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internet1girl · 4 months ago

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Chapter 3: More Than Meets the Eye.

Pairing: Johnny Cage x Fem!Reader

Summary: There are so many more layers to John Carlton than he lets on, are you prepared to catch a glimpse of some of them?

Word count: 13k

Warnings/Notices: major angst, mentions of cancer, mentions of child abuse, named!reader, reader wields a bō staff, reader is rude and mean, johnny being annoying, flirty johnny, sexually suggestive, violence, gore depicted, a few curse words here and there

First Chapter / Previous Part / Next Part

A/N: for a bunch of text already written out, these take surprisingly long to convert into fanfiction 🤨 (that and i’m just lazy)

Johnny caught up to you, his steps quickened slightly to take a place by your side. He didn't say anything immediately, instead he looked at you for a moment, concern written on his face as he observed your sudden serious demeanour.

"What was that about?"

"Hm? What was what about?" You were now acting like your little heart-to-heart never happened, like you hadn’t even stopped off for a rest in the first place. Your pace was brisk, your steps were fast as you now try hard to not think about memories that should stay buried.

Johnny stopped you in your tracks, spinning you around by your shoulders to face him. He wasn't having it. The way you did a complete 180 with your emotions made him even more suspicious about what was bothering you.

"You know damn well what I'm talking about." His usual mocking cockiness nowhere to be seen. He actually sounded somewhat serious - which was new, weird. He was looking at you with a stern and questioning look, not willing to just drop the subject.

You both didn't appreciate Johnny's prying nor did you appreciate being halted like this. No sooner than did he stop you, your hands come up and shove him away, a little more rough than you intended to.

He stumbled backwards. You’d caught him off guard but he quickly steadied himself, straightening up again. He crossed his arms over his chest, his expression now frustrated and annoyed as he stared down at you.

Realising what you just did, you compose yourself, taking in a deep breath and dissipating the red mist from your mind.

"That was...nothing. I just don't think we should stay in the same place for too long. It's not safe.”

Johnny huffed in annoyance, shaking his head slightly in disbelief. Again, you were avoiding his question. He really didn't like how you were acting right now, he saw clear as day how you buried your feelings by acting overly cold and hostile. It was only making him even more concerned.

"It was not nothing."

"Yes, it was. We've taken all the rest we need. We're on a mission, we need to progress.”

Johnny rolled his eyes and groaned again. His annoyance with you grew as you continue to dodge his questions. He was really started to get frustrated by your insipid avoidance. Why were you being so stubborn?

"For crying out loud! I’m just asking you a damn question! Something's bothering you, l just want to know what it is. That's all I'm asking."

He took a step closer, his form starting to tower over you.

You were, admittedly, a little taken aback by Johnny's little outburst. His usual smirk being replaced by a scowl, coupled with him stepping closer to you as he spoke, sent a pang of something through your heart. Not quite fear, but you were uneasy.

Realising this made you mad. ”How dare he try to intimidate me?!” In turn, you stood your ground. You too take a step closer to him, your hands slightly clenching into fists.

"It's none of your business, Cage. I don't have to tell you about every fucking thing that's on my mind."

You shine your flashlight in his face and look him dead in the eye, the anger within you starting to take control. His face screwed at the sudden increase of brightness, his eyes squinted near shut as he brought up a hand to shield his vision from the beam.

"We are on a mission. This isn't the time for a cushy little heart-to-heart. Cut the shit and focus on the task at hand.”

A curse slipped past his lips, his frustration starting to boil over into anger. Johnny pushed your flashlight out of his face and leaned back to look at you with a glare equally as dark as yours.

"Damn it, Jade! You are so goddamn insufferable, you know that?" A shard of concern was buried within his tone, but the frustration present was overpowering, consuming, too thick to let up.

"Yeah, we're on a mission. But why the hell do you have to be so damn cold?"

"Why do you have to be so damn annoying?” You spat back, pushing a finger into his chest. “You're a grown man, act like it!"

"Hey! I am acting like a grown-up.”

Johnny was really starting to get mad now. The small snarl on his face grew, lips parting to bare his gritted teeth. His eyes were ablaze, it was getting harder and harder for him to control himself. He was looking down at you, the sight of your equally angry expression made him tighten his grip on his own flashlight, his knuckles nearly turning white.

“You're just acting like you've got a fuckin’ stick up your ass."

Johnny took another step towards you, only a couple of inches of space now separating your bodies. His jaw was clenched tight, his brown eyes dark with anger.

You sighed. Realising what you were doing, you take a step back and put some distance between yourself and him. This was absolutely not the time to do this.

You shut your eyes and pinch your temples, trying your hardest to not snap and get into a full screaming match with this man. Taking a deep breath in, you made sure that you were thinking clearly, and your rage is at least somewhat contained before speaking to Johnny next.

"I'm not doing this with you. To get into a full blown screaming match in the middle of one of the most dangerous places in the region would be suicide. I refuse to be found and captured by Shao's men because you can't contain your emotions. We are on a mission for Liu Kang and that should be our top priority right now, not this petty argument."

You walk forward, past a Johnny who was now coming to terms with his fuck-up. Giving him a glare that showed exactly how you were feeling at the moment, you stop for a second - right by his side - to tell him something.

“You’re pathetic.” You put emphasis on the word, something that was entirely intentional. “Start acting your age.”

Johnny opened his mouth for a moment, as if to speak. But the way you looked at him, your eyes so dark, made him reconsider saying anything at all. He swallowed the lump in his throat, his gaze shamefully dropping to the floor, he began to realise how childish he was acting. Your words sunk in deep, and he knew that you were right.

"Yeah... yeah, ok. Fine."

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

You and Johnny spend the rest of the afternoon sneaking through the pyramid. Besides only speaking to each other out of necessity, not a word was uttered between the two of you. You were still pissed that he overstepped his boundaries like that, trying to force you to open up and share your problems with him, like he was some sort of therapist. To you, it didn’t matter that he doesn’t know about your family and how it’s such a sore spot for you, he should have just…minded his business.

Speaking of, the memories that you still had of them were now subsequently running through your mind, something that made you silently fight back tears as you walked.

On the other side, Johnny was coming to terms about haw much of a dick he acted like, he was silent out of embarrassment. He was really making progress in getting you to open up, he felt guilty that he more or less reversed it all.

By now, he had put two and two together. He figured that something must've happened with you in your past, that's why you’re acting colder than usual. He came to terms with how aggressively demanding you to open up would, in-fact, result in the opposite of his desired outcome. He stayed silent as he walked, trying to cope with the fact that he let his emotions get the better of him.

Johnny's guilt only rose as time went on. He was mentally berating himself for acting so childishly and arguing with you like that when it really wasn't necessary. He was actually making some progress with you, melting the ice of your demeanour, and now he felt like he had ruined any chance of you actually opening up to him.

He knew he had messed up. He was also aware that he had unknowingly opened up one very sensitive area of your life. It was now even more obvious to him that something from your past was bothering you. He honestly wasn't really sure how to even start to try and fix the situation. His usual jokes and quips weren't suitable for this situation at all.

He would glance over at you from time to time, his expression slightly regretful as he took notice of that saddened look on your face. That frown really didn’t suit you, such an unwarranted blemish on your beautiful visage… it wasn’t right.

Unbeknownst to you, family was also somewhat of a sore spot for Johnny. There's a reason why he was never that open about his own family to the press and his fans. But… that’s not for you to know yet.

Still ever so careful as to not alert anymore of Shao's men, the two of you clung to the shadows. You both have made progress, you were now closer to the innermost chamber than this morning.

Both of your negative moods affected you two in ways that were more than just anger and sadness. It made you both a bit sloppy, careless. You weren't so focused on being quiet and sticking to the shadows, more so on just getting to the centre of the pyramid as soon as possible, so you could just leave this godforsaken place.

So it wasn't a welcome surprise to either you nor Johnny when you both turned a corner and ran smack dab into a patrol of two of Shao's men.

Ah shit. The second Johnny saw the patrol, a look of complete dread completely overtook him. Thinking quickly, he grabbed your wrist and backed away, his eyes never leaving the patrol and he pulled you back and around the corner.

"Shit! We got company!" He whisper-shouted.

"Do you think they've seen us?!” You return his frantic energy, whisper-shouting back. The adrenaline that was now coursing through your body had completely overrode your sour mood from before. Fuck your feelings, this was the present. You were now on edge, hyper-aware of her surroundings.

Maybe they didn’t see you? Yeah! Maybe they were talking to each other or something, too wrapped up in their hypothetical conversation to notice the two of you. Maybe it was dark enough that both of you weren’t even noticeable. It’ll all be fine, you haven’t been spotted…right?

Unfortunately for you both, luck wasn’t on your side this time. Your presence was indeed noticed, your bright flashlights ripping through the darkness were just impossible not to miss. The feeling of dread was like a knife to your heart as you heard them both shout and rapidly mobilise. The sound of the boots stomping on the ground came closer with every step as they closed in on you both.

Johnny's heart raced faster and faster at the sound of the rapid footsteps, they were only getting closer and closer. He was trapped in a tight, narrow hallway with a team of well trained, heavily armed soldiers on their way to kill both him and you.

"Ah shit..." He muttered, his voice low and shaky. He gripped his hands into fists, his adrenaline rising as he readied himself to face the soldiers head on.

There was no getting out of this. A fight was imminent.

The men rounded the corner, drawing their weapons and taking on a fighting stance at the sight of you both. In response, you deploy your bō staff from your hip, fully extending it out and readying yourself. Johnny balled up his fist and took on a fighting stance, swallowing the lump in his throat as he looked the soldiers up and down.

"Are you ready for this, Cage?" You ask, not daring to take your eyes off of the soldiers adjacent. The faint light of your staff dimly lit up the area surrounding the four of you, casting a green glow on all of your respective armour.

Johnny nodded quickly, his eyes too glued on the men across from him. All of his senses were on high alert. Adrenaline was coursing through his veins and he could feel his blood pumping in his ears. He was ready for a fight, he needed something to channel his frustrations into after the argument he had with you.

"Yeah. I'm ready. Let's get 'em.”

The clash was an intense one. You and Johnny fought with the pair of Shao's men, the skirmish entirely confined to the narrow passageway you were all in. The small space echoed with sharp clangs of metal and loud strikes of energy as precise hits and rapid punches flew. Green light rapidly darted across the passageway walls as you swung your staff around, evading and executing strikes.

At one point, the two of you were back-to-back, covering each other. Your backs pressed into the other’s as you both fought your respective soldier. It helped that the hallway was so narrow that the two men could only attack one at a time.

Thankfully, you both managed to prevail. In the end, your combined effort managed to best and overpower the two soldiers. Their bodies slumped down onto the floor with a loud thud, both of them unresponsive and bloodied.

You and Johnny were now catching your breath. Your previously clean uniform was now littered with splatters of blood, an unwelcome realisation that dawned upon you as you dusted herself off. You winced ever so slightly as your fingers would feel the smooth warmth of the liquid in contrast to the hard metal of your breastplate.

Johnny, meanwhile, seemingly wasn't bothered that his already bloodied uniform had more red on it. He even looked a little proud of himself as he wiped his hands down his sides, taking in the sight of his swelling knuckles with a grin on his face. He stood there, his breathing quickened as he bounced around on his feet a little, endorphins flowing through his veins. That felt good, that was fun!

He looked up, his vision settling on you trying to clean off the blood that had stained your hair and uniform. He found himself growing slightly distracted by the view before him, a smirk forming on his lips. The sight of you all disheveled like this made his cock swell ever so slightly, you were somehow even more hot when your decorum was undone.

“We showed them, didn't we?"

"Yeah…we did..." Your answer came out between breaths, your body was still in the process of recovering after the harsh switch from inactivity to hyperactivity.

Your audience was still staring at you, taking in the way how your chest rose and fell with each breath, his eyes darting to the splatters of blood that covered you as well as some other places. His smile didn’t falter, it was actually kind of hot to see you in kombat.

As his gaze stayed on you, something within reminded him of that squabble a few hours ago. He felt a pang of guilt as he remembered how much of a prick he was towards you, especially when you didn't deserve it. The way he demanded that you open up to him about what's on your mind made him retrospectively cringe a little.

An apology was in order, and Johnny realised this.

"Hey...listen, I wanna apologise. I was...kind of a dick back there, uh- a few hours ago.”

His apology admittedly caught you off guard a little. Not that it wasn't welcome, it was just unexpected. You look up at him, reading his facial expression. The fact that he was completely genuine, his face devoid of his signature smirk, honestly surprised you a little. To be honest, this wasn't exactly the right place or time, but you knew that it would be better for everyone if you both just got past this.

'...l accept your apology."

"Ah, good... um…”

He took in a deep breath, a wave of relief washing over him at the sound of your response. He was honestly expecting you to be just as harsh with him as you always were, but he didn't get that. Your verbal conformation lifted the accumulating weight off of his shoulders. He visibly relaxed a little, glad that you were willing to move past it.

Johnny scratched the back of his head, a sheepish look on his face. Now, he just felt awkward. What the hell was he supposed to say next?

Seeing him stand awkwardly stand there was actually kind of amusing. For you, at least. The way he rubbed the back of his head and shifted around on his feet a little made a small smile bloom on your face. He looked cute, near adorable, in your eyes. You couldn't help but stifle a little laugh.

He's not so bad when he's not opening his mouth.

"You're alright, Cage. It's water under the bridge."

He caught sight of the your smile and your stifled laugh, his eyes narrowing slightly as he watched your expression carefully. His heart felt like it skipped a beat once he heard your words. You weren’t upset anymore, and that was great! His thoughts, however, were consumed by how that smile looked so damn good on you.

"Water under the bridge, huh? I guess that means you're not gonna keep being a pain in the ass?" He smiled too, his lips curling upwards as he took a step closer.

This made you roll your eyes. Looks like Johnny's now back to getting on your nerves every few minutes. Yay(!)

Oh well, at least there wasn't this thick tension between the two of you anymore.

You don’t even say anything in response, only groaning and walking past him in order to go further into the pyramid. You were still on a mission, after all.

You were so quick that you didn’t even notice how Johnny’s smile turned into a sly smirk, nor did you notice the way his eyes took advantage of your temporary proximity to rake themselves all over your form. He chuckled to himself, shaking his head a little. Best believe he’s going to relish in all the upcoming chances to pester you, now that the tension between you both was gone. There was something addicting about the way that your face scrunches up when he successfully says something stupid.

"Hey, wait up, princess!" He called out, jogging after you to catch up.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

It was now night. Day was over and now, there was nothing but darkness surrounding the pyramid.

The precise hour was unknown to you both, yet the conspicuous absence of activity among the platoons of Shao's men, as well as the fact that the inside of the pyramid was somehow even darker, signalled that the day had commenced.

You and Johnny were now exhausted. Sneaking around a massive ancient structure with minimal food and water left of your bodies riddled with fatigue. What you could probably - no, definitely - use is a good night's sleep. How lucky that the both of you just happened to stumble upon an encampment that a few of Shao's men were currently occupying.

After they were dealt with, the two of you began to settle in for the night. You used what you could find around the area as makeshift beds, an ordeal that fondly reminded Johnny of all the camping he did as a kid, something that he was all too happy to yap to you about. Not that you were really listening…

Unfortunately, you both had to turn off your flashlights for the night, in order to conserve battery life. However, you did find a candle amongst one of the men's belongings. Lighting it pierced through the darkness around, creating a circle of light and warmth to rest in.

Johnny found himself lying on the floor, his hands behind his head as he stared up at the ceiling above. It wasn't exactly comfortable, but what other choice did he have? Not that he really cared, though. No, something else had captured the majority of his attention.

His eyes darted to the side to glance over at you, right across from him. He was watching your lovely self wordlessly. Certain parts of your form had his tongue instinctively dart out to moisten his dry lips.

In contrast, you weren’t laying down but you were instead sat up. Your legs were crossed and your gaze was lowered to the floor, you were lost in your own thoughts. Your hands were twitching a little as the events of today were replaying in your mind.

You missed everyone back in Sun Do, wanting nothing more than to get out of this dark pyramid and flee to safety, as well as a proper bed and a long, long shower. You allowed yourself to once again wish that Liu Kang had chosen someone else for this mission, better they meet a grim fate than you.

Your longing was interrupted when you recalled something that Johnny said earlier.

How it would be faster if the two of you just "kicked some ass" and fought your way through to the innermost chamber, sticking to the shadows be damned.

"Don't you just want to let loose a little and be a bit reckless for once?" That was part of what you remembered him saying.

It made you laugh, honest to the Gods. Your lips curled upwards and your hand raised to cover your growing smile as you started chuckling. Maybe, just maybe, he wasn't wrong.

Your audience was surprised, to say the least, when he heard the unexpected sound of you laughing. Johnny lifted his head, propping himself up on his elbows to look at you. A small smile of his own graced his lips. To see you laughing - hell, to see you show any emotion that wasn’t anger - it was weird. He never thought he’d see the day.

His eyes were now fixed on you. He couldn't help but think that you looked even prettier when you were smiling. The sight alone was enough to make his blood start to pump a little faster.

"What're you laughing about?"

"Hm? Oh, nothing." You replied between laughs, calming yourself when you saw Johnny looking at you. Telling him what you were actually laughing about was out of the question. The man's head might explode from the ego boost.

His smile widened in reaction. He didn't believe you at all. You, chuckling like this over nothing? Pfft. Don’t play in his face.

"You're not laughing about nothin'. C'mon, don't hold out on me." He sat up further, propping himself up on his hands. His smile deepened as he got to see yours unobscured.

You sighed, knowing that Johnny wouldn't stop prying until he received the truth. You’d rather not repeat a squabble like they had this afternoon.

"Something you said, earlier today. About how we should ‘kick ass’ through this pyramid instead of sneaking around. It was amusing." Your eyes narrowed, you took on a much more snarky tone before speaking next.

"I just didn't want to tell you because your ego is already far too high."

Johnny's smile widened into a cheeky grin upon your answer. That signature arrogance of his returned, just like that. That little jab at him about his ego amused him, and made his chest puff up slightly. He shifted around and crossed his legs, taking a moment to laugh before responding.

"Eh, you can insult me all you want, but I’m just bein' logical. We can't keep sneaking around and hiding. Fightin' always got the job done, especially for me."

His words held some truth to them, and you knew it. Sneaking around was good and all, but it was increasing the mission duration. If you both had done what Johnny wanted all along, you’d probably be in the carriage back to Sun Do by now.

Realising this just pissed you off. Turns out the most annoying man you know is actually not that stupid. Still, you stuck to your guns, your stubbornness unwavering.

"We can't. We don't know how many men there are in this pyramid. It's too risky."

"Oh, come on! We've handled a bunch of Shao's guys today. We can take 'em. It'd be so much easier just to punch a few things and take what we need instead of skulking around here."

"Hm." You take your eyes off of Johnny and look down to the ground. You were actually contemplating what he was saying, how ‘bout that? Maybe if you both did indeed battle your way through the pyramid, and if you were careful about it, you two could finally obtain this stone and bring it to Liu Kang. Just maybe...

A yawn broke through the silence. Your mouth stretched open, fatigue starting to overtake your being. You were so tired, all of this thinking could wait until tomorrow. You need to rest, to recharge your body.

"...I'm going to sleep." You inform Johnny, laying your weary body down on your makeshift bed as you shuffle around in an effort to get comfortable.

Johnny, of course, was watching you intently. That exhausted and fatigued look on you was admittedly something else. It weirdly made you sexier in his eyes, there was something about the way you rubbed your face in an effort to stay awake that had him fixated.

"You sure you can sleep? You seem pretty...tense. Maybe I should give you a massage? You seem like you'd be pretty responsive, darlin’.” A sly smirk found its way on his face at the poorly veiled excuse to get his hands on you.

“That’s not happening.”

Johnny let out a laugh in response. You quickly shutting down his idea like that just made him smirk grow, his expression becoming smugger.

"Aw, c'mon! It'll help you relax and fall asleep. You've been so upset all day, princess. You really think that’s a good way to end the day?" He spoke in a mock-innocence tone, his eyes still stuck on you.

"Goodnight, Cage." You shut him down again, not even bothering to sit back up.

You were way too tired to put up with his insistent flirting, the need for sleep had basically overtaken you by now.

“Hah, Alright alright..."

Johnny laid his body down fully, getting comfortable on his makeshift bed. Well, he tried to. He did wince a little as he shifted around, this wasn't exactly the best or the most comfortable spot to rest on. But, it was the only one available. What else could he do?

Not long after, you passed out. You slipped from consciousness, all your thoughts and worries from today were temporarily eased. Johnny soon followed, succumbing to his own fatigue. Your bodies lie unmoving and unresponsive on the hard floor, save for your chests slowly rising and falling with each shallow breath escaping the both of you.

As Johnny fell asleep, his head was filled with a multitude of thoughts and scenarios. One of the constant ones, though, was the image of a certain beautiful woman with beautiful long hair being very responsive to his hands being on her. A small, far from innocent smile was on his face as he settled deeper into his sleep, the image of you was still fresh in his mind.

If you were awake, you would see a bulge in the crotch of his uniform.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

It's now the afternoon. The night came and went with no hitches and it's once again bright outside, the sun’s rays trickling down onto the world. Not that any of this showed inside of the pyramid, though.

You and Johnny had long since been up, you both have now made significant progress in your advance through the pyramid. The both of you had actually reached the innermost chamber, after all this time. The two were now perched on a ledge, right above the large open space. There, the ground below could be freely observed.

The sheer number of Shao's soldiers below took you back a little. But, that feeling was nothing compared to when you finally laid your eyes on the contraption right in the centre of the chamber that the men were guarding.

A machine about the size of a truck stood, a circular platform built out of some kind of dark brick was its base. A giant vat of some type of green gas sat in the middle of this platform, emanating upwards and out of the pyramid. Upon further assessment, you were shocked to realise that all of that gas were… souls! Some sort of powerful magic had been cast, and souls were the fuel for it. They were fuelling this whole machine.

Moving downwards, the base of the machine had a circular indentation in the middle of it. A large gemstone, about the size of a fist and absolutely rife with magical energy, was housed right in the indentation. This was the stone that was depicted in the notes you had found yesterday, it looked to be powering the whole thing.

You were, admittedly, at a loss on what to do. There were way too many soldiers down there to successfully obtain the gemstone without being spotted. However, you were vastly outnumbered. To fight would seemingly be certain death. But you needed that gemstone, you can't just return back to Liu Kang empty handed. What were you to do?

“Do you see all of the men down there?" You turn to Johnny, your voice was thick with anxiety and your eyes had a sliver of fear between them.

“Yeah…” His eyes were scanning the chamber below, taking note of all the guards that were stationed there. He shared your concern, that light-hearted jovial demeanour of his was completely absent. His attention was pried off of the sight below when you tapped on his shoulder.

“That green gas, in the machine, I know what that is. It's soul magic. It fits the description of what the books back in the palace library depict. This is a massive amount of magic that's currently active, and souls are being used to fuel it all.”

Johnny was watching you intently as you rambled on. His eyes never dared to leave your face. You had a certain intensity whenever you locked in like this, and he really couldn’t deny that he found it hot when you became so passionate about something. He didn’t say anything about this, though. This was one of the rare times he chose to keep his mouth shut, the situation was that serious.

"And that's not all. See the big gemstone in the middle?" You carry on, extending your arm out to point to the gemstone at the base of the machine. "It's exactly what was described in the notes I found yesterday. It's powering the whole thing. If we can manage to retrieve it, the whole machine should cease functioning."

You paused for a bit, pondering on what to do next. Just how will you manage to obtain the gemstone undetected? Try as you might, you couldn't think of an answer.

"But how would we go about retrieving it..?"

“And that's where I come in.”

The sound of his voice cuts through your thoughts, interrupting your speculation. You turn to face Johnny, he has a mischievous smirk plastered over his face that makes your brows furrow slightly.

”I know just what to do."

"Hm? You do?"

"Why, of course I do. I have a great idea." He raised an eyebrow at you, amused by the doubt you had in him. “You're probably not gonna like it, though.”

"...Go on." You were genuinely curious on what his idea was. Any idea is better than no idea, you figured.

Johnny chuckled a little. He was actually surprised that you weren’t being as dismissive as you normally were. "You know, for someone who usually hates all of my ideas, you actually sound like you're willing to hear this one-.”

"Just spit it out, Cage."

Your impatience did nothing in making his sly smirk falter - quite the opposite, in fact. He was almost gleeful, letting out a laugh as he had to physically resist the urge to tease you for your restlessness. Nevertheless, he still carried on.

“Alright, so, you and I both know that we can't just sneak past all of them on the ground level. So... we're going to go right through them."

Right through them? Is he serious? "Right… through them? All of them?"

Your stunned expression was absolutely priceless in Johnny’s eyes, he couldn’t help but let out another small laugh at the sight. The disbelief on your face was almost funnier than your usual annoyed or angry expressions.

“Ah, I knew you wouldn't like it! And yes, princess, I mean all of them."

"Give me two good reasons why we should risk our lives like that." Skeptical would be a good word to describe how you were feeling right now. Your arms were crossed as you stared him down, awaiting an answer.

Johnny's eyes went wide for a split second, before he composed himself. He actually didn't expect you to be interested what he had to suggest, this was such a welcome surprise. The most smug of smug smiles graced his features before he spoke next.

"Well, reason number one - sneaking around isn't gonna work. They have too many people on the ground level. It'd be impossible to find a way to sneak past all of them without being spotted, especially the way the chamber's so wide open."

He was actually serious about this, thoroughly taking his time as he tried to convince you of his master plan.

"And reason number two - you saw how l handled those men yesterday when we first got here. Three versus one and I still came out on top. They're nothing! With the two of us, all those people down there wouldn't stand a chance."

You were silent for a few moments, no snarky or rude remark was to be found. You were genuinely thinking about Johnny's plan to just fight them all, how ‘bout that? Your gaze was on the floor and your chin was resting in your hand, you were deep in thought about what to do next.

And that's when you remembered what he told you, yesterday whilst the two of you were resting. How it would be faster if you both “kicked some ass" or something…

You couldn't believe how that won you over to his insane plan, much less how his plan won you over at all.

“Fine. You've convinced me." You sigh before you turn to face Johnny, a look of defeat gracing your features. It wasn’t that he had come up with an actually decent idea, it was the fact that you knew he wouldn’t shut up about this that had you mildly irked.

A large, toothy smile bloomed on his jaw, in contrast to your indifferent expression. The fact that you were actually going along with his plan, the fact that you actually listened to him, was damn near unbelievable. He stood up, his full height towering over you as he held his hand out for you to take.

"Alright, let's do this!"

You took his hand, allowing him to hoist you up. Now that you were up on your own two feet, you took some time to mentally preparing yourself for the imminent battle.

You took out your bō staff, taking a moment to appreciate its beautiful green glow. Your intent was simple, you were to throw your weapon at one of the guards down below, knocking out one of your opponents and effectively starting the fight. Two birds, one stone.

And that's exactly what you did.

The way your staff connected with one of the guard’s heads, knocking that fucker clean off of his feet, it made Johnny wish that he was recording beforehand. He had to stop himself from loudly cheering like a sports fan when he saw how he practically toppled over

The atmosphere became thick with anticipation as the other guards were all alerted of you and your companion’s presence. As soon as they saw one of their brethren being struck down by your staff, they started to mobilise.

Shouts flew through the air, grips on weapons tightened, everyone started to prepare themselves for battle as they saw you and Johnny jump down from the ledge above.

The fight started when one of the men first lunged forward, his axe raised high above his head, aiming for your own. You dodged his attack and swung your bō as a counter, striking him in the jaw with a force that straight up broke the bone there and then. From there on, it was all a blur of blows and weapon swings.

Johnny was having the time of his life. He was able to show off just how skilled of a fighter he was AND get this mission over and done with. A bright smile was firmly stuck on his face during the whole ordeal. It was great that his plan was working and all, but the fact that you were there with him, literally fighting by his side, made it all the more fun.

You and Johnny might have been outnumbered but what Shao's men made up for in manpower, they lacked in skill. Truth was that none of them knew how to properly fight. They were barbarians, not trained soldiers. All they could do is aimlessly swing around their weapons whilst the much more skilled pair of champions dodged and counter-attacked. If only you knew how easy it would've been to fight these men, you wouldn't have wasted your time sneaking around.

Blood sprayed and splattered against the stone floors as you both carved through the platoon. Your bō staff was pulsing with green energy, shattering bones and tearing through flesh. Johnny's blows were swift and precise, yet packed power behind them. One of the guards swung a massive axe, but he dodged it effortlessly, countering with a shadow kick that sent the barbarian flying.

The pyramid's halls echoed with the sounds of grunts, yells and screams. The guards, despite their numbers and ferocity, were no match for yours and Johnny's might. One by one, they fell, their blood staining the grey floor a deep shade of crimson.

As the last guard slumped to the ground, you and Johnny stood amidst the carnage, surveying your work. You both were now completely covered in blood, from head to toe. Your once-green staff was almost glowing red and you couldn't find a spot on your uniform that was clean whilst Johnny's hair was wet with the red liquid, some follicles sticking to his forehead in strands due to all the moisture. The air was now silent, save for you two’s heavy breaths and the whirr of the machine in the background. The outcome of the battle was that not a single barbarian was left alive.

Turns out that Johnny's plan wasn't so foolish after all.

Speaking of, he craned his head to look over at you. The sight of you all disheveled, hair messy and body drenched completely in blood, had his cock pulse in his pants. Maybe it was the adrenaline coursing through him, but there was something about you like this that had something feral stir within him. He bit down his lip at the sight of you stretching your limbs out, eyeing you like a starving dog looking at a bowl full of food.

Not that you noticed any of this, though. Your heart was still racing as you were catching your breath, a little keeled over as your lungs drew in large quantities of air. It actually felt good, downright euphoric, to let loose like that, you couldn't remember the last time you did something so reckless. You were an assassin, your whole thing was stealth. To straight up engage in a massive brawl like this was a whole new world for you. It would be a lie to say that a small part of you didn’t like it.

Once your bearings were back, you turned to Johnny, watching your mission partner as he too was catching his breath. A small, triumphant smile grew on your lips as the reality that his plan actually worked set in. There was now nothing standing in the way between you and the gemstone. You couldn't believe how resourceful he had turned out to be on this mission.

Though exhausted, he made no effort to stop a wolfish smile bloom when the two of you locked eyes. His eyes ran themselves over your messy form once more, his teeth sinking down into his lower lip as his focus zeroed in on certain areas of your body.

"You know, princess, there's just something about watching a beautiful woman kick ass that makes me really-"

"Save it." You bluntly cut him off. Despite the high that you were feeling, Johnny's relentless flirting was still something that you couldn’t stand. You gave him a look as you put away your bō staff and tried your best to smooth down your now wild hair. The back of your fingers brushed the loose, wet strands out of your face as you made your way over to the machine.

Johnny just let out a small laugh in response before he walked over to you, snickering at your dismissal as he took his place just a few feet behind you. He took a minute to look around him, around at all the bodies and weapons strewn across the floor. The adrenaline from the battle had more or less dissipated now, allowing him to think clearly about the next step of the mission, now that everything was more or less complete.

"So, what next?"

"We go back to Sun Do and tell Liu Kang about all that we found. About this machine, the gemstone, Shao's men and the pyramid." You were telling Johnny as you crouched down, attempting to pry the gemstone out from the machine. "Geras is outside, waiting for us. Our mission is complete, all that's left is to turn off this contraption and pocket this stone for Liu Kang."

Removing it with a grunt, you stumbled back a little as the whole machine loudly powered down. The green glow of the soul magic ceased glowing, the machine finally going dark after Gods know how long it was active.

"Sounds good to me." He nodded at you, a confirmation of his understanding.

Using the map of the pyramid, the two of you started your journey out of the structure. Finally, the mission was over, you both could now leave this Godawful place and return home to safety. A small smile could be found on your blood stained face as you walked out of the chamber, map and gemstone in hand.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

The knowledge that Shao's men weren't indeed trained soldiers, instead just glorified barbarians, made it so that sneaking around wasn't necessary for you and Johnny. No, your fear caution of them vanished after that big fight was over. Johnny was right, these barbarians were only scary in appearance. They were nothing more than large pushovers. As such, the two of you freely walked through the pyramid, not bothering to sneak through any secret passageways or hidden tunnels to avoid guard patrols. Any of Shao's men that crossed your paths were swiftly and effortlessly dealt with.

When you both finally exited the pyramid, you were shocked to find that it was evening already. Your hands flew to shield your eyes as they adjusted to the new opacity, the sudden light change nearly blinding you.

The heat of the desert day has given way to a cooler, more tranquil atmosphere, a nice breeze came with the new setting. The vast expanse of sand, stretching endlessly in every direction took on a soft, golden hue as the sun dipped below the horizon. Above, the sky had a gorgeous amber and topaz hue to it, the light was such a welcome change from the dusty darkness of the pyramid.

Have you really been in that pyramid for so long?

The walk back to the carriage was a relieving one. It felt amazing to finally be back in the world, and not in some dusty, decrepit temple where you couldn't see two feet in front of you. You savoured the cool, fresh air that was now gracing your skin. The sight of anything but old sandstone bricks wasn’t half bad, too.

Throughout the whole walk, Johnny was being his typical self and talking at you rather than to you. To be honest, you couldn't blame him, the man was finally on his way back to civilisation and his beloved materialistic possessions, he was basically on cloud nine right now.

Yes, he was just wrapping up a story of how he met Nicki Minaj for the first time at some event as you both neared the carriage.

“…And when I asked her for an autograph, she said-" The conclusion of his recollection was cut off when he laid his eyes on Geras’ carriage. His face lit up as he saw that he was finally here; finally ready to go home.

"There it is! Ohhh, I can't wait have a nice, hot shower when I get back..." Johnny was absolutely on a high, he was so happy to be out of the temple and even more happy to have gotten so much time to spend with your lovely self. You actually weren’t that bad, who knew?

You were walking along, your arms crossed to your chest as you were distantly listening to Johnny ramble on and on about his celebrity encounters. Your spirits were raised when the carriage came into view. Your eyes brightened a little, that small smile from before made a return.

You both approached Geras whilst he was attending to the horses that pulled the carriage. The construct took his eyes off of the steeds to find that you and Johnny were finally back, looking a lot more worse for wear than when you both first entered the pyramid.

"Jade. Johnny. Welcome back. It is good to see the two of you. I trust that the mission was a success?” If he was shocked by your messy appearances, Geras didn't let it show. The only visible reaction he had was a simple smile as he greeted you both.

"Hello, Geras." You politely greet him back with another smile, pleased to see him too. “The mission was a success."

You take out the gemstone from behind your back in order to present it to your driver, extending your arm out so he could get a better view of the artefact.

"We came across a machine, the source of the disturbance. This gemstone was powering it and-"

“After we kicked some major ass, that is. We were outnumbered but it was no problem for the two of us." Johnny cut you off before you could finish your sentence. He shot a wink your way as you gave him a small snarl.

"...Right, yes. The pyramid was crawling with General Shao's soldiers. They were both operating and guarding this machine. We don't know why, but I'm sure if we keep investigating around Outworld, we'll find answers."

Johnny just snickered in response to your adverse reaction, relishing in how easily he was able to get under your skin. That cute snarl of yours made him want to keep taunting and teasing you until you snap.

Meanwhile, Geras' eyes fell to the gemstone in your hand, a neutral expression on his face as he scanned the item intently.

"Liu Kang will be very interested to see this... and learn of your findings."

With his analysis complete, he then walked over to the carriage door, opening it and gesturing for you both to get in.

Johnny didn’t need to be told twice. As soon as he saw that door opening, he rushed to the carriage, clambering his way inside and making the whole vehicle shake wildly in the process. He was in such a hurry that he didn't even remember to dramatically help you inside, like you were some sort of Hollywood starlet. Wow, he REALLY wanted to get back home.

You, however, were a lot more hesitant. You were aware of how dirty your uniform was, you didn’t wish to muck up that lovely carriage.

"A-are you sure it's alright for us to go inside like this? We're so unclean and I-"

After watching Johnny clamber into the carriage like a feral child, Geras turned his attention to you. A kind smile was on his face, a strange affection was present in his stoic eyes.

"Of course it is, Jade. I will clean the carriage once the two of you are out. It's quite alright, I assure you."

Johnny's muffled voice could be heard from inside the carriage, calling out to you through the wooden walls.

"C'mon, Jade, get in here!"

You swallow the lump in your throat and make your way forward, into the vehicle - at a less reckless place than your partner. Despite the cold-blooded assassin that you were, you were actually somewhat of a neat freak. You hated the idea of staining such a lovely carriage with your filthy uniform.

The door closed with a loud thud. Once the two of you were inside, Geras closed the door. He made his way to the front of the carriage, sitting down and lacing the horse’s reigns through his fingers.

"When the two of you are ready, we shall depart for Sun Do." He informed you both, his voice muffled through the wooden walls of the carriage.

Realising that it was just you and him now for the entire ride back, Johnny's earlier thoughts about you started to fill his mind once again. He looked over at you, taking in just how dirty and bloody you were… and yet, you still looked unbelievably attractive.

A smirk spread across his face as an idea seemed to hit him, there was a little game he wanted to play with you on the long ride back.

"You know, princess, when we were kicking ass back in the pyramid, you looked so-"

"Geras! We're ready to leave!” You cut him off by loudly shouting to your designated driver, rapping your knuckles against the carriage wall as you look Johnny dead in the eyes.

His smirk faded into a thin line in response, annoyed that you’d already shut him down before he even got started. He just didn't get it, why did you always have to do this every time he tried to flirt with her? Was he just that insufferable?

Johnny huffed and crossed his arms, leaning back in his seat as he watched you. He had a few choice words, but he chose to keep his comments to himself.

For now.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

By now, you all were around half an hour into the ride. The trundle of the carriage, in the background, as well as the view of the setting sun, was serene to look at and listen to.

You were gazing out of the carriage window, savouring how nice it was to finally kick back and relax. You had your feet propped up on the seat across, right beside Johnny's hip. Speaking of - he was on his phone, scrolling through his social media after being offline for so long. Somehow, that device still had battery life, something that Johnny was all too happy to take advantage of.

He would look up at you every couple of minutes, not able to resist the way the sunlight made your bronze skin glow. He was also hyperaware of her feet right beside his hip, he had to fight the urge to grab them and plant them on his lap. His hand would tighten its grip on his phone as he kept looking at you. His eyes travelled all over, from your long legs to the breastplate of your uniform. From your gorgeous face to how your hair was slightly messy from the fight back at the pyramid. He just couldn't look away no matter how much he tried. If he kept staring at you like this, he'd lose his mind. You didn't notice his staring, though. You were too focused on the outside world. It was so nice to finally be out of that pyramid, and on the way back to Sun Do.

A long shower awaited you, as well as a proper meal and a clean bed.

"You know…” The sound of his voice cut through the comfortable silence, all low and smooth. “…we could always pass this time in other ways."

"By the Gods..." You mumbled with a sigh, a little annoyed that your peace was interrupted by this man and his insatiable lust.

Johnny chuckled a little at your reaction, once again amused by how easily he was able to get under your beautiful skin. You always tried to act so calm and collected... and yet, he seemed to be able to rile you up so easily, without fail.

"Oh, c'mon princess. I'm just saying, we're all alone here, stuck in this carriage together..." He set his phone down beside him and leaned back in his seat, his arms casually behind his head as his eyes scanned your body once more.

"We aren’t alone. Geras is right outside." You took your attention away from the window and towards Johnny across from you. The fact that his wet, messy hair and blood covered uniform was somehow weirdly attractive made you a little less mad than you should be.

"Oh, whatever. Geras is too busy right now. The dude's probably more interested in keeping those horses at a good pace, anyway. You really think he's paying any attention to us?"

Johnny's relentless flirting got a scoff out of you. "Save that attitude for Kitana, I'm sure it'll be more effective." You teased, leaning back a little and crossing your arms to your chest.

He rolled his eyes and let out a scoff of his own. "Kitana's not here, you're here. I'm stuck in a carriage with you, darlin’, and I'm bored. The least you can do is keep me company."

You watched him in amusement. He was so annoying, and you did dislike him, but there was just something about him that was just... funny to you.

"Your little tricks won't work on me."

"They won't, huh? How can you be so sure?" Johnny's smirk widened at your response. Oh, what a little challenge you were. He liked it. He loved it, actually. He was all the more determined to test your patience.

"Because I know what men like you are like." You looked him up and down a little before carrying on. "You'd flirt with a rock if it told you it was interested."

He leaned back a little in his seat, his arms still behind his head as he looked you up and down. Gods, she looked incredibly hot in this getup... He really was having a hard time controlling his urges right now.

Johnny laughed heartily at your words as he leaned back a little in his seat, his arms still behind his head as he looked you up and down. A large smile made its way onto his face at your assumption. Did you really think he was that pathetic?

"No no no, princess, you've got it all wrong. I'm a man of high standards, I’ll have you know..."

You scoffed as he went on, looking away for a moment in disbelief. He can’t be serious.

"I'm serious, sweetheart. I've got a very specific type of woman that I like. And I'm pretty sure you fit that type perfectly..." He was smirking, his eyes still fixed on you.

This, admittedly, got a little snicker out of you. You really couldn't help it. He was just so amusing to you, like some sort of court jester. The way he would have that little smirk on his face after every joke just added to it. It was familiar, in a way. Yes, his demeanour actually reminded you of someone.

Your brother, Hiroshi.

The realisation that Johnny was actually kind of similar to your brother made you let go of the smile that you didn't realise you were wearing. The muscles in your face relaxed, you took your eyes off of Johnny and looked down. Your mood changed from one of amusement to one of remorse. A slight frown appeared on your lips, your eyes started to gloss over with melancholy.

Thinking of your brother opened up a whole load of painful memories for you.

Memories that were now running through her mind.

The flashy smirk on Johnny’s face faded into a thin line as he noticed the sudden shift in your expression. It was weird, one moment you were quietly laughing at his silly flirting - and the next, you looked like someone had died. Johnny’s eyes widened slightly, you staring at the floor with a look of pain on your face made him a little concerned, if he was honest.

“…You alright?” He reached out and placed a gentle hand on your knee, just to get your attention.

You didn’t react to his touch, you were lost in your painful memories by this point. You slumped down in your seat a little, your eyes started to well up slightly with tears.

Silence was thick in the air for a bit. All that could be heard was the trundle of the carriage along the ground, paired with some occasional animal noises outside. You just sat there, reminiscing about past memories whilst Johnny didn’t really know what to do but keep his hand on your knee and hope that you’d tell him what was bothering you. He really had no sense of how to deal with something like this, being around tears and a sad person was definitely not his area of expertise. A part of him wanted to say something, anything, but another part of him didn’t. He had no idea if he’d make it worse.

After a moment, you noticed how Johnny’s hand was on your knee. You looked up and saw his concerned, genuine expression. That stupid smirk was nowhere to be found.

You blink away your forming tears and take a deep breath in. There was something about Johnny’s concerned facial expression that resonated with you. His brown eyes were shining with worry, concern. You never thought you’d see such a sight.

“Um, yes, it’s just… my brother.” You sniffled before carrying on. “…He’s on my mind.”

Johnny’s eyes widened slightly at your words. That’d definitely explain it… but he was more surprised that you’d even bother to tell him about your troubles.

“Your…brother?”

He moved his hand from your knee and sat up a little, curious about this newfound information. Johnny realised in that moment that he knew almost nothing about you, save for the time in the pyramid where you briefly mentioned that your brother is a fan of his.

"Yeah, uh..." You also sat up a little, wiping your eyes clear with your fingers. "...I never told you all there was to him."

Seeing Johnny's genuine concern made you actually want to open up to him a little. There was more to him that met your eye. Maybe, just maybe, he could understand your struggles.

“No, you didn’t…” Johnny was truly surprised. He had caught you in a moment of emotional weakness, you were behaving so unlike the woman he knew. Of course, he didn't really know you, and he was just now realising that there were so much more layers to you as a person. A part of him found it slightly endearing getting a more personal look at you, the feeling only increased when he realised that you were seemingly opening up to him, of all people.

“…Do you want to tell me now?”

You take a deep breath in, clearing some of your mental fog as you prepare yourself to speak next. You couldn’t believe that you were really about to open up to Johnny Cage of all people, to tell him of your troubles. Emotions are a crazy thing, aren't they?

"My parents are dead." You bluntly state, looking him dead in the eyes as you did so. If you were going to do this, you might as well be quick with it and cut to the chase. "They passed when I was a teenager."

“They-…damn. I’m… sorry, princess…” Johnny didn’t know what to say, eyes widening at your confession. He’d expected something a little more lighthearted, but he knew that was a stupid assumption.

"Ever since, my younger brother - Hiroshi - has been the only family I've had." You carry on, finding it surprisingly not as hard to tell Johnny about your emotional baggage. You’d been carrying all of this for years, the weight damn near crushing. It actually felt really good, so freeing, to release the stress like this.

"I cared for him above all else. I looked out for him, I raised him. I wasn't just his elder sister, I was his guardian. I provided for him throughout the years, he was all I had left." You carry on, the memories of your brother making you tear up once again. You blink away the forming tears, though. If there's something you weren’t going to do, it was cry in front of Johnny.

Speaking of, he was leaning back in his seat, listening intently to your words. Images of you caring for and practically raising your brother from a young age flashed through his mind. He could hear the love in your voice just by the way you spoke of Hiroshi. The way you described him being all you had made his heart quiver. Part of him really wanted to get up and give you some sort of comforting touch, but he refrained out of fear of another negative reaction.

"Gods above, I even killed for him..." You raise your hand to your face, your palm covering your now quivering lip. Opening up like this really hurt, it was like tearing open old wounds. This is why you constantly bottle up your feelings.

That revelation stunned him slightly. Johnny actually respected that, in a way. He’d give anything to have someone that dedicated to him. He could sense her pain, in the way her voice faltered as she spoke and how her face strained to maintain its stoic expression. He actually felt that.

"He was everything to me, my reason for waking up every morning. I worked so hard to raise him, to keep a roof over our heads. I was sacrificing my life for him, so that I could give him the childhood that was torn away from me.”

You pause for a moment, pinching the bridge of your nose to stop any tears from slipping past the seams of your eyes. Your heart stung and your breaths were shaky as you desperately clung to the last of your composure.

"...And then, despite everything that I did, something happened between us." You kept what went down between you and Hiroshi purposely vague, both because you weren’t comfortable really opening up to Johnny like that and because you truly despise thinking about that fateful day that tore you both apart.

"We got into an argument, a bad one. That was the last I saw of him. We never spoke again afterwards, he… ran away somewhere. It's been years, I've been alone since.” Your hand wiped away the tear that was now rolling down your cheek. Talking about this was so hard, but it really did feel a little better now that you had got some of your burdens off of your chest.

Johnny kept a steady look at his face as you spoke, paying close attention to you and you only. Part of him still wanted to reach out and place a hand on your shoulder, but he wasn’t sure if that would upset you further. So, he opted to sit there and listen to you pour your heart out.

“…I’m sorry that this happened to you.” His voice was very soft as he spoke, completely clear and serious.

You were now looking at him instead of the carriage floor. The fact that he hadn't made some dumb joke by now actually surprised you a little. He was really, wholeheartedly listening to you. You honestly never knew he had this side to him.

"...When we were in the pyramid, and I told you that Hiroshi is a fan of yours, all the memories came flooding back. That's why I switched like that. The reason why I pretended that it was nothing afterwards is because I didn't want to relive all of those painful memories."

You exhaled, letting go of the breath that you didn't realise you were holding in. There it was, you had fully laid out your bearings for him. It was painful to talk about, but it felt liberating. None of the other boys knew this much about your past - nobody did, really.

Johnny's expression softened. This conversation was revealing a lot about you, details that he never knew before. He understood your reasoning completely. His past was actually similarly as heavy as yours, and you were about to find that out right now.

“I don't talk to my brother too."

This caught you off guard a little, the remorseful expression you wore now had a twist of shock added to it. You never knew he had a brother? Was this even public knowledge? The answer was no. Johnny had his own skeletons in his closet, too.

"You have a brother?"

Johnny chuckled slightly at your reaction. It was an expression he knew all too well. His public image was very much the one of a single, free man. This was purposeful, he wanted to create a certain image that would give him success and fame. His family was just never something he publicly spoke about.

"No one knows, honestly. Save for a few of my close friends. My past isn't all glitz and glamour, princess. I've got my own fair share of baggage, too."

Now, you were a mix of remorseful, shocked and intrigued. The fact that Johnny Cage of all people could relate to your family struggles was baffling, near incomprehensible to you. Truly, there was more to him that met the eye.

"...You said that you and him don't speak?" Now you were the one being careful with your words. You were looking at him with sympathy, watching how his expression morphed from one of concern to one of repentance.

Johnny gave a quiet sigh, leaning against the wall of the wagon in a defeated manner. There was no joke or smirk to be seen on his face, only a somber expression as he met your gaze. Memories of his past started to return. Bad recollections of his childhood flashed through his mind, much to his dismay.

"No... our relationship is pretty much shattered, honestly. It was never really good to begin with. We haven't seen each other in years."

Wow, this was sad to hear. You never knew any of this. Your sympathetic expression only deepened as he went on.

Johnny took another moment to let his thoughts run through his head. This was something he rarely talked about with anyone. But, he felt compelled to share his past with you. You had opened up to him, it was only fair that he opened up to you in return.

"We've always hated each other. We've never really gotten along or seen eye-to-eye since our younger years. He blamed me for a bunch of stuff when we were younger. It wasn't ever pretty."

He took a deep breath in before continuing. No one, apart from his therapist, knew the full extent of his upbringing. He tried so hard to avoid his past, but the memories still lingered.

"My dad was a piece of shit, too. He would hit me, slap me around and shit like that..."

"I'm sorry that you experienced such a thing.” You were genuine. It was saddening to hear that Johnny grew up being abused. From how confident he always was, you never would've guessed that he was hiding all of this. You couldn't relate, but you could still empathise.

Through his hurt, Johnny could see your compassionate expression. The look of sympathy your eyes were giving him was something that he wasn’t used to. It would be a lie to say that it was unwelcome, though. He found it oddly refreshing to have someone look at him like that. It was nice, heartwarming.

"It's okay, it's in the past now." He gave a light sigh and leaned his head against the carriage wall. Though he wore a small smile, his eyes shone with pain as he looked up at you.

Your heart ached. It was always horrible to hear that someone grew up being abused, no matter who it was. You empathetically looked over at Johnny as he slumped down in his seat a little.

"I was never good or tough enough for my old man.” He gave a humourless scoff as he continued, looking down at his lap and fidgeting with his fingers. “He would compare me to my brother a lot. He would go on about how I wasn't ‘a real man’ like them and stuff..."

Johnny's breath caught in his throat slightly, he was fighting back tears by this point. “And… um… my mom died too."

This only served to shock you further. A small gasp came from you when he revealed this very unexpected, very tragic information. You would never of guessed that he was living with all of this pain.

“I’m very sorry to hear that, Johnny."

He gave a shaky sigh at that, his whole body tensing for a moment there. It hurt to talk about this stuff, his vision was slightly blurry and his eyes were burning with tears threatening to fall. But, for the first time in a long time, he wanted to open up to someone about it. A part of him wanted to be vulnerable and let you see who he really was.

"She... she, uh...got cancer when I was pretty young. It was real hard, honestly. Watching her struggle like that."

Hearing that Johnny's mother passed away from such a horror had your heart twitch in despair. Without thinking, you leaned forward and gently placed your hand on his knee, as a way of consoling him. Your light touch startled him a little, but it also gave him the strength he didn’t know he needed in the moment.

"And ever since then, your father has raised you?"

He nodded, a shaky exhale escaping his lips. He found it hard to be so raw, but he felt compelled to continue opening up to you, to show you the real him and not the persona he put on for the public.

"Yeah... he raised my siblings and I by himself after she passed… it wasn't great."

"Siblings?" Yet another piece of Johnny's lore that took you by surprise. He had more family?

He nodded again, his eyes prying themselves off of the floor and back onto you. There was something about your comfort that was so soothing for him, your palm on his knee had his stomach doing flips in the best way possible.

"I, uh… yeah. I have a younger sister."

"Do you at least get along with her?" You were silently hoping for a positive answer as your hand withdrew from his knee. You were hoping that he didn’t share the same burden of being a lone person in this world.

Another humourless scoff escaping him as he thought about your question. Johnny and his sister were actually close, but they grew farther and farther apart as they got older, even more so when he started to become famous and grow as an actor.

His sister was the favourite of their father. She received the princess treatment from the man, leaving Johnny alone on the back burner. It hurt to think of it like that. A part of him resented his sister for getting all their father’s praise and love whilst he got none.

"Yeah, we were close when we were younger. My favourite sibling, I always called her."

Hearing this drew a small smile out of you, raising the somber mood of the carriage a little. A tiny smile appeared on your melancholy face. Finally, something to his childhood that wasn't totally depressing.

"Is that so?"

The sight of your brightening face had Johnny feel… something. A weird type of happiness, it was nice to hear your voice sound less somber. A small smile of his own appeared on his face, one to match yours.

"Yeah, it is. I was very protective of her, actually."

Your smile turned into a laugh at his words, the sweet sound music to his ears.

"I was the same with Hiroshi." You smiled, leaning back against the carriage wall. "Your sister, what's her name?"

"Rebecca... that's her name." He flashed you a bright smile. Some of that Cage charm shined through his demeanour, like the sun after a storm.

"That's a lovely name." You said brightly, finally letting up your melancholy mood.

Johnny chuckled, this time his laughter was real and authentic. It was weird to be talking to you of all people like this, letting you see more of his past than just the facade that he showed the rest of the world. Today was just full of surprises.

"She always called me Johnny, she couldn't say my full name properly for the longest. That's one of the reasons why I chose Johnny Cage as my stage name."

You were actually enjoying hearing Johnny open up like this. The two of you were actually bonding about your shared experiences. This was something none of them ever foresaw happening.

"When Hiroshi was young, and he was just starting to speak..." You started, smiling as you reminisced about positive memories for once. "...he couldn't pronounce the 'D' in my name, so he just called me Jay."

"Oh? 'Jay’, huh? Cute." Another bright smile graced his features, his own depression letting up too.

You laughed at this, your sorrow now long gone. “Gods above, it was so tasteless. I think he was around eight when he finally started to call me Jade...?"

“Eight? Geez, did he do it on purpose or something?"

"Oh no, he definitely did. He did it just to get on my nerves." You looked down to your hands, fiddling with your fingers a bit whilst snickering at the memories of your beloved brother. "So dumb..."

Johnny chuckled at that. “Yeah, siblings are dumb. No matter what you do or say, they're always gonna be a pain in the ass, right?"

You take your attention off of your hands and back towards Johnny. This man talking about people being a pain in the ass was just so ironic, you couldn't help but stifle a laugh.

"The fact that that's coming from you of all people is hilarious."

Johnny feigned surprise, holding a hand against his chest in mock offence at your words. Yet, there was still a cocky smile shining through as he pretended to be insulted.

"Me? Pain in the ass? I'll have you know I'm a delight to be around, sweetheart."

"Ha! Yeah, right!” You laughed again, not believing any of his words for a second. His dumb arrogance was actually starting to grow on you, in a weird way.

The two of you sat in silence for a few moments, processing all that had been told. It felt good, both for you and Johnny to get some of this weight off of your psyches. The fact that you both could somewhat relate to each other in this manner was a pleasant surprise. Who knew that you and Johnny Cage were actually kind of similar in this way? Whatever minuscule respect you both had for each other had now subsequently increased, it wouldn’t be incorrect to say that you two disliked each other a little less.

After a few minutes, you broke the silence. Your arms folded to your chest, your voice had your usual snark to it as you spoke up.

“I hope you know that just because we opened up to each other like this, it doesn't mean that I'll start falling for you."

A scoff came from Johnny at that. He knew you weren’t going to jump into his lap because of everything he had told you. He just couldn't help himself, though. He needed to try and get under your skin a bit more, to make your beautiful face screw up in irritation like it always did.

"Aw, damn... And here I was hoping you were gonna throw your arms around my neck and confess your undying love for me."

“Ha! Not a chance in all the realms, Cage."

Johnny laughed, leaning back against his seat and placing his hands on his thighs with a cocky smirk still on his face. This kind of banter wasn't anything new, but now that you both knew a bit more about one another, something about it felt different now than it did before.

"Not even for my good looks? Come on, don't pretend like you don't wanna just grab me and have some fun, babe.”

You slowly shake your head at this man and his ridiculousness. Even though you now got to see a more vulnerable and raw side of Johnny, changing your view of him for the better, you still think of him as an annoying prick. Oh well, some things can never change.

A/N: once again, thank you for reading!! this was the biggest one yet, i wanted to get this pyramid arc over and done with. another thank you to @criminalmutantsins for heavily inspiring my view of johnny’s childhood. the next chapters will be shorter, i promise.

when i tell y’all I can’t wait for you to read chapter 4- 🤭

#mortal kombat #mortal kombat smut #mortal kombat 1 #mk1 #mk1 2023 #johnny cage #johnny cage smut #johnny cage x reader #johnny cage x you #mortal kombat imagine #mortal kombat x reader #johnny and jade

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