Disclaimer: Mortal Kombat and the characters belong to NetherRealm Studios. I claim no ownership of the characters; the plot belongs to me though, and I do not receive a profit from these. Thank you!
Author's Note: So, my friends and I on a Discord server came up with this idea to do a prompt challenge, which we called "CageBlade Week 2019". Each day will feature a new theme we've chosen and runs from June 10th to June 18th. With today being the first day, day one prompt is rain. I've never done anything like this before, so I hope you guys enjoy it!
P.S: This is also available on AO3 ;)
In a rare display of torrential downpour in Los Angeles, Johnny huffs, completely irritated at his lonely beach day being ruined. Sulking, he heads back to his empty nest, intent on drowning his problems with alcohol. He'd been so good, so good at keeping his emotions in check, especially with his little princess keeping him company. But now, since she's officially 18 years old, she's off to the academy to follow in the footsteps of the same woman causing his current distress.
Yes, he and Sonya had been divorced for almost five years at this point, but she kept a firm grip on his heart. Even his relationship with Amelia couldn't compare to his and Sonya's connection. It scares him. Much more than the darkness of silence ever will. He sits at the island counter in his sleep clothes and pours himself a shot of tequila. He taps the glass twice against the counter before downing it in one swallow. Shaking the cobwebs from his head, he shudders.
The rain continues to fall in heavy thumps and a flash of lightning startles him enough to tip over his glass, causing it to roll away from him slowly. He mutters, "Shit," when thunder follows the flashes of light. And suddenly, his thoughts shift from his ex-wife to his daughter. "I hope she doesn't have all those poor souls out in the rain like this."
With a sigh, he makes his way to the couch and plops down on it, resting his head on the cushion before drifting to sleep. He wakes up with a jolt an hour later when he hears the front door jiggling open. He's ready to greet who he thinks is his daughter with open arms but sulks more when she walks through instead. "What are you doing here?" he asks rudely, not bothering to hide his disdain.
Sonya's long blond hair is plastered to her forehead akin to a wet dog, and she's shivering. She closes the door behind her but doesn't make another move forward. Though she'd just used her own key (or perhaps, she emotionally wrestled Cassie for her copy), she chooses to ask, "Can I stay here for a bit?"
In disbelief, he scoffs. "You already walked in as if you owned the place, so you might as well."
She's about to argue before decides against it. Rather, she explains, "My place is completely flooded. A pipe burst and…" She trails off when he gives her a blank stare. "Can I stay here please?" she repeats.
He rolls his eyes. "Fine." She's about to walk upstairs when he catches her with, "But you're not walking through the house with your wet clothes." He raises an eyebrow at her. "Why are your clothes wet?"
"Your kid totaled my car, remember? I had to use my Harley."
"Our daughter," he corrects her. She sighs. "She told me it was an accident. The brakes lost pressure in them and she couldn't get it—"
"I know, I know," she fusses. "I didn't come to argue, Cage. I just need a place to stay. Please?"
"I said yeah, didn't I?" She closes her eyes. "I'll get you something to change into," he tells her. With great effort, he pushes himself off the couch and heads upstairs to their old… his room. From the closet, he pulls out a large plastic storage box and pulls out some sensible silk pajamas and some underwear for her. He replaces the box back into the closet before taking his favorite robe off the edge of the door. He comes back downstairs to see her shivering. "Here you go," he says, wrapping his robe around her body.
"Thanks," she says softly, shaking once more.
Changing his mind, he leads her up the stairs to the bedroom. "You can sleep in here if you want. I'll be downstairs."
"Are you sure?"
No. "Yeah, I'm sure," he replies. He turns around and walks back downstairs. Pulling on the bottom, he converts the couch into its bed component. He goes into the family den and pulls out a comforter and a pillow from the closet. He lies in the dark as the rain continues to fall steadily. Staring at the ceiling, he doesn't realize how deep in his thoughts he has traveled until he feels something trickle into his ear. He sits up and wipes his eye. "This is stupid," he mutters.
He's almost asleep when he hears her coming down the stairs. He controls his breathing to emulate his sleep pattern but instantly regrets it when she calls him out on it. "I can't sleep," she confesses.
Should he pretend he's sleeping, or does he acknowledge her presence? Choosing the latter, he sighs. "Me neither." She sits on the edge of the sofa bed by his feet, uninvited. After a few moments of silence between them, he wonders, "Did you need me for something?" She shakes her head. "So…" he trails away with. She shrugs. "Sonya."
Hearing her name said so softly causes her breath to hitch in her throat. "Yeah?"
He sits up again. "Something's eating at you. I can tell. Spill."
She clears her throat. Then, "I miss you."
There. It's out in the universe and the words hang in the air for a few uneasy moments before he chooses to respond with, "I can't get in your way anymore."
"You're not."
"You're army general now."
She sighs. "I know. Brigadier General."
"Mmm hmm," he hums.
"I don't want to argue, John." The level of defeat in her voice haunts him for a moment. Tentatively, she continues, "I still feel like you hate me, especially because of what happened between you and Amy."
"If I hated you, Sonya," he begins in a measured tone, "You wouldn't be here right now telling me how much you miss me."
"I know," she whispers.
"I don't hate you. I could never hate you." A sharp flash of lightning followed by a loud crack of thunder causes her to squeal before she holds her mouth closed, embarrassed by the sound. "Thunder still freaks you out, huh?"
"N-no," she fibs. His skeptical grunt makes her recant her statement. "Yeah."
"I'm surely going to regret this," he mutters before scooting to the other side of the sofa. "Come here," he beckons her. She slips under the covers and curls up into a ball as he redistributes the covers between them. More silence ensues as the rain continues to fall. Then, because he can't help himself, he jokes, "Raiden must be hella pissed off."
"Or the Elder Gods at him," she counters back. He snorts and she giggles. "Or maybe they're mad at me."
He turns serious again. "What do you think you did to piss them off?"
She sighs. "Cassie and I got into it today in front of everyone," she confesses. He hums. "But she was being disrespectful. I mean, more so than usual."
"What'd she do?"
She growls. "Told me I needed to 'get some' and 'soon' before I combust… if I haven't already." He bites his lip, trying not to laugh. "She didn't need to say that in front of everyone. So I had to write her up. And she's already got two strikes against her. John, she's just a private. She can't be like that."
Anything he says at this point would piss her off, he reasons internally. So, he just learns to say what's on his mind and deal with the fallout later. "You have to give her a chance, Sonya. She's still learning. She's trying; give her a bit of credit for that."
Defeated, she huffs. "I know."
"You don't need to be hard on her like that."
"If not me, then who?" Johnny shakes his head. Another set of lightning and thunder occurs, unsettling Sonya to the core. She swallows uneasily. "I'm trying," she renounces, unwilling to fight anymore. She scoots backward until her back hits his chest.
"Look," he starts, "I can't tell you how to run your squad. But I do know that the more you pick at her, the more she'll shut down. You can blame me for that wonderful Carlton trait."
"Will do," is her dry response. She lays her head on the pillow he'd retrieved for himself. He shakes his head at the movement. "Just for the night," she reminds him.
He rolls his eyes at the bout of deja vu that hits him. "Famous last words," he reminds her, his voice full of humor. Regardless, he wraps an arm around her stomach, pulling her more flush to him. "Only for the night Sonya."
"It's supposed to rain again tomorrow," she reasons.
"Sonya," he groans. She chuckles. "Sleep. Goodnight."
"Night."
Thunder wakes Sonya up again at 2 something in the morning, her eyes popping open. She sits up in a flash and Johnny groans in his sleep. She turns over so she's face to face with him. She nudges him awake. "John."
"Mmm?"
"Wake up."
"No," he mutters.
"Please? I can't sleep again."
He grunts before opening his eyes. "What's wrong?" he whines. She answers him by wrapping her arms around his neck. Unable to tell her no, he flips them so she's on top of him. She buries her head in his neck and breathes in his scent. "Will you sleep now?" She nods against him. "Thank you." He runs his fingers through her hair. She moans softly. He rolls his eyes, ceasing his actions and unlacing his fingers from her locks. Without thinking, she kisses him soundly on the lips. "Sonya."
"Yes, Johnny?" she breathes in his ear. She plants a smooch on his neck and he hisses. "Looks like you can't sleep either," she teases, wiggling her bottom against his hips.
"You know, I'm sure our princess didn't really mean it when she said you needed to get laid. Don't you have some poor sap waiting for you?"
She pulls away, her green eyes searing a hole into his blues. "Do you think I do?" He shakes his head. "Well, I don't."
"All right?" he counters, confused at her admission.
"Do you want to?"
In theory, his answer should be no. It's always a tricky situation every time they tangle with each other post-divorce. But she always manages to get under his skin in ways no other woman ever could. She's safe, but she's also dangerous. Safely dangerous, or dangerously safe? He wonders in his head. "We shouldn't."
"I mean, I know we shouldn't. But do you want to?"
"Sonya."
She makes a noise of disgust. "Fine, fine. I'll be nice," she acquiesces. Another clap of thunder has her clutching his body in a near vice grip. "I hate this," she whines.
He tightens his grip on her. "I know." His breathing becomes more ragged in his chest, and he inwardly groans. "Just for the night, right?" he checks with her, running his hands up and down her back. She nods against his neck. "Good." Before she's able to ask him what's on his mind, she's on her back, inhaling deeply as he plants multiple kisses down her neck. He rests between her legs and starts unbuttoning the pajama top, working his way up from the bottom. He presses a kiss to each bit of skin he's slowly exposing. She tenses up with each movement. He finally reaches the top and works it off her shoulders. He chuckles at her lack of a bra.
"Like what you see?" she teases him. His response comes in the form of him palming her breasts in his hands, his thumbs rubbing across her nipples. She wraps her arms around his neck again, bringing him in for a kiss. She runs her hands through his hair and he grabs her legs so she can wind them around his waist. She tenses up when she sees lightning again. "This ungodly rain."
"Shh," he coaxes her. His fingers latch around her sleep bottoms and pull them down. She kicks them off. He slips off his pants before hovering over her once more. He slides into her and she lets out a deep moan. And they spend the night exploring each other as if they were still married.
It's morning. The rain stopped sometime overnight, but it left the sparkling city with an overcast day. Johnny wakes up to Sonya putting on her clothes. He sighs, staring at the ceiling again before she clears her throat to get his attention. "Thanks for letting me sleep the night," she says softly.
A joke regarding their lack of sleep is on his tongue but he thinks better of it. "No worries," he chooses to reply instead. She's about to leave when he catches her attention with, "Sonya?"
She turns back to him. "Yeah?"
"For the record, I miss you, too."
She gives him a sad smile. "I know." She leaves, closing the door gently.
He turns over, running a hand through his salt and pepper brown hair. "And I'm still in love with you," he adds after a few moments when she's long gone. "Dammit."
A/N: This is a one-shot only! Please review if you like it! Thanks!