#🌎meanwhile in another universe

[summerwritesfics]

🌎Love I’d Never Hurt You

Pairing: Shang Tsung/Kuai Liang Length: 5261 Words Rating: Mature Warnings: Serial Killer/Detective AU, Detective!Kuai Liang, Serial Killer!Shang Tsung, Detective!Bi-Han, Murder, Graphic Description of Corpses, Stalking, Death Threats, Minor Character Death, Gun Violence, Obsession, Obsessive Behaviour, Possessive Behaviour, Blood And Gore, Bombs (Except Not Really), Pinned Down, Abduction (Sorta I guess lmao even Kuai doesn’t know for sure if that’s what’s happening to him), NSFK (Not Safe For Kuai), Shang Tsung Is Very Creepy (Honestly he came out way creepier than I was intending)

Meanwhile In Another Universe Masterlist

Notes: NGL I debated posting this or not, but honestly don’t think it’s any darker than some other stuff I’ve posted so 🤷🏻 Like upon re-reading Shang Tsung did come out way creepier than I originally intended, but I mean… he’s a serial killer so it kinda works. Also tfw you dislike the police irl but love crime fiction. :’( I think the truly shocking thing about this fic is that I wrote a detective fic without Detective Hanzo Hasashi making an appearance, like tf. Title is from “The Horror Of Our Love” by Ludo.

Kuai was almost thankful to be called out of the office.

Granted, he was going to investigate a suspected homicide, and that should not have been something he was eager to attend. He felt even worse that such a thing was definitely a welcome distraction from whatever the hell was going on with Bi-Han right now.

The case Bi-Han was currently working on had seemed to consume his very being. Every waking hour was spent obsessing over a mysterious serial killer. The murders were almost clinical, like whoever was committing the acts was performing experimental medical procedures. Things like organ transplants, but twisted, like trying to move the heart to where the stomach should be and vice versa. There were usually drugs in the victim's system that didn’t correlate to any known drug used in medicine. It was very strange and so far there had been very few clues to attach even a solid suspect or two to the case.

And Bi-Han was completely losing his mind over it.

“Brother, maybe you should take a break,” Kuai had tried to gently suggest. He’d flinched at the murderous glare Bi-Han had shot his way. “Clearing your mind may help you look at this at a different angle, and you do have other cases you haven’t even touched since-“ 

“I don’t give a shit about the other cases,” Bi-Han hissed, slamming his hands on his desk. “I care about this case, and catching this fucking bastard!” 

“But Brother-“ 

“No!” Bi-han swept his hands across his desk, sending everything on it flying off onto the floor in a loud clatter. If anyone else in the station heard it, they didn’t come to intervene. “This case is the only one that matters. And if you can’t understand why, then you can get the fuck out of my office.” 

“Bi-Han-“ 

“Get the fuck out!” 

Kuai realised he was fighting a losing battle, and left the office with his head hung low. 

It was after that he had been requested to go and attend the site of the suspected homicide, and he’d practically jumped at the chance. Honestly anything to get away from his brother for a little while. He hoped maybe when he was done and returned to the office, Bi-Han would have calmed down a bit, realised Kuai was right and they could go out for dinner or something. Kuai was kind of craving sushi at this point, and quite frankly big brother owed him a big apology for the way he treated him.

He spotted a police car pulled up outside an abandoned warehouse. This was his destination, however, it was strange that neither of the attending officers were outside waiting for him. He hit the breaks and parked up, before quickly jumping out. This area was extremely cut off from the rest of the city. Combined with the eerie silence he was starting to get a bad feeling about this.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out his radio, clicking the button, “This is Detective Kuai Liang Song, currently on case 759. Could I request some back up? The initial police presence has not come to brief me, and I am currently in a very isolated spot. I believe it would be unwise of me to enter the building alone.”

There was a moment of silence, before a voice on the other end replied with “Sorry Detective, the majority of officers are attending a major incident on the other side of the city at this time. It could be hours before we can get someone to your location.”

“Major incident? How come I was not informed of this?” Usually something like that would have been alerted to all emergency services.

“I can’t say I know, the alert was sent out on all police radios.”

“Is there absolutely no one free?” He tried, slowly walking towards the door of the warehouse. He peered inside, but could see nothing.

“No, unfortunately all units are busy.” Dammit. Just his luck. It still seemed strange though, usually even when there was a major incident, a few officers were kept back to deal with smaller emergencies.

He looked around, the trees and foliage surrounding the warehouse were thick, so much so he couldn’t even see the city. He could, however, make out thick plumes of smoke just above the trees. It did look like it was quite a distance from where he was. At least it seemed the incident was somewhat real, although he wasn’t completely convinced this wasn’t someone hijacking the line to prank him.

“So, what do you recommend? That I stand down until I can receive back up?” He wasn’t completely defenceless. He had a gun, but he still felt it’d be preferable to have others who could raise the alarm depending on what he found inside.

“Are you sure the team already there just hasn't heard you turn up?” The voice asked. “Maybe you should go inside and look for them?”

“I-“ That was wrong. That advice was all wrong. No one at control would ever suggest he go in there alone. That bad feeling was getting worse. “I see. I will keep you informed of my progress.”

He slipped his radio back onto his belt, but stepped away from the entrance to the warehouse. As he did, he slipped his phone out of his pocket, only to curse when he found he had no signal here.

Instead of dwelling on that, he made his way over to the police car. Now he was looking, he could see the tires had all been slashed. Shit, I was right to be on high alert. He reached for the door handle, surprised to find the car unlocked. Another bad sign. He climbed into the driver's seat, hoping maybe to use that radio instead. Only he could see the cable to it had been cut.

“Shit.”

The sound of gunshots rang out and he instinctively ducked behind the dashboard. It went on for several seconds, before coming to a halt. He stayed hidden for as long as he could, before gingerly sticking his head out. Whoever had been shooting didn’t start again, and Kuai realised the police car seemed to be completely unscathed. That’s when he looked over to his own car.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” He scrambled out the police car, walking over to his own. It was littered with bullet holes, most specifically in his tires. The shots weren’t trying to kill him, just take away any method of escape he had aside from on foot.

“I recommend you come inside now, Detective,” the radio suddenly sparked into life again. “I would advise against running. I’d really rather not harm you, if possible, but I will shoot your legs if you force me to.”

Kuai plucked the radio from his belt, turning to glare at the warehouse. He couldn’t even see where this person could be.

“Who the fuck are you?” He growled eyes darting around the building hoping he’d spot a shadow or something.

“You’re going to have to come inside if you really want to know,” the voice chuckled, “then we can be introduced properly.” Kuai didn’t dare move, not until he figured out how to proceed. “I’d suggest you don’t keep me waiting, Detective. Like I said, I would really rather not hurt you.”

Kuai didn’t exactly know what choice he had at this point. He slipped his radio back onto his belt, replacing it with his gun instead. He swallowed, taking a deep breath before slowly pushing forward towards the warehouse’s entrance.

Inside was dark and dingy, and every shadow on the wall had Kuai jumping at the slightest movement and sound, even when it was something he had caused. As he entered what looked like it had once been the main storage area, he couldn’t help but think how empty it looked. That meant the two humanoid figures sitting on chairs stood out a mile.

This is a trap. It was so obvious, and yet Kuai, for reasons he couldn’t fathom, still went towards them. He held the gun up. It was clearly the two officers who’d come in before him, but they looked lifeless. He hoped to god they were just unconscious.

“Hello?” He chanced, but got no reply. “Can you hear me?”

Still no reply. Even so, he pushed on, rounding to stand in front of the officers.

Only to find their guts spilling out of their abdomens and onto the floor.

He wretched, stumbling backwards, desperately turning his face to look away from the sight in front of him. It was never easy to find dead bodies, especially in such a brutalised state as this. The officers weren’t people he was particularly close to, but they were still people he’d worked with on a nearly daily basis.

“Ah, hello there Detective.”

Kuai spun on the spot from where the voice had come from. It was the same one that had been on the radio. Standing behind him, was a man with long hair wearing a suit and his hands behind his back. Kuai didn’t take much notice of any further details though, as he aimed his gun at the stranger.

“Now, Kuai Liang, is there really any need for that?” The man asked, laughing slightly as he did and tilting his head. “And after I put in all this effort to get you here.”

“What?” That made it sound like this had all been deliberate. A coordinated effort to get Kuai, specifically, here. But Kuai had never seen this man before, and he didn’t have any current cases that felt like they fit these methods. “Who the hell are you?”

“My name is Shang Tsung,” the man replied, taking a few steps forward but pausing when Kuai straightened his aim slightly. “I am the one your dear elder brother is looking for.”

“You…” He didn’t finish the sentence, letting what had been said sink in instead. This man was claiming to be the serial killer of Bi-Han’s case. But… Who would just admit that? Especially to a detective? Kuai tried to steady his hands, realising they had started to shake. “If that is true, then you’ll be coming with me.”

Shang Tsung chuckled, finally moving his hands from behind his back. Revealing he was holding something. Kuai prepared to shoot, until he realised it wasn’t a gun. It was a strange silver cylinder. Kuai’s eyes flicked between the item and Shang Tsung, looking for an explanation.

“Please. Put the gun down, Kuai Liang.” Shang Tsung held up the cylinder as if to let Kuai get a good look at it. “This is a trigger to a bomb that is set up inside your brothers office.” Kuai’s mouth went dry as his eyes widened. “Put the gun down, and I won’t have to press it.”

“You’re bluffing,” Kuai hissed, squeezing the trigger of his gun. Really he wasn’t as good a shot as his brother, and wasn’t entirely sure he could shoot before Shang Tsung could press the button.

“Is that really something you're willing to risk?” That was unfair. If there really was a bomb in Bi-Han’s office, then it wouldn’t just take out his brother, but a lot of other people who had nothing to do with this case and even those with nothing to do with the police. And Kuai had no way to warn anyone.

Reluctantly, he took his finger away from the trigger, slowly bending over to put the gun on the floor.

“Kick it away,” Shang Tsung ordered, and as much as he didn’t want to, Kuai did as he was told. The gun went skidding across the floor, far out of his reach. Shang Tsung was positively glowing at this turn of events. “Good boy.”

Kuai stayed stock-still, even as Shang Tsung began to approach him. He wasn’t even sure he was actually breathing, all he could feel was his heart beating so hard in his chest it felt like it was trying to break through his ribcage. He blinked and then he found himself looking directly into the other man's eyes. Looking to his side, he saw Shang Tsung was still holding the trigger, thumb dancing over the button.

“Don’t,” Kuai begged in a whisper, feeling sick at the twisted grin that came over Shang Tsung’s face. He pressed his finger down on the button. “No!”

Jerking into action, he grabbed Shang Tsung’s wrist with one hand, the other practically wrestling the trigger from his hand. Despite it having already been pushed, it felt the only thing he could do at this point.

Except… 

When he took hold of it, he realised that despite how it looked, the trigger wasn’t metal. It was plastic. He could also feel that it was hollow inside. The more he looked at it, the more he realised it looked like some sort of fidget toy. His gaze slowly trailed up to Shang Tsung, who looked far too pleased with himself.

“It seems you were correct,” he gleefully exclaimed, “I was bluffing after all.”

The hairs on the back of Kuai’s neck stood on end. He attempted to dive forward, towards where his gun still lay on the floor, but Shang Tsung quickly grabbed him. In one swift motion, Kuai felt something knock into the back of his legs, causing him to fall backwards. Thankfully, he managed to avoid slamming his head on the floor, but then he felt a pressure on his abdomen as Shang Tsung got on top of him, pinning him down. He threw a fist, only for Shang Tsung to easily catch his wrists, and push them above his head. The floor next to him was wet, liquid soaking into his shirt, and as the metallic smell hit him, Kuai came to the horrific realisation he was lying in the officer's blood.

“Stop struggling,” Shang Tsung softly whispered, making sure he gripped both of Kuai’s wrists with one hand, while the other trailed along Kuai’s jawline. “I already said, I do not want to hurt you.”

“That’d be a lot more believable if I wasn’t lying next to the corpses of my colleagues,” Kuai hissed, squirming slightly and hoping he could knock Shang Tsung off him. Unfortunately that did not happen, and Kuai was slowly beginning to run out of steam with which to struggle.

“They were just meaningless fodder, Kuai Liang.” It was sick how someone could talk so callously about human life. “Not like you.” Kuai finally stopped trying to fight. He’d just end up wearing himself out. His head fell back slightly, and Shang Tsung lent forward, making sure he was still in Kuai’s field of view. “There we go, that’s better, isn’t it?”

“What do you want?” Kuai sobbed, trying so desperately to keep his composure. “Why are you doing this?”

“I need to talk with you, and I figured a written invite would go unanswered.” Shang Tsung’s fingers still gently laced Kuai’s face. A softness that directly clashed with the otherwise brutality of the man's actions. “I’ve been watching you for some time now.”

“What?” Kuai’s stomach twisted, his gaze fixed on Shang Tsung’s face. He looked so indifferent, like he didn’t realise or care how much that statement terrified Kuai Liang.

“Well, it started with me watching your brother, he is the detective on my case, after all, it would be stupid of me to not keep an eye on what he’s doing.” Shang Tsung’s hand reached behind Kuai’s head, undoing the tie that kept his hair up in a bun. “But I couldn’t help but find myself captivated by you.” His fingers ran through Kuai’s hair, causing Kuai to shudder under him. “My interest in him is professional. My interest in you is personal.”

“Please.” Kuai had no idea where this was going, he had no idea what he was pleading for. He just knew that he wasn’t sure he was going to make it out of this situation alive.

“Unfortunately, my fascination with the pair of you hasn’t gone unnoticed by my higher ups.” Shang Tsung kept playing with Kuai’s hair, sighing wistfully to himself as he did. “They believe my obsession with you both is impacting my work.”

“Your work?” Kuai questioned, finally noticing the quiver in his own voice. “Are you an assassin?”

Shang Tsung burst out laughing, “oh no, my dear, not an assassin. I’m a scientist. Everything I do is in the pursuit of science.”

Killing people for science? It sounded so fucking bizarre to Kuai. Then again, it would explain the strangeness of the deaths, the almost experimental nature of them. His victims were his guinea pigs.

“Regardless, they are not happy with the way my attention has been diverted.” He finally let Kuai’s hair fall between his fingers, watching in fascination. “They have decided it would be in their best interests to eliminate you both. That’s why I lured you here today. I wish to save you and your brother from their wrath, Kuai Liang.”

“Why should I believe you?” Kuai asked, flinching slightly when Shang Tsung’s fingertips once more trailed his face, specifically following the edges of the scar that ran across his eye. “You haven’t exactly given me much reason to trust your word.”

“I understand your hesitation.” To Kuai’s surprise, Shang Tsung actually released his wrists. As Shang Tsung pulled back, still sitting on Kuai’s lower abdomen, Kuai used his now free arms to prop himself up slightly. Shang Tsung’s hand disappeared into his pocket, and Kuai flinched slightly, expecting a weapon of some kind. Instead he pulled out a phone. “Here is a video of them discussing their plans to bring about your demise.”

Shang Tsung twisted the phone so Kuai could see the screen. The image looked like it was from the security camera of an office somewhere. There were three men standing inside, including Shang Tsung himself. A finger tapped the screen, and the video began to play.

“You are getting far too attached to those detectives, Shang Tsung,” one of the men said, the largest actually, towering above the others. “Your little obsession is getting in the way of your work.” He began to pace back and forth. “The elder one, I understand why you would keep an eye on, but the younger one is irrelevant to your work.”

“My surveillance on Kuai Liang is purely for personal reasons,” the Shang Tsung on the video replied. It looked like he was about to open his mouth to add something but the large man snapped back.

“I do not want to hear about your fucked up wet dreams about that brat,” the man spat, slamming his fist down on a nearby desk. “You are spending too much time on them, if you do not start to produce more results for me, I may be forced to take drastic action.” The man tilted his head. “Do you understand?”

“Clear as day,” Shang Tsung replied, bowing at the man slightly. The man just pointed to the door, and Shang Tsung sauntered out.

“You know he’s not going to stop, right?” The other man chimed up as soon as Shang Tsung was out of earshot.

“I am fully aware.” The tall man walked around the desk taking a seat. “Reiko, I have a job for you.”

“Am I to assume you wish me to make a visit to the dear detectives?” Reiko asked, and even on the zoomed out footage, Kuai could see the sadistic grin at the mere idea.

“The only way Shang Tsung is going to learn where his priorities should be is by taking away the things that distract him.” The man lent forward on the desk, linking his fingers in front of him. “As the younger one is clearly his favourite, make sure to do something extra special with him. Just to make the point clear.”

“I could decapitate him and present his preserved head as a birthday gift.” Both men burst out into laughter at that, but Kuai couldn’t help the high pitched whine that came from the back of his throat.

The video ended there, with Shang Tsung replacing the phone back into his pocket. Once more, his hand reached over to Kuai’s face to cradle it.

“You see.” He stroked Kuai’s face, and Kuai hated that he almost lent into it. “I just want to keep you and your brother safe.”

“Why?” Kuai asked, changing his position slightly, his arms starting to ache slightly from the weight of keeping himself up. “I mean. I understand why you want to save me, you have some… weird crush on me. But why Bi-Han? He’s trying to catch and stop you, wouldn’t it be more advantageous for him to be out of the picture?”

“Hm, well I’m a little hurt you think my crush on you is weird.” Shang Tsung pouted, his other hand now slowly caressing Kuai’s side. “But to answer your question, I rather enjoy the chase.” He gave a sloppy smile. “Killing really isn’t fun when there isn’t someone on your tail trying to stop you.”

So he enjoys the thrill, go figure. Shang Tsung could claim his kills were in the name of science all he liked, but at the end of the day, he was like anyone else who killed people for their own sick enjoyment. Kuai wasn’t sure if he should feel honoured or disturbed that he was apparently worthy of being more than just an experiment.

“So why lure me here and not Bi-Han?” Really, how the fuck Kuai got involved in any of this was questionable. Bi-Han had requested Kuai’s assistance a few times, but he had very little to do with the case. “If you’ve really been watching us, you’d know Bi-Han will do anything to catch you. If you’d have called him here, he’d have come running.”

“Oh, I’m very aware of that. The problem is, as you said, he would do anything to catch me.” Shang Tsung sighed and rolled his eyes. “He’d have shot me the second I attempted the bomb trick on him, let alone giving me a chance to explain my intentions.” He looked Kuai up and down. “From my observations however, he does at least seem to listen to you most of the time. It seemed most logical to get you on my side first and then attempt to contact your brother.”

Well. He supposed that was true. Kuai had lost count of how many times he was called away from something he was working on to go and try to calm Bi-Han down when his temper got the best of him. It was a joke around the station that Kuai Liang was Bi-Han’s morality pet, the only thing preventing him from becoming a serial killer himself. Kuai didn’t find that joke particularly funny however, given how uncomfortably close to the truth it was.

“So… What exactly do you suggest?” He was cautious to do anything with this man, but at the very least, it seemed Shang Tsung was genuine in his word that he did not wish to harm Kuai. Given the situation, he could have easily killed Kuai if he really wanted to by now.

“Call your brother, ask him to meet us at another location…” Shang Tsung trailed off as his eyes drifted over to the corpses beside them. “Somewhere other than here, anyway. I think we should let someone else clean this mess up.”

He’s talking like I had involvement in that. He glanced down, the one side of his suit was practically stained red from the blood that had seeped through it.

“I don’t have any signal here,” Kuai quietly informed him, hoping to god Shang Tsung wouldn’t get mad that he’d tried to call for help before coming in here.

“Well, we’ll be leaving this location anyway. You can just ring as soon as your signal returns.” Right. Kuai’s gut twisted, he should have realised that he would not be leaving this place alone. 

Finally however, Shang Tsung stood up and off him, and Kuai rolled onto his side, having not realised how uncomfortable it had been. Shang Tsung walked over to where Kuai’s gun lay discarded on the floor, bending over to pick it up.

“I hope you don’t mind if I keep hold of this, rather than returning it to you,” Shang Tsung said as he slipped the gun into his pocket. “Not that I don’t trust you or anything darling, but I think I’ve had my fill of seeing you pointing a gun at my face for one day.”

Kuai didn’t reply to that. What could he even say? He’d have much preferred to have the gun, even if he didn’t really intend to use it on Shang Tsung.

Thankfully Shang Tsung took his silence as agreement, as he walked over and held his hand out. Kuai reached for it, feeling the other man haul him to his feet. He stumbled slightly, not realising how dizzy the adrenaline had made him. He was surprised when Shang Tsung snaked an arm around his waist and let him lean his weight against him.

It also seemed this position allowed Shang Tsung the benefit of leading Kuai exactly where he wanted them to go. It wasn’t long before they were going through a backdoor in the warehouse. Back outside, Kuai saw another car parked behind the building, having been hidden from sight when he’d pulled in. Dammit, I should have looked around the outside more thoroughly. 

Disappointment in himself aside, Shang Tsung unlocked the doors, opening one and guiding Kuai to sit down in the front passenger seat. The door slammed behind him, and Kuai looked up in time to see Shang Tsung make his way around the front. Seconds later he was getting in the driver's seat, and starting the ignition.

“Keep an eye on your signal,” he instructed as he began to back out into the pathway. “As soon as you get some, tell me, and I’ll pull over.”

Kuai nodded, reaching into his pocket and keeping an intent eye on his phone. Really, focusing on that was at least grounding. If he didn’t, he had a feeling he’d be zoning out from how mentally exhausted he felt. Was he being abducted right now? He’d gone pretty willingly, yet at the same time somewhat by force. What was even happening to him right now?

He looked up briefly to find they were just joining the main road again. Glancing down he saw his signal go from nothing up to 3 bars. Typical. 

“I have signal.”

Shang Tsung made an affirmative sound, pulling the car up on the side of the road.

“There are some abandoned storage units on the other side of town, down by the river, ask him to meet us there alone by 6pm.” Shang Tsung turned on his seat as if to keep a close eye on what Kuai was doing. “Feel free to mention me, I’m sure it’ll get his attention.” Kuai sighed, because yes, that would get Bi-Han’s attention. “Oh, and put it on speaker. I want to hear his reaction.”

Kuai just sighed, pulling up Bi-Han’s contact info, hitting both the buttons to call and for it to be on speaker phone. The phone rang out. Come on Bi-Han, please answer. 

The phone clicked to life and Bi-Han’s voice called out clear as day, “what?”

“We need to talk,” Kuai started, staring straight ahead so he didn’t have to acknowledge the way Shang Tsung watched him.

“We’ve been over this. I am not giving up on this case,” Bi-Han growled on the other side. Kuai closed his eyes and grimaced. He couldn’t believe his brother was still holding onto that.

“It’s the case we need to talk about. I have a lead for you,” he said quickly, hoping it’d stop his brother going on another tirade.

There was a moment of silence, before Bi-Han questioned “what kind of lead?”

“Someone who wants to talk to you,” Kuai replied. He didn’t want to outright say he was in a car with a serial killer. Bi-Han would go completely off the rails if he did.

“What? Like a witness?” Bi-Han sounded so confused and Kuai knew that he had to tell him.

Kuai finally looked across at Shang Tsung, expression as smug as ever. But there was something else there now, a strange possessiveness in his dark eyes. Kuai had the feeling that even when everything was over, that Shang Tsung wasn’t going to just let him walk away from all this. As if to emphasise the point, Shang Tsung reached his hand forward again, wiping away a tear rolling down Kuai’s cheek, and then tucking a strand of Kuai’s hair behind his ear.

“I found your killer,” Kuai whispered, hating how wrecked his voice sounded.

“Kuai Liang,” Bi-han growled, the alarm clear in his voice. “Kuai Liang, where are you right now?”

“He hasn’t hurt me,” Kuai assured him, although was that true? Kuai ached in various places and he was sure there were some bruises forming on various parts of his body from the struggle.

“Where are you?” Bi-Han asked again, and Kuai could hear him shuffling in the background, no doubt grabbing his coat and anything else he’d need to come to Kuai’s rescue.

“He wants to meet you,” Kuai continued, once again resisting the urge to lean into Shang Tsung’s hand as he stroked him. “There’s some abandoned storage units down by the river. He wants you there by 6pm, but don’t bring anyone else.”

“Can he hear me right now?” Bi-Han was breathing heavily, and all Kuai could do was make an affirmative sound. “Listen here, you son of a bitch, if you so much as lay a finger on my brother-“

“He’s already told you that I have not hurt him,” Shang Tsung interrupted, eyes never leaving Kuai, giving an enamoured sigh as he continued to gently pat him. Kuai finally gave in, nuzzling into the hand. “I’m trying to save both of you, it’d be counter productive for me to harm either of you.”

“What the fuck are you talking about?” Kuai heard someone in the background asking Bi-Han what he was doing, but given there was no reply it seemed Bi-Han was laser focused on getting to the storage units.

“I’ll explain everything when we meet,” Shang Tsung calmly replied. “Like I said, I have not hurt your brother, and I would rather not if I can avoid it. Just focus on getting to the location.”

“I’m okay Bi-Han,” Kuai reaffirmed, although he’d probably sound a little more convincing if he didn’t have tears in his eyes. “We’ll explain everything when we meet you.” He smiled slightly at the phone, adding a quick “I love you.”

“Yeah. Yeah, I love you too.” Bi-Han sounded miserable, but in the background Kuai could hear the sound of an engine starting. “I’ll be there, just, stay safe.”

“You too.”

And with that Bi-Han put the phone down.

Before Kuai could do anything, Shang Tsung snatched the phone from Kuai’s hand. He opened his door, carelessly throwing the phone out, before slamming it shut again. If Kuai was to guess, it was to avoid him getting anyone else involved.

“Now,” Shang Tsung sighed, reaching to turn the key, “let’s go meet big brother, shall we?”

Kuai lent back in the seat, closing his eyes and hoping to god that this was all just a bad dream.

[summerwritesfics]

🌎Invite Accepted

Pairing: Hanzo Hasashi/Bi-Han Length: 1674 Words Rating: Mature Warnings: Neighbours AU, Teenager!Kuai Liang, Past Child Abuse, Party, Dogs, Bi-Han is kind of a petty bitch, Really he just has a crush on Hanzo and doesn’t know how to express it, Hanzo is just a concerned neighbour, Trauma recovery

Meanwhile In Another Universe Masterlist

Notes: Enjoy Bi-Han having a crush on Hanzo and only being able to express it in being a bitch, Hanzo just being concerned for the two brothers wellbeing, and Kuai falling head over heels in love with a dog again (if anyone remembers Akuma, you’ve either been reading my fics for a long time and have a good memory or you read that one recently lol).

Bi-han glared out the window, looking at the way the man next door was setting up for some kind of backyard party. Bi-Han hated him. He was the worst. Why? Well… You see…

He just was, okay?

Hanzo seemed all nice and polite on the surface, but he was so goddamn condescending. Not to mention, Bi-Han was certain it was him who had called CPS with concerns for Kuai Liang. That had caused a massive headache, and Bi-Han was thankful they’d managed to see Kuai was fine. That didn’t seem to stop Hanzo from being a busybody however. If he offered Bi-Han and Kuai Liang dinner one more time, he wasn’t going to hold back.

Hell, Hanzo had even invited them to this party, even though it looked like he really didn’t want to. Bi-Han was sure he’d only invited them to try and get Kuai alone and once more bring up the non-issue of if he was safe. Because Kuai was safe. At least, he was now. Now that he was here with Bi-Han and not with their father.

Kuai displayed clear signs of his trauma, but Bi-Han was getting that sorted. All Hanzo had to do was keep to himself. But could he do that? No! Because he was an asshole.

“So, are you just gonna stand there and stew in your weird hate crush, or are we gonna go to the party?” Kuai’s voice questioned, as Bi-Han felt the boy peer around him to look outside.

“You do know that our invite is just an excuse to try and pry into our lives again, right?” Bi-Han huffed, watching as Hanzo took a step back to admire his work. Prick. “And I do not have a crush on him.”

“Yeah, sure,” Kuai replied sarcastically. “But if we went, we’d get free food.”

That was a good point, but also how many times had Bi-Han turned down free food from Hanzo? Why should he start accepting it now?

“Please Bi-Han,” Kuai said in a slightly whiny tone, while pointing to one of the tables. “That cake looks amazing!”

To be fair, the cake did look amazing. It was covered in yellow buttercream and had sprinkles and chocolate bark on top.

“Alright, fine,” Bi-han relented, pushing away from the window sill. Kuai did a little jump of excitement, grabbing Bi-Han’s arm to drag him through the house. “But if he even so much as tries to begin nosing into our business again, we are out of there.”

“Uh huh,” Kuai replied absentmindedly, clearly focused on his mission to eat cake. Well, Bi-Han supposed that if he was so hyperfocused on the cake it’d probably stop him from divulging too much to Hanzo.

It wasn’t long until Bi-Han had been dragged from their home and was at the gate leading into Hanzo’s garden. As they walked in, Hanzo poked his head around to see who was coming. His eyes widened when he saw the duo walk in, clearly surprised his invite had been accepted for once.

“Hi Mr. Hasashi,” Kuai exclaimed with a bright smile and a wave.

“Good afternoon, Kuai Liang,” Hanzo greeted back softly, before his eyes flicked to Kuai’s side. “Bi-Han.”

“Hanzo,” Bi-Han parroted back, and Kuai finally let go of his arm.

“I’ll be honest, I didn’t exactly expect my invite to be accepted,” Hanzo admitted, his tone was strange and Bi-Han couldn’t put his finger on what exactly Hanzo meant by that.

“If it’s a problem we’re here, we can leave,” Bi-Han offered, hoping Hanzo would take it so he had a proper excuse to leave. He felt guilty when Kuai gave him a hurt look.

“No, no that isn’t what I meant,” Hanzo quickly assured him, waving his hands in front of him slightly. “Forgive me, of course you are both welcome here.”

Hanzo stepped aside slightly to let them both enter the garden properly. Hanzo’s dog, Akuma, a black shepherd, was sitting on his porch, and picked his head up when he noticed the two guests in the garden. Seconds later, he was up on his feet and practically bounding up to Kuai Liang. Of course, Kuai was smitten by the dog and immediately lost interest in both Bi-Han and Hanzo in favour of him.

“So, what really made you decide to come?” Hanzo asked, low enough that Kuai wouldn’t hear. “Because I get the distinct impression you do not exactly like me.”

“Whatever gave that away,” Bi-Han muttered under his breath, ignoring the dirty look Hanzo shot him in favour of watching his brother. Kuai looked so happy, getting Akuma to perform various tricks like paw. Bi-Han was still searching for the perfect canine companion for Kuai, so it was nice when Kuai could get his dog fix elsewhere for the time being. “We’re here because Kuai Liang wants cake.”

Hanzo actually laughed at that, “that does sound about right for a teenager.”

Bi-Han hesitated, before deciding Kuai was sufficiently distracted, and said “Look, I don’t know what you think is happening with us but-“

“I am merely concerned for your brother’s wellbeing,” Hanzo said, getting briefly distracted when Akuma began to lick Kuai’s face. “I’m a teacher, I’ve worked with kids long enough to be able to notice when they’re showing signs of abuse.”

Bi-Han flinched at that word. He still felt guilty that he didn’t see what was happening until it was almost too late. Coming home from college to find Kuai on the verge of death. Rushing him to the hospital where he was told it was unlikely that Kuai would pull through. The fact he had was a miracle, and not one Bi-Han took lightly. He made a vow that nothing like this would happen to Kuai ever again. Sometimes he wasn’t sure he was doing the right things for Kuai, no matter how much therapists and social services told him he was doing well.

“He’s healing,” Bi-han whispered, not sure if Hanzo would believe him. “I can’t say I always do the right thing, but I am trying to and he is getting better. You didn’t see him this time last year, you’d think he was two completely different teenagers.” Hanzo’s face was blank, but weirdly, Bi-Han got the feeling Hanzo thought he was telling the truth. “Just, know he is safe with me, and those signs he’s showing are a result of his past, not his present.”

“If there is anything I can do to help, just say,” Hanzo replied with a sigh. “Your brother is a sweet kid, I’d hate to just stand by and watch when there’s something I could do to help.”

“Hm, well I suppose there is something.” Bi-Han watched as Akuma ran off for a few seconds, before returning with a ball and placing it at Kuai’s feet. Aw, cute. “Do you have any advice for getting a dog?” Hanzo looked at him like he was mad or at the very least making a mockery of Hanzo’s offer. “His therapist suggested getting one, sort of an emotional support animal. I just have no idea where to start looking.”

Hanzo blinked a few times, realising the question was both real and completely valid.

“Well, any dog can be an emotional support dog,” Hanzo began, rubbing the back of his head. “You just need to have the right training.” His head jerked upwards like he’d had a sudden thought. “Actually, a friend of mine who’ll be attending the party does dog training. Her name’s Sonya, if you like I can introduce you and she might be able to help you out.”

“That’d be… Excellent,” Bi-Han admitted. He really wanted to get Kuai a dog, but he definitely had no idea where to start with even basic training. Sonya may be just what he needed. “Um. Thank you,” he awkwardly added onto the end. “Look I know I’ve been an asshole but-“

“You were just looking out for Kuai Liang.” Hanzo shook his head. “If he’s been through something traumatic, it is only natural that you would be protective of him.” He gave a defeated sigh. “I should also have just talked to you, rather than assuming I knew what was going on.”

“Let’s agree we both probably should have handled this situation better.” Bi-Han wasn’t sure he trusted Hanzo completely, but he supposed as long as he continued to be good to Kuai, that was all that mattered.

“Bi-Han!” Kuai was waving at him, Akuma sitting and watching him intently. “Look what I can do.” Kuai turned to the dog, and made a spinning motion with his hand. “Spin!” The dog stood up briefly, did a little turn on the spot before sitting down again. “Good boy!” He held out a treat for Akuma, who happily accepted it, as well as the head pats and cooing Kuai made over what a good dog he was.

“Looking good,” Bi-Han called over, and he had to smile. Seeing Kuai so happy, after everything they had gone through to get here. It just meant the world to him.

“He’ll definitely get on with Sonya,” Hanzo snorted, and Bi-Han saw the smile on his face too. Bi-han had to look away quickly, because since when was Hanzo that attractive? Oh no. Kuai might be right about the weird crush. “Every time she’s here she’s trying to get Akuma to do tricks.” Hanzo blinked a few times as if something occurred to him. “I just realised I never offered you a drink.”

“Ah, well I wouldn’t say no to one now,” Bi-Han replied, slightly alarmed by the flirtatious tone to his voice.

If Hanzo noticed, he thankfully didn’t say anything about it, as he gestured for Bi-Han to follow him while saying “come, let me show you what I have.”

Bi-Han took one last glance at Kuai Liang, the boy giggling hysterically at the way the dog was tilting his head left and right at him. He followed Hanzo, thinking to himself that maybe, just maybe, they’d get through all this after all.

[summerwritesfics]

🌎For Your Protection

Pairing: Hanzo Hasashi/Kuai Liang Length: 2497 Words Rating: Mature Warnings: Bodyguard AU, Bodyguard!Hanzo Hasashi, Death Threats, Threats Of Violence, Threats Of Torture, Potential Attempted Murder, Mentioned Torture, Kuai Liang Is A Brat (But isn’t he always in my fanfics?)

Meanwhile In Another Universe Masterlist

Notes: Nothing more homoerotic than the relationship between a bodyguard and his charge ☺️

Hanzo Hasashi was used to awkward clients.

His work as a bodyguard had him positioned at the side of all manor of upper class and important people. Politicians, celebrities, people with more money than sense. He’d had people who deliberately went against his word. More than a couple who made demands of him like asking him to get them coffee and treating him like hired help rather than protection. His stint with Johnny Cage was particularly of note, given how much of a diva he was.

All that to say, Song Kuai Liang really wasn’t special in terms of how awkward his clients could be.

Hanzo had been warned, by both Kuai’s father and brother, that Kuai could be a “spoiled princess” at times. Their words, not Hanzo’s. And they were right. Kuai spent the majority of his time in Hanzo’s company huffing and pouting, generally seeming like he was seconds away from throwing a tantrum. Clearly, he resented the fact his family thought he needed a bodyguard. And he was going to take that frustration out on Hanzo.

As they both stepped out of the limo and onto the sidewalk, Hanzo took a look at the building in front of them. It was the headquarters of Netherrealm Incorporated, a company that Kuai’s father was currently trying to make a deal with. Hanzo had reservations about the place. He’d heard rumours, and none of them signalled the company operated completely above the law. Still, it was not his place to question these things, he was just here to make sure Kuai didn’t get hurt.

As they approached the double doors, Hanzo quickened his pace to go ahead, carefully opening the door. Deciding the coast was clear, he stepped aside to let Kuai through.

“Thanks,” Kuai muttered miserably as he entered.

“You’re welcome,” Hanzo sighed, only for Kuai to glare at him in response.

“That was sarcasm, genius,” he hissed, storming off into the building.

Hanzo bit his lip, letting the door close behind them as he struggled to keep up.

“It is standard protocol that I open doors and go ahead of you,” Hanzo explained as they approached an elevator, and Kuai hit the button to call it down. “I am just doing my job.”

“Well your job is stupid,” Kuai snapped back, crossing his arms across his chest and leaning to one side. “What? Do you think someone’s really going to be hiding behind every door or corner?”

“It is a possibility.” Maybe I should have taken a different job. He really should have guessed this would be a frustrating one when Bi-Han had told him that Cage had been the one to recommend him.

“The entire front of the building is made of glass, including the door,” Kuai frustratedly growled, gesturing to where they had just come from. “If someone was waiting for me behind that, they’d have to be the most idiotic assassin known to man.” Okay, I hate to admit but he has got a point there. 

They both turned their attention to the elevator as the doors slid open. Hanzo stepped inside first, checking it was clear before letting Kuai in. Thankfully, he decided not to voice his frustration on this again.

“Really everyone is taking those letters far too seriously,” Kuai whispered, reaching to hit the button for the floor they needed, doors shutting and the elevator rumbling into life. “It’s probably just some bored kid who thinks it’s funny.”

The referenced letters were the reason that Hanzo was here. One day, the Song family had started suddenly getting them, each one very graphically threatening to torture and kill Kuai Liang. Hanzo had read through them to get an idea of what he was dealing with. He had a strong tolerance for stuff like this, but they had even him squirming. Threats to skin Kuai alive, to bathe him in acid, to take out his eyes and tongue, to lock him in a suitcase and throw him into the river. And those were the tame parts. Hanzo understood completely why the family had been so freaked out by them.

Well, everyone in the family except the one the threats were actually towards it seemed.

“If it brings your family peace of mind, is it not worth just going along with this until they are satisfied you aren’t in danger?” Maybe he could appeal to the other man by using his family, but the sideways glance told him it wasn’t that simple. “The problem right now is, there is no way to tell if those threats are real or not, and it is better to act as if they are than to ignore them.”

“I can not wait to say I told you so when it turns out this was all just a waste of your time.” Kuai shook his head, and all Hanzo could do in response was roll his eyes.

“Your family was right, you are a princess.” He hadn’t intended that to be said aloud, but Kuai’s head snapped over to him. Hanzo braced himself for yet more anger, but when he actually looked, all he could see was hurt. Probably not at what Hanzo said, but at the implication it was what his own family thought of him. “Kuai Liang, I-“

The door to the elevator opened, and Kuai pushed past him before Hanzo could stop him.

“Let’s just get this meeting over with,” Kuai spoke in a rough tone, and Hanzo grimaced. Well, looks like I’ve just managed to make this 100 times worse for myself. 

They didn’t say another word to each other. Kuai did speak, but only to the lady behind the desk about how he was here for a meeting. As they waited to be called in, they sat in silence. Hanzo contemplated saying something, apologising for his outburst, but by the time he got the nerve to do so, a door opened opposite them.

“Mr Song?” A man asked from the doorway. Hanzo vaguely recognised him from some of the fancy establishments he’d worked. Quan Chi, not the CEO of Netherrealm, but definitely one of the people with most influence and power in the company. “Delightful to see you again.”

“Likewise,” Kuai spoke as he pushed himself to stand up. Hanzo followed suit. Quan Chi raised an eyebrow at them. “I apologise but Hanzo will be standing in on this meeting.”

“A new recruit?” Quan Chi asked, eyeing Hanzo up and down with suspicion. Still he moved aside to let both of the men walk inside his office.

“Bodyguard,” Kuai explained with a dismissive hand wave. Any sympathy Hanzo had been feeling was immediately zapped away again.

“Hm. Well I have to admit I’m a little hurt that your father doesn’t trust me enough to send you without a chaperone.” Something about that statement made Hanzo go on high alert. On the surface, it had been said in quite the jovial tone, but there was an edge to it Hanzo couldn’t describe. Anger. Disappointment. 

Why would anyone be disappointed they wouldn’t be alone with someone unless they had bad intentions?

As Kuai and Quan Chi took their seats, Hanzo decided to stay standing, hovering right behind Kuai. He glared at the other man across the desk, although if he noticed, he never said anything.

“So, has your father looked over the proposal again?” Quan Chi questioned.

“He’s still not happy with it, I’m afraid.” Kuai reached into his bag, pulling out a stack of papers. He put them on the desk, pushing them towards Quan Chi. “Like always he’s highlighted the parts he has issue with.”

Quan Chi clicked his tongue and took the papers to leaf through them. “Your father is a hard man to please.”

“You have no idea,” Kuai said with an overdramatic sigh. “While I was still in education it was top grades or nothing.”

Quan Chi didn’t reply, in fact he barely registered that Kuai had even spoken. His eyes were glued on the proposal, and the further into it he got, the deeper his frown got. Clearly, whatever was contained on those papers was not to his liking. This seemed to start rubbing off on Kuai’s as well, who coughed nervously and straightened up.

“I am sorry for the inconvenience,” Kuai started, a nervous waver to his voice. His hand reached for his wrist, rubbing at it. “If it would make things easier for you, I could see if he’ll draft a version of the proposal, and then see if we can find a happy middle ground from that?”

Suddenly all that anger was gone from Quan Chi’s face, and he smiled at Kuai kindly. Too kindly. It felt so wrong. Hanzo had to resist the urge to shove himself in front of his charge.

“You really are very sweet, Kuai Liang.” Quan Chi put the papers down, resting his elbows on the desk and linking his fingers. “To think someone would be so callous as to make threats to your life.”

“I- what?” Kuai paused at that, very briefly glancing behind him at Hanzo. He instinctively grabbed hold of Kuai’s shoulder. “How did you know someone has been sending death threats?”

“Ah, did you not mention that earlier when you were explaining your bodyguard?” Quan Chi asked, tilting his head like he was innocent.

“No. I just said I had a bodyguard.” Kuai’s breathing slowed down, both his and Hanzo’s gaze was squarely on Quan Chi.

It was scary, just how calm Quan Chi was when he said, “hm, maybe your father mentioned it to me when I spoke with him last.”

“But he didn’t mention I’d have a bodyguard with me?” It was at this question that Quan Chi seemed to realise he was fighting a losing battle.

“I would appreciate you speaking with your father.” He cleared his throat and pushed himself to sit back against his chair. “I think that would be the best way to ensure everyone comes out of this on top.”

“Right,” Kuai breathed out, sounding surprisingly calm despite how rigid his body was. Hanzo gently squeezed his shoulder. “I’ll see what I can do.” He reached a hand to tuck a strand of hair back, like he was desperate to find something to do with his hands. “Um, so, is there anything else you would like to speak about?”

“No, I think we should wait until your father draft’s his version of the deal.”

Hanzo was surprised by how quickly Kuai took this as a sign to stand up.

“Then I should go and get that sorted then.” Kuai sounded cheerful but it was obviously extremely forced. Hanzo didn’t say anything, just shot Quan Chi a glare as if to dare him to try anything, before turning to follow Kuai back towards the door of the office.

“Oh, Kuai Liang,” Quan Chi shouted just before the man in question had managed to step through the door. Kuai and Hanzo both turned to look at Quan Chi. The grin on his face was chillingly evil. “I do hope you find whoever is sending you those letters.”

Kuai took a sharp breath, nodding and turning to leave again. Hanzo couldn’t help but take hold of Kuai’s bicep, keeping him in a tight grip like that would somehow protect him. They didn’t speak though, even as they got into the elevator. It wasn’t long until they were heading back towards those glass doors, stepping onto the sidewalk and back into the waiting limo.

“Well,” Kuai whispered the second the limo’s engine began to rumble. He settled back into his seat, tilting his head back and gazing at the roof. “At least we have an idea of who is sending those letters.”

“Do you understand how serious this is now?” Hanzo asked, hoping maybe this was the wake up call he’d need.

“Fine. You were right, okay? Is that what you want to hear?” Kuai’s tone was annoyed, but he didn’t move.

“No. No, I did not want to be right.” And really he didn’t. Because as it stood, it meant Kuai Liang’s life was genuinely in danger. “I assume you know the rumours about Netherrealm?”

“That’s part of why Father’s been so careful with this deal.” He reached a hand to rub his chin. “In hindsight, it probably should have been obvious the threats had something to do with this. I have been the one doing a lot of the back and forth between parties.” He frowned. “Does feel a little like shooting the messenger though.”

Now that all the pieces were there, it was easier to put together the puzzle. Quan Chi was unhappy that Kuai’s Father was savvy enough in business to realise the deals being offered were unfairly favourable to Netherrealm. Instead of just taking the loss, he’d taken to threatening Kuai Liang’s life to intimidate them into accepting the deal. Hanzo had a feeling the threats weren’t idle or a bluff either. If Quan Chi didn’t get his way, he would make Kuai pay for it.

“I’m sorry,” Kuai finally muttered, pulling Hanzo out of his contemplation. Kuai was finally looking at him, hands in his lap and head hung slightly low. “I didn’t want to believe someone would really threaten such things against me. I thought maybe if I just pretended it didn’t bother me and wasn’t real, everything would turn out okay somehow.”

Hanzo understood what was really being said.

“I was scared, and I lashed out because of it.” 

“No, it is understandable that you would not want to believe someone would want to hurt you so.” Hanzo placed a hand over Kuai’s. “Kuai Liang, I know this is likely scary for you, but I assure you, so long as I am by your side I will do everything in my power to keep you safe.”

Kuai swallowed, but offered a small grateful smile and he breathed out, “thank you.”

“I think the real question is where we go from here.” Hanzo couldn’t imagine Kuai’s father would be happy to learn of their suspicions, or the issue that really they had no proof to do anything about it. “Really, we need extra time to gather solid evidence that it is Quan Chi behind it. Do we involve your father, or do we wait until we have more to show him?”

“Leave Bàba to me,” Kuai confidently declared with a smirk. “I know how to flutter my eyelashes and convince him everything is fine.” Hanzo raised an eyebrow at that, and Kuai giggled. “Hey, I know how to wield my princess powers. Being the brat has its upsides, having loud tantrums tends to overshadow any secrets I may be keeping.”

Hanzo couldn’t help but chuckle at that, “alright. I’ll trust in your expertise.”

Even with Kuai’s cooperation, this wasn’t going to be an easy job, but at least now the pair of them were on the same page. Hopefully that would make things go smoother.

Hopefully.

[summerwritesfics]

🌎The Prince In The Tower

Pairing: Hanzo Hasashi/Kuai Liang Length: 979 Words Rating: Mature Warnings: Fairy Tale AU, Prince!Kuai Liang, Knight!Hanzo Hasashi, Locked in a tower, Rescue, Isolation, Kept Prisoner, Attempted Forced Relationship, Minor onesided Sektor/Kuai Liang, Kuai’s gone a little strange from isolation, Mentioned death of origami animals (it makes sense in context trust me)

Meanwhile In Another Universe Masterlist

Notes: By my “putting Kuai Liang through hell” standards this is pretty tame, and tbh he does get a semblance of a happy ending. Cuz y’know. Fairy tales :)

“Alright, thank you all for gathering here today.”

Kuai Liang linked his fingers, resting his elbows on the table as he stared at the array of origami animals before him. There had to be almost 100 at this point, the art form one of the only forms of entertainment Sektor allowed him to have. At some point, Kuai had started using them as a substitute for social contact. They were not just his creations at this point, but also his friends.

He was definitely aware that probably made him strange in other people's eyes, but those other people hadn’t been stuck mostly alone in a tower for almost 10 years, so quite frankly they had no room to judge him.

“I realise that recently we’ve had some unfortunate losses amongst us. Pàxiū, Fang Mei and Nián Qīng will be sorely missed.” 

It was a tragedy, really. Sektor may have approved of Kuai’s only hobby, but his jealousy was so great it extended to lifeless objects. Every so often, he’d “kill” one of Kuai’s animals, for no other reason than to hurt him. Usually, this meant squashing them, taking them apart or ripping them to pieces. Poor Nián Qīng’s death was particularly traumatic though, Sektor cruelly throwing her into the fire, having some of his soldiers hold Kuai back from saving her.

“But, I have no doubt we will-“

He stopped himself when he heard the door to the tower open. Swallowing sharply, he pushed himself to stand up. He knew if Sektor caught him talking to the bits of paper, he’d have more casualties on his hands. He stilled, listening to footsteps approaching the door to the room he was in. He saw the knob begin to turn, and he held his breath, scared of what tortures Sektor had in mind for him today.

Except, when the door opened, it revealed someone who definitely wasn’t Sektor.

Actually, it didn’t even seem to be one of Sektor’s soldiers, given his armour was a completely different style. He had long black hair tied into a bun, and a short black beard. A long sword was in his hand, but when he saw Kuai Liang, he slowly put it back into its sheath.

“Prince Kuai Liang?” The man questioned, like he wasn’t sure that was who he was looking at.

“Um. Yes?” Kuai fiddled with the hem of his clothing. “Do I know you, sir?”

“No. My name is Hanzo Hasashi,” he replied, walking over towards him. “I am a passing knight who became aware of your plight. I am here to free you.”

Kuai blinked and all that could come out of his mouth was “oh.” It took a couple of seconds to really understand what had been said to him. “Oh! You’re here to rescue us!”

“Yes I- wait… us?” Hanzo raised an eyebrow and briefly looked around the room. “I wasn’t aware anyone else was here.”

“Well, I need to take my friend’s with me.” Kuai gestured towards his army of origami animals. Hanzo stared at the table with a look of disbelief. “If I leave them Sektor will probably kill them all in an act of vengeance.”

“Those are…” Hanzo hesitated, glancing between the animals and Kuai Liang. “Those are just bits of paper.”

“Yes, well, they are bits of paper I’ve formed a bond with, thank you very much,” Kuai snapped, feeling a little bad as soon as he did. He rubbed his arm and looked away. “I’m sorry. They have just been my only companions for the last 10 years. They mean a lot to me.”

Hanzo’s face softened slightly, his confusion replaced by what Kuai could only describe as pity. Kuai should probably have hated that, but instead he decided to take it as a sign of understanding.

“I see.” Hanzo reached around to pull a bag from behind his back. “They may fit in here, but I can’t guarantee they won’t get squashed.”

“If it’s just a little, I should be able to fix them,” Kuai sighed in relief. At least his rescuer was being somewhat kind to him. That already put him leagues above Sektor. He turned away and began to scoop up his companions and gently placed them in the bag. “Thank you…”

“If they are that important to you, I have no room to judge you,” Hanzo replied, eyes darting back and forth as Kuai continued to fill the bag. “Have you really been here for 10 years?”

Kuai hummed in confirmation. “Originally it was just meant to be until I agreed to marry Sektor but uh… That hasn’t exactly happened.”

“You have held off his desires for 10 years?” After Kuai put the last few animals into the bag, Hanzo pulled the strings to close it up. “I will admit, I am impressed by your resolve.”

“Oh, it helps to realise if I were to marry him, his treatment of me would just get worse.”

Hanzo nodded, although there was clear conflict on his face. He put the bag away regardless, and then held out his hand to Kuai.

“Come, let’s get you out of here.”

Kuai smiled, taking Hanzo’s hand and letting him guide him through the corridor, and down the spiral staircase of the tower. As they stepped out into the outside, he had to close his eyes from how bright it was. A couple of seconds to adjust, and he was slowly able to open them and look around.

There were trees, and the light blue sky above him. He could hear birds singing, and a pleasant breeze licked at his skin. In the tower, he had only been able to spy very brief glances of the outside world. Everything looked far more beautiful than he remembered.

As Hanzo tugged on his hand, silently instructing him to follow, Kuai couldn’t help but smile.

He was finally free.

[summerwritesfics]

🌎While We Escape Just To Survive

Pairing: None Length: 2091 Words Rating: Mature Warnings: Cyberpunk AU, On The Run, Escape, Fights, Starvation, Corrupt Military, Dystopia, Morally Dubious Science Experiments, Genetic Engineering, Human Experimentation, Human Weapon, Angst, Bi-Han Get’s His Ass Kicked By An Old Woman, Dine And Dashing, Simulations

Meanwhile In Another Universe Masterlist

Notes: So, uh, let’s face it, it was only a matter of time until I posted something cyberpunk-ish for this series given my bias for that genre. The three boys have been through some shit in this, Kuai definitely has had some horrible shit happen to him (because this is me, and despite how much I love him I’ve made it my life mission to make him suffer… because I love him 💕) Also sidenote, but my original draft for this I didn’t actually name Kung Lao or Raiden, refering to them as the man and the other man respectively, and reading it back I was like “oooh, I need to change this.” So, if their name drops seem a bit forced that’s why 😂 Fic title is from “Neo-Tokyo” by Scandroid. :)

Bi-Han’s eyes darted around the room. The teahouse was busy, groups of people huddled around tables as they ate and drank their cares away. Bi-Han wished he could join them, forget all his worries for the night and get so shitfaced he couldn’t walk straight. But they couldn’t relax, not when The Lin Kuei were still hot on their heels. Really stopping at all was risky, but it had been days since they’d last eaten, and Kuai Liang was already looking frail enough as it was.

“So. What exactly are we gonna do when we’re asked to pay?” Tomas questioned, although he kept his tone low. Bi-Han returned his attention to him. “We don’t have any money to pay for this.”

“We’re going to dip before they can even show us the bill,” Bi-Han informed him, leaning across the table.

“Thats- That doesn’t feel right to me,” Tomas muttered, shaking his head. “We’re just stealing at that point.”

“Well what else do you suggest we do?” Bi-Han asked roughly. Tomas shut his mouth and remained silent. “That’s what I thought.” Bi-han surveyed the teahouse again. “Besides, with how packed this place is, the owner’s probably making bank. Three street rats dipping on their payment won’t cause a dent.”

“They cannot take the money with them to the grave,” Kuai mused, completely out of nowhere, causing Bi-Han and Tomas to share a bemused glance. “And the grave is the final destination for all.”

This had been happening with alarming frequency since they’d escaped. Kuai Liang saying the weirdest, creepiest and most cryptic shit imaginable, completely unprompted. It was unnerving, especially coming from his once cheerful sunshine younger brother. But since they had been inducted into The Lin Kuei, his personality had changed. The Kuai that Bi-Han remembered was still there, he was still the sweet and kindly person he’d always been, yet there was also this morbid side that would slip out. And sometimes, even when Kuai was happy and smiling, his eyes looked vacant, like he was a million miles away.

Bi-Han didn’t know what experiments The Lin Kuei performed on his brother, but if he ever found out, he’d make sure they suffered the same fate a thousand times over.

“That aside,” Tomas began, shuffling in his seat like he was uncomfortable. “We’ll need to wait until the old woman who owns this place is distracted. She doesn’t feel like the type who’ll let us go without a fight.”

Bi-Han nodded, the woman in question was across the room, talking with two young men who’d walked in seconds earlier. It seemed she knew them, given how the three seemed to be laughing and joking with one another. Bi-Han glanced at their table, they’d all finished eating and there seemed like no better time than now to try and make an escape.

“She seems pretty distracted now.” Bi-Han declared, pushing himself to stand up. He grabbed Kuai’s arm to try and get him to get up with them. “Let’s go.”

His brothers silently agreed with him. He kept his grip on Kuai, somewhat scared of losing him somewhere in the crowd. He could see Tomas from the corner of his eye, as the three of them tried to make a quick exit. They were so close, they just had to make it to the door.

And then the old lady stepped out in front of them with her arms crossed over her chest.

“And where exactly do you three think you’re going?” She questioned, glaring at them like they were lower than dirt.

“Uh, we were just going to get some fresh air,” Tomas immediately chimed in, although the grimace on his face gave him away. Dammit Tomas. He always was the worst liar of the three of them.

“Oh of course. You’ll be free to get all the fresh air you like, once you pay your bill.”

Bi-Han hissed, letting go of Kuai and stepping forward, keeping himself tall and trying to look as dangerous as he could muster.

“Move out of our way,” he growled, the threat implied by his tone. “And I won’t have to hurt you.”

“Do not try me, young man,” she snapped back, pointing her finger at him. “You wouldn’t stand a chance.”

Bi-Han felt his rage rising, and before he even registered what he was doing his fist was flying towards her face. He was surprised when rather than hitting his target, her hand darted up and grabbed his wrist, stopping him in his tracks. He tried pulling back, but damn was this woman far stronger than she looked.

He attempted to punch her with his other hand, only for the same thing to happen again. Except she suddenly released his first wrist and got in a punch herself. He stumbled back slightly, only to feel himself flying forward as she yanked on the wrist she still had a hold of. He sloppily threw his fist again, completely missing her.

A leg swept at his feet and he hit the floor. The woman stood above him and he threw yet another punch, just for her to yet again catch it. This time, she flipped him over onto his stomach. There was a pressure on his lower back, realising she was sitting on top of him, bending his arm behind him so far his shoulder began to ache in protest.

“Get off me!” He thrashed, but stopped when he almost dislocated his shoulder. “I’ll fucking kill you!”

“Madame Bo!” Bi-Han looked up to see the two young men who’d been talking to her run over. “What’s going on?”

“Just a few street rats attempting to dine and dash, Raiden, nothing to worry about.” She yanked on Bi-Han’s arm, and he gave a pained and angry scream.

“Wait, please, we’re sorry,” Tomas tried, holding his arms in front of him. “We haven’t eaten in weeks and we have no money.”

“That may be so,” Madame Bo huffed, “but if you have no money, you should not come into a restaurant. I have bills to pay too, you know?”

“We are so sorry,” Tomas pleaded, and Bi-Han shot him the dirtiest look he could. The fact he was pandering to these people was pissing him off. “We don’t have a way to pay, but we’ll make it up to you.”

Madame Bo scoffed, until one of the two men, the one who wasn’t Raiden, cleared his throat, “how about we pay for their meal, would that de-escalate this situation?”

“You boys would really do that?” Madame Bo questioned, raising an eyebrow at them. Both of them nodded. She gave an annoyed sigh, as she commented “you two are too good for this world, and certainly too good for people like this.”

“Fuck you!” Bi-Han growled and he began to struggle again. “We don’t need your fucking handouts.”

“Bi-Han, it’s either let them pay or get your arm broken,” Tomas pointed out, desperation in his voice. Bi-Han was ready to scream at him, until he looked at Kuai Liang.

He wasn’t even watching the scene in front of him, his eyes fixed somewhere else, completely glazed over. Shit. 

“Fine,” He spat out, “just get this crazy old bitch off of me!”

Finally Madame Bo let go of his arm and got off his back. He pushed himself to sit up, Tomas running to his side to help him. Meanwhile, Kuai didn’t move. Madame Bo walked over to the two boys, wiping down her dress with her hands and glaring over her shoulder at Bi-Han.

“That’s Madame Crazy Old Bitch to you,” she snapped, and Bi-Han jerked forward to attack her again, only for Tomas to grab the back of his shirt and stop him.

“How much do they owe you?” The man asked, getting out his payment card.

“150 credits, Kung Lao” she said, and the guys eyebrows raised at that.

“Only 150 credits? Shit, I spend triple that on just myself.” Kung Lao passed the card over to Madame Bo before looking toward Tomas and Bi-Han. “You really can’t afford 150 credits?”

Well no, because we’re homeless and jobless and on the fucking run from a corrupt military sect. 

As much as Bi-Han wished that was his answer, instead he just bared his teeth at the man.

“We tried to spend as little as we could so the damages would be as low as possible,” Tomas lied. They hadn’t really thought that far ahead, it was more that they’d just got enough to maybe keep them going for a couple more days.

While Kung Lao began to generally converse with Madame Bo about the bill, Raiden was preoccupied with Kuai Liang. When Bi-Han looked towards his brother, he was still staring vacantly at nothing. He’d had moments like this, but not for as long as this seemed to have lasted.

“Uh, hey,” Raiden started, reaching a hand forward to touch Kuai’s shoulder. His entire body tensed and his eyes widened. “Are you okay?”

“Is this real?” Kuai asked, voice sounding panicked, head snapping to the man beside him. “Or… Am I just going to wake up in that laboratory again?”

Laboratory? Bi-Han’s gut twisted and he rushed to his feet. Stumbling a little, Tomas grabbed him before he fell to the floor again. He reached for Kuai, taking his face in his hands. Kuai looked at him with watery eyes.

“You always die,” Kuai whispered, blinking and causing the tears to roll down his cheeks. “They always make sure I can’t save you, and you die.” Kuai’s hands came up to grab his wrists. “And then there is fire, and burning, and it hurts but I can’t stop it because it’s coming from me.”

“Kuai Liang,” Bi-Han breathed out, he had no idea what to say. “I’m okay. I’m not dead yet.”

“But you will. One day.” He nuzzled against Bi-Han’s hands and gripped him just a little tighter. “And I don’t know that I will be able to hold back. I am The Scorpion. My destiny is to turn the world to ash.”

“What?” Madame Bo questioned, and when Bi-Han turned to look at her, she was looking… terrified .

“Sorry, he’s not been the same since-“ Tomas began and stopped himself, realising that explaining too much would give away who they were and what they were running from. “He’s just very unwell right now.”

Madame Bo approached them again, slapping Bi-Han’s hands away from Kuai. He had no idea why he complied. She gently angled Kuai’s head towards her.

“What is your designation?” She asked, and Bi-Han immediately went cold.

“LK-520,” Kuai said without hesitation. Bi-Han’s head was screaming at him to do something. If she knew to ask for a designation, that meant she was familiar with The Lin Kuei’s ways. It meant she could call them to collect the brothers.

And yet, the way she pursed her lips, how gently she pat Kuai’s head. Bi-Han got the feeling she wasn’t going to rat them out.

“Oh. I’m so sorry, boy.” She closed her eyes and sighed, before turning slightly to Bi-Han. “You three are Lin Kuei.”

“Lin what?” Kung Lao questioned, but Madame Bo ignored them.

“Please,” Bi-Han whispered, reaching to grab Kuai’s hand. “Please don’t tell them where we are.”

“I won’t tell them a thing,” she assured him. “I am just like you.” Bi-Han paused at that. Did she just admit to being a Lin Kuei runaway? It would explain how she was such a skilled fighter. “I never thought they’d actually go through with the Scorpion Project. It was barbaric, even by their standards.”

“I am so confused right now,” Raiden complained, rubbing his head like it was hurting him.

“They did something to him,” Bi-Han explained, ignoring the man completely in favour of Madame Bo. “I don’t know what but-“

“We should not talk of such things in the open,” Madame Bo told him in a hushed tone. Her hand went to take Kuai Liang’s. “Come into the back room. I can explain everything.” Her eyes flicked over to the two men. “To you two as well.”

And with that, she was walking across the teahouse, gently pulling Kuai behind her. Bi-Han sighed and looked at Tomas. Silently, it seemed they agreed this was about as good as this situation was going to get. So, they followed, hoping to god they’d get answers to what had happened to Kuai in that God forsaken laboratory.

Although Bi-Han had a terrible feeling the truth would be worse than he could have imagined.

[summerwritesfics]

🌎Not Your Place

Pairing: Shang Tsung/Kuai Liang Length: 1510 Words Rating: Mature Warnings: Vampire AU, Vampire!Shang Tsung, Vampire Hunter!Kuai Liang, Betrayal, Deals, Mentioned Blood Drinking, Hypnotism, Mind Control, Bi-Han Is An Asshole

Meanwhile In Another Universe Masterlist

Notes: Idk I am still not immune to vampire AU’s lol. Poor Kuai’s not having a good time, but not to NSFK levels in this. Bi-Han is also unusually assholish compared to how I usually write him even tho he doesn’t actually appear. 🤷🏻

Shang Tsung licked his lips at the display in front of him.

Kuai Liang, second in line to The Lin Kuei, an ancient order of vampire hunters. He was sitting on the sofa opposite, hands together in his lap and head bowed slightly so he didn’t have to make eye contact with Shang Tsung. It was clear he was not happy about being here, sent into the lair of a vampire by his Grandmaster, his own brother. Conspiring with a vampire went against every code their clan stood for, but Kuai also could not deny his Grandmaster’s orders.

Oh, how wonderful this is. 

“So, your brother is interested in aiding me?” Shang Tsung began, pacing back and forth in front of his guest, eyes never leaving him for a second.

“He believes we would be stronger working with you rather than against you,” Kuai explained, spitting the words with such resentment. “You have something of an army that you have sired and in exchange for access to it, you would have access to the Lin Kuei.”

“Interesting.” The Lin Kuei would be a marvellous asset in his arsenal. It may have seemed odd for a vampire to be interested in command of a clan of vampire hunters. The truth was, the vampire hierarchy was cutthroat, and having a clan of hunters at his disposal would give him the edge above his rivals. “When he says access, what exactly does he mean?”

“We would be at your command, provided you would be at ours,” Kuai explained, turning his head to look away slightly. It was cute, since he’d entered Shang Tsung’s castle he hadn’t made eye contact with him at all.

“Do you disagree with your Grandmaster’s plan, Kuai Liang?” He asked, watching the way Kuai’s breath hitched.

“It is not my place to question his wishes.” He said that a little too quickly and forcefully, like he’d been coaching himself to give that reply rather than voice his true thoughts.

Shang Tsung wouldn’t take that as an answer. He approached the other man, grabbing his chin and forcing his head to look up at him. For the first time, Kuai’s eyes met his own, widening slightly as he realised he’d made a mistake.

“I want an honest answer, dear.” Shang Tsung smirked as Kuai’s eyes began to glow red. Perfect. “Do you disagree with your Grandmaster’s plan?”

“Yes,” Kuai answered, voice slurred like he was drunk. His brow twitched slightly, he clearly knew that Shang Tsung was controlling him, but he could do nothing about it. And the poor dear had been so careful not to look me in the eye. “I think allying with you will be a mistake that will cost us dearly.”

“Thank you for telling me the truth.” He released his control of Kuai Liang, the man immediately turning away and gasping in horror. “I do appreciate an honest man.”

“You are a vile creature,” Kuai hissed between his teeth, cheeks going red as his fingers clenched and dug into the plush seat.

“Yet, you are still here.” He ran the back of his hand down Kuai’s cheek, delighting in the way it made him tremble. “Like an obedient little bitch for big brother.”

“It is not my place-“

“Yes, yes, you already said that dear.” He moved his hand to once more take hold of Kuai’s chin and force him to look at him again. This time, Kuai had the foresight to close his eyes. Shang Tsung laughed, “don’t worry, I won’t hypnotise you this time, I promise.”

“A promise is worth nothing from someone whose currency is lies.” Kuai tried to jerk his head backwards, but Shang Tsung practically dragged it towards him. “A fact my brother is a fool for ignoring.”

“Hm, but I thought it wasn’t your place to question him?” Shang Tsung teased, enjoying the way Kuai bared his teeth. He reached a second hand forwards, ghosting his thumb over one of Kuai’s closed eyes. “Open your eyes dear. I’d prefer if you were looking at me while we discuss the potential of a contract between our clans.”

Kuai’s mouth twitched, but eventually, those eyes fluttered open, beautiful even with the venom in them.

“That’s better.” He didn’t let go of the other man's face, although he kept his word on not putting the man under his control again. “Now. I presume your brother has an initial offer on the table to further tempt me in accepting his deal.” He tilted his head. “Keeping in mind, I have no need for money, so you can take any financial incentive off the table.”

“The Grandmaster thought that might be the case,” Kuai sighed. He brought a hand up to try and pry Shang Tsung’s grip off him but that wasn’t going to be happening. Kuai grunted. “As our clan has been working with Lord Liu Kang for generations, we know many of his secrets.”

“Is he offering to share them with me?” He asked in genuine surprise. The Lin Kuei had been the fire god’s lapdog for generations, even if allying themselves with Shang Tsung was betraying him, to forsake him in such a way was almost unthinkable.

But if true, oh, how it would benefit Shang Tsung.

“He believes the gods are stifling us, holding back our potential.” The misery in Kuai’s voice made it clear he personally disagreed. “He believes that with your help, we will be able to free ourselves from their shackles.”

Shang Tsung hummed, grinning to himself. This was all such a tempting offer. The problem was it was just a little too tempting. That indicated it could very well be a trap.

“And I am supposed to just take your word that is what will happen?” He questioned, and was once again shocked when Kuai actually laughed at that.

“The Grandmaster expected that as your reaction too.” Kuai reached into his pocket, pulling out a small envelope and passing it to Shang Tsung. “This contains a section of recent correspondents. We will share further information with you once we have your cooperation.”

Shang Tsung took the envelope, slipping its contents out and quickly glancing over it. It was indeed snippets of letter’s between The Lin Kuei and Liu Kang. Nothing too revealing, he supposed that made sense, if they gave him too much of the juicy stuff too soon, there would be no reason for him to agree to the deal. There were a few lines that implied Liu Kang was looking to launch some sort of attack against Shang Tsung’s brood.

That was troublesome, he needed further information.

“To further the deal,” Kuai continued, and Shang Tsung looked up at him with a raised eyebrow, “he offers you, personally, a member of the clan as a feeder.”

He was silent for a few seconds, being a feeder was a dangerous position and not one just any human would do willingly, causing him to ask “what poor sap would agree to do that?”

“I did not agree to it.” The statement was short, full of rage and betrayal that the man could never verbalise for fear of being punished for it.

“But it is not your place to question your Grandmaster,” Shang Tsung taunted, chuckling when the other man flinched at the way his own words were used against him. “Let me guess, he’s offered you in part, because you vocalised your disagreements with him?”

There was no reply, but the solemn look on Kuai’s face indicated that was exactly what happened.

“It’s an interesting proposal,” Shang Tsung moved on. His mouth was positively salivating at the thought of drinking Kuai Liang’s blood. He could imagine how it would taste, people with Kuai Liang’s temperament tended to have the sweetest flavoured blood, but he wouldn’t know for sure until he bit into the other man's flesh. However, until he’d spoken with Bi-Han and agreed to everything officially, he did not wish to be presumptuous and sink his teeth in a little too early. “I think an audience with your brother would be best to iron out all the details of this arrangement.”

Kuai nodded, pushing himself to stand up, “then I shall take you to him.”

“Excellent.” He bowed, allowing Kuai Liang to lead the way. However, just before Kuai could exit the door, Shang Tsung grabbed his wrist to stop him. “Oh, Kuai Liang?” Kuai looked over his shoulder, frowning deeply. “I very much look forward to drinking from you.”

Kuai swallowed, understanding that Shang Tsung intended to accept that particular part of the agreement as well. He jerked his arm away, a callous laugh escaping Shang Tsung’s lips. Truth was, Shang Tsung was an evil bastard, he owned that part of his personality, but even he at least sympathised with Kuai’s predicament. He’d make sure to find a way to reward the man heavily for his service.

Kuai turned to leave, and Shang Tsung couldn’t help but smirk to himself.

This was going to be a most worthwhile agreement, he was sure of it.

[summerwritesfics]

🌎A Truce

Pairing: None Length: 1669 Words Rating: Teen Warnings: Modern AU, Child!Tomas Vrbada, Child!Bi-Han, Baby!Kuai Liang, Adoption, Adopted Children, Adopted Sibling Relationship, Fluff, Family Fluff, Past Character Death, Babies, Childbirth, Hospitals, Jealousy, Tomas has very little concept of how long childbirth can take, Bi-Han is a little shit (But a little shit with a soft spot for Kuai Liang so)

Meanwhile In Another Universe Masterlist

Notes: You know, at this point MK1 could explicitly tell me Tomas is the youngest and I would still be here like “yeah but he has middle child energy so idc” lol. For ages in this I was thinking Bi-Han maybe being 9-10 and Tomas being 7-8. Kuai is obviously a newborn, somewhere between half-and-hour to an hour old.

Tomas didn’t really understand why the Song family had adopted him.

Not that they treated him badly. In fact, despite his new elder brother’s complaints, his new parents treated him extremely well and had gone out of their way to make sure he was happy and comfortable in his new home. They’d done everything to make sure he knew they adopted him because they wanted him. He had his own room, filled with toys and clothes, Father always helped him with his homework, Mother would sit up and sing lullabies when he had nightmares. They’d even found Doctor Ashrah, the nice lady who Tomas talked to about the deaths of his Sister and Mother.

But he still didn’t understand, mostly on the grounds that his new Mother had been very clearly pregnant when they first met. If they were expecting another child already, then what was Tomas for? They could clearly still have their own children, so why did they need Tomas too? It was confusing, even if he was thankful for their strange decision.

But that was why he was now sitting in a hospital waiting room, Bi-Han explicitly ignoring him. Mother had gone into labour some time ago and Father had gone straight to her. Madame Bo, the kindly elderly lady who ran a nearby cafe, had brought Tomas and Bi-Han to the hospital from school. Tomas wasn’t exactly an expert on babies and childbirth, but they’d been here for an hour, their parents even longer, surely the baby had to be out of her by now, right?

As if to answer his question, the door opposite them opened, and their Father stuck his head out of the door. He looked tired, but excited, so that was probably a good sign. He smiled at them both.

“Come on, there’s someone who’d like to meet you both,” Father gently told them, moving aside to allow them through the door.

Bi-Han immediately jumped off the chair and stepped forward. Tomas scrambled to keep up. As they entered, Father shut the door behind them. Across the room, Mother was sitting up in the bed, holding a bundle of cloth to her chest. As she looked at them, she smiled brightly. Although, if Tomas thought Father looked tired, she looked positively exhausted. Her usually immaculate hair was a complete mess, and her eyelids looked heavy.

“Hello boys,” she greeted softly, as they both approached her. “Meet Kuai Liang, he’s your little brother.”

She moved the bundle slightly, and indeed, wrapped up inside the cloth was a baby. His eyes were shut and it seemed he was fast asleep, not making a sound. Kuai Liang, huh? That was a nice name.

“Would you like to hold him?” Father asked them, and Tomas froze. He’d never held a baby before, what if he dropped him? Father clearly saw the fear on Tomas’ face as he gently chuckled and continued with “I’ll help you support him.”

He turned to Mother as she held out Kuai Liang for him to take. He turned to Bi-Han first. Gently instructing Bi-Han on how to hold his arms. Once he was in the acceptable position, Father placed the baby in his arms. His hands didn’t leave completely, holding Bi-Han steady and telling him how to hold the head.

Bi-Han stared down at his new baby brother. Tomas wasn’t sure how he’d react. He did not like Tomas' presence, he likely couldn’t stand yet another brother fighting for their parents attention.

Then, to Tomas' eternal surprise, Bi-Han actually began to smile.

“Hi, Kuai Liang,” he softly said, his eyes never leaving the baby in his arms. “I’m Bi-Han. Your big brother.”

Tomas hated that he felt a pang of jealousy at Bi-Han referring to himself as that. He shouldn’t be envious of a literal baby, Kuai had barely taken a breath and didn’t even know what a brother was. And yet… Tomas wished Bi-Han could have said the same thing to him when he arrived at the Song’s house.

“Tomas, do you want a turn?” Father asked, taking Kuai Liang back from Bi-Han. Tomas nodded, still a little unsure and scared he could accidentally hurt him. “It’s okay. I’ll help you, okay? Hold the head with one hand, and the lower half with the other.”

Tomas did as he was told as the baby was passed to him. Father kept hold of his arms, making sure to give him a little bit of extra support.

Now he was up close, he could see Kuai Liang better. He felt his heart pounding in his chest. He was cute, in the ugly sort of way that only a baby could be. As the baby squirmed slightly in his arms, all Tomas could think was how this was his brother. His little brother.

When his sister, Tamara, was still alive, they both agreed they wanted a younger sibling. Being twins they were exactly the same age, so even though Tomas was slightly older he didn’t have the age gap to be a typical elder sibling you’d see on TV. So, they had agreed that if their Mother ever became pregnant again, they would be the best big brother and sister the world had ever seen.

But his Mother and Tamara were gone now, and he was with this new family who loved him despite him not being of their blood.

Kuai Liang wasn’t his blood, but he was his brother, and he owed it to Tamara to be the absolute best big brother he could to Kuai Liang.

I won’t let you down, sister. 

“Hey Kuai Liang,” he finally spoke aloud, letting himself smile. It was amazing, how in just a few seconds he knew he’d adore his new brother for the rest of his life. “I’m Tomas, I’m your other big brother.”

To his surprise, there was no cutting or sarcastic remark from Bi-Han about that.

He let Father take Kuai Liang again, feeling sad at the loss but realising that Mother was really the one who deserved the most time with him. She’d done the majority of the work after all. When she took hold of him again, he made a small fussy sound, but settled quickly. Mother lent down and gently kissed Kuai Liang’s tiny forehead.

“Why don’t you boys go get yourself some snacks from a vending machine?” Father suddenly suggested, reaching into his pocket to get his wallet out. He took out a few dollars, and pressed them into Bi-Han’s palm.

Bi-Han silently looked at Tomas, gaze so neutral that Tomas could not tell at all what he was feeling at that moment. Still, when he turned to leave the room, Tomas followed obediently. As he stepped through the door, he took a look over his shoulder, just in time to see Mother and Father kiss each other on the lips. They looked so happy, despite the air of exhaustion.

He followed Bi-Han through the halls, both boys keeping silent. Tomas kept stealing occasional glances at his brother. He still couldn’t tell what he was thinking, and it was making Tomas’ gut twist. They rounded a corner, finding a vending machine behind it. Before they reached it, Bi-Han turned on the spot and stared Tomas down. He felt himself shrink. Why did it feel like this was how he was going to die?

“Alright, let’s get this over with,” Bi-Han snarled, pointing at Tomas threateningly. “I don’t like you, and you don’t like me.” Tomas actually whimpered at that. He had no idea why Bi-Han thought he didn’t like him, he’d tried his best. “But… I think we can both agree that we both like Kuai Liang.”

Well… That’s true. Where is he going with this? 

“So. I am offering you a truce.” A truce? Tomas knew what one was, he’d learnt that in school quite recently, but it was usually in the context of war, and as far as he was aware, he and Bi-Han were not in a war. “From this point on, everything we do is for Kuai Liang.”

“Agreed,” Tomas said simply with a huge grin. He didn’t even need to think about it. He already knew he was going to look after Kuai Liang, and if that came with the benefit of Bi-Han maybe being nicer to him, then that really was just a bonus.

“Good. We should shake on it.” Bi-Han suddenly spat into his hand and held it out to Tomas, much to his disgust. “Now you spit into yours and then we shake. It’s how adults make deals.”

“Do they really spit into their hands?” Tomas questioned. He’d seen plenty of adults shaking hands, especially while he was in the orphanage. He couldn’t recall ever seeing anyone spitting.

Still, Bi-Han seemed insistent on that detail, so reluctantly, he spat into his hand. He hated how it felt, and hated even more how when his hand met Bi-Han’s there was a weird squishing between their palms. Bi-Han shook their hands vigorously, which only seemed to spread the saliva. Eventually he let go and Tomas pulled his hand back, grimacing at it.

“Right, now that’s done.” Bi-Han was wiping off the spit on his shirt, and seeing no other option, Tomas reluctantly did the same with his own. “What d’you want from the vending machine?”

“You’re actually letting me get something?” Tomas questioned, he’d genuinely expected Bi-Han to just get snacks for himself.

“Well, yeah,” Bi-Han drawled, like it should have been obvious. “You can’t look after our brother on an empty stomach, moron.”

“Oh.” He didn’t know what to say to that, but he did step up to the vending machine and check out its wares. “Hm. Can I get that chocolate bar? Uh, B3?”

“B3 it is.”

Tomas watched Bi-Han put the money into the machine. His elder brother really was a weird boy, but maybe he wasn’t as bad as he first thought.

United with a goal, maybe they really could put their differences aside for Kuai Liang.

[summerwritesfics]

🌎We Are The Fallen

Pairing: Hanzo Hasashi/Kuai Liang Length: 1652 Words Rating: Mature Warnings: Fallen Angel AU, Fallen Angel!Bi-Han, Fallen Angel!Kuai Liang, Demon!Hanzo Hasashi, Drinking, Alcohol, Past Child Abuse, Past Abuse, Past Self Mutilation, Self-Mutilation, Demon Deals, Minor Violence, Guilt, Betrayal

Meanwhile In Another Universe Masterlist

Notes: Fun fact, this was actually my 100th work over on AO3 :3 Anyway, I think this kinda makes up for Bi-Han being a crappy brother in the last fic.

Bi-Han downed another drink, even though it did nothing to him. He may have fallen, but he still had angelic qualities to him. And being immune to the illicit substances of humanity was one of them.

“You should probably go a little easier on the drinks.” Bi-Han blinked and stopped breathing. I know that voice. “I’ve heard they can be deadly.”

The person who was talking to him walked up from behind, circling round to sit at the chair opposite. Bi-Han couldn’t believe who it was, even when face to face with him.

“Kuai Liang?” He questioned, and his brother softly smiled at him.

“Hello Big Brother, it’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

It had been a while. He hadn’t seen Kuai since their father cast Bi-Han out of heaven. Funny, given it was always Kuai he threatened to send down. Bi-Han made one mistake, just one, and that was it, he was cast away. That wasn’t Kuai’s fault though, it was their fathers. He still remembered the agony as his wings were torn from his body, his own screams harmonising with Kuai’s wailing cry, before the weightless feeling of him falling down to Earth below.

If Kuai was also here, then it seemed father had finally gone through with his previous threats.

“He threw you out,” Bi-Han whispered. Kuai looked a lot worse for wear since the last time he’d laid eyes on him. That scar across his one eye was new, as was the beard. Most alarming, his wings were gone, and while he could have just been hiding them, it seemed far more logical that they were simply no more.

“No, I es-“ Kuai hesitated, swallowing and looking away. “I left.” Kuai blinked a few times before he looked back at his big brother. “Gēgē, I need your help.” He was fidgeting with his hands, and Bi-Han knew that he was nervous about something. “I am… working for someone now. He is trying to find someone called Quan Chi. I know you know where he is.”

“What?” Bi-Han did know where Quan Chi was, but how Kuai knew that he didn’t know. More pressing was whomever Kuai was working for however. “What do you mean, working for someone?”

“When I fell, he found me, and helped me. I made a deal with him, Bi-Han, and that’s why I need to help him find Quan Chi.”

A deal? The only beings really known for making deals were demons.

“What kind of deal?” Bi-Han asked, afraid of the answer.

“I think you know what kind, Bi-Han,” a third but alarmingly familiar voice spoke out. A hand touched his shoulder, and Bi-Han turned his head to look up in disgust at Hanzo Hasashi.

“I thought we agreed I’d sort this out?” Kuai desperately questioned, and somehow that made everything slot into place.

“You were taking too long,” Hanzo claimed, looking down at Bi-Han with a bored look.

Bi-Han knocked the hand off his shoulder, jumping to his feet and summoning his sickle to hold at Hanzo’s throat, shoving the demon against the wall as he did. Hanzo huffed, but otherwise looked unbothered.

“What sick game are you playing Hasashi?” Bi-Han hissed, resisting the urge to push the sickle into Hanzo’s flesh. “What are you forcing my brother into?”

“There is no force involved,” Hanzo replied in a bored tone, before his mouth broke out into a cruel grin. “I don’t do anything to him that he doesn’t want.”

Bi-Han saw red. He suddenly pulled his hand up, sickle still in his grip preparing to slash at the demon’s throat. Kuai’s hand reached out to grab Bi-Han’s wrist and stop him.

“Bi-Han, stop, please.” Kuai struggled to keep Bi-Han’s hand at bay. “When I fell Hanzo found me, and he helped me.”

Bi-han’s eyes flicked over to his little brother, his eyes were wide and watery, practically begging Bi-Han to stop. There was more to Kuai’s falling that he wasn’t telling him. He knew his brother, he knew when he wasn’t being completely truthful.

“What happened?” He asked, pulling away from Hanzo and turning to face Kuai instead. As Bi-han lowered his arm, Kuai let go. “What happened when you fell?”

Kuai blinked a few times, mouth going tight and conflict clear on his face. He cleared his throat a few times.

“After you were gone, Father’s actions got worse.” Kuai’s hand reached up to his face, fingers rubbing at the scar like it was hurting him. Did Father do that to him? “Everything I did was wrong. Everything I did made him angry.” Kuai closed his eyes and swallowed. “One night, I overheard him making plans. He wants you back Bi-Han, and he was going to use me to get to you.”

“But then…” Bi-Han was confused. If their Father was going to use Kuai as bait to bring Bi-Han back to heaven, why would he banish him?

“I couldn’t let him do that to you,” Kuai explained, holding his hand up and summoning a knife. “So. I escaped. I cut my own wings off, and I let myself fall.”

Bi-Han stumbled backwards, hand flying over his mouth, feeling like he was about to throw up. His brother. His beloved little brother. Forced to cut his own wings off to protect the elder. To escape the abuse he suffered. It should have been the other way around. Bi-Han should have been Kuai’s protector, and yet all the evidence in front of him proved that he had failed.

“It’s not your fault,” Kuai cut in before Bi-Han could react, already aware of Bi-Han’s guilt complex and habit of self blame when it came to these things. “It is our Father who shoulders the burden for both our suffering.”

Somehow that did little to comfort Bi-Han. But for the moment, all he could do was put his own feelings aside.

He’d make plans on how his father would suffer for all this later.

“What about him?” Bi-Han hissed, and gestured towards Hanzo with his head. “Where does he come into it?”

“He found me when I fell,” Kuai explained, his eyes briefly glancing over to Hanzo. The demon was leaning against the wall, arms crossed and looking a little bit annoyed at all the talking. “Father wasn’t going to let me go easily, he sent men after me. Hanzo has kept me safe from them since. In turn I aid him in matters such as this.”

“The sex is just a bonus,” Hanzo smugly added, and how Bi-Han resisted jumping him and beating the shit out of him, he really did not know.

“You aren’t helping,” Kuai growled between his teeth, shooting his own glare towards Hanzo. The demon just laughed. He shook his head and returned his attention to Bi-Han. “We need to find Quan Chi, big brother. He’s responsible for a lot of hurt towards a lot of people and we need to stop him. We know you’ve been doing work for him here and there.”

“I have, and that’s why I can’t just tell you where he is.” Bi-Han reached to take Kuai’s shoulders in his hands. “Like Hanzo has helped you, Quan Chi has aided me since I fell. I can’t betray his trust.”

“He is working with Father.”

Oh, how that simple sentence completely shattered Bi-Han’s world.

“It seems with me no longer a viable option, he was willing to make a deal with Quan Chi for your capture,” Kuai explained, his own hands reaching to cradle his brother's face. “Maybe not tonight or tomorrow, but eventually, when you’re no longer of use to him, he will hand you back over to Father.”

Bi-Han swallowed, “he’s going to betray me?”

“Quan Chi is loyal only to himself,” Hanzo roughly added, grimacing slightly. “Believe me, I found that out in a far harsher way than you have.”

“Please, Bi-Han,” Kuai whispered. “We need to stop him.”

Bi-Han grit his teeth. He hated this, everything about this situation was heinous. But Kuai was looking up at him with large pleading eyes and he just could not say no to that.

He couldn’t say no after what their Father had done to both of them.

“Quan Chi lives in a condo on the other side of the city,” Bi-Han spoke, addressing his brother, rather than Hanzo. “I can take you there.”

“Thank you,” Kuai replied, resting his head on Bi-Han’s shoulder. It was the same action they used to do when they were children and Kuai had been punished by their Father. Bi-Han closed his eyes, and gently pet Kuai’s hair.

“We have no time to waste,” Hanzo told them, completely spoiling the moment, although Bi-Han couldn’t say anything in return. “Let’s go.”

And with that Hanzo was walking back towards the exit of the bar. Bi-Han watched him go with nothing but loathing in his heart. If Kuai Liang wasn’t here he’d have killed the bastard.

“Please tell me you aren’t actually having sex with him and that he was just trying to piss me off,” Bi-Han huffed at Kuai Liang, who looked up at him sheepishly. “I know your taste in men has always been terrible, but I refuse to believe it’s that bad.”

Kuai gave an uncomfortable smile, one with a few too many teeth showing as he replied “maybe it’s best I let you keep believing that.”

“Are you two actually coming or what?” Hanzo shouted across the room, not giving Bi-Han chance to argue further on what the hell was wrong with Kuai.

Bi-Han gave Kuai a look that he hoped screamed “are you serious”. All Kuai did in turn was smile and pat his chest a few times. He moved past Bi-Han to go and catch up to Hanzo. Bi-Han grumbled to himself, but still went to follow after them.

Elder Gods give me strength to not strike that demon down before this night is done.

[summerwritesfics]

🌎Proposition

Pairing: Shang Tsung/Kuai Liang Length: 1916 Words Rating: Mature Warnings: Criminal AU, Criminal!Shang Tsung, Cage Fighter!Kuai Liang, Runaway!Kuai Liang, Crimes & Criminals, Organised Crime, Homelessness, Petty Crime, Illegal Activities, Illegal Fighting Rings, Controlling Behaviour, Runaway, Running Away, Taking Advantage of someone in a bad situation, Cage Fights, Minor Injuries, Kuai Liang making poor life decisions, Touch-Starved

Meanwhile In Another Universe Masterlist

Notes: NGL I am obsessed with this ship atm, it’s like the only thing I wanna write right now XD Also yeh I think Shang and Kuai’s relationship would end up being very toxic here, but hey. Kuai’s got a lot of internal guilt over things that he really shouldn’t be feeling guilty for, and Shang is basically completely taking advantage of that fact. Although I do like the idea of Shang sitting and kicking his feet and giggling while watching Kuai beat people up so idk, maybe that’ll do it for someone else too lmfao.

Kuai hissed as his fingers laced the bruise very quickly forming on his cheek. At least it’s not my eye this time. He usually walked away from these cage fights with far worse. To be fair, tonight's opponents had been particularly pathetic. Worst of the worst was some prick who thought because he ran with a street gang that made him hard. A few well aimed punches and kicks had hopefully humbled the asshole.

Although knowing Kuai’s luck, he’d gather all his gangbanger friends and try to take him out for disrespecting him or some bullshit like that.

Kuai looked down at the envelope of money on the side. At the very least he had enough to keep him going for another few weeks. Maybe even enough to splash out on a cheap motel room for a night or two. That’d be nice, I could use an actual bed and a night of just watching shitty TV shows. 

He supposed, in reality, there was still a bed for him back with his family. It wouldn’t be so bad right? At least he’d be with Tomas again…

As if to remind him why he left in the first place, the scar on his face began to ache.

No. I can never go back. He sighed miserably to himself, grabbing the envelope and shoving it into his backpack. Sorry Tomas. It’s probably for the best you don’t see what I’ve become. 

He was brought out of his musings by the sound of the door opening. Expecting it to be Kabal or Kano coming to inform him of the next fight they’d want him to do, he turned his head. Only to find it was neither man, or even any member of The Black Dragon that Kuai was familiar with. He was a man of a similar stature to Kuai Liang himself, long hair and a very fancy looking suit. So fancy that it was completely out of place for someone to be wearing at an illegal fighting ring.

“If you’re looking for the toilets, they’re a little further down,” Kuai informed the man, jerking his head in a motion to indicate which way the man needed to go.

“Actually, I’ve found exactly what I was looking for,” the man replied, a strange smug tone to his voice that made Kuai wish he was in the ring with him so he could get away with punching him for it. “Scorpion, am I correct?” Kuai frowned at the man, hoping to prompt him to clarify why he was looking for him. “Although I assume that’s not your real name.”

“Kuai Liang,” he snapped, although why he told the man his name at all was beyond him. For all he knew, this guy was a cop or something. Then again, he doubted Kano would let a pig get this far into the club.

“I’m Shang Tsung.” He held out his hand as if to offer it to shake. Kuai did not respond to it.

“I’d rather you tell me what you want,” Kuai hissed, hauling his backpack over his shoulder. “I have other places to be, you know.”

Well, really he wanted to try and get a good place to sleep for the night. His preferred spot was kind of in high demand, an isolated bridge by the river. No one really went down there at night and it was mostly sheltered from bad weather. It could only fit about 4 or 5 people under there, so it was a bit of a rush to get to it before it was full.

“I have a proposition for you, if you are willing to hear me out.” Oh. Great. A proposition. 

“I’m not interested in whatever pyramid scheme you’re trying to peddle.” He hated that his snappy words seemed to cause the man some sort of pleasure, at least that was what the smirk on his face suggested. “Now if you’ll excuse me-“

“I can assure you, what I am offering is more than worth your while,” he tried, holding his hands up as if to try and block Kuai from leaving. Kuai just rolled his eyes. “It would include you having more stable living accommodations, if that takes your interest at all.”

Kuai paused, feeling a strange cold overcome him. “How the hell do you know I’m homeless?”

“Kano rather does have a habit of rambling once he’s had a few beers.” Shit, of course. Really it could have been anyone from The Black Dragon who told him, but Kano did make the most sense. Loud mouthed bastard. “I’ve watched you fight for the last few weeks, and I can’t help but think your skills would be better suited elsewhere.”

Kuai stayed silent. He had no idea where this was going.

“I work for Miss Sindel Von Edenia. Are you familiar with that name?”

“Wait, you don’t mean that woman who runs that one crime family or whatever? Outworld or something like that?” Kuai was confused, that was one of the biggest crime networks in the city. So much so there was no way in hell they’d bother with someone who committed petty crime at best like himself. “If you work for her, what the hell are you doing in a dive like this?”

“We like keeping an eye out for upcoming talents in our field.” Kuai huffed and rolled his eyes yet again, this guy was so pretentious. “And I am personally seeking out a bodyguard currently.”

“A bodyguard?” Kuai asked slowly, finally realising where this conversation was going.

“Well, bodyguard, enforcer, I am in need of someone good with their fists,” Shang Tsung chuckled, ambling towards Kuai slowly. Once close enough, he gently took Kuai’s hand in his, rubbing his thumb along Kuai’s knuckle. “And from what I’ve seen, you are exactly what I’m looking for.”

“Why me?” Kuai asked, wanting to rip his hand from the other man, but the part of him that longed so much for such a gentle touch stopped him. “There’s dozens of other guys fighting in that ring on a weekly basis. Why me?”

“Maybe there are.” Shang Tsung tilted his head, a small smirk on his face as his eyes swept Kuai up and down. “But none of them look quite as enchanting when covered in blood as you do.”

Kuai choked on his own spit, as his entire world went red hot. He’d been propositioned enough times to be somewhat aware that people found him attractive for some reason. No one had quite ever told him that he looked good while causing others pain however.

“Y-You said…” Kuai cleared his throat, trying to swiftly move on. However the way Shang Tsung looked at him indicated the embarrassed fluster was exactly the reaction he’d hoped for. “You said about stable living accommodations.”

“As my bodyguard, I would require you to be available 24/7.” That sounded extremely unnecessary, if you asked Kuai Liang, but he wasn’t about to voice that. “I have a spare room in my condominium, it would be yours for as long as you are in my employment.”

That did sound good. He’d been living on the street for almost a year now, the brief stays in motels were a small reminder of what he left behind. It’d be nice to have more security in that regard.

You could just go home, moron. The fact that thought was in Bi-Han’s voice disturbed him more than it should have.

But… he could just go home, couldn’t he? It wasn’t like that wasn’t an option. He could go home, head hung low and tail between his legs. He could go back to his brothers.

His gut twisted. He couldn’t go back to his brothers. He loved them, but he just couldn’t.

Tomas would be so disappointed by what he’d become. They’d both always shared the same sense of morality, yet here Kuai was, taking part in illegal fights, stealing money and food to survive. How could Tomas ever look him in the eye again? How could Kuai ever live with the shame Tomas would no doubt feel?

And then there was Bi-Han. His scar began to sting again, the wound that had caused that explosive final argument before Kuai left. Returning to that house would be proof that Bi-Han had been right all along. That Kuai couldn’t look after himself, and he needed his elder brother’s to coddle and smother him for the rest of his life.

He just couldn’t stand having to live the rest of his life being thought of as incapable of even the most basic of self care.

He’d never meant to leave forever. When he walked out the door, he’d intended to wander around for a while to clear his head before returning to plead his case. But in the end he just… Never went back. The longer he spent away, the harder the idea of returning became. Eventually, he just came to one very simple conclusion.

He could never go home to them.

A hand on his cheek brought him out of his musings, a thumb wiping away a tear that Kuai hadn’t realised was there. He tried to resist the urge to nuzzle into the hand. He couldn’t remember the last time someone touched him so gently. He’d grown far too used to the harsh hands he encountered in battle.

“Of course you’ll also have a generous pay check,” Shang Tsung continued, “I wouldn’t expect you to pay rent, or even pay for food. That would be all part of the package in your employment.”

“That…” Kuai paused, squinting suspiciously at the man in front of him. “That sounds too good to be true.”

And his Father, ever the savvy businessman, had always told him if something sounded too good to be true, it probably was.

“I can understand why you would think that.” Shang Tsung gently patted Kuai’s cheek, pulling his hand away. “I think the question you should really be asking is if you can afford to pass over the potential opportunity?”

Kuai hated that he had a point. His current situation was not ideal at all. He needed something to change, something that didn’t require him to go home. Maybe this all sounded like fantasy, but the fact there was a slim chance it could be real was very tempting.

“How about this, I’ll give you a trial period,” Shang Tsung continued. “One month, and if you are not satisfied you can walk away, no questions asked.”

A month's trial huh? He supposed he could do that.

“Okay.” He nodded, although not as confidently as he probably should have. “You have one month to convince me that your offer is worth my time.”

Shang Tsung smiled brightly at that, saying “you’ve made the right choice.” Seconds later, he was slipping his arm around Kuai’s waist, and gently ushering him towards the door. “Why don’t we talk more about the details over dinner. My treat, of course.”

Kuai didn’t say anything, but did allow Shang Tsung to guide him. He hadn’t realised how hungry he was until the word dinner had been mentioned. Right now, he couldn’t tell if he was doing the right thing, or if this was going to end up on his neverending list of shitty life decisions. He briefly thought of his brother, Tomas, of how stupid he’d probably think he was being.

Tomas… Maybe one day you’ll forgive me for all of this. 

Kuai doubted it though.

[summerwritesfics]

🌎More Than A Cheeseburger

Pairing: Hanzo Hasashi/Bi-Han Length: 978 Words Rating: Mature Warnings: Modern AU, CEO!Hanzo Hasashi, Employee!Bi-Han, Teenage!Kuai Liang, Homelessness, Boss/Employee Relationship, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Past Character Death

Meanwhile In Another Universe Masterlist

Notes: Another thing I’ve had written for a while now. Admittedly I am currently working on a oneshot I really wanted to get out before I posted anything else, but it’d been frustratingly slow progress, so I’m gonna edit and post some of these smaller bits today. Starting with this one. Meanwhile In Another Universe is basically an excuse for me to write a lot of little short fics exploring AU concepts without worrying about having to make them a bigger thing. This fic actually started as a much smaller fic, but I ended up adding a bit more to it. This is based on the previous timelines so, no Tomas with the brothers in this one.

Hanzo watched as Kuai Liang wolfed down the cheeseburger, as if he hadn’t eaten in months. Given how thin and sickly he looked, Hanzo supposed that could very well be the case.

He looked back over to Bi-Han instead, the young man glaring at Hanzo rather than eating his own burger. There were so many questions he had. Why was a 20 year old living in his car with his 14 year old brother? Where were their parents? Why had no one helped them?

“I have some questions I’d like you to answer, Bi-Han,” Hanzo started, watching as his employee’s eyes narrowed at him. “But first, I’d appreciate it if you could eat something.”

Bi-Han grunted, but thankfully took a bite.

It would take more than a cheeseburger to get to the bottom of this.

Bi-Han’s behaviour had been suspicious for a while now. Hanzo had noticed him sneaking the snacks left out for all employees into his bag. Initially believing he was just being greedy, Hanzo had scolded him for it. Then Bi-Han had started doing other odd things. Taking toiletries and stationary, getting extremely defensive about his after work plans, generally being snappy and unsociable to everyone around him.

Then, that morning, Hanzo had come in early, to find Bi-Han’s car already outside. It was unusual for Bi-Han to be in at such a time, and when Hanzo finally located him within the building, he found the man with his younger brother in the toilets, washing themselves using the sinks. It was Kuai Liang who admitted that the pair were living in Bi-Han’s car, seemingly much to Bi-Han’s disdain.

He hadn’t wanted anyone to know, clearly. 

“So, how long exactly have you been homeless?” He asked and Bi-Han made a face.

“We’re not homeless,” he replied in an extremely sharp tone, narrowing his eyes at Hanzo.

“We kind of are, Bi-Han,” Kuai quietly added, flinching violently when Bi-Han turned his glare on him. That response didn’t exactly give Hanzo much hope regarding the full situation that the brothers were in.

“About a month after I started working for you,” Bi-Han admitted, turning his attention back to Hanzo. “I haven't saved up enough for an apartment yet, but I’m working on it.”

“Why didn’t you mention anything?” Hanzo glanced over to Kuai, the boy had finished his burger in record time, now licking his fingers as if he was still chasing after the nourishment. Hanzo would have brought him a second burger, but he didn’t want him accidentally eating too much and making himself ill. “If I had known, I would have been able to offer you assistance.”

“I don’t need your handouts,” Bi-Han hissed. He stared down at the burger with contempt, like the very fact he’d even accepted it disgusted him. It was at this moment he seemed to decide Kuai needed it more, passing it over to the boy who eagerly began to cram it into his face like he’d done with the previous one.

“Asking for help isn’t the same as asking for handouts.” Hanzo didn’t know how to explain that to him. Bi-Han seemed like a proud individual, accepting help was likely not easy for him. “How exactly did this happen? Your brother’s still a child, where are your parents?”

Bi-Han paused, his lips tight and straightening himself out. Kuai almost seemed to shrink at the question.

“Dead,” Bi-Han said, voice so void of emotion it made Hanzo himself falter. “Our parents are dead.” Blinking like he was breaking himself out of a haze, Bi-Han’s face suddenly got a lot angrier. “And our foster parents were shitty people.”

That was unfortunate. Hanzo had done his share of foster care, and his priority every time had been those kids. It was disgusting, how some only signed up for material gain. Those kids deserved far better, and Hanzo wished he could take in more.

“I am sorry to hear all that.” It really did put into perspective both of the brothers' reactions to this. Bi-Han’s anger and Kuai’s fear. Both were completely understandable.

“Yeah, well.” Bi-Han shrugged, acting like it was no big deal. “It’s just how it is.”

“I have a spare room,” Hanzo told him, hoping the statement would imply enough. Bi-Han just looked at him with an eyebrow raised. “You both would be welcome to stay in it for as long as you need.”

“No.” Bi-Han shook his head violently. “I already said no handouts.”

“Then you could give me some money towards expenses,” Hanzo tried. As much as Bi-Han probably wanted this to be dropped, Hanzo couldn’t, especially not when a minor was in a less than acceptable living condition. “It would be like renting, just at a reduced price.”

Bi-Han’s mouth twitched, like he was desperately trying to figure a way to turn down the offer. His eyes slowly drifted over to Kuai, who was looking at his brother with large pleading eyes. Hanzo prayed that would be enough to convince Bi-Han.

Finally Bi-Han gave a defeated sigh, closing his eyes as he said, “That… Would be appreciated, thank you.”

“Good.” Hanzo knew better than to think this momentary acceptance of help meant that he’d accept anymore, but it was progress. At the very least, it got Kuai Liang into a more stable home. The question of the boy's schooling was next, but he accepted that would be a battle for another day. “We can talk out the details later.”

Bi-Han nodded, looking somewhat dejected. His face lit up a little when he saw Kuai smiling, looking happy and excited about their new housing arrangements. Despite everything, it was clear Bi-Han priorities lay with his brother. Hopefully, that would be the key to helping them, trying to find what was best for Kuai Liang.

It was still early, but Hanzo had hope that things would get easier from here.

[summerwritesfics]

🌎But I Need You Now Bi-Han

Pairing: None Length: 1075 Words Rating: Mature Warnings: Ghost AU, Ghost!Kuai Liang, Detective!Hanzo Hasashi, Murder, Mentioned Suicide, Murder made to look like suicide, Grief/Mourning, Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms, Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Bi-Han’s going through it, Angst, One day I’ll stop being mean to these boys.

Meanwhile In Another Universe Masterlist

Notes: Maybe one day I will stop torturing these two brothers, but on that day I think hell will freeze over.

“Bi-Han, please, stop doing this to yourself!”

Kuai’s frantic pleas fell completely on deaf ears. Bi-Han couldn’t hear him, he knew that, yet it didn’t stop him from desperately trying to get his brother’s attention.

Bi-Han sat on the couch, leaning forward, bracing himself with his arms on his knees as he miserably took yet another sip of his beer. His foot moved slightly, knocking the pile of discarded bottles that was accumulating on the floor. They weren’t all from today, but it seemed this was now all Bi-Han did. Sit in this dark room, lights off and curtains drawn, drinking away his misery.

“Bi-Han,” Kuai tried again, although he didn’t know why. “Please. Big brother. Please.”

Bi-Han did not react, staring emptily ahead of him. Kuai sobbed, falling to his knees beside his brother. He reached a hand forward, trying to touch Bi-Han’s face, only for his hand to completely phase through.

He could do nothing to stop this. He couldn’t talk to Bi-Han, he couldn’t touch him. All he could do was stand on the sidelines and watch as Bi-han destroyed himself.

Was Bi-Han doing this in the hopes of joining him in death?

Kuai’s death had been made to look like a suicide after all. They hung him from the ceiling fan, kicking a chair underneath him to make it look like he’d done it himself. They’d even made him write a suicide note. And for what? Just to hurt Bi-Han. To make him think he’d missed some signs his little brother was suffering that much.

Bi-Han brought the bottle to his lips again, giving a frustrated grunt when he realised it was empty.

A flash of rage seemed to overtake him, as he leapt up off his seat and threw the bottle across the room. This was sadly a regular occurance too. Bi-Han getting a random bout of anger before falling back into that inescapable pit of indifference.

“Bi-Han. I never wanted to leave you,” Kuai quietly whimpered. “Please, big brother. I need you to come around. I need you to realise that they did this to me.” He got back up, attempting to give his brother a hug from behind but only toppled through him, only just stopping himself from falling. He looked back at Bi-Han, whose temper seemed to be evening out again. “I need you to avenge me Bi-Han. Please. Fuck, please realise I didn’t do this.”

Bi-Han swayed slightly, before falling back on the couch. He slumped back, just staring at the ceiling. Kuai sobbed, nothing could have prepared him for how awful it was to see his brother like this.

He jumped slightly when the phone started to ring. Bi-Han gave a frustrated groan, but lent over slightly just enough to hit the speaker phone option.

“Hello?” He questioned, voice groggy and slurred and it was so obvious he was drunk.

“Good evening, am I speaking to Bi-han Song?” The voice on the other side questioned. Kuai Liang didn’t recognise it, and if he were still alive, his stomach would be doing flips.

“Who's asking?” Bi-Han snarled, temper flaring again.

“My name is Detective Hanzo Hasashi, your brother’s case has been reassigned to me,” he answered, and Kuai felt himself pause. Why would a detective be calling about Kuai Liang’s “case” unless…

Unless they think it wasn’t a suicide? 

“What fucking case?” Bi-Han snapped back, throwing himself back onto the couch. His fists were clenched like he was about to get into a fight. “He killed himself, can’t you people just leave it the fuck alone?”

There was a moment of silence, before Hanzo replied with “Actually, Mr. Song, upon reinspecting the evidence, I have reason to believe this was a homicide.”

Bi-Han’s face went blank, his eyes darting around and blinking, as his alcohol impaired brain tried to make sense of what he’d just been told. Eventually he sat up, a little too fast if the way he stumbled was anything to go by. He stared at the phone for far too long.

“You think… he was murdered?” Bi-Han questioned, voice suddenly the most coherent it had been in weeks. Like the shock of what he’d just heard had immediately sobered him up.

“Having reviewed the evidence, I do, yes.” Hanzo sighed, and there was a sound of something like papers being shuffled. “Would I be allowed to arrange another inspection of your apartment, as well as going over some of your answers in your previous interview. Mostly about your brother’s mental health history, some things you mentioned don’t make sense combined with the evidence we have.”

Bi-Han was quiet for a moment, before clearing his throat, “um, yeah. I mean. I’m not at work tomorrow.” Kuai sighed, Bi-Han wouldn’t be at work at any time. He’d been fired a week into his binge drinking. “So, you can come over any time then.”

“Perfect, would around midday work for you?” Hanzo questioned and Bi-Han made an affirmative hum. “Good. I will see you tomorrow then.”

The call ended, and Bi-Han sat staring at the phone.

“Was he murdered?” Bi-Han quietly whispered to himself.

“Yes,” Kuai replied back, an answer that Bi-Han would never hear. “Yes I was.”

Bi-Han’s breath hitched, his breathing ragged and uneven. As much as it hurt Kuai Liang to see his elder brother burst into tears, there was a strange comfort in it. This was the first emotion Bi-Han had shown outside of anger and numbness since he’d found Kuai’s body. His brother’s pained cries were horrific to hear, but they were a sign of the dam finally breaking. Maybe now, he’d be able to fully deal with his grief in a better way.

“I know this is hard for you,” Kuai spoke, going to kneel in front of his brother. He resisted the urge to reach out, it was futile anyway. “But I need you now Bi-Han. You always said you’d do anything for me.” God, fuck this, he threw himself forward and tried his best to hug his brother without just phasing through him. “You need to bring me justice, you need to deal with your grief. You need to live, Bi-Han, you need to live for me.”

He pulled away again, watching his brother rub at his face, no sign of his tears slowing down.

Kuai gave a sad smile, as he gave one final bittersweet request.

“I need you to find a way to be happy again.”

[summerwritesfics]

🌎For As Long As You Rule

Pairing: Raiden/Kuai Liang Length: 991 Words Rating: Teen Warnings: Royalty AU, Prince!Raiden, Bodyguard!Kuai Liang, Fluff, Nervousness, Exclamations of undying loyalty, Kuai Liang: Raiden I will follow you to the ends of the Earth, Raiden: … Okay, Raiden is very new to the royalty thing and very flutersturd by his handsome bodyguard’s loyalty

Meanwhile In Another Universe Masterlist

Notes: Liu Kang: And Scorpion and Raiden are training together…

Me: Oh my god… they’re training together…

Hey, I can ship Kuai Liang with people who aren’t complete and utter bastards, how about that? :) I honestly don’t know how I should be tagging Kuai Liang on this site anymore (or Bi-Han for that matter), but I think how I’m gonna do it is for things that are specifically based off MK1 (like this fic, given Kuai is called Scorpion by Raiden in it) I’m gonna include both the Sub Zero and Scorpion tags on them, just so people know which timeline I’m drawing from.

Raiden gave a frustrated sigh. He just could not figure out how the pearls on this stupid headdress were supposed to fall. He was sure they were supposed to cascade down in layers but they kept getting tangled every time he tried to put it on. I need to get this right. In a few hours, he was due to make his first public appearance as a royal, he didn’t want to go out before his kingdom’s inhabitants and look like he had no idea what he was doing.

Granted, he genuinely didn’t know what he was doing, but he didn’t want anyone to know that.

There was a gentle knock on the door, before a voice called “Prince Raiden?”

“Come in Scorpion- Kuai Liang- Scop- Dammit-” he stumbled on his own words, wincing as the other man entered the room. “Sorry. What exactly would you prefer I call you?”

“Just Kuai Liang is fine, your majesty,” Kuai replied as he closed the door behind him. He had a trey in his hands with a teapot and a cup. “I thought you may enjoy some green tea to calm your nerves.”

“That’s… really appreciated. Thank you Kuai Liang.” Raiden took the headdress off his head, deciding he could deal with it later. Right now, he wanted tea. “And you don’t have to call me your majesty, just Raiden is fine.”

“My pleasure, your- ah. Raiden.” Kuai bowed slightly and put the tray of tea down. “I apologise, I should have realised this must be very strange for you, and done better to accommodate.”

“What? No, no, you’ve been fine.” He shook his head rapidly, feeling terrible that he’d made Kuai feel his efforts were in any way inadequate. “Believe me, you have been the only thing keeping me grounded this last week.” He sighed and looked at that stupid headdress again. “I mean, on Monday I was just some orphan farm kid named Raiden, and today I’m Lei Gong, missing Prince of Earthrealm.” His eyes flicked up to the mirror. The person looking back was him, but at this point he wasn’t sure if he was Raiden or Lei Gong. “It’s uh… been a bit to take in, if I’m being honest.”

“I understand, if it makes you feel better, I think you’ve handled everything extremely gracefully so far.” Kuai reached forward to the teapot, pouring the brown liquid out into the cup. Once done, he offered the cup to Raiden. “I doubt many people could handle such news.”

“I don’t know, I keep feeling like I’m doing everything wrong somehow,” he admitted, taking a sip of the tea. He blinked a few times. Wow, this is really good tea. As if being his voice of reason wasn’t enough, Kuai was also a wizard of the brewing arts, apparently. “Every time I open my mouth around the castle nobles, I feel like they’re judging me.”

Kuai clicked his tongue, “unfortunately, the nobles are…” He paused for a long time, eyes squinting like he was trying to think of a suitable word. Raiden didn’t push him, just sipped his tea and waited patiently. Kuai’s face finally dropped, seemingly admitting defeat with himself before deadpan stating “they’re snobs, Raiden.”

Raiden almost spat his tea out from laughter. Partially because it had taken Kuai so long to land on the word “snob”, and partially because of how matter of fact he’d been about it. I mean, he isn’t wrong, they do seem to be snobs. 

“Well, I’m glad that’s an opinion we share,” he replied with as cheeky a grin as he could manage. Triumph welled in his chest when Kuai gave him a wry smile in return. “Still, I need to figure out how to win them over soon, otherwise Lord Liu Kang’s plans for me to take the throne are going to fall flat before they even start.”

“I can help you with the nobles,” Kuai offered, “I may not be one myself, but I’ve been around enough of them to know how they speak.”

“In that case could you take a look at my speech for later?” Raiden asked, trying to not sound too desperate or feel like he was taking advantage of the offer. “I think it’s okay, but an extra pair of eyes would be appreciated.”

“I would be more than happy to.” Kuai gave a little bow as he spoke, before straightening up and placing a hand on Raiden’s bicep. Raiden tried to suppress the high pitched whine from the back of his throat. “Even if the nobles are not sure about you currently, I have no doubt they will come around. Even in this short time we have known each other, I can tell your heart is pure. For as long as you rule, I will follow you, Prince Raiden.”

Raiden’s mind was overloaded. He was certain his entire face had to be red at this point given how hot it felt, and tears welling in his eyes. On one hand, he was genuinely touched, that was one of the nicest things anyone had ever said to him. Kuai had such earnest belief in him, it made him want to do his best, even if it was just for him. On the other hand? His heart was racing and it was very hard to deny why it was doing that.

He was developing a crush on his new bodyguard.

He had no idea what to do with that realisation.

“Thank you,” he just about managed to croak out. If Kuai realised what was going on with him, he didn’t say anything. Raiden was thankful for that.

Silently, he reached across for the piece of paper he had written his speech on, and passed it to Kuai Liang. He took it without question, and began scanning the document. Raiden watched him, feeling nervous but excited for this new partnership between them.

I won’t let you down, Kuai Liang.

[summerwritesfics]

🌎An Unwanted Rescue

Pairing: Kano/Kuai Liang Length: 1072 Words Rating: Mature Warnings: Pirate AU, Pirate!Kano, Pirate!Kuai Liang, Tied To Mast, Stress Positions, Abduction (Sort of? Like Abduction in the form of a rescue?), Dehydration, Death Threats, Threats of Violence, Threats with a knife, Kamidogu are the MacGuffin of the MK Universe, Gags, Sunburn, Threats of torture, Kano is awful (a surprise to absolutely no one lol), Choking, Grabbed by the throat

Meanwhile In Another Universe Masterlist

Notes: I do not apologise for this ship. At all. Sorry not sorry. Kano is awful, but when has that ever stopped me from shipping Kuai Liang with someone?

Kuai groaned, pulling on the ropes around his wrists. They’d been rubbed raw from the friction, the other end tied to the mast and keeping him on his knees, yet he still kept hoping it would give eventually. Although where he thought he’d go once he was free, he really did not know.

Every so often, one of the Black Dragon’s crew walked past, reminding him of the reality of his situation. He was a prisoner, his own crew likely sunken to the bottom of the ocean. Strangely their demise was not at the hands of the Black Dragon, the other crew had just happened to be nearby to swoop in and “rescue” him.

The sun was beginning to burn his skin, and his mouth was dry, made worse by the cloth gag in his mouth sapping up any remaining moisture. His body ached from the injuries he’d received from the invasion of his ship, dark bruises lining his ribcage. Closing his eyes, his head dropped down slightly. He couldn’t tell if he was on death's door or just about to pass out, but somehow either was welcome at that moment.

His eyes shot open as he felt a cool liquid splash down on him. Jolting upright, he looked up to meet Captain Kano’s gaze. He was holding a tankard, and wearing an idiotic grin on his face. If Kuai weren’t tied up at his mercy, he’d have punched him in the face.

“Can’t have you fallin’ asleep on me mate,” Kano sneered, getting down on one knee and grabbing Kuai’s chin in his hand. “N’ lucky for you, I can’t have you die on me either.”

Kano’s fingers hooked into the gag, and yanked it down. Kuai’s mouth opened but before he could say anything the tankard was being pushed up against his lips. Despite himself, he let Kano pour the water into his mouth, and he eagerly swallowed, the hydration a welcome comfort in this time. So much so when Kano pulled it away, he did his best to chase after it.

“Thirsty, huh?” Kano laughed, grabbing Kuai around the throat and pushing him back against the mast. “Alright. You want more water?” He rubbed his thumb against Kuai’s Adam’s apple. “Then you’re gonna have to give me something in return.”

Kuai levelled him with a glare.

“Hey, don’t give me that look.” Kano’s hand squeezed Kuai’s throat, causing him to choke slightly. “Given I saved your life in the first place, I’d say you owe me anyway.”

“What do you want?” Kuai croaked, trying to hold back his contempt even if he knew he was failing dismally.

Kano chuckled, shifting until his chest was pushing against Kuai’s, pinning his entire body against the mast.

“Rumour has it, you know the location of one of the Kamidogu.” Kano pressed himself a little harder against Kuai, the pressure building in his ribs. “I need you to take me to it.”

“Not every rumour has truth to it,” He wheezed out, squirming under his captor's weight.

“Maybe. But I’ve got it on pretty good authority this ones true.” Kano reached down for his belt, pulling a knife out from his belt. He slowly brought it up to Kuai’s face, stroking it against his cheek. “Now, here’s what's going to happen. You are gonna admit you know where it is and agree to take me there. Then I will untie you, let you drink all the water you want and I also won’t have to cut up your pretty face anymore than it already is.”

He really wanted to know who the fuck told Kano that. Not because it wasn’t true, but because it was.

The knife slid against the scar on his face, and he winced as if it had sliced through his skin. He didn’t want to give Kano the information, but he was damned if he did and damned if he didn’t. He’d either refuse and be left here to die of dehydration, or accept and have Kano stab him in the back later on. There was no way to win this situation.

“Why would you even want to find it?” Kuai asked slowly, suspicious of Kano’s motives.

“Money, mate, why else?” He should have guessed the answer would be monetary in nature. If that was Kano taking cash to bring it to someone else, or he thought he could get a pretty penny for it on the black market, Kuai didn’t know. “Choice is yours mate, we can do this the easy way or hard way, it makes no difference to me.”

Kuai screwed his eyes shut and grimaced. What was the point of fighting it?

“There’s an island, a little off the shores of Earthrealm,” he bit out from behind his teeth. “Houses the old Lin Kuei temple. The Kamidogu is within, but you’ll never get to it.” He reopened his eyes, glaring defiantly up at Kano. It seemed he wasn’t taking Kuai’s warning seriously. “It’s behind all sorts of traps and deterrents. You’ll never get to it alive, let alone get back out again.”

“Well, good job I’ve got a little navigator who knows how to get in there unharmed, isn’t it?” Kano patted Kuai’s cheek a couple of times, but thankfully removed the knife and put it back in its rightful place on his belt. “But just know, that if you’ve lied to me, or when we’re there, you try to fuck me over, I’m gonna make you wish you’d died with the rest of your crew.”

Kuai didn’t reply, just growled lowly. Kano’s hands reached up to Kuai’s wrists, untying the knots that kept him bound and finally letting them fall beside him. He rubbed his wrists, rope burn inflicted on them but hopefully there would be no lasting damage.

He was surprised when he felt something being pushed against his lips. Looking down he realised it was the tankard again, and he reached up to take it in his own hands. Kano didn’t let go of it however, but did let Kuai set the pace of drinking.

As he greedily swallowed the offered water, he made eye contact with Kano. The other man was grinning ear to ear, watching Kuai with a strange glee, like he was in some way enjoying this all a little too much.

If the Elder God’s were merciful, they’d let Kuai’s time aboard this ship be a short one.

[summerwritesfics]

🌎Born From The Sea And The Waves

Pairing: Shang Tsung/Kuai Liang Length: 3107 Words Rating: Mature Warnings: Pirate/Merpeople AU, Pirate!Shang Tsung, Merman!Kuai Liang, Pirate!Quan Chi, Minor Character Death, Captivity, Rescue, Abduction, Magic, Language Spells, Deals

Meanwhile In Another Universe Masterlist

Notes: This has been sitting in my drafts for like a month honestly, so… Haha. I feel like Kuai came out vaguely threatening in this, he’s just a bit devious and willing to play Shang Tsung’s games until he can come out on top tbh. Title is from “Goddess” by Cepheid.

“Don’t leave anyone alive,” Shao ordered as Shang Tsung surveyed the situation on the deck.

The majority of the ship's crew had been dealt with, corpses littering the floor to the point it was hard to step over them all. Still, it was necessary. This ship supposedly was carrying great treasures, and Captain Shao had wanted to claim it for his own. Somehow, despite the nature of the ship's cargo, it seemed no one had expected a pirate attack, leading to one of the easiest takeovers Shang Tsung had ever experienced.

Still… That did make Shang Tsung dubious on if what they’d find in the cargo hold was worth it after all.

“Shang Tsung, Quan Chi,” Shao directed towards the two men, they both straightened up and stood to order. “With me. Let’s go see what this ship was carrying.”

“Yes Captain,” they replied in unison.

As Shao made his way past them towards the trap door to the hold, Shang Tsung shot Quan Chi a look. Neither of them particularly liked being subordinate to the brute of a captain, but it was undeniable that this was a better position than most in their profession. Since Sorcery had been prohibited, they only had the choices of suppressing their gifts or becoming outlaws. Shao had been eager to get magic in his arsenal, and so mostly let them do whatever they wished aboard his ship or during their rare expeditions on shore. Hell, if they were lucky and the Captain was feeling particularly generous they may even get some of the riches within this cabin.

For now, this position benefitted them, but that didn’t mean it would forever. They just had to bide their time.

Regardless, they both turned to follow their Captain. He’d already opened the trap door, and was making his way down the stairs. Shang Tsung and Quan Chi followed him down into the darkness, lit only by the light let in from the trap doors, and a few cracks in the wood. Shang Tsung flicked his hand, and several lanterns within the hold flickered to life. They didn’t add much light, but enough for them to see what was in the hold.

Or rather… to see the hold was more or less empty.

Oh I knew it. There’s nothing even here. There weren’t even any boxes, just something at the very end of the hold covered by a large cloth.

“What a bountiful treasure,” Quan Chi sarcastically commented, wandering around the room and folding his arms over his chest. “I can barely move there’s so much.”

“I do not understand,” Shao growled, head jerking around and teeth bared. “I was assured there was a particularly rare treasure on this ship.”

Shang Tsung’s eyes landed on the large cloth, and he raised an eyebrow. Rare treasure. Not treasures. Maybe whatever it was would be under the cloth. He went to approach it, blocking out Shao and Quan Chi bickering between themselves on how they could have been fooled so easily. The cloth was within reaching distance, and he grabbed at it, gently pulling until it slowly cascaded down and onto the floor. Underneath was a glass tank of some kind, completely filled with water.

It was what inhabited the tank that was truly interesting.

At first glance, you would have thought that it was a human man. That would be until you’d see the large fish tail, adorned with beautiful yellow scales, and the gills on the sides of his neck. His dark hair floated within the water like it was liquid itself. His head was hung low and eyes closed, but Shang Tsung could make out a muzzle or something strapped to his face. In fact, he had cuffs around his neck, wrists and the end of his tail, all attached to chains linked to the bottom of the tank. They barely gave the poor creature room to move, and what he could see of the skin underneath the cuffs looked red and raw.

Shang Tsung ran his hand along the glass, slowly getting onto his knees.

“Hello beautiful,” he half whispered, eyes captivated by the sight in front of him. Oh, I was so wrong. This was indeed a rare treasure, far more so than any amount of gold would have been.

“Is that a Mermaid?” Shao questioned, and Shang Tsung could hear two sets of footsteps approach him.

“Well, a Merman, by the looks of it,” Quan Chi confirmed quietly. Shang Tsung could see their faces reflected in the glass. Quan Chi looked shell shocked, he would be as aware as Shang Tsung was of the significance of what was in front of them.

“That is the great treasure?” Shao snarled, he looked far less impressed than either of his companions.

“Captain, I do not think you understand what you are looking at here.” Shang Tsung’s eyes never left the creature in front of him. He was captivated. Stories of Merpeople always told of their otherworldly beauty, but he could never have imagined just how stunning one would look in the flesh. “Merpeople have long been the subject of myth and legend. Many sailors and pirates have claimed to see them, but none have ever been captured for study.” He laughed under his breath, using a finger to trace the merman’s form. “A living Merman. Oh, he could bring us so much power. People would kill just for a glance at his beauty.”

“Are you sure he’s alive?” Quan Chi asked, tilting his head slightly. “He hasn’t moved at all.”

Shang Tsung blinked, that was a good point. He clenched his hand into a fist, and gently knocked on the glass. As if awoken from a deep slumber, the Merman’s head jerked upwards, his eyes shooting open. Two yellow eyes with slit pupils stared at Shang Tsung from the other side of the glass. His eyes were wide, as they darted around slightly, like he was trying to work out what he was looking at.

Suddenly he began to thrash, the chains and cuffs keeping him mostly in place.

Shang Tsung pressed his hand against the glass again as he whispered “shh, it’s okay, settle down now.”

The merman didn’t listen, just continued to try and break free of his confines. Shang Tsung clicked his tongue, he needed to find a way to calm the poor thing down. He stood up, looking towards the top of the tank and trying to find how to open it. There were no obvious latches. Had they ever intended to let this unfortunate creature out?

“We need to find a way to get him out of there,” Shang Tsung summarised, still trying to look for a way to get into the tank.

Captain Shao groaned loudly, and Shang Tsung turned just in time to see him grabbing his warhammer and lifting it. Shang Tsung’s eyes widened as he realised what he was about to do. He just about managed to dive out of the way of Shao’s swing as the hammer went slamming into the glass. The force was so great it shattered instantly, sending the water pouring out onto the floor.

The merman ended up on the floor of the tank, breathing heavily as he tried to adjust to the air. His wet hair hung over his face, but even so, Shang Tsung could see those yellow eyes looking at them with suspicion and fear.

Shang Tsung stepped back up to approach it. The merman yelped and tried to pull back, once more stopped by the bonds.

“Shh, shh, it’s okay, I won’t hurt you,” he tried to say softly, but if the merman could understand him it didn’t do much to help. He reached to the back of the merman’s head, finding the straps of the muzzle and carefully undoing the latch. Despite the struggle, he was able to pull it from the merman and reveal the rest of his face.

There were thick red marks where the muzzle had clearly been cutting into his skin, but other than that, he could now take in just how spectacular this creature was. His face looked like it had been carved by some divine being, features somehow strong yet soft looking. Something Shang Tsung hadn’t noticed before was a large barely healed scar over his one eye.

The merman snarled at him, before speaking in a strange language that Shang Tsung did not recognise.

“Do you understand me?” He asked, but the merman didn’t react. Hm, well, at least the stories of Merpeople being able to speak human languages seem to be untrue. 

He reached forward, taking the merman’s face in his hands. Fingers reached behind one of the mermaid’s ear’s, letting his magic flow and brand his flesh. The merman screeched, attempting to pull away from him, but Shang Tsung held him tightly, refusing to let him.

“I know, I know, just a little more.” Finally his spell was complete, and he let the merman jerk away. “There, you did so well.”

The merman’s eyes widened, and his eyes shot up to Shang Tsung’s face. He spoke in that language again, and while Shang Tsung didn’t know for sure what was said, he could at the very least tell it was a question. No doubt about the fact that he could now understand Shang Tsung as clear as day.

“One more spell, okay beautiful?”

He grabbed the back of the merman’s neck with a single hand, once more he tried to pull away from him. As the fingers on his free hand made contact with the delicate skin around the merman’s Adam’s apple, he could feel the merman begin to shiver. Once more, the magic flowed, and this time the merman whined as slowly a green symbol began to burn itself into his throat. The merman’s cries got louder and louder, his tail trying to fight the chains that held him.

And just like that, once more the spell was done. Shang Tsung released the merman, letting him shuffle back once more. If the chains were long enough, the merman would have no doubt reached to rub his neck, but they were far too short to even let him bend his elbows.

“What was-“ The merman paused, eyes widening in horror as he realised those two words had just come from his own mouth. Shang Tsung almost winced at the venomous glare he was given. “What did you do to me?”

“Just a few spells to allow for easier communication between us,” he assured him, but the merman didn’t seem to be having it. “Language spells. One so you can understand us, and one so we can understand you. Nothing terrible.”

“I do not wish to speak your filthy language, land-dweller!” The merman’s tone was as bitter as his stare. “Return to me my real voice.”

“Or what?” Shao questioned, glaring the merman up and down. “You are in a pitiful situation, creature. You are no threat to us.”

The merman spat at Shao’s feet. “I will drag you to the bottom of the ocean with me, scum!”

“Now, now, gentlemen, there’s no need for all this,” Shang Tsung interrupted, hoping Shao was not about to bring his hammer out again. He turned to the merman. “I believe there is a misunderstanding, we are not the ones who captured you.”

“That does not matter.” The merman bared his teeth, and for the first time Shang Tsung could really see just how sharp they were. Well, he guessed the species needed a way to tear through the flesh of the fish they ate. “All that live on the land have no regard for the beings of the ocean.”

“We are different from most land-dwellers.” His claim just made the merman scoff. “We have been cast out from the land, the ocean is our home and our freedom.” He chanced reaching his hand forward, brushing some of the merman’s hair out of his face. “We respect that which gives us refuge.”

The merman’s eyes narrowed, but he didn’t speak. While the trust was clearly not there, the fact the merman allowed Shang Tsung to gently pet his hair was a signal he was maybe at least willing to hear them out.

“What is your name?” Shang Tsung asked, watching as the Merman fought the urge to lean into his hand.

“Kuai Liang,” he mumbled in response, closing his eyes as he did. “My name is Kuai Liang.”

“Kuai Liang,” Shang Tsung repeated, the name sounding melodic on his tongue. Truly a beautiful name to fit such a beautiful creature. “How exactly did you end up in this position?”

Kuai Liang’s face screwed up slightly but his mouth was tight. Eventually a single eye opened and he explained “my brother was caught in a net, I went to rescue him, only to get tangled in it instead. He could not reach me before I was dragged above the waves.” He shifted slightly, once more pulled against the chain. He grimaced as he looked down at the bonds. “The men who pulled me aboard their ship… I could not understand them. But they passed me on to other men, who put me in here.”

“Then I suppose if you could not understand them, you do not know what they were going to do with you?” He asked, and Kuai Liang shook his head in confirmation.

“What are we going to do with him?” Quan Chi suddenly asked, and Shang Tsung just about managed to tear his eyes away to look at his crewmate. Shao clearly opened his mouth to reply but Quan Chi cut him off with “selling him off is not a viable option. Anyone who would pay what he’s actually worth would not do business with the likes of us.”

Kuai Liang hissed and jerked back. Well, there went any progress Shang Tsung was making on getting him to trust them.

“Easy.” He pulled Kuai Liang back towards him, once more stroking his head to try and calm him down. “Maybe we can come to some kind of arrangement that would benefit us all.”

“Arrangement?” Kuai Liang growled. He moved his head forward and Shang Tsung stilled, thinking he was possibly lungeing to take a bite out of him. However, instead, Kuai Liang just rested his forehead against Shang Tsung’s shoulder, shuddering slightly as he did. Hm, maybe we didn’t lose his trust after all. 

“Yes, an arrangement.” He ran a hand down Kuai Liang’s spine, feeling its subtle curve. Despite looking somewhat scrawny, he could feel powerful muscles under Kuai Liang’s skin. “They say a merperson’s voice can enchant even the most hardy of men.”

“No.” Kuai Liang’s short answer caught Shang Tsung off guard. Initially he believed the merman was just flat out refusing to come to an agreement, until Kuai Liang pulled back and looked Shang Tsung in the eye. “It is sirens who possess those abilities. I am not a siren.”

“I see.” He clicked his tongue. Well, he was learning from this, he supposed. Siren’s and Merpeople were two different species, and given Kuai’s sharp reply they didn’t like being mixed up.

“If it is an arrangement you wish, then allow me to propose this.” Kuai Liang shuffled forward, or as forward as the chains allowed. “Release me, and I can guide your crew to treasure your kind has only ever dreamed of.” His mouth quirked upwards into a smile. “Land-dwellers do so love their trinkets. And I know of so many, untouched for centuries, waiting for someone foolish enough to search for it. Impossible to reach, unless you have a guide, like myself.”

“What kinds of treasure are we speaking of?” Shao asked. Of course that would get his interest. Although, Shang Tsung had to admit, his curiosity was also peaked.

“Gold coins, jewels worn by monarchs long deceased.” Kuai Liang’s eyes flicked over towards Shang Tsung and Quan Chi, eyes narrowing slightly. “Magical artefacts with power beyond anything you could possess now.”

“What are your conditions?” Shang Tsung was not a fool. This all sounded so tempting, far better than if they’d just found actual treasure in the hold instead. But that was the point. It sounded far too tempting, far too generous for what the merman would get in return. “Because I doubt you would give us such information for your freedom alone.”

Kuai Liang tilted his head slightly, those golden yellow eyes staring him down.

“You say you are different from other land-dwellers.” Kuai’s mouth split into a grin. “Then prove it to me. Show me how much better than the average men you all are.” The way Kuai Liang looked at him, it was clear he knew they were no better than any other man. He was giving them a task he knew they would fail. “I will take you to all the treasures your heart can desire, so long as you display your so called superiority.”

“You are a devious thing, aren’t you?” Shang Tsung fondly commented. He had to admit, he liked Kuai Liang’s style. He’d make a good pirate in another life. “Fine, we’ll agree to your conditions.”

He half expected an objection, at least from Shao. He wasn’t usually the type who liked other people taking the lead. It seemed the promise of treasures was more than enough for him to agree.

“Excellent,” Kuai Liang purred, gesturing with the chains.

Shang Tsung didn’t need to be told what the hint was. He held onto the chains, once more letting the magic flow. After a bit of resistance, the cuffs unlocked and fell off to the floor. Kuai Liang lifted one of his hands and looked at his wrist. It looked very raw and painful, but Shang Tsung was sure a bit of ointment would help it heal nicely.

He reached forward, hooking his arms around Kuai’s torso and waist before hauling him off the floor. The merman wrapped his arms around Shang Tsung’s neck. Looking at his face, he looked incredibly smug, like he’d just won some sort of game. In a way, Shang Tsung believed he may indeed have done so.

“Gentleman,” Shang Tsung addressed to Shao and Quan Chi rather than dwell on the strange feeling that Kuai Liang had them all at his mercy. “Treasures untold await us.”

The three of them laughed, stalking off to return to the deck and then their own ship. Still, as Shang Tsung observed the merman still in his arms, and the gleeful mania shining in his eyes, he began to get the sinking feeling they may have been making a terrible mistake.

[summerwritesfics]

🌎The Cure

Pairing: Shang Tsung/Kuai Liang Length: 1165 Words Rating: Mature Warnings: Fantasy AU, Snake Oil Salesman!Shang Tsung, Blizzard King!Kuai Liang, Curses, Curse Breaking (or attempting to anyway) Con Artists

Meanwhile In Another Universe Masterlist

Notes: Fun fact: I wrote this like… a week before MK1 came out and the KuaiShang ship took traction. So like… I had some weird Cassandra vision with this ship lmfao. This kinda explains why this one’s maybe a bit weird? I went with Cryomancer Kuai Liang (in particular inspired by his blizzard king skin) yet took Snake Oil Salesman Shang Tsung from MK1’s first chapter preview. So yeah it’s a bit of a mishmash of timelines which tbh I kinda like, and will honestly probably be taking bits and pieces from various timelines as and when I need them tbh.

As Shang Tsung stepped through the doorway, he spotted his target.

Sat upon a throne of ice, a man glared at him as he entered, eyes so icy blue they almost looked pure white. Shang Tsung couldn’t help but smirk as he took in the man’s appearance, all the stories he’d heard were true. This man’s beauty was beyond comparison. Short black hair, a trim beard, clothes a deep royal blue and a crown of ice perched on top of his head. A former wound that had filled with ice on his face added to the ethereal feel. He was not human, at least, not anymore.

Song Kuai Liang, The Blizzard King.

“If you are here to kill me,” Kuai Liang announced, fists clenching on the armrests of his throne, “then I suggest you turn around. Many better men have tried.”

“You misunderstand my intentions in coming before you, Your Majesty.” He bowed with one hand behind his back and one over his chest. “I have no intents to bring about your demise, merely, I wish to assist you.”

“Assist me?” Kuai questioned, and as Shang Tsung returned to stand he could see the way the other man’s teeth were clenched. “In what way exactly?”

“I believe I may be able to concoct a cure for your condition.” Oh, the stories of the Blizzard King had spread far and wide. A man cursed to live his entire life in the cold through no fault of his own. His was a punishment for someone else's sins, someone who had died so long ago. Yet Kuai Liang remained, forever bound to snow and ice, unable to die. It was a pitiful existence, truly.

Kuai laughed sarcastically, “I find that hard to believe, Shang Tsung.”

Shang Tsung had to pause at that. Did I mention my name? He didn’t believe he had.

“I have already been forewarned of both your arrival and deception,” Kuai continued, pushing himself to stand up and slowly amble towards the conman. “You go from town to town, pretending to be a harmless old man peddling your snake oils to unsuspecting fools.” Kuai stopped in front of him, and Shang Tsung was a little surprised by how short he was. He’d looked so large and intimidating on the throne, but like this Shang Tsung could see they were around the same height. “So, tell me, given what I know, why would I ever believe that you could cure my curse?”

The real question was who the hell told Kuai Liang about him. As far as the stories went, Kuai Liang was an isolated figure. No one dared visit him for fear of facing his wrath. It had to be both someone familiar with Shang Tsung himself and with the king if he was willing to take their word.

“I do not know who told you that, Your Majesty, but I assure you what they tell you is lies,” he tried, actually flinching a little at the growl that came from the back of Kuai’s throat.

“He is not the liar, you are.” Kuai took another step forward and Shang Tsung instinctively began to back away. “Does it bring you pleasure, taking advantage of those without hope? Are you truly satisfied with such a pathetic existence?”

“Are you satisfied with yours?” The second that question escaped his lips he regretted it.

Kuai Liang’s face warped, teeth bared and eyes almost glowing. The air around them dropped several degrees and Shang Tsung wasn’t sure what would kill him first, the cold or Kuai’s own hands.

“I- I apologise that was completely out of line,” he stumbled over his words, still trying to back away as Kuai Liang slowly but intently followed him. A weapon of ice was slowly materialising in his hands and Shang Tsung knew he’d have to really put on the charm offensive if he wanted to get away with his life. “It is unfair, truly it is, what they did to you. I can tell it is an existence of never ending pain. I just want to help you find a way to ease that agony.”

“For what reason? How would that in any way benefit you?” The weapon that Kuai was creating was slowly starting to look more and more like a sword. “Despite the title of the Blizzard King, that is just a name. I have no true title, no power, no money. I have nothing to give you, so with that in mind, what exactly do you expect to get out of me?”

“Nothing,” Shang said as brightly as he could, trying to seem like it really didn’t matter to him. Truth was, it wasn’t so much anything Kuai Liang could give him that he wished for, it was what others could provide. Everyone knew the Blizzard King, and in turn, everyone would know whoever broke the curse. If that person was Shang Tsung, he could get everything he ever wanted. “I just want the chance to prove I am not a snake.”

Kuai actually paused at that, tilting his head slightly. He studied Shang Tsung for what felt like 10 minutes. Slowly, he began to laugh, a dark disbelieving laugh.

“So that is what this is about?” To Shang Tsungs’s surprise, Kuai broke the sword in his hand. “You wish to use me to repair your reputation, so that you may go on to swindle others.”

“That’s not-“ Shang Tsung cut himself off when he really took in the way Kuai Liang was looking at him. It was a look of pity. Shang had to bite back his anger, he hated when people pitied him. “I am tired of being a laughing stock, Your Majesty. Regardless of my personal motives, this is a win-win situation for the both of us. You would be a fool to dismiss this chance, just because some mystery force told you not to trust me.”

Kuai silently stared at him again, eventually sighing and turning to walk away.

“Do whatever you want,” he called back, sounding both invested and flippant at the same time. “Just do not be surprised when you fail, and your precious reputation drops to the deepest recesses of the Netherrealm.”

“What I want is to find a cure for your condition,” he confidently announced, watching as Kuai took his place back on his throne. Somehow, none of this had done anything to dissuade him. If anything, it spurred him on more. He would cure Kuai Liang, and he would be celebrated as a hero of the people for it. “I will prove your doubts wrong, Your Majesty, just watch me.”

Kuai made a shooing motion with his hand, clearly still not believing Shang Tsung’s words. He’ll come to regret it, Shang thought as he turned to leave, trying to hide the burning humiliation he felt.

When I am the one to break his curse, and the whole world bows to my feet, he will see what I am capable of.

[summerwritesfics]

🌎Meanwhile In Another Universe Masterlist

Masterlist for a series of fics known as Meanwhile In Another Universe, short oneshots based on AU Prompts.

Status: Ongoing!

More Than A Cheeseburger - 🧡 Mature - 🔥⚰️Hanzo Hasashi/Bi-Han - Modern AU

An Unwanted Rescue - 🧡 Mature - 🦘❄️Kano/Kuai Liang - Pirate AU

The Cure - 🧡 Mature - 🐍❄️Shang Tsung/Kuai Liang - Snow Queen AU

For As Long As You Rule - 💛 Teen - ⚡️❄️Raiden/Kuai Liang - Royal AU

But I Need You Now Bi-Han - 🧡Mature - ⚰️&❄️Gen - Ghost AU

The Prince In The Tower - 🧡Mature - 🔥❄️Hanzo Hasashi/Kuai Liang - Fairytale AU

Proposition - 🧡 Mature - 🐍❄️Shang Tsung/Kuai Liang - Criminal AU

Invite Accepted - 🧡 Mature - 🔥⚰️Hanzo Hasashi/Kuai Liang - Neighbours AU

Love I’d Never Hurt You - 🧡 Mature - 🐍❄️Shang Tsung/Kuai Liang - Serial Killer/Detective AU

For Your Protection - 🧡 Mature - 🔥❄️Hanzo Hasashi/Kuai Liang - Bodyguard AU

While We Escape Just To Survive - 🧡 Mature - ⚰️&❄️&💨Gen - Cyberpunk AU

Not Your Place - 🧡 Mature - 🐍❄️Shang Tsung/Kuai Liang - Vampire AU

We Are The Fallen - 🧡 Mature - 🔥❄️Hanzo Hasashi/Kuai Liang - Fallen Angel AU

A Truce - 💛 Teen - ⚰️&❄️&💨Gen - Modern AU

Born From The Sea And The Waves - 🧡 Mature - 🐍❄️Shang Tsung/Kuai Liang - Pirate/Merpeople AU