After having to camp out with so many people, Johnny Cage found it strange to be alone. He'd lived alone in his condo for years, yet since the tournament, his usually welcoming home had become almost alien to him.
He'd become used to everyone's presence around him. Used to the talking, the footsteps, just other people in general. He even missed the soft breathing when they'd all slept, trying to find space in that cold mausoleum.
Being alone again was strange.
He couldn't sleep. Although no light made it into his bedroom, he knew there were dark circles under his usually bright blue eyes. His thoughts were with his fallen comrades, all taken by Sindel's hand. Raiden, the Thunder God who'd been in a sad, almost depressive state when he'd left the temple. Not that Johnny blamed him; Raiden held the weight of their allies' death on his shoulders, and that was a lot of weight to carry.
However, a certain someone tended to occupy his thoughts the most. She had taken over his mind the second they met, her eyes a dark blue, much like the ocean he could see just outside his window. Blonde hair that she'd spoken about growing longer one day. The way she'd walk -well- march past him, with confidence he was almost jealous of. Sonya Blade wouldn't leave him alone, even when they'd been separated. He was certain she wasn't even in California. She'd spoken of family in Texas, said she'd check on them, after she'd called in at her Military Base.
He hadn't gotten to know her until after Shao Kahn's attempted invasion. Sitting on mattresses at the Shaolin Monk's temple, she'd told him about her family, a dead father and brother, and a mother out in Texas who still wasn't thrilled with her joining the army. How her and Jax had met, becoming best friends quickly despite him being her Commanding Officer. Johnny admired her strong she was, how her voice didn't even break as she spoke about Jax like a brother, despite seeing his corpse hours earlier.
It almost scared him.
Johnny couldn't help but wonder where she was now. She had to be as restless as he was. Maybe even more, she'd lost her best friend out there. He didn't have anyone that close to him at that tournament. He did have nightmares, dreams where Kahn won, or where he saw his only remaining friend die in front of him. The latter made him wake up sweating, the urge to contact her growing. He did have her phone number, they'd exchanged details when they'd left the temple. However, in the fear that he'd appear desperate, he'd refrained from calling her, hoping Sonya would call him first.
He frowned as his door buzzer went off. Who the hell would be coming to see him now? Johnny looked over at his alarm clock, the red numbers illuminating the desk it was on. 3:17am. His matress creaked as he sat up, pulling a blue dressing robe on, and tying it as he walked to the door. His visitor pressed the button again, another buzz ringing through his apartment. "I'm coming!" He called, despite knowing they wouldn't hear him.
He reached his door, pressing the button on the intercom. "Who is it? And what the hell are you doing here at 3-"
"Lieutenant Sonya Blade." He sucked in a breath at the sound of her voice. It had been four days, yet it felt like an eternity.
"Sonya?" She had to be coming with bad news. Sonya Blade wouldn't go out her her way just to have a friendly talk with him, especially not while she had more important things to do. Plus, she wouldn't come over to his place at 3 in the morning to check on him. Something must have happened with Raiden, something bad that had left Earthrealm in danger. She was SF, she'd be one of the first to know. He pressed the button to unlock his door when he heard her let out a low sigh.
"Just buzz me in." She hissed rather impatiently. Johnny smirked at that, despite his worrying about why she was here. If she was back to being her usual grumpy self, it couldn't be something that bad, could it?
He was wrong.
He opened the door to her, giving her his usual grin. The smile dropped when he looked over her. She wore black jeans and a green t-shirt, obviously shivering from the cold. Her blonde hair was messy, but it was her storm blue eyes that caught his attention. The skin around them was red, like she'd been...
"Were you crying?" He asked bluntly. The phrase made her lip tremble, a few tears found their way down her cheeks. Well, that answers that question. Cursing his stupidity, Johnny ushered her inside. "Damn it, I'm sorry, Sonya. Are you alright?"
"Do I look alright?!" She snapped, crossing her arms as Johnny closed the door. He turned, sighing.
"I'm sorry." He hissed, raising his hands. "I was just trying to be kind."
Her glare softened. "Thank you, Johnny. I hope I didn't wake you up."
"Nah." He waved a dismissive hand. "I haven't been able to sleep since...y'know." Searching for a place to sit, he gestured to his couch. Sonya nodded, sitting down and letting out a sigh. "You want anything to drink?" He asked.
"No, I just want to talk to you." She gave him a small smile. Johnny sat down next to her, keeping a fair distance between them.
"What's up?" He smiled, leaning back and spreading both arms over the back of the couch. It was habit for him to sit causally, even if he was this concerned about a friend.
Sonya let out a sigh. She parted her lips to speak, but didn't quite make it. "Actually, Johnny, coffee sounds really good right now." He nodded, standing up again to move to the kitchen. "Uh, three sugars, please."
He didn't feel confident leaving her alone. It had come as a shock, he hadn't expected to ever see her cry, it felt like he should be there, serving as a shoulder for her to cry on. His kettle seemed to take longer to boil than usual, he couldn't stir the cups quickly, and couldn't return to his spot next to Sonya, who'd gone strangely quiet, fast enough.
Her slender fingers brushed against his as she took the cup from his hands. Were those tingles he felt from the warmth of the coffee cup, or from her? Sonya nodded a thanks, lifting it up to her mouth and taking a sip. A silence passed over the pair, Johnny watched her for any signs of crying.
With a light clink on the glass table, Sonya placed her coffee cup on the table. Johnny finished his, putting it down next to her almost full one. "I had a nightmare." She murmured, turning to him. She also had dark circles under her storm blue eyes, the soft lighting coming from the kitchen making her usually full face seem gaunt.
What about? The phrase almost rolled off of Johnny's tongue, but he clamped his mouth shut. Instead, he decided that sympathizing with her would work better, and avoid more tears. "Yeah, I've had a few too. About the world actually ending, Raiden going crazy." He paused, putting his hands together and choosing to focus on one of his awards sitting on a nearby shelf. "You."
"Am I in your nightmares?" She let out a dry laugh, although her words held no humour. "Do you find me scary?"
"No. I've seen you die. Too many times." The last part came out in a hushed tone. Next to him, Sonya sucked in a breath. He turned back to face her, expecting her to laugh it off. She didn't.
Those tears made their way out again, teardrops clinging to her eyelashes. Sonya then away, blinking to try and hide them. "That's why I'm here. I wanted to check on you after my dreams." Fabric slipped against fabric as she leant forward, resting her head on her fists. "I saw you die. Shao Kahn killed you. He held you down with one foot," she let out a shaky breath, "and he brought his hammer down. Crushed your skull."
God, she was trembling. His earlier idea to leave her space was abandoned, Johnny slid over to her, a wrapping both arms around her shaking form and pulling her close to him. Johnny buried his face into the crook of her neck, something terribly intimate, something he usually wouldn't do, but it just felt right. Her own hands slid up around him, he felt her hot breath against his neck, contrasting greatly to the cold touch her skin had to it. The smell of honey hit him, stronger than the usual whiffs he got whenever she walked past him, coming from both her hair and skin.
Both knew, and silently agreed, that this was far too intimate for simple friends. Even best friends, who'd known each other for years, wouldn't have this kind of chemistry, they wouldn't touch each other in this way. At 3am in the morning, sitting on Johnny's couch, both held each other, crying together, not a word coming from either. They found comfort this way, both knew how the other felt, what the other wanted to say. Johnny could sit like this with her forever, breathing in her scent, leaning into her.
"Hey, Sonya?" He murmured into her hair, blue eyes closed. She shifted in her spot, acknowledging his words. "It's really late. Do you want to stay here for the night?"
She nodded, tightening her embrace around him. He welcomed the action, returning the favour and pulling her even closer. "Yes, I'd love to stay." Their embrace ended too quickly, a sudden coldness hit Johnny, serving as a painful reminder of her absence. "I'll sleep on the couch."
The actor nodded, moving to retrieve some blankets for her. A light tap on his arm halted him for a second, he turned to look at her again. "Also, if you've got a spare jumper...?"
"No worries." Johnny grinned, turning away. He left her alone again, entering his bedroom and opening the cupboard doors. He grabbed two folded blankets from the top shelf of his cupboard and placed them on his bed, adding a pillow to the pile. Next came a black Letter Jacket with the letters "JC" in blue printed on the left side. He placed it on top of the blankets and pillow, lifted up the pile, and walked out to the lounge room, dumping the blankets on a lounge chair next to her.
Sonya sent him an amused smirk when she picked up the jacket, reading the initials. She pulled it on, leaving it unzipped, and stood to help Johnny spread the blankets over the couch. She laid on one, and used the other to cover herself. "Thank you again, Johnny."
"If you need anything, don't hesitate to wake me up." He smiled, squeezing her shoulder as he went to walk away. "My bedroom is just there, bathroom is down the hall. If you wake up before me..." Johnny paused. Should he say it? Would he seem desperate? She looked impatient, itching to hear what he had to say. So, he sucked in a breath, and quietly added, "please wait for me to wake up before you leave."
She nodded. "Of course I'd wait."
"That means a lot." Internally, he let out a sigh of relief. "Really, thanks, Sonya."
"Thanks for letting me stay." She smiled. The couch creaked as she stood up, walking over to him and wrapping her arms around his shoulders. He returned the embrace, this one was far shorter than their earlier one, but it definitely had meaning in it. "Goodnight."
" 'night." He let her go, smiling at her as she retreated to the couch again. He turned to walk to his own bed, still not confident with leaving her alone.
Johnny left the door slightly open, as if not needing to turn a doorknob to get to her made any difference. He flicked his light off, let his dressing robe land on the floor, and climbed into his own bed. Johnny rolled onto his side, so he wasn't facing the door, and shut his blue eyes. He wouldn't stress about Sonya, she was a grown woman, young and capable. She'd handle herself. He told himself she was just outside if he needed to help her anyways.
It hadn't even been ten minutes when his door opened, the doorknob clicking shut behind him. Johnny continued to feign sleep as he heard Sonya walk up behind him, footsteps soft against the wooden floor. The mattress dipped under her weight when she climbed up onto it, crawling over to his still form and gently shaking him.
"What's wrong?" He murmured, rolling over to face her. The tears he expected to see weren't there, instead, she simply looked concerned, kneeling over him.
The lieutenant said nothing, laying down and wrapping an arm around him. She rested her head on his chest, hooking one of her legs with his and letting out a soft sigh. Johnny couldn't hide his grin as he put his arms around her, chin resting on top of her head. This was what he'd dreamt of doing when he first met her, the thought of snuggling with her seemed impossible a week ago. And yet, they were both lying in his bed, the only sound being their breathing, slowly falling asleep.
She'd cared. Sonya Blade had cared about him enough to find him at 3am. She'd cried in front of him, willingly wrapped her arms around him, willingly crawled into his bed to be with him. To Johnny, it didn't matter what happened tomorrow, even if she got up before him and ran off, never to be seen again, what was happening right now was all that mattered.