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cassieuncaged · 9 months ago

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Night Out (A Mortal Kombat Oneshot)

Summary: Nyx and Alex go out for a night out, away from the Black Dragon.

TW: shenanigans, light violence, bleeding, suggestiveness, mention of tattoos, language (etc.)

WC: 3.4 K

A/N: Thank you to the amazing @chadillacboseman for letting me use Alex for this totally fun oneshot of Nyx actually making a friend and finally allowing someone to get to know her (sort of). It's just a fun outing mostly and little bit of trouble because this is the gruesome twosome we're dealing with here :)

Other's OC's Mentioned:

Echo (@roofgeese)

Tigue (@mintspider)

Ombra (@theelderhazelnut)

Kate (@quantum-lover)

Thanks for letting me borrow your babies!

Taglist: @roofgeese, @chadillacboseman, @theelderhazelnut, @quantum-lover, @elderglocks, @galaxycunt, @voidika, @spacestephh

Lights on the rooftop flickered, cigarette smoke hanging in a filmy haze. The night was black, starless except for the skyline of L.A. If that even counted. Nyx expelled smoke from her painted lips, thinking of the city and her crummy little apartment crammed above a Thai food restaurant. At least that meant unlimited helpings of pho and noodles to get her through sleepless nights.

The door creaked on its hinges before slamming shut with a thud. Rubber soles smacked against loose asphalt. Nyx felt her jaw tighten, suppressing a scream as she felt the pressure of company forced upon her. Nostrils flared, fat plumes of smoke exuding in silent aggression.

“What up, Elvira.” Alex yawned, nursing a swollen jaw with a frozen flank steak. She had no idea where it came from and didn’t really want an explanation. “Surprised you’re still here.”

“Doing Kano’s dirty work doesn’t leave me with a lot of time for a budding social life.” Burgundy eyes rolled, contact slipping enough to reveal a sliver of blue. Alex didn’t seem to notice. “Don’t you have another fight?”

“Got paid to throw it,” he shrugged, setting the steak on the ledge to pull a hoodie over his plain t-shirt. “Took a pretty nasty hit to the jaw. Bit the inside of my cheek.”

He tapped the bloated side of his face, blood soaked gauze exposed when his lips were cracked open.

“That explains it then,” Nyx smirked, flicking her cigarette off down below. He sounded like his tongue was too fat for his mouth.

“That’s littering,” he lisped with a chuckle, earning an eye roll, “Red irises tonight.”

“Yeah. So?” she snapped, crossing her arms over a leather clad chest.

“Just making small talk.” He laughed again, wincing at the throbbing pain in his jaw. “Which you are great at by the way.”

“Dickhead,” Nyx groused, eyes focusing on the waning sliver of moon.

“I’d make a jab too but something tells me you’d sock me in the other cheek.”

“Just like Jesus.” She actually cracked a smile, tipping her head in his direction. Alex hand never noticed until then how long her nose was, silhouette prominent against sprawling darkness.

“Exactly.” he nodded firmly, watching as she rested her arms across the ledge. Alex did the same. “Except I can’t turn water into wine.”

“Bummer.” that dry timbre returned, pale fingers knotted in a fist, nails lacquered black.

Of course.

Nyx was as plainly predictable as she was capricious. A mall goth pushing what everyone assumed was thirty, based on interests and pop culture references. Alex had garnered that she’d watched the Price Is Right when she was home sick from school and loved Gerard Way. Both were slips on her part but he could be disarming considering the regulars who frequented the Black Dragon. She wasn’t completely inscrutable like Echo.

“What’s your poison? You don’t seem like a cabernet type.” He pronounced the word incorrectly.

“Cabernet.” She corrected, lazily. He didn’t mind the habit of hers. It bothered the shit out of Kabal and Kano. “And I don’t drink. Not anymore.”

“Alcoholic?” he giggled, trying to be quippy and fresh. Keep the mood light. It wasn’t his best idea.

“Recovering actually. Prefer the Devil’s Lettuce these days. Maybe a bit of Molly if I go to a club.” This was absolutely shocking. He felt like he was discovering virgin land. No one else had ever pushed this far and been admitted. He’d expected a sweetheart like Kate would have been able to crack this nut but apparently it was Alex who was the excavator of this social ‘dig’. “Good way to pick up chicks.”

“You go out?” he was flabbergasted, scratching at the tag at the neck of his t-shirt. “I thought the rumors about you going home to a ferret were true.”

“Who the fuck knows about that?” she turned completely, black lips agape, piercings gleaming in the moonlight. A septum and an eyebrow stud. Not to mention a fading scar decorating one eye. He’d never studied her like a bug under a microscope before.

“Kabal. Says your pillow talk leaves something to be desired.” He shrugged, half smile plastered across a tan face. Black brows quirked. If Nyx didn’t know any better, she’d say he was handsome. A dope, but handsome nonetheless.

“Fuck a guy once and he can’t stop talking about your ferret.” Those dark eyes rolled, in annoyance, small hands flying up to smooth bi-colored hair.

“That sounds like a double entendre.”

“Well, it’s not.”

“What’s it named?” he was genuinely curious, shocked by their conversation’s progression. Any other time she’d briskly tell him to ‘fuck off’.

“Her name is Ghost.” she added softly, “She’s all I have left.”

A heavy silence lingered as Nyx fished in her pockets for fingerless leather gloves. Pulling them over pallid digits. She was getting ready to leave. Alex wasn’t exactly expecting a goodbye but was wholly shocked when she cocked her head and said:

“Wanna go out and paint the town black?”

……

Muscular arms wrapped around Nyx’s middle as the Ducati zipped through traffic. She wasn’t used to a passenger but loved the chance to show off. Even though she wore the only helmet; hopefully Alex wouldn’t go careening off into the street, head splitting like a watermelon.

She liked the guy and that would be a tragedy.

So the woman carefully glided between vehicles, sliding through a few yellow lights before turning onto Sunset. Neon lights blinded them, theaters wedged between many palm trees in concrete prisons. She hated the nightlife splendor, only partaking in a few clubs to find someone to occasionally warm her bed. There was never company, a passenger wrapped around her gut, clenching tighter at every stop light.

“You want In ‘n Out?” she slid the visor back, turning so Alex could hear her. She knew he was a glutton for carbs but only got a sharp headshake in response.

“Nah,” his voice was muffled beneath his white fanged mask, dark eyes sparkling with childlike glee. “Let’s find a strip club around here. Those places have the best wings.”

“Really?” she asked, fingers tapping on the leather handles of the bike, eyes flitting back to the fiery red light. “Didn’t take you for the strip club type.”

“What can I say,” he stretched his fingers across her leather clad jacket, catching a slight spasm. “Holy shit! Are you ticklish? The Princess of Darkness is a secret softyyyy-”

His words lingered like a comic book character’s speech bubble left hanging in the air, tires screeching when the light turned green. Stark white hair covered dark eyes like a blindfold as Nyx weaved in and out of cars. A chorus of honks chided them, a track of burnt rubber tattooed onto the asphalt.

The distant Hollywood Hills looked like mountainous peaks, light pollution adding a supernatural austere. Nyx enjoyed how the city came alive at night, sprawling miles of pink and blue lights spreading out like a network of veins. They were nestled in the belly of the breathing beast, the same one that housed the parking lot she wickedly turned into. Alex held on for dear life, jostled off the seat before she slid into an empty spot.

“That was kickass,” he proclaimed, pulling his mask off and slicking wild hair back into its ponytail. “You ever watch Akira?”

“Hell yeah,” she added, voice muffled beneath the helmet before prying it off. Black and white was fully revealed in a waterfall, space buns slightly squished. “Always wanted to recreate that slide. Figured it’d make me a badass.”

“Puh-lease.” Dark chocolate eyes rolled, tan skin appearing golden beneath flashing neon lights. The man had the body of a heart throb housing the personality of a puppy. He was like a cute kid brother she was growing protective of. “You say that like you aren’t already.”

“Thanks,” black lips pursed for a moment as gloved fingers sat the helmet atop the vinyl seat. Both turned to gawk at the neon sign flashing above them. It read Sunset Girls in flamingo pink, featuring the silhouette of a woman dancing when the light flickered. “You wanna go in?”

“Fuck yeah,” Alex exclaimed, pulling a pair of Wayfarers from his pocket and sliding them on. Nyx snorted; he looked ridiculous wearing sunglasses and sporting a purpling bruise on his jaw. One arm was tossed across her slender shoulders as he steered them both towards the door.

……

The place wasn’t a dive, but it sure as hell wasn’t classy either. Blue and purple lights painted the stage in the same indigo as an aquarium paired with the odiferous scent of cheap perfume and sweat.

Nyx had secured a small table towards the back while Alex combed through a rather sizeable buffet, sunglasses pushed atop his head. Def Leppard’s Animal throbbed through the sound system while a woman with a curtain of bottle blonde hair snapped a sequin bikini off.

Black lips curled in amusement; the establishment was so painfully cliched, right down to the schlubby sleazes roaring in amusement and throwing crumpled dollars onto the lighted floor. Taking a sip of a weakly mixed Bloody Mary, red contacts found her buddy for the evening ambling over with an abundantly filled plate.

“Here!” The food was plopped on the table, one side being presented as an offering. “They even had crab rangoons. You like those?”

“Not usually at a nudie bar, but I’ll bite.” Alex only smiled politely, not completely hearing sardonic words buried beneath the hair rock. Picking up the fried packet of dough, Nyx carefully tore it open with her front teeth. The filling was actually quite delicious as she began to chew, watching Alex destroy a pile of wings, “Holy shit, this is amazing!”

“Best part about these places is the food!” He used one hand to magnify his voice as soon as the song ended.

“Dude,” a man a few tables over chimed in, “You know there’s naked chicks here, right?”

“Drizzle them in cheese and jalapeños like the nachos at the buffet and then we’ll talk.”

Nyx practically choked on her drink, watching in amusement as the stranger grinned awkwardly, earning a genuine thumbs up from Alex before Xtina’s Dirrty was queued next.

“You’re alright.” She settled leather clad arms on the table before playfully socking the man in the shoulder.

“Kano should get you to fight,” he snickered, playfully rubbing his arm, “You could smash someone’s skull with that right hook.”

“Shut up,” her eyes rolled before quick fingers snuck another rangoon from his plate.

“Come on,” he teased, “sharpen it up and you’d fit right into the line up with Tigue and Ombra.”

“Don’t forget about Kate.” She warned; the woman could fry them all to a crisp but Nyx had a soft spot for her.

“I always thought you didn’t give a shit about us at the club. Like in a ‘too cool for school’, edgy rebel sort of way.”

“I don’t like to get attached to anyone in this business,” her gaze dropped to the table, fingers aimlessly braiding straw wrappers together. “It’s depressing.”

“Yeah,” he nodded knowingly, face cast in a shade of blue as he chewed. “But so is being alone. Besides, it’s not like any of us at the Black Dragon are saints; we can take care of ourselves.”

Before she could respond, there was a commotion from the private rooms behind them. Both of them immediately turned when a woman screamed:

“Get your hands off me, scumbag.”

No one else could hear anything over the music, leaving them to Nancy Drew the situation. Nyx slinked from her seat, leading the way as Alex wiped sauce sticky fingers on his sweatpants. The ‘private rooms’ were only alcoves hidden by velvet curtains, offering little privacy. There was another squeal from the closest one, followed by a smack. Nyx eyed her compatriot, silently directing him to take the other side.

“I paid for this, I’ll do what I want.”

Taking the lead, Alex slid in first, hands proudly resting on his hips when Nyx bolted past the thick , purple curtain.

“Not if we have anything to say about it!” He announced jubilantly, confounding the showgirl from squabbling with her sleazy patron. She moved to cover herself with a decorative cushion.

“What are you, Superman?” Nyx screwed up her pale features with disgust. Alex broke character, hands thrown up in surrender.

“Whaddya want? I’m trying to be heroic!” he declared, pounding his chest with one fist. The dancer flipped dark curls over one shoulder, dropping the cushion to reveal bare breasts. Both tried to stop their eyes from dropping immediately.

“I don’t a hero,” her green eyes glowed in the dim light, red lips open with a huff, “I need my manager to remove this fucking creep.”

“Hey, I paid extra!” The man roared, sporting slicked back hair and a bowling shirt. “If I wanna touch your tits, I will.”

“Listen, Tony Soprano,” it was Alex’s turn to roll his eyes, cross his arms across a maroon hoodie. “Everyone knows you get to look, not touch.”

“Who the hell are you two? Her guardian angels?” His beady eyes narrowed, paunchy face drenched in sweat. The man was astoundingly repulsive.

“No,” Nyx admitted coolly, kicking the heel of one boot forward before slickly pulling a kunai from the heel, “Just a couple shadows that you’re going to forget. Along with this woman. You’re gonna go home to your sad little house and jerk off like everyone else.”

“Or what?” His eyes were on the weapon, watching with the others as she brought the heavy object to dark lips before sticking out a pink tongue. Bringing the blade to soft skin, Nyx carefully brought the sharp edge across the edge of her tongue, releasing a shallow rivulet of blood. The tip flitted to the edges of pointed incisors, giving her the visage of a vampire. She tossed the kunai upwards before catching it.

“Do you really want to find out?” Her voice was huskier, dark as a thick syrupy bourbon with a bite to it. The man shook his head before scrabbling past the curtain and out of their sight. Black lips jutted forward as she sucked on her tongue, swiftly pocketing the knife before management got involved.

“Holy shit.” Alex gawked, along with the dancer who seemed not to mind their company. “That was awesome.”

“Yeah,” dark curls bounced as she nodded, “Thought we were going to have to call the cops. But you’re a bit of a freak. I appreciate it.”

“No problem. Sorry to bother you. The two began to peel the curtain open when the woman spoke again.

“Wait!” she fell back onto the red velvet bench. “I have fifteen minutes left before we need to vacate. Either of you want a dance? The other can get a free drink at the bar. For your troubles.”

Leather clad fingers clapped a broad shoulder, as Nyx leaned in to jokingly whisper:

“Go get her, tiger. I’m going to claim my boozy reward.”

……

Lucky’s was a grungy tattoo parlor on the edge of Hollywood Boulevard, sandwiched between a dry cleaner’s and a gated pawn shop. It was filled with a couple artists who worked on the occasional celebrity, sometimes after awards shows down at the Dolby Theater.

“You sure you both want skulls?” Ernie asked dutifully, scrawny as his partner Billy was pudgy.

“Yeah!” Alex spun in a swivel chair as Nyx extended a bare wrist. “They’ll be different. I want flames and she wants snakes.”

“Maybe like an ouroboros through the skull's eyes?” she added as Ernie sketched a design.

“You want it eating its tail or some shit?” a bushy brow arched upwards before she nodded her head. “To each their fucking own.”

“Fuck yeah!” Alex jeered with joy, spinning again. All the posters displaying flash prints bled together as he rode his high from dissipating liquor and a free lap dance. “Tonight is stellar.”

“You a couple?” Billy grumbled from behind his own sketch pad, expelling a huff from his nostrils.

“Nah,” Nyx piped up, suddenly animated, “He’s my baby brother. Wanted to get a tattoo with his big sis.”

“Heh,” Ernie exclaimed, revealing his sketch with fanfare. “Don’t look anything alike.”

“Different dads,” Alex added ruefully, winking at Nyx when she threw a sheath of black and white hair over one shoulder. “Genetics are weird, man.”

“Hell, yeah.” Ernie, jested, awaiting for her approval of his design. “Would you believe Bill and I were cousins?”

“No shit?” Alex played along, finally stilling in his seat. Then the tattooer threw his head back, cackling with amusement.

“I’m fucking with you. Just like you’re fucking with me.” he giggled a little more playfully, “Not that I give a shit. One lady came in here back in February, wearing this fancy ballgown saying she just won a fucking Oscar.”

“Didn’t she have it with her?” Nyx asked flatly, less than impressed while Alex’s eyes ballooned wide.

“Can spot a fake a mile away.” Ernie seemed prideful, leaning forward to plaster the outline onto her arm, “Probably foil covered and filled with chocolate.”

“Probably,” she parroted, watching as he hopped to surprisingly lithe feet, grabbing a pair of latex gloves and fresh needles. It was going to fucking sting but if she weren’t ready to feel something again.

……

Alex picked at the gauze covering the soft skin of his forearm, shadow of a flaming skull winking beneath the sheer material. Blinking away the bright lights of the burger joint, he hissed as one finger traced the decorative wound. Nyx bit into a juicy sandwich, relishing in the tanginess of pink meat.

“Okay?” Her mouth was full, half masticated on full display.

“They not have manners wherever the hell you're from?” he chuckled, popping a fry between his lips as she clamped her jaw shut and roughly swallowed. “I’m fine. Takes more than a few needles to bother me. How’s yours?”

“Alright,” she patted the leather covered span of her wrist, where a snake threaded it’s way through a cracked skull’s open mouth. “Not my first rodeo. Have four others.”

“No shit.” Another long fry was swirled in a pool of ketchup. “What else you got?”

“Ghostface, a candy heart that says ‘Bite Me’, a bat on a tombstone. And a daisy.” her gaze dropped to her half eaten burger.

“Not to get all Sesame Street on you, but one of these things is not like the other.” Alex leaned forward, balancing his jaw in an upturned palm. “I mean, you don’t have to share, but I’ll never tell your secrets.”

“Cross your heart and hope to die?”

“Stick a needle in my eye.” A warm smile split across his face, the beginning of five o’clock shadow decorating his chin.

“It’s for my mom. It was her favorite.” Red eyes dropped to the red formica table, moisture gathering in the corners.

“That’s a nice memorial.” Silence settled between them, the comfortable kind that found old friends enjoying each other’s company. Alex continued to eat his fries as mellow rock music played through a crackling radio. It was either John Mellencamp or Bryan Adams, but what was the difference?

The sound of meat sizzled from the kitchen as patrons continued to filter in despite the clock that ticked well past midnight. Other night owls passed by the plexiglass windows, cigarettes hanging from their lips. That was normally what Nyx did after completing a job, wandering the streets and paying it cool, giving herself a few alibis.

But there were no jobs tonight. Just company.

“Virginia.” she blurted suddenly. “That’s wherever the hell I’m from.”

“Oh,” dark eyes widened to saucers again, realizing that a dangerous wolf had allowed him to pet her snout, teeth no longer bared. “Thanks for trusting me with that.”

“I don’t trust a lot of people.” she nodded, black lipstick starting to fade and reveal pale pink while matte powder bled away to reveal a stray smattering of freckles. The mask was slipping. “But you’re proving to be trustworthy.”

“Don’t hear that a lot.” his eyes grew to the size of saucers, chocolatey and inviting as ever. Nyx felt her contact slip again. “Thanks.”

She grinned, this time authentic. Her cheeks warmed at the moment of intimacy, something she hadn’t experienced since leaving home. Noah used to make her blush all the damn time, reminding her what a good sister she was. Compliments always turned her tomato red, like she didn’t really deserve it.

“Your eyes are pretty by the way. Blue like the ocean.” he mirrored her grin, even wider than before.

“Thanks,” she relayed once more. Maybe they were friends. Maybe friendship wasn’t that bad.

#fanfiction #mortal kombat fanfiction #nyx and alex #platonic otp #gruesome twosome #oc: nyx #oc: alex #friends ocs #thanks for letting me borrow him tara!#your the best 💕#mk alex #mk nyx

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bihanspookies · 7 months ago

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Alora Fucks Up

Summary: A night away at a bar ends up turning into one of Alora’s biggest mistakes.

Warnings: uuhh blood, broken bones, violence

All Alora wanted was one night to herself, to have a sense of peace away from her hectic lifestyle. She wanted to be away from her peers, away from that god forsaken base, and from the latest thorn in her side: Jesse Waylon fucking Geller. Lately he had been showing up more and more at the Black Dragon base, Kano contracting Red Claw for a different type of business. Needless to say that Jesse’s persistent and obnoxious personality was a complete 180 from that Mitchell fellow she met two weeks prior.

She had gone to some shady bar, one that normally favored members of the Black Dragon and other mercenaries since they would usually bring fair business. It was almost an unspoken rule that the different factions kept to themselves, yet instead here she was, white knuckling her beer bottle as some greasy creep kept insisting on talking to her. She told him to leave her the fuck alone— exactly like that, but he persisted and even slid into the barstool next to hers.

“Fucking hell, you look rough. Like it though...” Is what he told her when he caught the first glimpse of her scarred face. That’s when Alora had verbally cursed him, annoyance crystal clear in her tone and had demanded for him to move.

He didn’t, five beers too far in to make a single coherent thought. Alora was ready to just give up and leave, far too drained and irritated to properly deal with the man and sort him straight. She downed the rest of her beer (her first one), placed money on the table and hopped off the stool without so much as a glance to the guy.

“Hey! Not done talking—“

It was instant when she swung around and clocked her fist into his jaw, blood and a few teeth flying out and skittering across the floor because he decided he didn’t need any when his hand came to slap against her backside. His cry of agony silenced the bar, the other patrons murmuring at the scene that was beginning to unfold. Fights were normal on this side of town, it was rare when something didn’t break out. He stumbled off the seat, using another one to keep himself upright.

“You fucking bi—!”

He was silenced again when her same hand shot out and whacked him on the nose, knocking him clean off his feet. He crashed to the floor, colliding into a few other bar goers as they barely cushioned his fall. Alora stepped closer, ready to execute another hit when the man put his hands up, waving and shaking them for mercy. Alora scoffed and rolled her eyes, prepared to finally leave when of course he had to open his mouth again. She didn’t quite catch what he said, just knowing that it was some other bullshit.

She grabbed her empty beer bottle off the countertop, the man’s eyes widening in fear when he saw her rear her arm back. He screamed when it came smashing down right next to his head, amber glass exploding into a million tiny shards and sinking into his skin.

He howled in pain and Alora sucked her teeth, muttering a ‘sorry’ to the bartender and dropping a few more bills for damages.

That was yesterday night.

Today, in the late afternoon, she’s sitting at the base’s bar and idly chatting with Kate and Billie. It’s an ordinary conversation, when Danny and Kano walk in with the latter looking positively peeved off. Alora briefly spares them a glance, opening her mouth to reply to Billie when Danny slides into the seat next to her, giving one of his infamous charming smiles before making it tight lipped and turning to talk to Billie who was sitting behind the bar.

“Whiskey, Kano Jr. I need it.” He muses, Billie giving him a look and rolling her eyes.

“Do I look like I’m ol’ enough to be servin’?” She retorts, downing the rest of her soda before hopping off her barstool anyway to reach under the counter and grab a bottle of whiskey. As she’s pouring it, Alora can’t help but notice Kano in the background, angrily talking about something to Alex and Kabal who were in the middle of a pool game. Their expressions shift from confusion to bewilderment as they listen to Kano talk, Alora unfortunately a bit too far away to catch exactly what he was spewing on about.

She’s brought back when Danny clicks his tongue, putting her attention back on Billie who just finished licking the rim of his glass and handing it off to him. Danny inspects his cup and wipes it off with a napkin before taking a huge sip, looking at Billie with a raised eyebrow before he brings the drink away with a sound of satisfaction.

“Keep that bottle out, Mini Me. Gonna need it with the way this deal got botched.”

That makes Alora’s curiosity pique, trailing her gaze from Danny’s glass to his face. He catches her stare and takes it as a sign to continue. With a heavy sigh he leans back, stretching and lifting his glasses to rub at his tired green eyes.

“Prick didn’t show up. Turns out the muppet got his ass handed to him at the bar last night….”

It’s a slow creep that starts in her heart and spreads throughout her body. The hair on the back of her neck prickles and Alora starts wondering if there was some sort of off chance that there was another guy who got beat at the exact same time.

“How’d you figure that?” Billie asks while Alora starts to twirl the straw in her own cup lazily, using her finger to have it circle around the rim. She’s keeping calm, staying silent to determine if she’s royally fucked or not.

“Well for starters, mate has the gall to send Kano a picture of him in the hospital. Absolutely beaten to shit.” Danny huffs and takes another sip, a slight grimace on his features as he places the cup back down. Alora feels a skip in her heart, simply giving a quirk of her eyebrows as her gaze drifts behind the Brit and back to her boss. She can see Kabal doing his best to talk Kano down, Alex giving his own input here and there. Kano shakes his head, a flash of disgust crossing his face before he leaves the pool table with a wave of his hand and heads towards the bar.

“What was the deal?” Kate pipes up, appearing from Alora’s right and leaning onto the countertop to look at Danny. He sighs, a bit dramatically, and looks to Kate with a small pout on his lips. Kano’s grumbling to himself when he reaches them, giving Billie a small head pat before ducking under the counter to reach for a bottle.

“Well darling—“ another sigh, “Dear ol’ boss managed to snag me some precious material from Outworld. I’ve been wanting to try and experiment for some new tech but,” He shrugs, downing the remainder of his whiskey before slamming the cup down and sliding it towards Billie. She makes a face a him, unscrewing the bottle and ready to pour when Kano grabs it from her.

Silently he serves himself, filling his cup to the brim before going to the tech heads, a ping ringing off his phone as he starts to tilt. He unlocks his phone with one hand, still tilting the bottle.

“Anyway, not to worry love. Kano and I are already making plans to reschedule. Isn’t that right?”

But Kano doesn’t hear him, a sudden hard gaze on his features as he glares at his phone. Faintly Alora can hear something playing from the device, wondering what exactly has him looking ready to pop his own head off. His hand seems frozen in midair, whiskey still streaming out and eventually filling Danny’s glass. It topples over the sides, a slow puddle forming at the base of the cup.

“Uh…”

“Da’? What’s—“ Billie is cut off when her father’s hand crushes the neck of bottle, glass raining down and into Danny’s cup and all over the countertop. Kate and Billie jump back, while Danny and Alora’s eyes widen. Shards crunch in Kano’s palm and when Alora flicks her attention from that to Kano, her stomach twists when she sees him already staring at her.

“Didn’t like this shirt anyway.” Danny remarks sarcastically, pushing back from the bar to avoid getting more whiskey all over him. He gets off the stool and makes way to the bathroom to clean up.

From her peripheral she can see Alex and Kabal stop their game, attention now pointed towards the scene. She can feel the tension radiating off of Kate, her fingers gingerly brushing against Alora’s hand from under the countertop. Alora’s pinky barely raises in return, not daring to break the eye contact with Kano.

Ever so slowly Kano lowers his phone and slides it towards Alora, whatever he was watching still playing over and over on a loop. She doesn’t have to look down to know what the video is, the sounds of glass breaking and various gasps still fresh in mind from yesterday.

“Look. At the fucking. Phone.” He growls through clenched teeth, his hand that was holding the bottle finally releasing and shaking out whatever bits of glass had embedded into his skin. He ignores the stings, waiting for Alora to clarify so he can proceed with what to do next.

Alex and Kabal made their way towards them with Danny trailing not too far behind, looking down at his shirt and muttering to himself. Kabal reaches in between Alora and Kano to grab the phone to tilt it so he could see what exactly has Kano’s panties in a twist. He hisses through his teeth, Alex looming behind to catch a glimpse as well. Immediately his eyes snap up to his friend and boss, mouth open and ready to intervene.

“This was you?” Kano asks, venom laced in his voice as he waits for Alora’s answer. She stares back at him, keeping her gaze on his but not ignoring the way his nails started to leave faint indents in the wood of the bar. She feels Kate’s touch again, the brief contact doing little ease the anxiety piling in Alora.

“Kano, come on she didn’t—“

“Shut the fuck up Demir!” Kano barks and smacks Danny’s overfilled cup off the countertop without looking, sending it crashing into who knows what. It shatters with whiskey splashing everywhere, a sharp inhale of breath sounding from Kate’s lips. Kano points his finger at Alora, nostrils flaring as he asks the question again.

“Was. This. You.” It’s repeated with malice, his thick eyebrows knitted together so tight that if the situation wasn’t so serious then Alora might have cracked a smile.

She runs her tongue over her teeth, keeping her expression as neutral as possible.

“I didn’t know.” She finally answes, not a quiver in her tone or a tremble in her body, even knowing that there’s no point in trying to explain the situation to him. She can see the muscles jumping in his jaw and Alora knows she has very little time to diffuse the bomb that is Kano of The Black Dragon.

His eyes narrow, his palms giving two firm taps to the top of the bar before he shrugs.

“Din’t know, eh?” His lips purse a bit, coming around the counter to the other side with his boots crunching over broken glass. He leaves a small trail of wet whiskey footprints as he stops in front of Alora.

Thick couldn’t even begin to describe the tension in the room. Her eyes remain on him, expression stoic as gauges how to proceed. It felt like a heavy weight was sitting on her chest, ready to crush and pin her body to the ground.

Alora makes the mistake of briefly breaking eye contact to look at Billie, who was doing her best to sneak away unnoticed and leave the room— most likely to find and grab her mother.

Whack!

Pain immediately forms on the right side of Alora’s jaw, stars and colors dancing in her vision as she’s slightly knocked off balance and stumbles off her seat. Kano sends a kick to the center of her back, propelling her forward and almost to her knees.

“Go on get up then! Since you like to fuck up strangers! Get up!”

Another hit right to the mouth, so excruciating that Alora’s vision goes blurry for just a moment. She falls to her side, blood dripping past her lips in a steady flow. She sees Kano approaching fast, fury etched in his face as he rears his leg back to kick her in the stomach.

Alora counters and grabs onto him just in time, gritting her teeth and swinging him around to send him tumbling away from her. The Aussie rolls into it, quickly standing up and grunting as he reaches out towards her again.

“Do you have any fuckin’ idea how important this deal was? Huh?! Do ya?!”

Alora finally gets to her feet and sends a devastating punch towards his chest, Kano shifting off to the side at the last second so that her fist scrapes alongside his cybernetic heart. He fists her braids, pulling her hair back to hit her square in the face. She can feel her nose crack from the impact, involuntary tears springing to her eyes and grunting as crimson gushes out. He strikes her again in the same spot, blood shooting into the back of her throat and causing Alora to gag and sputter out flecks of red. It stains Kano, painting his skin and bandolier.

Faintly she can hear Kate screaming and pleading for Kano to stop, Alex having to hold her back in his arms so she doesn’t get caught up in the fight either. Danny stands near her, ready to grab and hold on as well while Kabal catches Erron and Echo up to speed. Echo’s eyes widen a fraction at the scene, standing close to Erron as she watches the fight.

“You absolute dumb fuckin’—“ Kano roars.

Before he can get in a third hit, Alora catches his hand and crushes it in her own, pushing back against him to create some distance. The Aussie grits his teeth and knocks his head into her, Alora actually feeling as if she was about to black out from how hazy her vision got.

Suddenly she feels 16 all over again, fighting endlessly in the Koliseum to reach the end for something that was never going to be hers in the first place. Breaking bones, tearing muscles, ripping through flesh like melted butter all for nothing.

All because she made one mistake.

“Kano stop you’ll kill her! She’s had enough!” Kate begs, squirming in Alex’s hold to get free.

“No,” He says, spitting off to the side. “She can take it. Ain’t tha’ right, love?”

He takes Alora’s right arm and twists it behind her back, yanking it so incredibly tight and hard against her that she can feel something threaten to pop. Her scream is one of pure anguish, coming out hoarse and broken, resonating throughout the bar. The tears that were holding on finally fall free, streaming down her cheeks and leaving wet trails into the blood that was smeared across her skin.

Alora’s so frazzled right now that she can’t properly think straight, too focused on the searing pain of her arm and hacking up the blood that keeps getting lodged in her throat. She clenches her teeth and rears her head back to knock into Kano, his hold faltering but not enough for her to slip free.

Fight back. Stop being scared and fight back.

So she does it again, even stomping on his foot and using her free arm to reach behind her to his face. The angle is extremely awkward since it’s her left, but she finds the edge of his cybernetic eye plate, her nails wasting no time in piercing the into the delicate flesh that surrounds it. Kano roars in pain, holding on for just a few seconds before he finally lets go and shoves her away. He swipes his fingers across where she had her nails, grunting when his tips show dark red.

“Fuckin’ bitch!” In a fit of rage he shoots his laser out to her, not taking the time to properly aim. It doesn’t hit her anywhere critical but it does land on the shoulder of the arm he just potentially fractured. The smell of burning flesh hits Alora’s nose, making her gag at how it infiltrates her senses. She can hear Kano’s boots getting closer and closer and in a desperate attempt she swings her fist around to clock him on the side of his skull. The Aussie yells and shoots another beam at her, just barely hitting the edge of her shoes. Alora scurries back and yells as she spears herself into him, sending him crashing to the floor and unleashing a flurry of hits straight to his face. She’s ignoring the piercing pain of her left arm, too focused on making Kano hurt.

Within the second punch his nose is crooked, blood shooting out and soaking into his beard. Hit after hit cause him to scream, Alora not faultering for one second and for the briefest moment she has the urge to keep going until he’s unrecognizable. Sometime after the sixth punch Kano stops fighting back and it’s only when she can hear Billie screeching that she realizes what she’s doing.

“What the fuck!!”

Alora’s fist stops mere centimeters away from his good eye, heavy breaths passing her lips as she stares down at the messy scene. Her icy eyes are flicking wildly all over him, looking and waiting for a sign of life.

She wouldn’t do that. Couldn’t do that. Not to Billie.

“Da’!”

In that split moment of Alora snapping her head up to look at Billie, seeing her be held back by Skarlet, Kano’s fingers claw into Alora’s shirt. He brings her down roughly and collides his head against hers, shoving her onto her back and straddling her hips. His hands latch around her neck, closing off her airway and then lifting her to begin slamming her head against the ground. Alora’s gasp morphs into a choked gargle, the blood that had been collecting in the back of her throat viscous and blocking her breathing even more.

She can hear a collection of yells from Alex and Kate, knowing that they wanted to interfere but knowing that it could cost them. Not that Alora would want them to anyway, this was her fuck up after all.

She tries to cough, spitting blood up like a baby as it dribbles down her chin. Kano lifts her higher, her back coming off the ground and Alora knows he intends to throw her down with every bit of strength left in him. He never gets to do so, Skarlet running over and placing a hand on Kano’s shoulder to hold him back.

“Kane!” There’s fear in her eyes, Alex and Kabal running over to haul him off of Alora and pull him a good distance away. Alora turns to her side, heaving and hacking up whatever she could as it lands with a splat onto the concrete floor. She sucks in a deep breath, sputtering when more blood gathers and she spits it out again and again and again.

She feels a hand on her shoulder and on instinct she smacks it away from her without looking. She swipes across her nose, streaking blood and snot, and peers over her left to find the hurt expression of Kate as she stands there with her fingers fiddling with one another. Alora silently stares at her, trying to convey an apology through her eyes before giving up and rising to her feet. There’s a slight sway as she stands up straight, Alora giving a brisk shake of her head and sparing Kano one last glance who’s already turned his attention to his wife and daughter.

She doesn’t bother to look at the others, not needing to see the expressions on their faces and add to her shame.

Everything hurts; face, arms, stomach, back. She brings a hand to the back of her head and is only mildly surprised when just her fingertips come away with blood. They’re not the worst injuries she’s had, having gone against Shokan and Tarkatan before, it would just take a bit longer than usual to recover. She touches her jaw gingerly, nose scrunching when pain radiates from the simplest touch. Alora maintains her composure as she walks out the bar, feeling the burning stares of her peers on her back as they burn holes straight through her.

Even when she’s completely out of the room and out of sight she holds herself, head held high as she walks through the corridors towards her sanctum. Carefully she opens her door, twisting the door knob all the way to the end and then pushing it open. Michi’s tiny squeaks greet her and it brings the faintest smile to her busted lips. She wants to go say hello, to hold her sweet pet in her hands but she can’t taint him with blood.

She does however walk past her mirror and catch a glimpse of herself.

She stops and looks, a sinking feeling in her chest as she counts every bruise and gash that Kano graciously delivered to her. She twists around to look at the burn mark from his laser, hissing when she touches the edges of the wound. She finds herself thinking and hoping that the discoloration will fade and the cuts will scab before—

She blinks, eyebrows bunching together at her thought. A certain face flashes through her mind and Alora feels a surge of annoyance flow through her body. She sucks her teeth and turns away from the mirror, going to her drawer to grab fresh clothes. She whispers a quiet ‘hello’ to Michi, the first smile of the day gracing her lips when he scurries towards her.

“I’ll be back, don’t worry.”

The water burns in the best and worst way, hitting her open wounds and sore muscles but soothing her body and soul. She runs her fingers through her hair to work out the knots, faint throbs echoing through her body when her hands pass along to lather soap. The encounter plays in her mind all over, every hit sending a throb and Alora can feel her nails start to dig in her scalp.

It wasn’t her fault, she knows that. She doesn’t know exactly how much the video shows but it didn’t matter, not to Kano. A deal is a deal no matter what.

It doesn’t even cross Alora’s mind as to how he got a video in the first place.

She inhales sharply, holding it deep in her chest before releasing it. There’s a burn in her eyes but she refuses to let them form into tears. She wouldn’t let Kano of all people get to her like that. Instead she finishes cleaning herself up, going over her body two more times to make sure all the blood is off.

And then she stands there, eyes staring blankly as water washes down the drain. She doesn’t know how long she remains motionless but eventually she slides down the wall and brings her knees to her chest, resting her chin on top as she lets time continue to slip by.

———

Alex/JJ/Jesse: @chadillacboseman

Billie: @cyberneticsanguinaire

Echo: @roofgeese

Kate/Danny: @bdfightclub

#RAAHH THIS TOOK FOREVER RAAHHH #alora #mk alora #I’ll be adding this to the masterlist in a bit #mk Alex #mk jj #mk Jesse #mk Billie #mk echo #mk danny #mk Kate

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