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whatifxwereyou · 2 years

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Ashes Chapter 38: Earned Not Owed

Fandom: Mortal Kombat 2021

Pairing: Liu Kang x Reader

Summary: This is progress. With Liu. With Raiden. With yourself.

A/N: I am still, in fact, alive, despite evidence to the contrary. And I am still writing these. I'm also working on personal projects/original stories so I've just sorta shifted my focus. Don't worry, still a big ol' ho for Liu Kang and Kung Lao.

First Chapter << Previous Chapter Chapter Index Embers (Prequel)

You ate with Cole. He helped keep your mind off the rotten events of the day before. It was a relief to feel that weight lessen. Spending time with him had been exactly what you’d needed. Johnny Cage had joined you halfway through looking rather worse for wear. Apparently, Liu Kang had kicked his ass.

The way he told the story made it sound hilarious. You sat with rapt attention. Cole kept correcting him which only made the moment that much funnier. After breakfast, you’d returned to your room with a plate of food for Liu Kang. He’d overslept, a rarity for him. But he’d been under a tremendous amount of stress, so he deserved the extra rest. Given that you were a huge source of that stress, you thought you owed it to him.

He ate and you chatted casually. He was annoyed that he’d overslept but got over it quickly.

“Can I be honest about something?” You began, nervously.

“I would prefer if you were.” He set aside the now empty plate. Liu Kang was the type of guy to eat like he was in prison. It was kind of ridiculous. You assumed it had to do with living on the streets. You’d asked once but he’d dodged the answer.

“I keep flip-flopping about this thing we have going on.”

“I know.”

“Could you smack some sense into me sometimes?”

“Not literally, but yes.”

“Remind me we’ve been through this and know how it’ll end. Remind me that it’s guilt. Be mad at me a little?”

“I don’t know how mad I’ll be, but I’ll try. If you do the same for me, Y/N. This is not easy for either of us. Being here is a reminder of that.” Liu shrugged, running fingers through his messy hair. You felt guilty for not considering how difficult it would be for Liu Kang to stay in Lao’s old space even if just for a night. You nodded. “Thank you for telling me and not… internalizing it. It’s greatly appreciated.”

“I’m working on bettering myself.” You shrugged but felt relieved to have been honest with him. You were in this together now. You’d decided. And this was definitely progress. You were moving forward and coping, or at least trying to. It was nice not to be trapped in the limbo that had bullied you for weeks. Emotions were the worst. Brains played both saboteur and victim in an internal war.

“I am too.” He reached for your hand, and you got the shivers. The hurt, while behind you, was still something you had to recover from. But you would do that together. You were sure you would still fight about a million things and that the road would be a difficult one, but you were trying and so was he. That was what mattered.

“You have things to do. You have to go.”

“I have to go.” He smiled sympathetically then sighed in frustration with himself. “I overslept.”

“You needed it.”

“Doesn’t make it right.”

“Will you come with me to talk to Raiden later?”

“Of course. Is Cole willing to come too?”

“Yeah, I’ll let him know. Thanks Liu.” You offered his hand a squeeze. He bowed his head, got up, and left with dish in tow. You watched the door and then went about packing things up. For now, it would all go. You couldn’t live in the time capsule that room had become. It was a prison of grief. A prison of the past. It was time to finally move forward rather than running in place.

You weren’t moving on from Kung Lao.

This wasn’t the end of your grief.

It was learning to live with the loss.

You pulled your hair back and packed. You would pack until it was time to meet with Raiden. About an hour in there was a knock on the door. “Come in!” You shouted. When the door opened, you dropped the box in your arms, and it fell to the floor with a thud. Thankfully, it was just clothes, but damn.

Raiden.

And he was as imposing a figure as he ever was. You took a defensive step back. He wouldn’t touch you again without your permission. God or not, you’d fight. Being that you were the daughter of another God, maybe you could follow through on that.

“May we speak?”

You said nothing. Tongue-tied.

“I know you are apprehensive, Y/N. I promise to come no closer to you than I am now.” He was offering an olive branch. Where had that been yesterday?

“I would rather we weren’t alone.”

“I understand that, but I would prefer if it were just the two of us.”

“Do I have much of a choice?”

Raiden smiled sympathetically but that was answer enough.

“Fine. Can I start by asking what the fuck? Why did you do that, Raiden?” What was the point of filling yourself with anxiety for hours waiting? He was here. Raiden had at least been civil. This was more like the fatherly figure that you’d grown to know and love. “I trusted you.”

“Yesterday was a day I have feared.”

“You? Afraid? You’re a God.” You no longer had faith that he felt things the way that the rest of you did.

“Prophecies were made of your arrival.” Raiden hadn’t moved. He hadn’t raised his voice either. The man he’d become in the heat of the moment the day before was gone. You sat on the floor next to the box you’d dropped, feeling sheepish. “About your birth. About how you would crush both Earthrealm and the Netherrealm.”

That seemed silly. You just didn’t have that kind of power or desire. Maybe if things had happened differently, sure. Or if your brain was consumed by some wicked power, maybe. Either way, the stars had to align in a great many ways for that to happen.

“From the moment you arrived, I was waiting to banish you to the Netherrealm with your father.” Raiden avoided your eyes.

“You would have done that?” You already knew the answer. He would have had no other choice.

“Yes. In the beginning, easily. It was my duty to keep an eye on you.”

“Sounds right.” You didn’t envy Raiden. To have to behave like that would crush you. It was hard enough deciding what to eat everyday nonetheless decide if you had to banish a human you otherwise liked.

“With time you proved yourself dedicated to Earthrealm. Passionate about life. I confess that I have come to think of you fondly. Human life is fleeting but it does not mean that the bonds we form are any less special. Saying goodbye is something I will never be good at.”

Oh, now you felt guilty. Damn.

“I was curious about how that was for you but afraid to ask.” There was no reason to feel guilty, you reminded yourself. Raiden had acted rash. Emotional. It was kind of a relief to see that he wasn’t this perfect deity. He was just as capable of losing his cool as you were. Maybe less than you were, you corrected.

“I do not think that the prophecies will come to pass. Humans are not bound to any one fate as many of you believe. There are many fates, and some are just whispers that go unheard.” He was being soft with you. Purposely speaking in a quieter tone. “The way you have grown and changed, Y/N, I do not think you will fall prey to what fate may have once held for you. Maybe if our paths had never crossed that would be different.”

“What does that mean?” Sure, the words were pretty, but they didn’t actually say much. He hung his head. “Do you trust me?”

Raiden gave you his full attention and there was his answer without saying.

He didn’t.

“I have never given you reason not to trust me. I have only ever done as you asked.” Your blood pressure was pounding in your ears. “Never. You’re the one who broke my trust. You chose to hide things from me. Hide things about me that would explain so much. You understood what was wrong with me! It answers questions that I have struggled with my whole life. Then you flipped off the handle when I learned the truth. As though it was my fault you chose to hide it. And… for the love…” You took a deep breath to calm down upon realizing you’d gotten far louder than when you’d started. “Why would Kung Lao’s engagement ring be hidden? Why would you keep that from me?” Arguably, finding that missing ring had hurt almost as much as finding out your truth. “Why?”

Silence.

Raiden was taking time to choose his words.

“Kung Lao asked me for permission to marry you.” Raiden seemed to come to a silent decision as he sat next to you, breaking his promise not to come any closer. You shuddered. “And I gave him permission. Like a father would. I had not thought of myself like that until then. I had not realized that you must have thought of me like that. For Kung Lao to come to me regarding you… well, it was a revelation.”

“And… you…” You were struggling with words. Words without crying. Your whole face was hot trying not to cry. It was the worst. But if you cried, you’d have puff-pastry eyes and you hated that shit. You were so tired of it! “Why?”

“I hid the ring because I did not know that he had asked you.”

“That is not an excuse, Raiden.”

“You are grieving. Terribly. I have seen grief kill people, Y/N. Strong people. I did not wish to worsen your grief. I did not think that your heart could handle it if you had not already known.”

“You decided for me.” That was a new hot button of yours. “Why is it that everyone feels the need to make decisions regarding me without asking me? You? Liu? Cole? I am capable of making my own decisions. I lived a whole life before I came here. Before I dated Lao. This isn’t fair.”

“I made the decision to keep it all secret. Sometimes, even I make decisions selfishly, Y/N. I understand that you are upset but I hope you understand that I was trying to protect you. I hid it to protect you and to protect Earthrealm. I am not sorry for that. But I am sorry that it hurt you. And I am sorry for how I behaved when you found out.”

“I…” You didn’t know what to say. This was overwhelming. At least he wasn’t lying. “I’ll work on forgiving you. And trusting you. Because I don’t. Not anymore. So many secrets have been kept from me by people I trusted. You and Liu. Even Lao to an extent. I know that everyone has secrets but… not like this. I feel betrayed.” You did. You were not a woman incapable of handling difficult things. You'd handled difficult things your whole life. This was unfair.

“Can I help with any of that?”

“You could keep being honest. Answer some of my questions.” You had so many questions. Honestly, it was exhausting wondering this damn much.

“What is it you wish to know?”

“How long have you known what I was?”

“Since your arrival at the temple. I did not know when I sent Liu Kang to convince you to join us. I will answer as much as I can in good conscience.”

“That’s as good a start as any, I guess.”

“May I help you pack?”

“I…” The mental image of Raiden doing something as menial as packing was amusing. “There are surely more important things for you to be doing.”

“There are many things important to me, Y/N. Right now, this is the most important of them.”

“Okay. Then yeah, sure, you can help me pack while I ask some questions”

“Ask away.”

“How did you know?”

“A prophet. I was told you had arrived the day after Liu Kang brought you here.”

“And who else knew?”

“A handful of monks who were close to me were told.”

“What about the ones that are close to me? Kung Lao and Liu Kang?” You stopped packing. Raiden rested his hand on your shoulder. You hadn’t yet forgiven him, but you were trying. This effort he made was appreciated.

“I never told them.” Raiden reassured you. “I know that you are close to them, and I did not wish to change their opinion of you. Or anyone’s opinion of you.”

“Yet… yesterday…”

“Even I have poor judgment at times, Y/N.”

“That’s a little unsettling, but also a relief.” You were nervous. Raiden was helping you pack, but he was not doing a very good job. You were trying not to take over. “Did you ever plan to tell me?”

“I decided not to. You didn’t need it.”

“I appreciate your honesty.”

“I should have been honest yesterday too.”

“You’re really bad at this. Packing.”

“I have no idea what I’m doing.”

“Why don’t you leave me to it then?”

“I will learn along the way.”

“Thank you, Raiden.” With that, you felt relieved. At least something had been cleared up though it didn’t change much. You would be cautious around Raiden for a time. Around everyone. The truth was better late than never.

You finished packing up your things in separate boxes with Raiden’s help. He got better as you went, thankfully. It was surreal. To put away the belongings of the man you loved alongside a man who had been your substitute father; a man who was also a God.

But this was progress too. Sometimes progress didn’t look like progress. Sometimes it looked like packing up your old life and feeling betrayed. It was still progress.

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whatifxwereyou · 2 years

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Lightning Part 30: Focus

Fandom: Mortal Kombat 2021

Pairing: Kung Lao x Reader

Summary: Kano isn't only getting to you. You are more than ready to kick his ass after this.

A/N: Well, I'm not dead! So there's that.

Start From the Beginning << Previous Chapter Chapter Index

Liu Kang wasn’t difficult to find.

He never was.

You had a knack for finding him. Always had. Just because you had decided to take differing paths in life, didn’t change your connection. That was something that would never fade.

Currently, Liu Kang was directing other monks on how to handle the change in the temple. Now that the barrier was up, everyone had to be on their guard. There would be no one leaving the temple, not until after the tournament had ended. Shang Tsung was likely keeping eyes on every entrance hoping for someone to slip up.

You waited patiently in the doorway while he finished his task. He caught your eye a moment after your arrival and signaled he would be done soon. So you leaned against the wall near the door, arms crossed while listening to the soothing drone of his voice. Even at his angriest Liu Kang had a soothing voice.

Once finished, the monks dispersed, most greeting you on the way out. You couldn’t help but reflect that it hadn’t been so long since they had been terrified of you. Liu approached you once the monks had left, hands clasped together, prayer beads beneath his scraped knuckles. He looked to you expectantly.

“You already know why I’m here, Liu.”

“I’m fine.” He assured you but you immediately didn’t believe him and so he scoffed. “Really. I am.”

“You were attacked. By Sub-Zero.”

“And there is no damage. Nothing more than a scrape.” He was in disbelief of your worry, as though you had no right to worry about him. You all knew damn well how formidable a warrior Sub-Zero was. No amount of playing it cool would change that, no pun intended. “You have plenty of other things to concern yourself with. I am not one of them. We agreed to that long ago. Or rather, you did.”

Oh. Oh wow. That was bitter and new.

Liu Kang wasn’t usually the bitter type, at least not to your face. How very interesting and something you definitely didn’t have the time for. You certainly didn’t have the energy for it either. Liu walked past you and you grabbed his arm. He stopped without tugging you and turned back to you. He looked suddenly exhausted. What was with these two? Kung Lao’s life was on the line and here they were in their heads or caught up in petty nonsense!

“Don’t do that. Not now.”

“Kung Lao has returned. I am certain that after the way…”

“Stop.” You wouldn’t fight with either of them about this. You made your choice ages ago and the fact that you sometimes still argued about it was exhausting. What was done was done. All that mattered right now was keeping Kung Lao alive and training the new combatants. When Shang Tsung inevitably found his way back into the temple, you would be ready. That was all that mattered. Why couldn’t they see that?

“I’m sorry.” He allowed his stiff shoulders to relax at last. “I’m extraordinarily stressed.” He averted his eyes, half-lidded and sorrowful. “About Lao. About…” He drifted off with a frustrated sigh. Grief was often something not discussed when a friendship changed or shifted but it didn’t make it less real. Yours had been a deep connection and you had been forced to rearrange your connection after you’d made your choice.

Guilt.

You wished he would move on but you knew it wasn’t easy, either. It still hurt you sometimes too. There were days where you wished you’d been able to choose them both. Together they were kind of the perfect man. That and you were with Liu Kang almost every day of your life. It didn’t allow you the space that a normal break would afford you. And it wasn’t like he got the chance to go out and meet other people. Even if he did, you had discovered that Liu Kang often struggled to make deep connections with people. What you’d had had been special.

There were days where you felt cruel for making your choice but you’d had to make it. You were in love and happier than you’d ever been in your life. You couldn’t apologize for that but it didn’t mean you didn’t feel guilty over it. Liu Kang couldn’t seem to escape you.

“Kano sure is rubbing salt in the wound, isn’t he?” Jokes. To ease the tension and stress. Some things would never change and then other things changed all at once. Liu laughed. Usually he called you out on your sarcastic defense mechanism but right now he needed something to cut the tension. Liu Kang got into his head worse than you did at times.

“I’m looking forward to putting him in his place.” Liu admitted. It wasn’t like him to say such things but it was nice to see that he was human at times too. Liu often handled things like this so well that it was difficult to gauge how he truly felt. It was nice to hear him laugh too. He had a good laugh. Soft but hearty.

“I thought about insisting I be the one to do it but I have to admit… it would be nice to see you teach him a lesson. You’ve been far more polite than I’ve been. Maybe he needs to see that you’re a force to be reckoned with.” You offered a confident smile. Liu Kang was often modest about the kind of warrior he was but he was brilliant. You’d always thought so. And honestly, if you were the one to train Kano then you’d never hear the end of the digs or the innuendos. You’d probably end up accidentally killing him. “Show him what running his mouth gets him.”

“I’m certain we’ll both get our chance.” His smile faded and he was distant again.

“Are you sure, Liu? That you’re okay?” You didn’t want to leave him if he wasn’t.

“I’m shaken. That’s all.” Liu avoided your eyes, desperately. The floor was very interesting suddenly, you guessed. “They… Shang Tsung and his goons, they walked in without so much as an ounce of resistance. It’s worrisome to think what could have happened if Lao hadn’t shown up to help. I was distracted. Sub-Zero had me.”

“You were distracted?” You had been uneasy about that too. Not about Liu not being able to handle himself because you were certain he could but rather that Shang Tsung had so easily waltzed in there. It wasn’t like you didn’t have guards or watches! What had happened to your defenses? Sure, Shang Tsung was one hell of a warrior but the monks had been waiting for this moment their whole lives. It had gone just about as terribly as it could have short of them ending up dead. “By…?”

Liu stiffened up and rolled his shoulders. He looked uncomfortable. Ah. He was planning a lie. You snatched up his hand but it did nothing to ease his discomfort or tension.

“Don’t bother coming up with a lie. You give yourself away. Liu, you cannot afford to be distracted. Whatever it is? Whether it’s me or Lao or something else… put it out of your mind. Please.” You knew what he was distracted by without him having to say it. Kano had done more damage than you’d thought possible. It had been annoying. Demeaning, of course. But it had also set Liu back in ways that you didn’t think possible. You couldn’t afford that. “I can’t lose Lao. We have to be on our guard for that, obviously, but I can’t lose you either. You’re one of my very best friends… one of my people. All this other nonsense? In the big picture it doesn’t matter. Your lives are more important than anything, okay?”

“Yours too, Y/N.” He sounded stern but it was clear that what you’d said had worked. His whole demeanor shifted. The weight on his shoulders had lessened. “There will be time for, as you say, the other stuff, later. When we are all safe. When Earthrealm is safe.”

“Yes, exactly.” Thank God. This whole day had been emotionally exhausting.

“Thank you, Y/N. I appreciate you. You helped me… clear my head. I’ll do my best to keep my eye on straight. And I assure you that I really am fine. The only thing bleeding is my knuckles.” He smiled. “Now, if we do not hurry to join the others in the fight pit then we are going to miss the excitement. Kung Lao is likely already there.”

“I’m sure he is.” You looked nervously down the hall. Maybe you shouldn’t say it but you were sure that you were all thinking it. You didn’t have the time that you needed to get this done.

“What? Now who is it that is keeping secrets? We do not have the time for overthinking, remember?”

“Yes, of course… I… it’s just… Liu, it took so long to get my arcana under control. Months. And we have… days. Maybe hours before this all comes to a head…”

“I know. I thought it too.”

“We have to push them. Especially Cole.”

“Cole? Why is that?”

“Oh, right. You don’t know yet. Long story. I’ll fill you in while we walk to the fight pit. Like you said, we wouldn’t want to miss the show.”

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