Johnny Cage x Reader

Eight

The sun was already disappearing behind the crowns of the mountains and chasing fire across the sky when Liu Kang greeted all his new disciples at the gate of the temple.

As always, you found it hard to read his calm face, but the way his eyes looked at you, each and every one of you, and the way he nodded slowly, suggested that he was pleased with the selection.

Neatly, you all lined up next to each other and bowed to him.

Out of habit, you wanted to shove your hands in your pockets, but there were none. Some things you would never get used to. Instead, you kept your hands crossed and hidden under the fabric. The monks didn't like it when one didn't keep a tight posture.

Your eyes wandered to the side. None of the others seemed to care about their posture.

Kenshi had his arms crossed in front of his chest. One could see the blue and red ink running across the back of his hands. He kept his arms hidden under white sleeves.

Johnny had his hands on his hips. He seemed to be used to standing like this, his shoulders tight and his chin raised. Pride sparkled in his eyes.

The fiery light of the evening sun made his chestnut brown hair look lighter. A few strands turned golden, revealing that he was almost blond, barely a few shades too dark for it.

Kung Lao showed no sign that he was interested in standing up straight either. He wanted to fight, you could read it clearly on his face.

Only Raiden made a good impression. He had his arms crossed behind his back, stuck out his chest and stood with his legs together.

A prime example of a champion.

It almost made you jealous to see how well he did right away. But only almost.

It wasn't your goal to make the best impression. You knew that a war was won through many battles. Manners were only part of the big picture.

Still, you couldn't help but smile.

Raiden somehow reminded you of one of the black cats that roamed the temple, curious and yet with a kind of intelligence in his eyes.

Kung Lao was like one of the monkeys you often had to fight with over the fruit in the garden. Strong-willed and so confident that he could win.

Up on the roof of a temple building, a raven crowed. Immediately, a smile found its way to your face. That had to be Kenshi, distant but more than aware of his versatile abilities.

Your eyes returned to Johnny.

What would he be?

You took a moment to take a closer look at his face. The sun's rays seemed to kiss every corner of his. He had a handsome face, you had to admit, not unnaturally angular with full cheeks that tightened whenever he smiled or smirked.

And he did that quite often.

A few wrinkles were already starting to show around his nose and mouth. His eyes were also a little deep, with small grooves running left and right up to his brows.

He was probably a little older than you had estimated at first glance, more like forty than mid-thirties. Still, he looked good.

"Hm.", you wrinkled your nose sullenly at the sight of him. "Some people are just blessed..."

Torn from his thoughts, he blinked. Brown eyes peered over at you.

"Talking to yourself is supposed to be a sign of depression.", he breathed in a teasing way. "No judgement. Just a penny for your thoughts."

His head tilted in your direction. The scent of his cologne had faded. Finally there was a hint of who he really was to be smelled.

You couldn't quite describe it, but he smelled of leather and old ropes. Like the ones that could he found within an ancient maya temple.

Grains of sand shimmered in his hair as he turned to lock eyes with you. His eyebrows rose while a smirk told you that he was joking.

Huffing, you shook your head.

Your gaze returned to the front.

Liu Kang was busy explaining the feud that Earthrealm and Outworld had for centuries now. You already knew the gist, so your attention once again was dedicated to Johnny.

Questions itched on the tip of your tongue. There was so much you wanted to ask, not just him, but he was your main subject of interest.

At least for now.

And he didn't seem all that invested in Liu Kang's history lesson either. So he gladly listened as you leaned closer to whisper to him.

"So how is it?", you asked, eyes still on the god of fire to pretend you followed his words.

One of Johnny's eyebrows rose.

"How is what?", he asked back.

You shrugged.

"I dunno. Being you, I guess?"

"Oh it's awesome, really."

A snort made your lips curl upwards.

Even though he was overly confident it didn't make him feel arrogant. There was always a pinch of humour audible in every single word of his. And he also didn't seem like the type of guy who took himself all too serious.

"That's not what I meant.", you muttered and leaned further into him.

Your shoulders touched. He felt solid, like a rock that rested at the shore of the ocean and allowed the waves to crash into him however and whenever they pleased.

"You gotta be more specific then.", he pulled out his phone to record a flame that danced across Liu Kang's tattooed arms.

Interested why he felt the need to do so, you watched for a while.

"How is the world?", you asked after a moment of silence that made you feel some type of way. "You're a star no? I'm sure you saw loads."

Huffing gently, and maybe even a little insulted, he let his phone slide back into his pocket before his eyes glanced at you from the corner of his vision.

"I'm not a star, I'm a global martial arts ICON, dear.", he set the record straight.

A little annoyed but in a good kind of way, you glanced up at him.

"So you did see some places.", one of your eyebrows rose.

"All of em'. Give or take."

"Was it worth it?"

Confused by that question, he frowned.

"What do ya mean?", his gaze seemed to stick to yours.

With a sigh, you tore your eyes away and shook your head.

"Never mind.", you muttered. "Just daydreaming."