then to the red lace thong Lao was holding out.

You slid off Lao and yanked your new clothes from his hands. You hastily stuffed them back into the bag. Your face must have matched your new underwear, but you picked up your bags, all of them, and marched out of the elevator. A wildly grinning Lao followed.

Liu decided not to ask. He shook his head of the thought and smiled to you. “I take it you enjoyed yourself?”

“You have no idea,” you answered. Liu was leading you down the hall.

“You were gone for quite some time.”

“Yeah… Sorry. I lost track.”

“No harm done,” Liu said and stopped at a door. He unlocked it and held the door for you. As you walked in, he eyed the amount of bags you were able to carry. Lao followed and gave Liu a look that earned him a small shove as Liu stepped in and closed the door.

“Your room is the one on the left!” Lao called out before falling into the couch.

You smiled at the sight of your bed. An actual bed. A nice, big, fluffy bed. You dropped your bags onto it and immediately began rummaging through them. You’d forgotten you’d bought some of the stuff.

“Where are you going to keep all that stuff at the temple?” Lao called from the suite’s living room.

“Up your ass!” You snarked back.

“My ass isn’t that big!” He called back. “Your’s however…”

You leaned away from the bed to look at him through your door. He grinned to you from the couch before you looked back to your bags.

Liu stifled a laugh as he moved to sit in the recliner.

“We should go out tonight,” you called out to them.

“You were just out!” Lao said in disbelief.

“Yes. Me. But not we.”

“What did you have in mind, Y/N?” Liu asked.

“It’s the holidays. There’s plenty to do!”

“Like what?” Lao asked.

“Ice Skating. Restaurants. Movies. Broadway…”

“What do you want to do?” Liu asked.

You sighed and reveled in the idea of doing anything and everything… And nothing.

You had it. The perfect way to unwind!

“Club?” You offered.

Liu raised a brow at the idea. Lao shrugged. Their silence piqued your interest.

“Don’t tell me you two have never gone to a club before…” You leaned back again to look out at them. They just stared blankly. “...We’re going to a club,” you decided for them. “And I have just the thing to wear~.” You shuffled through your bags to find that new dress.

“We have to get dressed up?” Lao asked.

“Have to? No. Should you? Yes. Absolutely.”

“What do we wear?” Liu asked curiously.

“Not a gi,” you mused. Lucky for them, you had picked them up a few things you thought they’d look good in for a change. Nothing crazy, but different. You found that bag and tossed it out your door at them. “Put those on!” you called out to them, then closed your door to get dressed.

That credit card Liu handed you may have been a mistake, but it was a mistake you were happy he made. Slipping out of your clothes, you walked into your own private bathroom. A real bathroom. With a real shower. After covering your hair, you hopped right into that shower.

Squeaky clean, you felt much of the tension you’d been holding the past few months melt away. Walking back into your room, you noticed it. A full length mirror. You hesitated before stepping in front of it to see yourself. Your body had changed in the last months. You had abs! When the hell did that happen?! And was that your ass? Shit. You were a serious snack. What would you look like in a few years? You smiled at yourself and went back to your bags.

You’d changed into a short red dress. That red lace thong underneath. A wonderbra held the twins up. Adjusting yourself in the mirror you could hardly believe it was you. Black eyeliner and smokey eye. Red lips. You hardly needed any foundation. Your complexion had cleared up so much. Because you’d visited a salon earlier, your hair was perfect after you took the shower cap off. It shined. It was so soft. You let it down and let the loose curls drape over your shoulders. Perfection. And then it was time for the pièce de résistance.

The shoes.

A pair of red strappy heels, that once on, somehow made your ass look better. And thanks to Liu’s balance training, you stood just perfect in them. One last look over yourself… You were more than a snack. You were a five course meal.

You opened your door and stepped out, but stopped when you noticed Liu and Lao in the new clothes. You had been right. They looked great in them. Lao in a pair of faded jeans, vintage t-shirt, and hiking boots. Lao wore his hat. You didn’t know why you’d expect him to take it off. Liu was in a pair of black jeans, black boots, white tee, and black leather vest. Of course he’d tied his red sash around his waist, and his prayer beads most likely never left his wrist as he changed. You smiled at them. Your red lipstick no doubt accentuated it.

But they both just stared at you like a couple of deer frozen in headlights. You were about to worry, self consciousness creeping up your spine.

“Wow.” Lao broke the silence. It seemed to bring Liu out of his stupor as he quickly turned for the door, his hand grasping his prayer beads.

Your face grew hot as Lao continued to stare. You looked away from him and gave a nervous chuckle. But you’d almost forgotten. Coats. You turned and headed back into your room. You rummaged through the bags, quickly finding the coats you’d picked out. You slipped into yours, classic black and knee length. You were going to need it. You handed them both coats as you followed Liu to the door. Liu’s was a typical cargo style. Lao’s was leather and fleece lined.

It wasn’t until the three of you had gotten into the elevator that you spoke up. “You two look great.” You didn’t look at either of them however, fighting to keep your eyes on the door.

“You too,” Lao said.

“It’s a very nice dress,” Liu added. Your face grew hot again. This had gotten more awkward than you’d imagined.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make this weird,” You said.

“You didn’t,” Liu reassured you.

“We just weren’t expecting this…” Lao told you.

You’d hailed a cab. You told the driver to drop you three off at the closest club. The driver glanced back at the three of you as you sat in silence for a few blocks. You handed the driver the credit card as you got out. He handed it back promptly and wished you a great night. You could hear the music from outside and you were happy that it hadn’t changed much since you last heard it. You took both Liu and Lao by the hand and led them inside.

You couldn’t hear a thing but the music. Perfect. Exactly what you wanted. You checked your coat and asked Liu to hold your ticket. Lao was looking out into the crowd, but you’d caught Liu staring at your backside. You grinned as he looked away quickly. You stepped closer to him and leaned up to his ear. “I think we’re even now!” you shouted over the music.

Liu’s brows knotted in confusion as he looked to you. You just held your grin as you stepped away and let their hands go. You disappeared into the crowd. You were going to thoroughly enjoy yourself tonight.

You were two sweet poison cocktails deep on the dance floor, dancing with strangers. The buzz was there and it felt so freeing. Physical and mental stress melted away as you let yourself go. You were shouting out the lyrics to the song playing with a couple other girls you’d met. They were far more drunk than you, but you welcomed the company of other women. Someone pressed against your back side and began dancing with you. You turned. You didn’t recognize him, but it didn’t matter. You were in the moment and you let yourself dance with him… on him.

That’s when you noticed Lao watching you from the bar. Now would be the perfect time to play with him. He’d teased you for months. Now you had a chance to make him pay for it.

You made sure he noticed you looking at him, that you were aware of him watching. Then a devilish smirk pulled on your painted lips. You looked up to the guy you were dancing with and moved closer to him. He was immediately into it. You grinded on each other to the rhythm of the music. He ran his hands down your hips. You let yours creep up under his shirt. You could feel this guy’s excitement. Did you feel guilty about using him to get under Lao’s skin, yes. But, chances were this guy wouldn’t remember a thing in the morning.

Glancing back to where Lao was, you noticed he was gone. You looked around, but you couldn’t see him. Shit. Maybe your plan backfired. You pulled away from the guy you were dancing with and gave him a faux apologetic frown before turning to walk away. You only made it a few feet away before someone grabbed your wrist and tugged you back.

Lao.

Your eyes widened at him. He grinned and pulled you closer to lean to your ear. “That wasn’t very nice of you!” He shouted above the music. Damn. He had been onto you. You smiled and pulled him back down to shout into his ear.

“Did it work, though?!” You let him go and stepped back.

Lao smirked. You had thrown his own words back at him. Having faked a fall from Raiden’s arena wasn’t the nicest way he could have helped you months ago. But it had worked.

You returned his smirk and began swaying to the music. You held his hands and began pulling at his arms in rhythm with the bass, trying to coax him into dancing. But a wary look came to his face and he looked back towards the bar. You couldn’t believe it. Did Kung Lao not know how to dance? You laughed and tugged on him again. You pulled him right to the middle of the dance floor. Lao’s eyes were desperately searching for an escape route. You closed the distance between you two and reached up to his face, holding it with both hands, making him look at you. You pulled him down to shout into his ear. “Don’t look back! Just keep your eyes on me!” You pulled back and grabbed his hands again. Lao hesitantly went along with it, but soon grinned at the ridiculousness of this whole situation.

He leaned in. “You’re holding back!”

“Shut up and dance with me!” You shouted back with a grin and moved his hands to your waist.

—————

Liu had wandered the club rather uncomfortably. He was very far out of his comfort zone. Nothing about this place was calm. It was full of energy… It was full of sex. His jaw clenched as he ignored the various couples making out and sneaking off. Liu was approached by several ladies, and a few men. He weaseled his way out of each conversation. This was not his idea of a vacation. The mountains, where there was nothing but silence surrounding him, that was a vacation.

Stopping to lean against a second story railing, Liu looked down at the crowded dance floor. He saw the whole stunt you pulled. He saw Lao at the bar. He saw you being way too close with some drunk stranger. He saw you whine your body against him. And he saw the look on Lao’s face. Liu hadn’t ever seen that particular expression on Lao’s face: a mixture of anger, sadness, jealousy, and pain. Lao had pushed off the bar and stormed through the crowded dance floor. You finally noticed he’d left the bar a few moments later and left the clearly excited stranger. Liu’s knuckles turned white as he gripped the railing. Lao had grabbed you in the crowd. You shouted in each other’s ears. Liu couldn’t hear what it was, but he saw Lao’s smirk. Now you two were dancing and Liu’s heart was pounding in his chest.

——————

Lao had never done anything like this. Dancing? No. He grew up training for Mortal Kombat. He didn’t have time to dance. He didn’t have time for a lot of things. It never really bothered him until you came into his life. That’s when he realized there was more to life than Mortal Kombat. Sure, he knew other people just lived ordinary lives, he’d gotten out and around his fair share, but he never understood the appeal. It was useless compared to what was planned for him. But you… He got to see how important the outside world was to you over the past few months. You had missed it so much. Despite Raiden’s temple being able to tend to your every basic need, it couldn’t ever make you truly happy.

You were happy now. He knew coming to the city would do the trick. As you coaxed him along on the dance floor, he felt totally out of his element. But the smile on your face was worth it. Dammit, he hated that you could get under his skin like this. It was distracting… It was intoxicating. And he couldn’t help but throw it right back at you. Lao liked watching you squirm. And he liked that he could feel the outline of that red thong on your hips.

The club was great, but you hardly got to see Liu. Even when you three got back to the hotel Liu had decided to go straight to bed. You should have known Liu wouldn’t like the club. Liu liked tranquility. A club was far from tranquil… But you had needed it. You needed to get out and let go for a while. You needed to live a little. But even you had your limits. And your feet… Oh, their limit was much less in heels.

You’d gotten so used to the traditional monk shoes that wearing a pair of heels for more than a few hours was absolute agony. The second you got back to the hotel suite, you kicked them off and went right into your room. You’d changed out of the dress. You’d slipped into a pair of loose shorts and a tank top. You washed the make-up off your face. And you plopped your fine ass down on the couch in the living area and turned on the tv.

Oh thank god for tv. You’d missed so much. Your shows. The news. You didn’t even care what was on, you just wanted to look at the pretty moving pictures again.

Home. That’s what this feeling was. Home. You could feel your entire being relax as you watched some late night sitcom you didn’t recognize.

The door to Liu and Lao’s room opened. You reached for the remote. It must have been too loud for Liu. But to your surprise, Lao stepped out and closed the door behind him. He’d changed back into his usual casual wear. You watched him as he moved across the suite and sat down on the couch next to you. “You actually like these things?” He asked, nodding towards the tv.

You chuckled. “I do.”

“What’s the point of them?”

“Entertainment.”

“I could entertain you.”

You lifted a brow and looked back to him. He just grinned to you. Lifting a couch pillow, you swiftly swatted him with it. Lao laughed and just took the hit.

“What? I could,” he repeated.

“You’re such a perv,” you grinned with a shake of your head and looked back to the tv.

Lao laughed again. “Says the woman who danced all over me at the club.”

“I did not dance all over you,” you defended.

“You did.”

“I kept a respectful distance.”

“You put my hands on your hips.”

“I put your hands on my waist. You moved them to my hips.”

“You didn’t move them back.”

“I also didn’t kick you in the teeth.”

He laughed. “I think you liked it.”

“Nope.”

“You did.”

“Not at all.”

“You enjoyed it.”

“Never.”

He grinned as he watched you watch the tv. You could notice him out the corner of your eye. You couldn’t fight off a grin for very long. Yes. You had enjoyed it. You enjoyed every bit of dancing with him. From the awkward look on his face to his hands gripping your hips.

Lao’s eyes shifted to focus on your smile. He loved that smile. It was so much better than the frowns and scowls he’d caused the first week he’d met you. You two had grown much closer since then. You two had made your feelings known to each other. You were both interested in each other. He wasn’t exactly sure how interested you were in him, but he knew he wanted you. You had ticked off every single thing on his list. He even had to add things to his list just so you could tick those off too. There was only one problem.

You felt for Liu too. And Liu felt for you. Of course this would happen. Of course Lao would find the perfect woman, and something would muck it up. Unknown to you, Lao and Liu often argued about you. They both wanted you. But they both couldn’t have you. All they could do was wait and see which one of them you would choose… But that was so much easier said than done.

Lao shifted closer to you. You didn’t seem to mind, so he shifted even closer until you glanced at him curiously. Before you could ask, Lao had leaned in and kissed your lips. It was hardly a surprise. You and Lao had shared kisses before. You’d kissed both Lao and Liu. They’d even asked who kissed better. You couldn’t answer that. You were still convinced that you were an awful kisser. But it didn’t stop either of them. Actually, the lack of your answer seemed to encourage them to try harder. You were okay with that.

Tilting your head, you let the kiss deepen and reached a hand up to the back of his neck, pulling him into it. He gladly obliged. One of his arms wrapped around your waist. He pulled you right onto his lap. You stiffened. Lao’s hands gripped your thighs as you pulled your head back slowly. His brows knotted in concern. “What?”

You stared at him in hesitance, then looked down at his lap, your legs straddling him.

“Y/N,” he called softly.

You looked back up to his eyes. He was so eager to have you. He could have taken you right there. Right there on the couch, only a thin wall separating you both from Liu. You could have him… You took a deep breath. Lao's hands gripped your thighs a bit harder as you began to pull away. He begrudgingly let you go with a frustrated sigh. You felt it as you headed to your room. You were frustrated too. Of course you wanted to sleep with him. Of course you wanted to sleep with Liu. But there were a couple things keeping you from going through with it.

First, you weren't sure which one you wanted to be your first. Liu was your first kiss and make out. But Lao had pushed you beyond your limits and helped you overcome your fears.

Second, you weren't on birth control. The temple didn't have the pill or condoms. Even if you could decide who to sleep with, you couldn't very well go through with it without protection. You didn't need a baby. Not now.

But, you were in the city now… Maybe tomorrow you could go to a pharmacy. At least then you'd have something when you finally did sleep with one of them.

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justnerdthings · 3 years

Text

New Beginnings Ch. 15

F!Reader x Liu Kang/Kung Lao

Bit of a timeskip here. Also this chapter contains nsfw!

I know at least one reader is going to want to shank me after reading this. It's okay. I promise I'll make it up to you.

@ancientowlgirl @poor-unfortunate-soul-85 @shang-hung

Weeks had passed. You were in full training mode. You had learned the layout of the temple. You were much more familiar with the customs of the monks. You were comfortable.

Well, almost.

Your muscles were sore from training. Lao and Liu had put you on a fast track. The tournament was still five years away, but you had so much to catch up on. As for the boys…

You had put a wall up. They’d both been pinning for you. Of course you knew they would be. Ever since that kiss with Liu… Ever since Lao admitted his feelings for you… It had been one wild ride after the other. But you had made it clear to both of them: You were not ready for any relationships.

God, you hated telling them that. What were you thinking? They were both incredible choices. You’d never have options like them back home. Were you crazy for telling them both to back off? Probably. But did it help you adjust to temple life? Absolutely. You had enough to worry about around here. A relationship with one of them would have been nice, but the rivalry between them would have destroyed them. You couldn’t risk that.

Raiden had commended your approach to this issue. He’d been pleasantly surprised by your restraint. He’d even offered to help. You still had no idea how Raiden could help, but the offer was nice. You’d opted for ol’ faithful: staying so busy that you didn’t have time to think about relationships.

Of course at night that didn’t work. You’d spent nights staring at the ceiling, or tossing and turning, being drowned in loads of inappropriate thoughts. And of course, you’d taken it upon yourself to relieve some of that tension. Other nights, you thought about what life would be like with one or the other. You’d gotten to know them both so well over the past few weeks that you had pretty clear visions of what relationships would be like with them.

You weren’t sure you could choose between those two visions. But, it didn’t matter. You had no time for that. Five years. You had five years to turn into a lean, mean, killing machine!

A nudge to your shoulder brought you out of your thoughts. Looking up, Lao was watching you with concern. He stopped you in the hallway.

“Are you alright?” He asked.

“Yeah. Sorry. Just lost in thought.” You yawned then and stretched your arms out over your head.

“What are you thinking about?” Lao asked curiously and followed along with you as you began walking again.

“You. Liu.” You shrugged. You didn’t see the point in hiding these thoughts anymore. They both knew how you felt. They both knew how each other felt.

Lao lifted a brow. “Yeah? What about us?”

“Just… kicking myself for telling you both to back off,” you sighed.

He seemed to perk up then. “Yeah?”

“I feel like an idiot. But I know it’s the right choice.”

“How do you know?”

“What do you mean, how do I know? I got five years to turn into you and Liu. I can’t be distracted. I need to buckle down. I have to stay focused.”

He sighed. “If we die in the tournament, then we won’t get the chance later,” he reasoned. And you’d thought of that. He was right. If you died in the tournament, and let’s be honest, which was highly likely, you wouldn’t get the chance to choose later. But if you did choose now, then you would mostly likely be too distracted to keep up your training. The tournament would come. You wouldn’t be ready. You’d be killed… But at least you’d have loved. Right?

You sucked in a breath. This sucked. All of it sucked.

Lao noticed that familiar look of conflict on your face. He frowned at you. “You’re allowed to enjoy yourself, Y/N.”

“I can do that after the tournament.” God that was an awful excuse. You weren’t even going to survive the tournament. How could you enjoy yourself afterward?

He sighed. Did he think you telling him and Liu to back off was stupid? No. He’d admit you had very valid points. But he wasn’t a fan of how you were handling yourself. Before, you could relax and enjoy yourself, even if you did throw yourself into panic attacks. But now… This ‘buckle down’ attitude you had adopted… Both Lao and Liu had watched you busy yourself to exhaustion every night. He hated that.

“I need you two to keep pushing me,” you told him. You’d told them both this plenty of times over the past few weeks. Keep you busy. Keep you distracted. Make you stronger. Whatever it took.

Ordinarily Lao would be happy to keep pushing a student… But you weren’t just a student anymore. You were the woman he had eyes for. The woman Liu had eyes for. And even though they’d both been told to keep a level of distance, they both hated it.

He hated it.

And over the past few weeks, Lao had noticed a change in you. Liu chalked it up to you finally being free of your medication and withdrawal. That this was the real you. That this overly focused, morbid, husk of yourself was the real you. And not only did that medication keep you from panicking everyday, but that it made you happy.

Liu had done some research on the medication you were on. Sertraline, he’d said it was. Not only was it for anxiety. But it was for depression as well.

Was that what they were witnessing? Depression? This didn’t seem like any depression Lao had seen before. Depression was supposed to be sadness, wasn’t it? Moping around? Hating yourself? Maybe even suicidal? You didn’t seem sad… But you weren’t very happy either. You weren’t suicidal that he could tell. Maybe you brooded, but he wouldn’t say you moped. And hating yourself?... Yeah, he’d seen that when you grew frustrated. You’d talk down to yourself. You’d cuss yourself out… Was this what depression really looked like?

He hated it.

Stopping at your door, Lao offered you a smile, which you returned, but Lao could see that it was forced. He hated that too: That forced smile you always gave him and Liu now. But it was a battle he didn’t want to fight. He’d continue to let it go.

You stepped into your room and left the door open. He’d hesitated before following you in. Your room was a mess. Clothes everywhere. Cups and plates left all over. You didn’t seem to mind it, but it annoyed him. It’d grown worse and worse over the weeks. He watched as you kicked aside some clothes carelessly, then you suddenly froze.

His brows knotted as you stood so rigid. He followed your fixed gaze. His own body stiffened.

Now, Lao wasn’t an easy man to frighten. Some had even claimed he was fearless. He could slice and dice his way through hordes of enemies. He could reach through someone’s chest and tear out their still beating heart. He laughed in the face of danger. But one fear he had never managed to conquer… was what he was looking at right then.

Without a word, he slowly backed out of your room. You didn’t notice until you backed up and reached behind yourself for him, only to grasp air. Turning, he was gone. Your brows knotted. He was just there. He was just there. Where did he—

You noticed him peek around your doorway cautiously. Confusion was practically dripping from your features. “Is it dead yet?” He asked. For the first time that you could recall. Lao’s voice had shaken.

Oh. Great. He was afraid of it, too. Him. A killer like him. Great.

You looked back to the source of both of your fears. Your heart skipped several beats. It was gone. Where did it go?! You looked around frantically. Where did it go?! Where did it go?! You weren’t going to sleep in your room until you found it! You weren’t going to sleep here at all unless you saw it leave, or it dead! Preferably dead! It and its whole family! Dead!

Movement caught the corner of your eye and you screeched and swatted at your shoulder. You ran out of your room, flailing, beating yourself, hyperventilating. “Get it off! Get it off!” You shouted. But Lao was backing away with fearful eyes.

“You get it off!” he shouted back.

He wasn’t going to help you?! You were freaking out! You shook your gi out and swatted yourself all over as Lao watched on at a distance.

You stopped as Liu came over, face full of concern. He must have heard your shouting.

“What is going on?” He asked, looking you over, looking for whatever you were trying to rid yourself of. He didn’t see anything. You realised, by his complete confusion, that you were fine. It wasn’t on you. You breathed a sigh of relief, then joined Lao in peeking back into your room.

Liu’s brows were about as knotted as they could get as he stepped in the doorway and looked in.

“It’s still in there,” Lao said.

“What is?” Liu asked.

“That eight legged bastard,” You answered.

Liu let that sink in for a second before he turned his head to you and Lao. A spider? All this over a spider? He knew Lao didn’t like them. He knew you didn’t like them. But both of you scared of them? He almost laughed at the two of you. “It’s just a spider,” he reasoned. Honestly, what was the worse it could do?

“Don’t say it’s name!” You hissed at him. “You’ll anger it!”

Liu couldn’t help that chuckle. He shook his head and stepped into the room, ignoring the mess for the moment.

“No, don’t!” You called after him.

“It’s just a spider,” Liu said again, grinning as he looked around your room. “Where is it?”

“I don’t know,” you answered. “It was on the ceiling. Then I thought it was on my shoulder.”

Liu looked up at the ceiling, but he couldn’t see any spider. His eyes looked over the walls, the corners, the floor. He even pulled your sheets back to see if it had crawled into your bed. Nothing. He couldn’t find that spider. “I don’t see it,” he finally said with a sigh.

“I do,” Lao said. His voice was distant. You turned to look at him. He was down the hall several paces. He lifted his hand and pointed at you. You felt the icy chill of anxiety wash over you. “It’s on your back,” Lao said.

Your body tensed up. You were shaking. A whine left you.

“Hold still,” Liu said behind you. You had fought against every fiber of instinct to beat yourself again. You stood rigid as Liu’s hands came to your back. You held your breath. When you felt his hands leave you, you sucked in a shaking breath. “Is it gone?”

Liu came around you. He showed you the spider in his hands.

Oh, fuck that. You backed away frantically and tried to hide behind Lao, but Lao was trying to hide behind you as well.

Liu watched you two with such amusement. He chuckled and shook his head again. “I’ll go release it elsewhere,” he told you both before walking away.

Once Liu and that eight legged bastard were far enough away, you shuddered the rest of your nerves off. Lao was watching you. He grinned sheepishly.

You shoved at him as anger came over your face. “YOU ASSHOLE!”

“What?” Lao said, lifting his hands defensively.

“Some friend you are!”

“I don’t like spiders!” He shouted back.

“Neither do I!” You screamed.

“I would have helped you!” He shouted with hesitation. Lying.

“‘You get it off!’” You repeated his words, mocking him.

“I thought you could!”

“Fucking asshole!”

“Hey!” His brows knit in anger. “If you had kept your room clean, then the spider wouldn’t have been there in the first place!” He accused you. “Ever since you told Liu and I to back off, you’ve been miserable!” He shouted.

“I’m trying to focus on the tournament!” You defended yourself.

“Stop pretending this is all about the tournament!”

“It is all about the tournament!”

“No, it’s not! It’s about us! Me and Liu!”

Your face was turning red in anger. You hated him. You hated him so much. You hated him because he was right. You were so flustered. So frustrated. It was about them. You couldn’t bring yourself to choose, so you threw up a wall to keep them out. You hated it! But it was working!

“I’m right, aren’t I?!” Lao shouted.

You were glaring daggers at him. “Fuck you,” you hissed at him.

“I am, huh?!”

“Fuck. You!”

“Fuck me yourself, coward!” Lao shouted, his own frustration was getting the best of him. And you could see he was just as surprised by his own words as you were.

You two stared at each other. You were daring each other to make the first move. Like hell would you make the first move.

And you didn’t. In a few short moments, Lao came to you. He grabbed hold of your face with firm, yet gentle hands, and pulled you right into a hot and rough kiss.

You went rigid again as your lips connected. Every bit of you was screaming to push him away. But your body wouldn’t move. You couldn’t even breathe. Your head was flooding with hormones that had been denied the past weeks. The angels on your shoulders were arguing. And just as quick as it had happened, Lao had pulled away.

You stared at each other in silence again. Your eyes were locked on each other’s. Your chest was heaving now with shallow breaths. Your heart was pounding so hard that you could hear it.

But that kiss… You could groan. You’d wondered what kissing him would be like. You knew what kissing Liu was like. You wanted to know what kissing Lao was like. It wasn’t at all the same, but the situation was vastly different. With Liu you had been scared and curious… Then later on it was like fireworks as you both grew comfortable. But with Lao… It was out of nowhere and you were both frustrated and angry. The kiss was short and rough… And you wanted more.

You shifted your weight. Reaching up, you grabbed his stupid hat off his head and dropped it to the floor very unceremoniously. You then pulled him back into a kiss. It was sloppy and hard. It was full of spiteful passion. And as Lao backed you against the wall, it grew hungry.

Lao pressed himself against you, pinning you against the stone wall as his hands gripped your waist. You could feel his own heart pounding against your chest. Your fingers curled into his hair. You tugged. His top knot came loose, but neither of you cared. He growled into your lips and the sound almost made you submit your entire self to him. You pushed your hips into his, earning another gruff sound from him. You tried to push him back, but he simply shoved you back against the wall. You grunted and broke the kiss to look up towards the ceiling.

Lao’s lips moved down your jaw and to your neck. You couldn’t help the little moan that escaped you. He’d shifted. His hands moved down your backside. They lingered on your ass for a few seconds before they moved lower, then gripped the back of your thighs. In one smooth motion, he’d lifted you off the floor and wrapped your legs around his waist. Oh, shit, was that hot. You tugged at his hair, pulling his head up so you could kiss him again. This was a mistake. This was a horrendous, lovely mistake.

Lao pulled you from the wall and carried you into your room. He’d managed to kick the door shut behind him without breaking your kiss. You blindly reached behind him for the door, searching for the lock. Once you felt it, you yanked it to latch. Lao heard the harsh clash of the iron lock and carried you further in, to your bed, and dropped you onto the mattress.

You stared up at him with wide eyes. You were catching your breath as you watched him begin to remove his clothes. Your heart was skipping all kinds of beats as you finally realised the situation at hand. You had to stop. You had to stop right now. This wasn’t right. You couldn’t do this. You had to stop right now. But as Lao removed his top and revealed those well chiseled abs, your mind went blank. Ah, shit.

He climbed over you with a famished look in his eyes. Lao was starved. He’d been fighting his feelings for weeks, just like you. And also like you, he was tired of it. It was distracting. You’d been lying to yourself. You’d been telling yourself you didn’t need this. Didn’t need him. Didn’t need Liu. Not like this. You’d been telling yourself they were just teammates… What a load of bullshit. You wrapped your arms around his neck as he lowered himself for another kiss.

You couldn’t choose between them. And you were sure that if it had been Liu who had grabbed you and pulled you into a kiss just minutes ago, that he’d be the one laying over you right then instead of Lao. But Liu wouldn’t have pulled you into that kiss. When you’d told him and Lao that you didn’t want a relationship weeks ago, he didn’t protest. He backed off. He gave you space. Liu always respected your boundaries. But Lao always pushed them.

Lao let a hand roam down your side. His fingers slipped under your belt. He simply pulled it free. He pulled open your gi. He was starting to undress you like an impatient child unwrapping their present on Christmas morning. You rolled your body against his. His hand dragged along your bare stomach. Goosebumps plagued your body at his touch. You could feel his excitement as he grinded it against you.

You groaned into the kiss. He grinned against your lips. You tangled your hand into his hair again and pulled his head away so you could catch your breath. He gladly went to kissing and sucking on your neck as he moved his hand up… up… and he grabbed a handful of your breast still confined in your bra. You moaned and rolled your hips against him.

There was a knock at your door.

Both you and Lao froze, staring at each other, barely breathing. Maybe if you were both quiet, whoever it was would think you weren’t there.

Another knock, and Liu’s voice called from behind the door. “Y/N?”

You sighed. Dammit, Liu. This was not the right time. Lao was giving you a look and shaking his head. He wanted you to ignore Liu, and to encourage you, he began to trail some soft kisses along your throat. You tilted your head back and sighed contently, letting your eyes close. But as Lao nipped your skin, a cry escaped you.

“Y/N?” Liu’s tone was full of concern. “Are you alright?” He must have heard you. Dammit.

Lao hid his face in the crook of your neck. His frustration was only growing now. You stroked the back of his head gently, silently reassuring him before you squirmed out from under him. You grabbed your belt from the floor and quickly tied your gi closed. You ran your fingers through your hair. Then you unlocked your door and opened it only a few small inches--just enough to peek out, but not enough for Liu to see past you.

You caught his warm brown eyes and that gentle smile came to his face. “Y/N,” he greeted, despite seeing you only a little while ago.

You returned his smile, again it was forced, but now for a different reason than simply wanting to distance yourself from him. “Liu.”

“I released the spider on the north end. I figured that would be far enough away,” he told you. You felt your nerves fire up. You’d forgotten all about that spider. You could have gone the rest of your life not remembering that spider. But you were thankful Liu had told you where he left it. Now you knew where to look out for the little bastard. Luckily, you didn’t spend much time in the north end of the temple.

“Thank you,” you breathed, then nodded.

“Are you alright?” His voice was full of concern again. “I thought I heard you crying?”

“No. I mean, yes. I’m fine.” You shook your head. “Just still a little shaken, I guess.”

His eyes scanned over your face, taking in every detail not blocked by the door. And you noticed how his eyes lingered on your lips. He’d done that so much since you’d both had your first kiss with each other. And you wouldn’t lie, you’d found yourself doing it as well. You noticed his breath hitch slightly as you bit your bottom lip gently. You were thinking about kissing him again. About feeling his hot lips engulfing yours.

Rustling from behind you reminded you that you’d already had a pair of lips to kiss--ones that were just all over you a second ago. Dammit. This is why you put up that damn wall. You let your forehead fall into the door frame and sighed at your own dumbassery.

“Are you alright?” Liu asked again, stepping closer.

You nodded and looked at him out the corner of your eye. Dammit, he was so cute looking at you like that. “Can we talk later?” you asked him. “I’m just exhausted right now.”

He smiled again. He bowed his head. “Of course.”

“Thank you.” You smiled back to him and stepped away from the door to close it. After a few seconds, when you thought Liu was out of earshot, you hissed curses under your breath. You turned and leaned back against your door, covering your face. This was a complete disaster.

“Hey…” Lao called over cautiously. You could hear him climb off your bed and step towards you. You let yourself slide down your door. When you pulled your hands away from your face, Lao frowned at the sight of you. He knelt down in front of you and reached out to hold either side of your face. His thumbs wiped at your tears.

“I can’t do this anymore,” you’d finally admitted as you began breaking down. Lao’s eyes were desperately searching yours, but it was a futile effort. There wasn’t anything else to see. You weren’t hiding anymore.

“It’s okay,” he told you gently.

You shook your head as the tears flowed freely down your face. “No it’s not,” you sobbed. “I can’t do this anymore.”

“Yes, you can.”

“No, I can’t.”

“Yes, you can.”

“I don’t want to.”

His jaw hardened. Lao didn’t know what to say. That was the one thing he didn’t want to hear. That was the one thing Liu was worried you’d say in the beginning. And you were saying it now because of them. Dammit.

He shifted to his knees and closer to you. His grip on your face tightened only slightly as he looked at you with such guilt you’d never seen. “Don’t go,” he said--he begged. “I’ll back off. I promise. I’ll even tell Liu to keep his distance.”

You were shaking your head again. “It’s not going to work. This is just going to happen again.”

“You can’t leave…”

“Is there anyone else who can train me?”

“Y/N…”

“Any women? Warrior nuns?”

Lao’s frown deepened. “Please…”

You pulled your head from his hands. “I want to be alone,” you told him as you wiped your face with your hands.

Lao looked so defeated in that moment. He didn’t know what to do. His brows knotted as grief washed over him. Why did he have to kiss you? If he’d just walked away, you wouldn’t be wanting to leave. Why did he have to screw this up? Why did Liu have to come back?! He was clenching his teeth as he stood and grabbed his top from the floor. He slipped into it as you got to your feet and retreated into your little bathroom. Lao opened your door and stepped out. He closed the door behind him. He turned to walk away.

He stopped dead in his tracks.

Liu was leaning against the opposite wall, staring at him with a knowing look. Lao stiffened.

“How?...” Lao began, but didn’t get to finish before Liu pointed to the floor. Lao followed the gesture and there it was: his hat, still laying carelessly on the floor where you had dropped it. Dammit. He sighed and reached out, summoning it back into his hand.

But how much did Liu know? Did he just assume what had happened in your room, or had he heard your crying just on the other side of the door?

“I think we need to talk,” Liu told him, and the tone Liu had used told Lao that Liu had heard the crying. That wasn’t the ‘I’m disappointed in you, Kung Lao’ tone. Nor was it the tone Liu used when he was angry with Lao. It was the bad news tone. It was the ‘we fucked up’ tone. It was the tone he had when they needed to admit something to Raiden.

Lao had sucked in a deep breath. He nodded to his brother.

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