#liu kang x cole young

[fun-k-board]

Mortal Kombat 2021 with a Platonic, Child Reader

Characters included: Cole Young, Liu Kang, Kung Lao, Sonya Blade

Note(s): This is an 'AU' of sorts where they have more time to train and and Shang Tsung doesn't attack Raidens Temple.

This has been in my drafts for about a year now, enjoy!

Cole Young

Sleepovers with Emily? Yes. Absolutely. Cole and Allison get woken up at 5 AM by you two roasting Kano, he has to hold back punching the two of you because he knows that everyone in the Temple would make that personal.

When you're both training at Raiden's Temple, Cole always goes easy on you and views you as his own kid, he gets how finding your Arcana is difficult, especially when it seems like everybody else already has this figured out.

You probably don't have any fighting experience so he takes some extra time to help you, and while he can't teach you any deadly moves, mainly teaching you defense and how to knock out an opponent, he's still very helpful.

Cole gives you extras at dinner, it's not very sneaky, he doesn't even try to hide it. Cue the teasing from everybody else at the table.

If you have anxieties about the tournament he tries calming you down by reading a story, it helped Emily so he can only assume it will help you as well, even for your age it's childish, but it makes things melt away for a moment. There's no training, unfamiliar temple, or Outworld, just Cole and a story.

He gets a mix between anger and sadness whenever anybody mentions the fact you need to participate in the tournament, he's tried to convince Raiden to take you out, to no avail, it leaves him to spend more time with you, he's afraid he'll lose you when the time comes.

Has absolutely no medical experience, the best he can do is carry you to Liu Kang or other medics.

Liu Kang

Liu helps with your temper or anxieties a lot, he's basically always behind you putting a hand on your shoulder, and views himself as an older brother to you.

He's very sympathetic and will give you advice or just listen when you need it, no matter what situation you're in. Liu is extremely truthful as well, if you're in the wrong he will tell you but he'll let you down easy with it.

Liu has a watchful eye on you at all times, he visibly sweats whenever you get close to Kano, Kung Lao teases him for it constantly.

He's like your doctor, and usually won't take you to any other medic in the Temple unless it's necessary, if you're injured in any way he's helping you and you cannot stop him. That is if you ever manage to get hurt anyway, he doesn't let Kung Lao or Kano use their Arcana on you.

Actually your personal hype man, the living embodiment of 'you're doing great sweetie', regardless of how many times you fall over in training, he only counts the times you get up.

Speaking of training, he tends to use repeated attacks so you can learn how to defend against them more easily, he doesn't use his fire unless he's certain you can move away from it, and he's very unsure about using heavier attacks on you.

That's why he's mainly instructing a fight between you and somebody else, so he can set ground rules to keep you not injured while allowing you to learn.

Liu Kang won't talk to you about it, but he's had multiple arguments with Raiden over allowing you to be in the tournament in the first place. He believes that since you're a child, you shouldn't be risking your life. Raiden doesn't listen.

Kung Lao

Kung Lao is probably distant at first, he doesn't really know how to act around children, at least not as an adult. He shares the same opinion of all the chosen, you need to be taken out of the tournament, and while he won't say it out loud, he does back people up when the opinion is shared.

He's more willing to use his aracana and 'deadlier' methods of training, but he has such a control over his fighting style and hat that you've never gotten extremely injured. Anytime you do get injured, he picks you up, regardless of if the injury allows you to walk or not, and takes you to the infirmary himself.

He's not good at comforting words, if you're nervous for the tournament, the most he can say is that fate wouldn't have chosen you for this if it wasn't meant to be.

Kung Lao already despises Kano, but he makes one remark towards you and in his eyes he's about to be a dead man, Liu Kang has had to hold him back on a number of occasions.

Sneaks you extra, and makes some faces at the dinner table, it ends up making everybody else laugh more than anything, but their jokes at his expense make you laugh in turn. So, he technically didn't fail.

He's medically trained and can in fact help most injuries unless they're extremely fatal, like Jax's arms, and so most of them he can fix by simply walking to the infirmary and walking out a minute later, you with a bandaged injury.

Sonya Blade

Sonya is a bit annoyed that a literal child got a mark before her, but then she realises that means you'll need to fight in the tournament, and she proceeds to dedicate everything to training you.

Even if she's not technically allowed to train with you before she gets her mark, she does sneak out with you. While she understands it's not exactly her place, in the short time she's known you she's become attached, and she wants you to have every chance of survival.

As part of the special forces, she's an expert in all types of combat, and will almost definitely teach you how to kill, even if it weighs on her conscience that a child could have blood on their hands thanks to her.

Everybody already knows about this, but even Kung Lao decides to back off once he notices how much she cares for you.

Sonya will get violent with Kano the second he tries to mock or tease you, she won't go too far, but she's teaching him a lesson and she wanted an excuse for months to do so just let her have this one.

At dinner she's firm with your diet, making sure you eat more healthy options every time, which, makes everyone at the table laugh. She's not a complete control freak, she just understands that in situations like these what you're eating is very important.

She's not the best person to come to when you're injured, but not the worst, either, she's very calm unless it's a serious injury, and knows the basics of at least disinfecting the wound / putting pressure on it so it stops bleeding while she brings you to a medic in the Temple.

[theemissuniverse]

“IF YOU WANNA SCREAM” KUNG LAO X SPOILED!READER

SUMMARY : Kung Lao needs to help you unlock your arcana by any means necessary

WARNINGS : None

You honestly didn’t understand why you were here. You weren’t a powerful warrior. Not by any means. In fact you were a rich girl that had taken karate lessons when you were younger to the age seventeen. You didn’t believe you were skilled by any means but you were. And Kung Lao could see it.

The only reason you barred the dragon tattoo was because you killed a warrior with it and you were still in shock you overpowered him. You guessed the karate lessons did pay off.

Kano had awakened his arcana which annoyed you to no end since all he did was brag about it. It was everyone else’s turn to get it.

It was time for training. Kung Lao was supposed to be getting you ready for training. You just looked at your nails, completely uninterested of the whole ordeal.

“You ready?” He questioned you.

When he did, you looked at him. You gave him a hard look, up and down and then laughed as if what he had said was the funniest thing in the world. “I don’t do fighting. It makes me get all…dirty.”

Kung Lao had given you a “really” look. You shrugged and went back to looking at your nails. You then took your phone out of your pocket and sighed. “There is no cell reception in this place!”

Kung Lao smirked, having an idea. He looked over at Liu Kang. It was like Liu Kang could read his mind. He nodded to him. Kung Lao turned back to you. He grabbed your phone.

You gasped at the sudden action. Nobody touches your phone and you mean nobody. “Hey! Give it back!” You tried to reach it but he took a step back.

“Fight me for it or I break it.”

You scoffed, not believing him. “Yeah, whatever. Just give it, jackass.”

Kung Lao needed you to unlock your arcana. By any means necessary. So, he threw it at the wall, breaking it.

You blinked your eyes. You couldn’t believe he just did that.

“Oh boy…” Cole muttered, knowing how angry you would be.

“That was the newest IPhone you bitch!” You tried to punch Kung Lao but he ducked out the way. You then tried to kick him but he blocked that to.

You went to punch him in the gut but he pushed your hand away. Then he kicked you in the stomach, making you fall on your back.

You groaned in pain. “Aren’t you rich? Oh. Or did daddy not give you your weekly allowance?” Kung Lao taunted.

You growled. You stood up from the ground and charged at him. When you did, it knocked Kung Lao down to the ground. His hat got knocked off in the process.

Kung Lao and you struggled while you were on top of him. He then head butted you and threw you off of him.

You quickly got back up. The two of you went blow for blow again. You were mainly on offense while he was on defense. This continued for some time until you managed to land a kick on him at his legs.

Kung Lao fell to the ground on his knees. You then smacked him across the face, making him fall to the ground.

Before you had the chance to do anything, Kung Lao swept your feet, making you fall. He quickly got up and so did you.

Kung Lao kicked you in the stomach once again but you didn’t fall. What made you fall was the punch you received in the gut by him.

While you laid on the ground, he towered over you. He placed his foot on your chest and dug his heel in it, making you groan.

“Can’t beat me? That’s okay. I knew you couldn’t do it.”

Oh you were beyond pissed. You didn’t know how but something inside of you snapped. You screamed at him. Screamed. A scream so loud and high that it blew him back all the way across the area and made him hit the rock wall.

The others were covering their ears in pain from how high your scream was.

Kung Lao groaned in pain. You laid there shocked. Did you actually just do that? “What the…”

Kung Lao stood up from the ground. He smiled proud. “You did it.” He walked over to you and he held out his hand so you could get up.

You took his hand and he helped you stand up. “I have a powerful scream? Really?”

Kung Lao shrugged a little. “I think it suits you.”

Sonya, Cole, and Jax clapped for you. “Way to go, (Y/N)!” Sonya cheered.

Kano scoffed. “Mine’s cooler.”

Liu Kang ignored him and smiled proudly at you. “You did very good, (Y/N).”

Kung Lao swung his arm around you. He brought you in closer where you could feel his warmth and he whispered in your ear. “For the record, I knew you could do it.”

You smiled at him that he thought highly of you. You then clapped your hands together and looked at everyone. “Okay. Who’s going to pay for my broken phone now?”

TO BE CONTINUED???

[betyloca]

Imagine: being one of the warriors chosen for Mortal Kombat and everyone thinking you are mute but Raiden knows your secret

You were sitting watching Liu Kang train Cole Young, you saw bursts of fire flying everywhere.

On the other side was Sonia, Kano and Kung Lao watching the training. They didn't let you train. They thought you were too weak to fight. That bothered you.

You heard footsteps coming from behind you. You turned around, seeing Raiden. You greeted him, giving him a smile that he reciprocated.

He turned to look at the others who were training until he gave a signal to Liu Kang to stop.

Kung lao: what happens

Raiden: It's y/n's turn.

Liu Kang: Are you sure?

He looked at you again to see if you agreed. You nodded as you stood up.

raiden: will fight with kung lao

You started walking towards the sand and saw Cole Young putting a hand on your shoulder.

Cole Young: Good luck.

He said as he left, you looked at him, you noticed how Kung Lao positioned himself to attack.

kung lao: calm down, i will be nice to you

You looked at him with a frown. You began to take in air to fill your lungs before he could attack. You began to scream, stunning everyone and sending them flying into the wall.

Sonia: What the hell?

kano: he doesn't have a voice that will make you die hahaha

You turned to see Raiden who had a proud smile on his face. I turn to see you. You sent him a blushing smile.

[yyink]

heres some art Cause Im gonna cry:)

SWORD WIELDER KUNG LAO IS SOMETHING I DIDNT KNOW I NEEDED SHDHH OH DHD

more LiuCole and Railao cause im losing my mind real slowly and they make me happy:))))

[rowinablx]

I cannot wait to be fed Liucole content!!!!

[iliketangerines]

Hey!! I would like to request a fic about Liu Kang (film 2021) with a fem reader who is very shy and every time he tries to talk to her, the girl runs away with her face all flushed and our boy Liu Kang doesn't understand why until Cole gives a hint of what's going on...

cold as stone

a/n: sorry guys, i've got absorbed into reading the scum-villain's self-saving system

pairing: liu kang x gn!reader

warnings: not proofread

you confused Liu Kang to no extent, brash and bold and brave, a possessor of excellent fighting skills, a charm that rivals Johnny Cage, a laugh that would make the wind jealous

but only if you were not around him

Kung Lao had brought you to the mountains months ago when he had found you engaged in an illegal brawing ring, not the most glorious of backstories

but that didn’t matter, you proved yourself of honorable character and of somewhat high morals

the two of you butt heads every so often over a few values, but he understood where you came from, the desperation of survival against hunger and thirst and cold

around him, you were solid and cold as a rock, unmoving in face or limb, words icier than the weapons of Bi Han, sharper than the crack of Lord Raiden’s lightning

and yet, around Kung Lao, you were kind as a lullaby, warmer than a cup of steaming tea, soft as a dream in the sky

he thought perhaps you didn’t like him because of the differing values, but that made no sense either as Kung Lao held the same values as Liu Kang

it made no sense, especially when the other day he had brought back the other champions, Cole Young, Kano, Jackson Briggs, and Sonya Blade 

you acted so warmly and kind towards them, so talkative even with Kano, and Liu Kang doesn’t understand why you refuse to talk or even smile at him

he wanted to know, why you disliked him so much, and he was determined to find out, especially considering the fact that out of all of them, the two of you were most similar

today, you watch from the sidelines, cheering on Cole Young as he faces off against Kung Lao, even when you know that the fighter stood no chance against the monk

Liu Kang watches from by the pillars, not quite being noticed by you yet as you watch and wince at how easily Kung Lao takes down Cole

a gasp escapes your mouth when you see Kung Lao slice at Cole with his bladed hat and throw him across the sandy fighting ring

you rush over into the pit, helping Cole Young up, and then you turn and notice Liu Kang, your lips wiring shut and face turning away from him as you drag the fighter up

brushing past him, you hurry out of the training ring with the fighter, hands gripping on so tightly to the fighter’s forearms, that Cole lets out a small pained ‘ow’ that you ignore

Liu Kang feels dumbfounded, how quickly you had rushed out of there when you noticed him, does your hatred for him know no bounds?

Kung Lao walks up next to him and sighs, resting his elbow on Liu Kang’s shoulder as a prop to help stand up, and he laughs a little, as if knowing of something that Liu Kang did not

the fire-wielder sighs, distracted enough that he didn’t even mind Kung Lao using him as a elbow rest, and the hat-wielder only hums, a playful smile on his face

Liu Kang frowns at Kung Lao and finally shrugs off Kung Lao’s elbow, asking why he looked so smug for beating a boxer that would have no chance again the Chosen One

Kung Lao shakes his head, saying that he was not smiling about that, that the easiness of how Cole Young was defeated was actually quite concerning

no, he was smiling at something else and then sealed his lips, that familiar cocky grin on the monk’s face

for someone who was supposed to be humble, the prized disciple of the monks, he sure seemed the opposite of all their teachings

Liu Kang turns his head away and steps forward, he should go and help Cole Young and you with the injury, he was the most familiar with the medicine room after all

the hat-wielder stays behind, saying that he would be training the other fighters in the meantime, and he looks to Kano, half-asleep on the steps and throws his hat at the space in between his spread legs, only a centimeter away from his prized jewels

the fire monk pays no mind to the ensuing yelling and cursing from the Australian mercenary and  heads down the hallway, thumbing the beads in his hands

your voice dances through the mostly silent hallways, and Liu Kang huffs at your laughter, so casual and easy with everyone but him

it irritated him, as if rubbing the invisible fur on his back the wrong way, he wanted you to laugh with him, to smile at him, to say such sweet words to him

however, you were only ever silent around him, rushed in your footwork to get away that it was noisy and clumsy and so uncharacteristic of how you fought in the training pits

yours and Cole’s voice becomes clearer as he nears the entrance of the med room, and he readies to enter when he hears his name fall from Cole’s lips and your squeak of surprise

you whine out Cole’s name, telling him to stop teasing you, and Cole squawks angrily and tells you to be more gentle with the wound

Liu Kang hears your hiss of anger and you telling him to not be so careless about his teasing about you and Liu Kang, he knows that you like him, and it was embarrassing

the fire monk thinks his knees go weak when he hears your indirect confession, you liking him? liking? not hate? the turn of events somehow managed to spin his head so fast that Liu Kang thought he was in heaven for a moment

Cole grumbles, telling you to not make it so obvious then, your glances at the fire monk, the complete change in your behavior around the monk, anyone could guess it if they watched you and Liu in a room

clearly not, because Liu Kang presses his back against the hallway, trying to get his bearings, his heart beating against his chest, legs feeling more like soft bread and ready to collapse underneath his weight

a heat rises up to his cheeks, and he purses his lips together at the thought of you liking him, were you really that obvious?

Liu Kang had thought himself as an observant person, but he was blind to something that everyone had apparently known

suddenly, Kung Lao’s cocky grin from earlier made much more sense, his best friend, his shixiong, his sworn brother, the one in which they both knew each other’s most embarrassing and deepest secrets had kept this information away from Liu Kang

even when that damn hat-wielder knew how much Liu Kang fretted over you not liking him when he liked you back so much

Liu Kang would not treat Kung Lao’s wounds so easily next time

he hears your gasp, telling Cole to be more quiet, what if one of the monks heard and told Liu Kang, and Cole snorts, saying that they were silent

you make a ‘tch’ sound at the fighter, saying that the monks had different ways of communicating in their silence

Cole sighs and grumbles, the sound of the cot squeaking as he readjusts himself, and you grumble that the wound would heal in two weeks time, just to not pick at the bandages

the sound of yours and Cole’s footsteps grow closer to the door, and Liu Kang finally snaps back into reality, floating somewhere in between the heavens

he has no time to react, only managing to push himself off the wall when you and Cole exit the medical room, and your sentence immediately cuts off as you stare at the monk

Liu Kang thumbs at the beads in his hands and says in as even as a voice that he can muster that he must speak to you urgently

your face is so soaked in sweat that Liu Kang thinks that he might just bring you back into the medical room, but with a not so subtle push from Cole Young, you step towards the fire monk

he walks away from Cole, and you follow behind him, feet scraping against the stone and breath barely audible

inwardly, Liu Kang thinks he’s going to set his whole body on fire, mind still trying to organize and clear his thoughts at the realization that you liked him too

the walk doesn’t last longer than a minute as he brings you into the empty kitchens, a private place to talk without bringing you directly to his bedroom

he turns around, hoping that the grip on the beads isn’t so obvious, and you look like you’re about to be sick, sweat soaking your forehead and your skin an unnatural color

Liu Kang clears his throat and says that you’re not in any trouble, that he had overheard your conversation with Cole Young and didn’t want to make a scene in front of the fighter

you nod, stiff as a door that hasn’t had its hinges oiled, and your hands are clasped tightly behind you, no doubt nervously clutching each other

he purses his lips, gathering as much courage in his chest as he could when he says that he overheard that you liked him and that was why you acted so strange in front of him

it almost looks like you’re frozen, like a criminal that had been caught with his hand inside the jewelry box, and your lip trembles as your eyes drift downward to the floor, almost like you were ashamed of yourself

Liu Kang feels frozen himself as he stares at you, frightened about confessing his feelings toward you even if he knew that you liked him back

still, the longer the silence pervades the two of you, the more nervous you get, eyes shifting back and forth, your body leaning towards the door, wanting to escape

he can’t lose this chance to talk to you again, or else he may never even see a glance of you again

clutching onto his prayer beads, Liu Kang takes in a sharp breath and says that he thought you had hated him because you had treated him so differently

your eyes dart to his face, eyebrows raising slightly in surprise, and Liu Kang says that he wanted to know why so badly, because he found you enrapturing

when he could he hear you talk, could watch you fight, could see you smile and laugh, it had burned a fire brighter than anything that he could conjure

he liked you too and hadn’t understood why you avoided him so greatly, had tried to get closer to you and failed, only to find that you liked him back

Liu Kang looks back at you, finding that a bit of the color in your face had returned and that the cold sweat from your forehead had disappeared

clearing his throat, he suddenly found himself stuck, unsure of what to say next, and he simply thumbed the prayer beads in his hand, willing for a thought to come to his head

you speak first, mumbling so quietly that he almost misses it from thinking too hard about what he wanted to say to you next

you ask if he’s being truthful, and Liu Kang nods that he is, and you let out a breath, eyes wide and mouth slightly ajar as you stare at him

Liu Kang stumbles backwards as you launch yourself at him, arms around his neck and face buried into the crook of it

he can feel the heat burning off your cheeks, and you tell him to not look at you, that you might actually explode if you do

bringing his arms around you as well, he lets you hug him, hoping that you can’t feel how rapid his heart beats in his chest

in the corner of his eye, he spots a small shadow and the two peeking faces of Cole and Kung Lao by the doorway

they hurry away when Liu Kang lifts a finger and sends a small dart of fire towards them

[smilocity]

Author’s List of Writing

Characters I write about (including games, animes, shows, etc)

I write for only x female readers (Sorry in advance!)

COD

COD—Ghosts

David "Hesh" Walker

Logan Walker

Keegan P. Russ

Captain Commander Thomas Merrick

Kick

MWI—MWIII (Old and new)

John "Soap" Mactavish

Simon "Ghost" Riley

Kyle "Gaz" Garrick

Captain John Price

Alejandro Vargas

Rodolfo Parra

Alex "Echo 3-1" Keller

Reacher

Jack Reacher

Joe Reacher

David O’Donnel

Calvin Franz

Tony Swanz

Jorge Sanchez

Manuel Orozco

Oscar Finlay

Haikyuu

Karasuno High (Everyone except Ukai and Takeda, Kiyoko and Yachi)

Aoba Johsai

Nekoma High

Inarizaki High

Shiratorizawa

Fukurōsani Academy

Kamomedai High

(I won’t write for EVERY character of these schools. There are many characters so I will be accepting them as long as I’m okay with it.)

One Piece

Roronoa Zoro

Vinsmoke Sanji

Monkey D. Luffy

Sabo

Portgas D. Ace

Marco

Trafalgar D. Water Law

Usopp

The Disastrous Life of Saiki. K

Saiki Kusuo

Kaido Shun

Kineshi Hairo

Kuboyasu Aren

Kuroko no Basket

Kuroko Tetsuya

Kagami Taiga

Kise Ryota

Midorima Shintaro

Aomine Daiki

Murasakibara Atsuhi

Akashi Seijuro

Kasamatsu Yukio

Hyuga Junpei

Izuki Shun

Takao Kazunari

Himuro Tatsuya

Hayama Kotaro

Ninjago

(I will not be writing about Lloyd since I don’t think he’s of "age" because of the whole aging potion thing.)

Cole Brookstone

Kai Smith

Jay Walker

Zane Julien

(I may just write head cannons of funny Drabbles.)

Young Justice

Robin Nightwing (Dick Grayson)

Connor Kent — Superboy

Wally West — Kid Flash

Red Arrow Arsenal — ( (1st Clone) Roy Harper)

Red Robin - Tim Drake

(2nd) Robin Red Hood — Jason Todd

LEGO Monkie Kid

Sun Wukong

Six-Eared Macaque

Nezha

MK 1

Raiden

Kung Lao

Kenshi Takahashi (Taira)

Johnny Cage

Tomas Vrbada (Smoke)

Kuai Liang (Scorpion)

Liu Kang



(I know, I know…I’m all over the place…Trust me…I just got into 9-1-1…)

Any "weird/disturbing" asks will be deleted and you will be blocked!

[liukangmybeloved]

wounded soldier fantasy {Mortal Kombat (2021)}

Summary: Liu Kang/Cole Young. "The wounded soldier fantasy means we're moments from doing it, right?" Cole chuckles under his breath, as if to distract himself from the fact that Liu Kang was both a) holding fire over his open wound, and b) very pretty. However, he must have been lounder than he thought, because Liu's movements had stilled, and when Cole cracked his eyes open, there's confusion written all over Liu's face, "it's... from a TV show," was all Cole could think of to explain himself.

A/N: warning for descriptions of acupuncture around a wound & non-descriptive cauterisation. an alternate take on the wounded soldier scene from mk 2021 ft. pining!cole (no romo relationship with alison in this fic because i don't condone cheating and there's no written justification because it's 3am. do i want to maybe write poly!alison/cole/liu ?? honestly yeah i do okay? maybe tomorrow). also the quote he uses is from Community's Season 1 episode Modern Warfare.

----

Cole would be the first person to admit that he was outclassed, hell, he'd admitted it sitting in the back of Jax's truck as Sub-Zero had hunted them through the streets of Chicago, but it had fallen on deaf ears, just as it continued to now. Honestly, despite being outclassed, Cole still thought it was unfair of Kung Lao to be fighting with a weapon he'd clearly mastered and had some supernatural control over. Cole had himself, just himself; it was bringing a knife to a fist fight, and he wasn't going to complain out loud because he knew they were just trying to pressure him and Kano into developing their own arcana, but it still hurt like a bitch when he got cut.

So now, here he was, in a quiet, secluded room with Liu Kang performing gentle, practiced acupuncture on the wound on his bicep. As always, Liu was quiet and intense about his work, and Cole's eyes roamed about the room to look at anything that wasn't the man who'd found them in the desert, who offered them shelter and explanations and training, who was good to them without even knowing them.

When a needle pulls, causes Cole to wince, Liu apologises faintly, as if out of instinct, eyes still focused on his work.

"No need to apologise," Cole assures after a moment, watching his hands as they worked, "you're doing your job... I assume," he says with a wry smile, and when he looks up, he meets Liu's faintly self-deprecating smile in return.

"I'm trying to help you; I know a little bit of pain is part of the process, but I'm still sorry," he explains, and looks back down, but he's still smiling slightly. It's a concise explanation, leaving Cole with no choice but to accept the apology, and try not to think about how grateful he is that Liu appears to be both an extraordinary fighter, and a gentle soul. There's few fighters Cole knows with such sincerity.

Liu's paused again.

"Yes?" And he's meeting Cole's gaze right as Cole himself realises he was staring. They were close out of necessity, but suddenly it felt too close, too intimate; Liu's voice was only a murmur and Cole had heard him loud and clear.

"Where'd you learn to do this?" Cole blurts out, and hopes Liu can't read anything in his expression. He drops his gaze to his free hand, picking at his nails as Liu hums for a moment, returning, once more, to the careful task at hand.

"Here, mostly; many of my brothers and sisters at the temple have come in hopes of assisting the training champions, many from a variety of different medical backgrounds," he delicately picks up another needle, tipping his head to the side as he looks at Cole's arm intently, "and as much as I train myself for Mortal Kombat, there is only so much my body can take in a day, so when I can, I ask, I train my mind and learn from the people around me."

"An all-around great guy, huh?" Cole says, and though the words themselves could have sounded jealous or mocking, coming from Cole they're simply complimentary as he's stoutly refusing to add the word 'perfect' no matter how loudly he's thinking it. Liu leans in a little closer to check his handiwork as he hovers the next needle over Cole's skin. Even at this angle, Cole can see his vaguely flattered smile - perfect, perfect, perfect.

"Next time can you say that while Kung Lao is in earshot?" Liu's tone is amused, and Cole's not quite sure why the request sits strangely in his chest; he's known Liu for a few days at most, he knows he and Kung Lao are close, this is probably just some longstanding teasing between the two of them -

"Why? He not take this kind of thing seriously?" Cole keeps his tone light, but Liu makes a noise in the back of his throat like that's not quite the case.

"Of course he takes it seriously; one of the reasons I learned at all was because I didn't want to keep bothering people when he managed to land a hit in training," finally, the needle was in, with another wince from Cole, but Liu straightened up, "but I'd just like to see his face when someone calls me an all-around great guy." His smile was so pleased and a little mischievous, and Cole's distracted by that smile enough so that when Liu's hand catches fire, Cole jumps.

Then Liu's free hand is on his other arm, warm and secure, steadying him, and the man himself is again apologising, this time for startling Cole, who feels like a fool.

"Are you okay? Do you need a minute before I begin to cauterise the wound?" He asks clearly, and Cole reaches out, gently grasps at Liu's free arm with his own, assures him that it's fine, and is given a faint squeeze of encouragement, of reassurance, before the free hand that had been on his arm moves to steady his other, the wound, and Liu steps so close, his hip is pressing against Cole's knee as he's sitting on the table.

The fire stops suddenly.

"I- is everything okay?" Cole asks, and looks up to see Liu Kang looking back at him with wide, concerned eyes.

"I can... I can suture instead, if the fire concerns you this much," which wasn't what Cole was expecting, and in the face of his confusion, Liu gives his wrist a gentle squeeze, meant to draw attention to the wound, but all Cole could see was Liu's fingers sitting gently over his pulse, "your elevated heartrate is causing the wound to bleed further; I can suture, or if you're concerned about my medical ability, I can get someone else to -"

"No, I- I'll be fine, I'll close my eyes or something," Cole babbled, squeezing his eyes closed as he willed the actual flush he could feel creeping up his neck to dissipate. Then, the sound of fire again, and Liu's hip still against his knee.

"You'll be okay," Liu's voice was a murmur, and the only thing Cole could think in that moment was -

"The wounded soldier fantasy means we're moments from doing it, right?" Cole chuckles under his breath, as if to distract himself from the fact that Liu Kang was both a) holding fire over his open wound, and b) very pretty. However, he must have been lounder than he thought, because Liu's movements had stilled, and when Cole cracked his eye open, there's confusion written all over Liu's face, "it's... from a TV show," was all Cole could think of to explain himself, "I'll close my eyes now." He assured, lamely, feeling his heart sink with embarrassment, though he's not sure if the implications of his quote would translate, so really he's found himself suffering from Schrodinger's Embarrassment.

There's silence, broken only by the gentle rush of flame, and then Liu is carefully removing the needles and mumbling to himself about where he put the bandages.

"You can open your eyes, by the way," Liu's voice gets louder as he voices it almost as an aside, and Cole winces, but not from the pain, carefully cracking his eyes open to see if he could gauge Liu's reaction before opening them fully. He's carefully preparing strips of cloth, focused once more, and Cole breathes a quiet sigh of relief before he looks to his wound, which is looking much better than it had moments ago. Not even close to healed, of course, Liu's not a medical miracle worker, but it's better, cauterised.

"You're a good doctor," he offers kindly, and Liu, now that the part that had required the most focus was over, gives a somewhat brighter grin.

"You're a good patient," and the silence that follows is easy and companionable, though Cole's still quietly wondering if Liu's picking up on the feelings he's terrified he's broadcasting. The last thing he wants is to make him feel uncomfortable after the man had been so king and generous to him.

"Tell me," there's something amused at the corners of Liu's smile when he finally breaks the silence, almost finished dressing the wound, "would it be selfish to ask Liu Kang to try and get you again in the future?"

"On purpose?" Cole frowned; did Liu actually not like him and was trying to be upfront about wanting Cole to be injured? "Kind of a dick move," Cole's tone was faintly defensive, and Liu's expression fell almost imperceptibly; if he weren't so close, Cole wouldn't have noticed at all.

"Then I'll have to find other ways to get this close to you."

Oh!

Cole swallowed hard in sudden understanding as Liu finished dressing the wound, though his hand came to rest, warm and secure on Cole's arm.

"Just ask," a warm smile was beginning to form at the edges of Cole's lips as he looked at Liu, "'cos I'd rather not have to injure myself just to be this close to you too."

[kimhargreeves]

Past Mistakes (Mortal Kombat 2021)

Summary:You're a part of the Mortal Kombat but you're life hasn't been easy,so you left your old life and started a new one of Earthrealm. Nothing stays forever especially when your tasked to bring in Cole Young into Raiden's temple. There you meet old friends and lovers.

A/N: watched the movie yesterday and actually enjoyed it. These two characters aside from Scorpion were my favorites, I don't know much about MK but I did my best with the few things I saw from the film. This will be a mini series I'll be writing and even will include some mature content later on, I just need more fics on these two.

As I was walking down the almost empty streets at night, I noticed a crowd of people leaving and entering a building up ahead. I scrunch my face since i know exactly what that place is, guys use it to face fight each other and earn money. I've entered that place a couple of times before and every time Jax says I have the potential to be a fighter, I know exactly what he means by it since he's seen the way I almost killed a robber who was trying to steal my well earned belongings.

The place also reeked of guys trying to come near me and try to get into my pants, as usual I'd shut them down or ignore them which wasn't that hard for me. If I were still the same young girl as before I'd blush like a school girl and sleep with them, but those days are over.

I've learned to grow on my own since my parents have been dead for years and I had to live and fight in my own out of the streets as a little girl, so many bad things could have happened to me but luckily someone saved me when I almost died one night of starvation.

I owe the man my life but I had to leave him behind, he trained and raised me when no one else could.

"Young! You gonna fight tomorrow regarding right?" I stopped walking before I entered my car and was interested to see a young man hugging a girl close to him, he stopped talking to her and looked back at another man.

"I'll try to make it on time, my daughter had an important event at school tomorrow and I promised I would see her." So he has a family...

He's so young. Probably younger than me, he looks so happy though...

I ignored my thoughts and got into my car and headed back to my crappy apartment. Thankfully when I got there my neighbors weren't around, cause they seem like rabbits going at it day and night. I would have to use arcana from time to time do they'd stop,if they weren't at it they'd be fighting each other and screaming who would have their kids custody.

My apartment sucks, my job sucks and so does my life. Life was much easier back at my place,but I couldn't stay there all my life even if I wanted to. I wanted to try out new things, not just train day and night. Lately that's all I've been doing, remembering my past and mistakes I did.

As soon as I entered my room I got rid of my dirty clothes and tossed them aside by a corner and got dressed comfortably when I went to rest on my bed, and unfortunately for me I had almost no sleep, I woke up gasping a bit.

Someone appeared in my dreams. A Japanese man dressed in black and gold armor and flames surrounding him. I've been seeing him a lot lately in my dreams, I don't know much about my past but all I know is my parents were one of the best fighters and their previous family members also, they were close to a clan way back then, they were distant family members.

"Find him...Cole Young."

That's what the deep voice said to me.

Cole Young? He's the guy who has a daughter and wife. Don't tell me that... he's a part of this.

I eagerly waited until the next day and made it to the same building and waited patiently inside meanwhile this Cole guy was fighting off someone else. I was sitting far by a corner and looked back at few papers and job applications pinned on a wall. I rolled my eyes when I saw the poster of a man promoting his new movie, "What a showoff."

The crowed cheered and some groaned when the fight was over, Cole Young lost this fight. I remained hidden from Jax and Cole until the moment was right.

"Cole Young." I called out when he was walking out of the doors.

The young man stopped and stared at me confused, "Who are you?"

I rolled my eyes when all of the sudden his family appeared again. Fuck, I was sure they weren't around, they mustn't know of this.

"I'm (Y/N). I'm here to offer you a job, it will reward you handsomely." I lie and force a smile.

"Well, I was just heading out for dinner..would you mind joining us so we can discuss it, cause I've never heard of you." He says back. I eye him and his family.

*************

Cole and I were sitting far away from his family since I told them this was a private discussion. I looked back to make sure they weren't nearby and looked back at him, "Okay, let's cut the bullshit here."

The guy looks at me even more confused so I continue. "I don't work for any company, all I have is a crappy apartment I barely have the money to afford."

"Who are you then? I have noticed you quite some time also."

I smirk and try to reach forward to grab his shirt but he leans back quick. "You have a birthmark do you? A dragon perhaps?"

"How'd you know?"

"Cause I have one myself."

"What? What's it means? Where do you have it-"

"Trust me you don't want to know and it means that you're special Cole. You're part of something big, Mortal Kombat." Cole looks at me with an even stranger face and behind to chuckle to himself.

"Look miss I don't know what your talking about so I'll be leaving now-" Cole stood up so I roughly placed him down onto his seat and in the process a few plates fell down and everyone turned to stare at us. I could feel his family's eyes on me.

"I'm not fucking kidding here kid, you need to come with me. Don't you dare get closer!" I warn at his wife when she tries to come near us.

The woman looks back at Cole worriedly but makes no attempt to get closer as I tell her. "If you don't come with me you're life will be in danger, kid."

"Kid? I'm about your age." He says.

I grab his collar and lift him up but just as I was about to threaten him the diner we were in began to get cold... cold? I looked outside and saw snow falling from the sky but it was falling at where his daughter was sitting.

"Oh fuck..."

Someone grabbed my neck and lifted me up and I was face to face with a man dressed in black and pale blue eyes, his eyes glaring hard at me. "Cole..run you idiot.." I said trying to breath but the man held me tight.

Something hit this man's back and I noticed Cole had thrown a chair at him but the man didn't even flinch. He glared at him and threw me back against the wall until I passed out and the last thing I saw was Jax inside a van driving off with Cole and his family.

**********

"Fucking hell it always has to be me." I groan as I continue to walk through the desert, I still have a massive headache because that icy guy attacked me and tried to do the same to Cole or worse. He had such hate in his eyes when he saw me and that Cole guy, is he after something?

I rolled my eyes when I entered a cave and I touched the ground activating my arcana, the wall made of rock opened itself up. "Home again." I mutter and held onto the side of my head.

In a hurry I walked in and was met by two familiar faces. One from my ex and the other by my once friend, "Welcome back home, (Y/N)."

I hate Kung Lao so much, he always had that stupid smirk on his face when he used to tease me, the same one that made me fall in love with him back then.

Liu Kang was by his side as usual and he had a kind but almost shy expression when he was always with me. I frown at them and pushed them aside and began searching for Raiden.

[alexchild60]

Nothin’ On You- Kung Lao x Reader

I wrote this after listening to the song Nothin’ On You by B.o.B. This is very loosely based on the song (meaning I heard the song and this is what I came up with, even if it doesn’t line up). I hope you enjoy it :)

I sat on the sidelines of the fight pit as I watched Kung Lao prepare to fight Cole to help him find his arcana. Kung Lao ran his hand along his hat, something he typically does before he makes his initial strike. He quickly removed his hat and began maneuvering it as a weapon against Cole. Cole dodged the hat before kicking it and switching to offense. He kicked at Kung Lao, which he blocked each time with his hat. After the third kick to his hat, Kung Lao jumped in the air and kicked Cole in the chest. He quickly threw his hat, which caused Cole to fly in the air before hitting the ground. Kung Lao caught his hat midair and immediately placed it back on his head. He made eye contact with me and gave me a wink before coming to sit beside me on the steps.

Cole walked to the side grimacing while looking at his arm. “You okay, Cole?” I asked.

“Yeah, I’m good,” he replied. I nodded before looking at Kung Lao while Liu Kang and Kano were sparring.

I’ve been at Raiden’s temple for about a year and a half. I know what these new champions are going through to find their arcana because I had the same struggle not too long ago. I came in without any martial arts training, so Kung Lao and Liu Kang literally started from scratch with me. The past year, I had really developed a strong friendship with the two of them while we constantly trained. Liu Kang and I were basically inseparable, but my relationship with Kung Lao was different. Obviously we were friends, but I had stronger feelings for him. When I was working on finding my arcana, Kung Lao pushed me constantly and really helped me find my arcana.

“What?” Kung Lao asked when he finally saw me looking at him. My face warmed up and his classic smirk appeared on his face in response.

“Nothing. I just hope they find their arcanas quickly.”

He wrapped an arm around my shoulder and pulled me to his side. “Amongst the three of us, they’ll be ready before the tournament.”

“I’d much rather fight that beauty over there,” Kano said confidently as he looked at me.

Kung Lao tightened his hold on me. “You don’t have to fight him, (Y/N),” he whispered so only I could hear.

“If it helps him find his arcana, then I might as well,” I replied as I stood. 

I walked to where Liu Kang stood. “Good luck, (Y/N),” he said as he walked to the steps. 

“I’ll make sure to go easy on you, babe,” Kano teased.

I got into my fighting stance as I prepared for Kano to come at me. He walked up to me and went to grab me. I easily dodged it by stepping to the side. With him out of place, I went to hit him in the back. He turned quickly, like he knew I would, and elbowed me in the stomach. I saw Kung Lao quickly stand. I put a hand up to stop him from doing anything. 

Kano chuckled. “Sorry, I prefer to play rough, babe.”

I rolled my eyes before returning to my starting stance. Kano moved closer to me and went to punch me. I dodged his fist and responded with my own to his nose. 

“Really, cheap shots?” I shrugged my shoulders and prepared to strike.

I ran at him and jumped on his back. He tried to knock me off his back using his elbows. He began backing towards the wall of the pit. I summoned my arcana as he neared the wall. A vine poked through the dirt and wrapped around Kano’s leg. 

“Are you fucking serious?” He growled. I took advantage of his surprise and knocked him to the ground. I summoned more vines to hold down his other leg, his arms, and his neck. He struggled against them before giving up. 

“Surrender?” I asked.

“More turned on than anything,” Kano said with a smirk. “Is this what you, hat boy, and Magic Mike do in your free time?” I scoffed in disgust and walked away from him.

I walked into the infirmary to check on Cole. Liu Kang was treating his wound with acupuncture needles.

“How’s your arm doing?” I asked as I looked over Liu Kang’s shoulder.

“It still hurts, but Liu Kang’s helping quite a bit.”

“I’m glad I wasn’t the only one Kung Lao refused to go easy on.” I rolled up my shorts a little bit to show him the scar on my thigh. “He cut me on my second day of sparring. Liu Kang helped treat the wound.”

“How long after that did it take for you to develop your arcana after that?”

“Nearly a year after.”

Cole let out a sigh. “If the tournament is in a month, then I won’t develop my arcana in time.”

“Cole, it will come. (Y/N), Kung Lao, and I will help you get your arcana in time,” Liu Kang encouraged.

I placed my hand on his good shoulder. “Not everyone’s arcana comes at the same time. It’s more complicated than that,” I explained.

Kung Lao entered the room. I saw his eyes look at my hand on Cole’s shoulder. 

He coughed awkwardly. “Liu, Raiden wants to speak with us.”

“Give me just a moment. I am almost done tending to Cole’s wound,” Liu Kang responded. 

Kung Lao nodded. His gaze fell on my hand again which caused me to quickly take it off Cole’s shoulder.

“Finished,” Liu Kang announced.

“Cole, (Y/N), we will see you tomorrow for training,” Kung Lao said as the two of them went to leave the room.

I turned to Cole. “Don’t let not having your arcana prevent you from discovering it, Cole. Kung Lao and Liu Kang know what they’re doing. I am proof of that. It will come. Trust the process.”

“Thanks, (Y/N). I’ll try.” He stood up and left the room.

I let out a sigh before following suit and leaving myself. I decided I would go relax in the hot springs before I went to bed.

The hot springs were empty when I arrived. I chose a spring and dropped my towel at the edge. I slipped into the water and instantly felt my muscles relax. I closed my eyes as my head fell back and a moan left my lips as I sunk in deeper.

“Ohhh, I didn’t realize I needed this so bad,” I said to myself.

“Is there room for one more?” A familiar voice asked.

“Of course, Kung Lao,” I replied without opening my eyes. I heard him sink into the water. I waited a minute before opening my eyes. I saw Kung Lao looking at me with a smile on his face. A blush crept on my face.  “What?”

“Nothing. I’m just enjoying the hot springs.”

Kung Lao was about two feet away from me. I decided to move closer to him. I laid my head on his shoulder once I was beside him. I looked out into the array of hot springs, and Kung Lao wrapped his arm around my shoulder.

“What did Raiden want to speak to you and Liu Kang about?”

“He’s afraid the new champions will not be ready in time.”

“I think they will. Raiden knows just as well as you and I that this is a process.” 

“You’re right. It took you a year to get yours,” he teased.

I chuckled. “It only took ten months.”

“Yeah, only.”

I playfully hit him. “Well at least mine is cooler than a lame hat.”

“If I remember correctly, that lame hat is what helped you get your lame vines.”

“The vines aren’t lame.” Kung Lao smiled and chuckled. “Kano seemed to be impressed by them.”

The smile on his face quickly left and his jaw tightened. “I didn’t think you’d be the type who wanted to impress him.”

Without completely thinking it through, I decided to keep teasing him. “You know? I’m actually a sucker for an Australian accent.”

“And what about his awful personality?”

“Besides the accent, he’s not really my type.”

His face changed. A smirk crossed his face instead. “And what exactly is your type?”

I sat back and thought for a second. “There is this guy who helped train me that I’ve really got my eye on. It’s hard to even think about anybody else because he is just that great.” 

I looked up at him. He looked back at me for a minute or two before glancing at my lips. I decided to close the space between us. Our lips connected and there felt like a small burst of electricity. Our lips moved in perfect, synchronized movements. I pulled away to catch my breath. 

“Kung Lao, I really like you.”

“I really like you, too, (Y/N).”

“I want to see where this goes because I feel a real connection with you. It’s different from the ones I have with Liu Kang, Cole, and any other guy I’ve met. ” I could feel myself beginning to ramble. Kung Lao silenced my rambling by kissing me again.

“Let’s just see where this goes and we’ll move from there. Okay?”

I nodded. “Okay.”

[mktingz]

The one where Liu watches Friends ( for the first time )

Mortal kombat movie (2021) Spoilers!!

It was quiet, the most light in the room coming from the tv as I laid on the bed flipping through channels trying to find something to watch. Raiden had sent Cole, Sonya, Liu Kang, and Jax to Hollywood to find Johnny Cage. Of course, we had already found him, but he's a lot of work, and it's a lot harder to control Sonya when she's mad... She did almost kick his face off. We were staying in a hotel for the meantime, trying to find some way to get Johnny to come back to Raiden's temple. He wasn't the nicest person on the planet, he was just too full of himself.

I was pulled from my thoughts when I heard the bathroom door open. Since we were all staying in a hotel close to where Johnny Cage was located, we would be sharing rooms. Sonya and Jax were staying with each other in one room, Cole and his family were in one room, and Liu Kang and I shared a room. I didn't really mind, Liu Kang was a calm and collected guy, so I knew there would be nothing to worry about. But with the sudden death of Kung Lao, everything seemed to be harder for him. Everyone could see that Liu was struggling to keep himself together.

" What are you watching?" Liu Kang asked me, as he folded his clothes and put them in his bag. I looked back to the Tv to see Friends was on.

" Friends," I responded quickly, not wanting to keep him wondering for too long.

" Friends?" Liu Kang asked, he stared at me confused before I raised my brow at him.

" Yeah, Friends, you know; Rachel, Monica, Chandler, Joey, Ross, and Pheobe, god she's hilarious," I said, chuckling softly after finishing. Liu stared at me with a dumbfound expression, clearly lost as to what I just explained.

“ I’m sorry to say y/n, but I don’t know who any of those people are.” Liu Kang said, staring at me. I sighed, before shuffling over on my bed, moving slightly to the right. Then, I pat the spot next to me, silently telling Liu Kang to sit beside me on my bed. Liu nodded in understanding as he made his way over to me, and lifted the covers of my bed as he sat next to me, legs crossed, prayer beads wrapped in his hand still.

“ So that’s Rachel.” I say, pointing to her from afar, pausing the show so Liu can see who I’m specifically talking about.

“ Which girl? The one with the short hair?” Liu asked, before I sighed.

“ Liu, Monica has short hair too, but her hair is black. Rachel is the waitress.” I say, before he lets out a small ‘ah’ in understanding.

“ So the waitress is Rachel, the girl with the black hair is Monica and..?” Liu stopped, pointing to Phoebe.

“ That’s Phoebe, she’s funny, you might like her.” I say, before Liu nods, his brows knitted together firmly. Turns out the episode we were watching was ‘ The one where Ross finds out’.

“ So who is he?” Liu Kang asks, before I pause the show.

“ Which one? The one that just walked in is Ross.” I respond, before Liu Kang nods.

“ yes I was talking about him. So, so far I know Rachel, Monica, Phoebe, Ross, and the other two are Chandler and Joey?” He asks, unsure if he’s got it right. I nod happily and smile.

“ Yes yes that’s it! You learned their names! Okay so now, I’ll explain, Ross went away to China I believe and before he left, he really liked Rachel, like he’s been in love with her since high school if I’m not mistaken. So anyways, when he comes back from China he ends up coming back with a girl, Julie, and Rachel ends up sort of confessing to him that she likes him. In this scene, Ross comes back to kind of argue with Rachel about like his feelings for her and Rachel’s arguing with him and all that jazz.” I explain to Liu, who just stares at me as if I have three heads.

“ So, Ross and Rachel like each other?” Liu Kang asks before I nod.

“ yes, and this, this is the good part.” I say happily before leaning back onto my pillow, hitting the play button as Liu turns back to face the screen.

“ I didn’t get a cat.” Ross says, standing in front of Rachel.

“ oh, so… interesting” Rachel says, before Ross speaks again.

“ This is getting good.” I whisper to Liu, who nods in agreement.

“ no you know what it’s not interesting, okay, it’s very very not interesting, it’s actually %100 completely the opposite of interesting-“

“ I got it Ross “ Rachel says, before grab Liu’s arm out of excitement.

“ You had no right to tell me you ever had feelings for me” Ross says, before Liu raises his brows.

“ I know right “ I whisper, before he nods, Rachel continues.

“ What?” Rachel asks, before Ross says-

“ I was doing great with Julie before I found out about you” Ross says, before Liu and I gasp.

“ Hey, I was doing great before I found out about you, you think it’s easy for me to see you with Julie?” Rachel says, before Ross cuts her off.

“ Well then you should’ve said something before I met her.” Ross says, before Rachel responds again.

“ I didn’t know then, and how come you never said anything to me?” Rachel asks, before Ross answers again, an ongoing argument between the two.

“ because there was never a good time” Ross says, before Rachel answers back, and Liu and I gasp again.

“ right because you only had a year and we hung out every night.” Rachel stated, before Liu nodded and whispered.

“ She has a point.” Liu whispered to me, before I nodded back.

“ not..not… not every night, and then it’s not like I didn’t try but every time something got in the way; like- like Italian guys or ex-fiancé’s, or-or-or, Italian guys” Ross says, running out of things to say.

“ Hey, there was one Italian guy, okay and do you even have a point?” Rachel asks before Ross, quickly again, answers her.

“ the point is, I don’t need this right now, okay, it’s, it’s too late I’m with somebody else and I’m happy, this ship has sailed. “ Ross says, before Liu gasps loudly and shakes his head. I stop and pause the show.

“ How terrible, I mean, isn’t he the one that liked her first? And he pulls this?!” Liu Kang says, before I nod.

“ So, so what are you saying that we’re just gonna put away feelings or whatever the hell it was that you felt?” Rachel asked irritated.

“ Ross is crazy- sometimes, but just wait till the end of the episode.” I say, before Liu and I shuffle back into our positions and I hit play.

“ hey I’ve been doing it since the ninth grade, I’ve gotten pretty damn good at it. “ Ross says, before he starts turning to walk away.

“ alright fine, you go ahead and you do that alright Ross because I don’t need your stupid ship. good.” Rachel says, before Ross walks out of the cafe, and Rachel follows him to lock the door, but not before opening the door to yell at Ross. “ And you know what?! now I got closure!” Rachel yells to him, before turning to shut to the door, and turning all the locks and hitting the door. She huffs as she walks over to the couch of the caffe, sitting on it with her face in her hands as Ross appears behind the caffe door again, watching her with a sorry look on his face. Rachel fixes her dress before she stands, and walks to the doorway, turning around. She gasps when she sees Ross, and Liu and I gasp with her. At this point, we’re clutching each other for dear like, waiting to see what happens. As Rachel starts walking towards the door, Liu and I sit there waiting.

“ this is it Liu, this is it, this is it!” I whisper-yell to him. He grins and we shuffle closer to get her, watching as Rachel beings to unlock the locks on the door, and we laugh a little as she struggles on the last one. Finally, the door opens, and Ross and Rachel stand there, before Ross walks to Rachel and kisses her.

“ Finally!” Liu and I shout at the same time, a large smile on both of our faces as Rachel and Ross kiss each other.

“ that was a rollercoaster of emotions.” I say, sitting back, but smiling nonetheless about the outcome.

“ that was so much, they argue a lot. But it was romantic.” Liu says, before I nod in agreement. As I’m about to add on, there’s a knock on our hotel door.

“ Room service.” Says Sonya from the other side, who opens the door with a spare room key we gave her. “ we got Chinese food, you want some?” Sonya asked, holding up the bags of food. I nod and stand up, walking over to Sonya as everyone else piles into our hotel room.

“ what were you two watching?” Asks Sonya as she stares at the tv, now giving commercials.

“ Friends.” Liu and I both say at the same time. I smile and laugh as he does the same, and I feel joy knowing he’s laughed at least a little bit since Kung Laos death.

[whatifxwereyou]

Ashes Chapter 8: Hollywood

Pairing: Liu Kang x Reader

Finally, some air to breathe that isn't from Liu Kang. Maybe a little peace before some angst? But only maybe.

A/N: Had some fun writing Cole Young. Angst everywhere though. Sorry I don't have much to say today. Bad day. Hope you are all doing great though. Sending good vibes all around. Smooches.

First Chapter << Previous Chapter Next Chapter >> Chapter Index

When you’d got tired of the beach you’d gone to the hotel where Liu had told you that the others had been staying while they dealt with Johnny Cage, a B-Movie action star with an ego the size of a washed-up A-list star from twenty years ago.

You’d said goodnight and the next morning you showered and readied yourself for the day. This place was nicer than the motel you’d shared and you had some privacy.

Johnny Cage wasn’t easy to get a hold of, which had been a huge part of the problem. Apparently, they’d had to dance around agents and security and had gotten themselves thrown off of a movie set. Somehow, they had managed to convince him to meet with you the next morning and have an actual conversation about why you were there. You guessed that wasn’t going to go well after all you’d learned.

It also meant that you had some free time, a thing you had grown to hate over the years. Without Kung Lao you were left to your own devices and it almost never went well. Now you had a thousand more horrible things to think about.

You’d stopped Liu that morning after you’d decided you would play tourist. You and Kung Lao had always joked about going to Hollywood and you remembered a few of the places he’d said he’d wanted to see. With your sudden passion for taking photographs, you thought it would appropriate. But Liu was in a mood again and you weren’t about to ask him why.

You’d woken up feeling relatively okay that morning and weren’t about to change that.

If Liu needed to be alone to get out of his mood, then you would let him. Every time he’d been in a mood like that, you had wound up yelling at each other and you were not emotionally prepared to handle his frustration. You were both too volatile.

So, you went sight-seeing. The Hollywood sign had been far less remarkable than you’d expected but you took pictures anyway. The La Brea Tarpits had been nice but you wished you hadn’t been alone. You’d tried to think of how Kung Lao would have reacted but it only served to make you sad. You supposed that alone was your new state of being and you’d have to get used to it. There had been a time where alone was all you’d known, and you had been more than comfortable with it.

It would take a long time to get back to that if you ever managed to. You took to imagining that maybe you would show these pictures to Kung Lao someday. You knew that wasn’t possible, but he would have wanted to see them and hear all about your adventures. That was heartbreaking in and of itself, but it did give you a new purpose as you traveled throughout Hollywood. It wasn’t often that you got to play tourist in new places. you had always talked about going there together just to see the Chinese Theater and the Walk of Fame. He’d wanted to take a picture with Bruce Lee’s star.

Then you sat and people watched on Hollywood Boulevard, wondering what their lives must be like. Some were obvious tourists. You liked to think that their visiting the Walk of Fame was a fulfillment of a lifelong dream. Others were on their way to work or just living their lives, not bothering with the star-studded walkway as though it were nothing more than a gateway from where they were to where they were going. None of them were wrong but it was nice to focus on the lives of others rather than the mess that was yours.

You browsed through the photos that you’d taken that morning. You’d asked a stranger to take a picture of you next to Bruce Lee’s star and smiled at the photograph. Kung Lao would have loved that.

You’d both been fans of old martial arts films and no one was more iconic than Bruce Lee.

After dating for a few months, you and Kung Lao had taken to sneaking out to the closest towns and renting rooms in motels and inns just so you could watch those movies together. You’d continued that tradition throughout the entirety of your relationship up until the last six months. Things had gotten sticky and confusing then. You’d both been busy and had fought more than usual. You’d been thinking about suggesting a weekend away after you’d gotten back from your trip so that you could touch base and figure things out.

So much for that.

You should have suggested it earlier.

The past was the past, you reminded yourself.

You couldn’t let it get to you no matter how it felt like a dagger twisting in your chest each time you thought about what you should have done. Rubbing your sore and tired eyes, you put the phone into your bag and closed your eyes, listening to the monotony of humanity passing by.

In one of those hotels was where you and Kung Lao had your first time. You’d been watching Enter the Dragon, discussing the importance of the role, and your experiences first seeing the movie in your childhood. You still remembered how his lips felt- soft and sticky, sweet and fermented with the flavor of the plum wine you’d been sharing.

You’d ignored the movie and made out instead, like giddy teenagers. You’d been the one to push him further. Kung Lao had asked you if you were certain which had been sweet. It had broken the floodgates.

He had certainly tried before then- many times. He’d never been subtle about it and he’d never pushed you beyond your limit though he did try to push his luck. When you told him no, he always listened and had never once made you feel guilty about it. You had been grateful for his patience then. Holding your head in your hands you sighed.

Even your fondest memories of him were tainted with sadness. You wondered if there would ever only be fondness and no sorrow attached to thoughts of him. Realistically you knew that there would be but for now it felt improbable. The photos you’d taken that day brought you a little peace. It had been kind of cathartic to do something in Kung Lao’s honor rather than fixating on the only piece of him you had left while drenched in guilt for a thousand different reasons.

Sleeping with his best friend was at the very top of that list.

At least you hadn’t done it while you’d been dating. What a tiny, tiny sad silver lining that was on your sad, shitty story.

“Y/N? Is that you?” An unfamiliar voice called your name so you sat alert. That was upsetting. To be called out by a voice you had never heard in the middle of your contemplation. A tall, well-built, handsome man approached you. He had a kind smile and what you could only describe as 90s protagonist hair. “This must be weird. Sorry. I’m Cole Young.” He held his hand out to introduce himself and you shook it but were cautious. As if sensing that you didn’t trust him, he pulled down the collar of his shirt to show you the dragon marking on his chest. That was proof enough.

“Sorry, you startled me. I was lost in my own little world.” You offered for him to take the seat across from you at the table you’d been occupying at a little bistro. You’d bought food but had given it away. Your appetite hadn’t been the best the past few days. Thinking about Kung Lao or Liu Kang for extended periods did away with any hunger you had. “It’s nice to meet you finally. I will be honest and say I haven’t heard much about you. I don’t think many personal stories were swapped with the company I keep. I did hear, however, that you are a nice enough man.”

“That’s the best I can hope for. I didn’t hear much about you either. Raiden showed me what you looked like and I knew you and Liu were supposed to arrive soon.” He took the seat you offered and for a time you swapped pleasantries. He was nice, as advertised, but you hadn’t been expecting socialization so you felt awkward. “What brings you to this part of town, Y/N?” He asked when things fell silent. You’d expected him to say that it had been nice to meet you and go on his way. Instead, he insisted upon more small talk. He seemed bored.

“Doing some sightseeing. Taking some pictures for a friend.” You weren’t sure why you felt the need to justify your motives but you’d been instantly defensive. Liu Kang had made you defensive about everything. Kung Lao would have called you out on it and you smiled at the memory. “What about you?”

“Sightseeing with the family. Allison and Emily are doing some window shopping. I spotted you and was tired of shopping so I figured I’d say hi.” He laughed. Presumably, Allison and Emily were his wife and child. He hadn’t clarified but you’d been told he had family. “Thanks for the escape.” That explained why he’d seemed bored.

“Anytime.” Silence again. You were terrible at conversation right now. You felt outside of yourself. You weren’t ready to talk casually about nothing. “It’s nice to finally meet you. You’re as lovely as everyone said you were. Well, Raiden didn’t use those words exactly but I’ve been around him long enough to understand what he meant.”

“He has a way about him, Raiden.” Cole chuckled, leaning back in his chair. The breeze felt nice and the silence less awkward. “Is the friend you’re taking pictures for Kung Lao?”

You stiffened up and were sure that your expression was suddenly unpleasant. It was too late to hide your gut reaction- tongue over your bottom teeth, lips turned in a frown, eyes closed in frustration. Not an attractive look and definitely not one that would disguise how off guard you’d been taken by the question and how inappropriately personal it was.

He’d known Kung Lao too. The scar on his arm was from his hat. You’d been told in detail much of Kung Lao’s last few days thanks to Raiden.

“Too personal??” Cole winced apologetically.

“It’s okay.”

“He seemed like the kind of guy who would enjoy this.”

“He was. And yes, I was taking pictures for him. He would have wanted to see it.” He would have wanted to be there with you was what you meant, but you were sure Cole got that. He seemed like a smart enough guy. He nodded and silence fell again.

“I’m sorry.” He was avoiding your eyes this time.

“For what?”

“I feel responsible. He was protecting me. He was safe. Gone. He came back to protect me.” Cole had proven to you quickly that he was, in fact, a good man.

“No, Cole.” You scooted to the end of your seat. “Kung Lao made a choice to protect you. He wouldn’t want you to take the blame for what happened.”

“Liu Kang said the same thing.”

“I’m not surprised.” Exhaustion washed over you like a cold wave, tingling down your spine. Grief weighed heavily on your shoulders.

“How are you holding up? With all of this?” Cole gestured to nothing in particular. “It’s not easy to get back to normal after this. Even for me.”

“You seem like a nice guy, Cole, but I don’t know you and this is a very intimate conversation you’ve started.” You began to let him down gently. You weren’t comfortable talking about this with people you’d known for years so you definitely weren’t comfortable talking to a complete stranger about it.

“I get it. I just… wanted to check in.”

“I’m okay.” You assured him and when he didn’t seem to believe you, you smiled and continued. “I’ll be honest and vague. I’ll tell you what I tell everyone who asks me about it. It doesn’t get easier. I carry it better some days than others. People keep telling me that time brings distance but I’m not there yet. Despite that, I’m okay. Really.”

“I’m sorry.” He really did seem like a nice guy. “It’s hard to lose someone you care about.”

“It is.” You weren’t going to talk about it with him. You didn’t want to talk about it with anyone. You were tired of thinking about it. You thought about it constantly. “Can you fill me in on what’s going on with this actor?” A change of subject had to help.

“Oh, yeah.” Cole rolled his eyes and you laughed in surprise. “The only reason he’s even agreed to meet with us is because Sonya pinned one of his bodyguards when he tried to have us removed. He had a very brief conversation with us that was mostly inappropriate comments at Sonya’s expense. When I tried to explain to him what the dragon mark meant he said something about being a weird pitch for a movie. Still, he’s agreed to meet with us again so that’s something.” Cole sighed as though this had been a long and frustrating process. “I’m hoping that Liu can be more convincing. His arcana is impressive and might get him listening.”

“He’s good at that.” You considered that he hadn’t been over the last week. “I can help if need be. I can make a pretty dramatic first impression if I need to.”

“No one told me about your arcana.” Cole rested his elbows on his knees, hands clasped together. This was a much more comfortable and relaxed conversation. Far less awkward, thankfully. “I asked Liu this morning when I ran into him but he was touchy when I brought it up.”

“Not surprised by that.”

“Yeah?” Cole’s curiosity was funny. You were reminded of a few of your monk friends back at Raiden’s Temple. When you’d first arrived there had been nothing but gossip. He was just making polite conversation, but it was still a little funny.

“Nothing you need to worry about.”

“What’s your arcana, then?”

“It’s easier to show you. Everyone gets the wrong impression when I tell them. And to show you? I need privacy.” You gestured down the block. “Is that okay?”

“Sure. Allison’s going to call me when they’re done.” Cole stood. You left a tip with the server and then walked with Cole down the street and into an alleyway between shops. You were still at risk of being seen but you would be careful. No one would believe what they saw anyway. “So?”

“Now I just need you to promise not to panic.” You laughed and backed a little bit away from him so you were facing toward the street and could keep an eye out for passersby.

“Why would I panic?”

You decided it was better to just show him than explain. It rarely made sense without showing it off anyway. You stepped back and studied Cole which elicited an eyebrow raise from him. Then you gestured with your index finger from the ground up. You created an ink copy of Cole. He stepped back from it in surprise so you made the clone mimic his movements.

These clones were easy enough to create but, in the beginning, it had been mostly on accident of either Kung Lao or Liu Kang since that was who you had spent the most time with. One of your first fights with Kung Lao had been about how your arcana always became Liu Kang when you panicked. There hadn’t ever been any resolution to it. The mimicked ‘drawings’ as you referred to them behaved in ways that you were familiar with but not knowing Cole, you studied him and copied his current motions.

The drawings drained you faster than creating inanimate objects would which was why you didn’t do it very often. But this trick was easy enough to give Cole an idea of what you could do. He looked to you for affirmation and you nodded. He then readied his stance for a fight so you mimicked him. Then he laughed and jumped from foot to foot and pointed at the ink version of him doing the same. “You can just do that? With anyone?”

“Among other things. This is the trick that freaks people out the most though.”

“So, your arcana is what? Cloning?

“Ink.” You corrected and with a snap of your fingers the drawing was gone and instead you used your forefinger to write his name in Chinese in the air. “It was Liu’s ideas to use it for mimicry. Kung Lao suggested weapons. Both have been pretty useful but keeping up the… for lack of a better word, puppets, is much more work. Liu would make things out of flame and I would mimic it with my ink until one day I accidentally mimicked him.”

“Accidentally?”

“Yeah. I’d gotten so familiar with him during training that instead of the fire, the ink became Liu Kang. After that we focused on drawing more specific things.” You drew a jian with a simple slap of your palms together. The weapons and shadows had once dripped with ink. You’d been using them for years now and so they didn’t look like ink anymore. They looked more like black crystal. “I’m pretty good at it these days.”

“I’d say.” Cole laughed and then pulled his phone from his pocket as if he’d gotten a message. “Well, if Liu can’t convince this guy to take us seriously then you can have him kick his own ass.”

“Guess I’m going to have to watch one of his movies so I can be familiar with him.” Maybe you’d do that tonight at the hotel.

“Hey, Ally and Emily want to grab a bite to eat. Do you want to join us? You’re welcome to.” Cole gestured back out to the street and you followed him. Your instinct was to say no. To go back to your hotel room and isolate yourself but that was your sadness talking. This was an opportunity. A choice. You could go back to your room and wallow in your misery or you could join Cole and his family and get to know them a bit better.

Distance yourself a little from the misery.

“I’d like that.” You decided and Cole smiled brightly.

“Good!” You followed Cole down the street to meet up with his wife and daughter. Every bit of your brain was objecting to the fact that you’d agreed but you knew it was the right thing to do. Kung Lao would have never let you wallow the way that you were. He would have dragged you out of bed and either tried to fix what was bothering you or distract you. There was nothing Kung Lao or anyone could do to fix this but if you at least tried to get out of your head then you might just help yourself.

Next Chapter >>

[willofyaoi]

Liucole fic idea:

Liu hovered in mid-air next to the chandelier as he observed a tall, well-built man entering the grand mansion from the front door.

Ah, another human, another imprudent owner for me to scare away.

He thought to himself, a mischievous grin on his face.

Just what else could possibly go wrong for just to scare the man running? 😋

[weak-hero]

ASIAN REP X MORTAL KOMBAT (2021)

Chin Han as Shang Tsung

Hiroyuki Sanada as Scorpion

Tadanobu Asano as Raiden

Lewis Tan as Cole Young

Ludi Lin as Liu Kang

Max Huang as Kung Lao

Joe Taslim as Sub-Zero

[jt-artsandfics]

I adore your writing! ♡♡ Is it ok if I asked for a Liu Kang Oneshot? Like his S/O gets seriously hurt accidentally while training with him. Thank You :>

Lui Kang x Gender Neutral Reader.

Accidents and Fiery spirits

I'm gonna keep with gender neutral unless asked otherwise. But I hope you enjoy.

Training with Kung Lao and Liu Kang has provided interesting so far. They had helped Kano open his arcana thought anger and now they were focused on you and Cole. That being said Kung Lao and Cole were set together to train while Liu Kang had become your trainer.

"Come on Skippy!, stop jumping around and actually fight the bugger" Kano calls out from his spot.

"How about you shut the hell up Kano, you might have gotten your lovely little superpower thought anger but now everyone does" I shout back at him while flipping him the bird as I lay on the ground for what felt like the tenth time time today.

"(Y/N) focus" Liu Kang say taking his stance again. I love to stand up again, my body not dealing with everything well. The past few days had been the worse not only was training becoming intense but getting a fever was getting just as bad.

"You know why don't you just let me beat the shit out of them like you did for Cole, could work out well." Kano says while eatting, I shake my head taking my stance ready to fight Liu.

"Unlike Mr Young, (y/n) is not a fighter, so we must teach them different techniques and fighting styles, it is the downside of the markings when they are given to someone who has no skill in fighting" Liu Kang explains as we circle each other.

"Come on Liu just hit me with the best you got, I'm not gonna learn otherwise"

"Very Well"

I can feel the sweat dripping down my back and my body hurts so much, I spit blood over onto the dirt. Liu Kang hasn't even broken a sweat as he moves around.

I move avoiding the fire to the best of my abilities. The next thing I feel is my body in agonizing pain before I blackout.

-------

Liu Kang sees them collapse onto the ground he can see the burn marks on their body. His own is running off adrenaline as he rushes over to pick them up. Hair singed soot covering parts of their body as he yells for Kano to get Kung Lao. Liu rushes too the infirmary.

Liu stayed by your side as much has he could. The burns were severe in some place, he stayed out of the way of those who were tending to your wounds. Jax, Sonya, Cole and Kung Lao came around every now and then to check up on both him and (Y/N). Liu prays every chance he gets, praying that you recover quickly.

"Hey, checking up on the both of you." Liu turns to see Cole standing at the door. His own wounds had healed well. "I'm well, from what I've been told, (Y/N) will be alright, unfortunately they weren't well. They were suffering from a bad fever before our fight, it just caused them to be in alot more pain" he sighs running a hand over their hair slowly.

"It wasn't your fault Liu, things happen, you didn't know and nor did

(Y/n) know that they were going to pass out during your fight" Cole explains as he takes a seat near Liu Kang. "They'll be alright, they may not be a literal fighter, but they are strong and will make it though anything"

-------

My eyes feel heavy, my body hurts so much as I try and move, I turn my head to the side trying to focus on the buried objects and figures. "Hello..?" Things are quite for a moment until I feel a hand rest on the side of my face. I close my eyes sighing lightly. "Hey, glad to see your awake" I smile lightly recognising Liu Kang's voice.

"How, how long was I out, everything hurts alot" I feel Liu move to sit on the bed and rest my head against his chest. "Nearly a week, we were training and you just dropped, I hit you badly with my fire, I'm very sorry"

"I'm alright Liu, just really sore everything hurts" I say laying back into him closing my eyes. "Let me know if I can get you anything, I don't like seeing you in pain like this" he says pulling the blanket up. I press my face further into his chest and he wraps his arms around me softly. "Just want to stay like this, your warm and comfy" I say closing my eyes again as I rest against him.

He runs one hand thought my hair, softly untangling my hair, he presses light kisses to my forehead as I cuddle up to him. We stay like this for a few hours, I drift in and out of sleep, Always waking to him. The next time I wake Liu has two plates of food. "(Y/n) You need to eat" he says lightly, I move slowly to sit up, he moves both plates to rest on my Lap. He pulls a set of chopstick off the plate and lifts an egg roll up to my lips, I take a bite slowly chewing it.

" Is this alright?, didn't want anything two over the top for you to eat just yet" he explains as he continues to feed me. I nod as I eat more food. "Thank you Lui, for looking after me, really it means alot" I say smiling. He rest a hand against my cheek rubbing his thumb against the uneven skin.

"I guess I look a little bad?" I ask, he continues looking over my burns. "Not bad really, I'm glad it hasn't sacred badly" he says lightly. It's silent between you both. "(Y/n) may I kiss you?" I look up to him nodding. He leans down pressing a soft kiss to my lips, it's gentle and quick and very sweet. " Your too sweet for this world Liu"

[rowinablx]

You were the sun, and I was crashing into you. I’d wake up every morning and think, “This will end in flames.”

Cole Young x Liu Kang