Take The Lead
Disclaimer: I don't own the MK franchise - that belongs to Ed Boon, John Tobias and Netherrealm Studios. Hope you enjoy! :)
It started with a dance.
Sonya Blade tapped her fingers on the arm of the divan, humming slightly off tune along to the song playing on the stereo. The balcony doors were wide open, allowing the summery wind to waft in and cool her clammy skin.
Too hot for words, she thought to herself, pausing in her tapping to wipe the sweat off her upper lip. These are the times I wish that Raiden could make a thunderstorm happen.
At least the heat is good for one thing: keeping me from looking at everything in Johnny's apartment.
Despite this being the fifth time that she was visiting here, Johnny Cage's apartment still made Sonya feel a little uneasy and self-conscious. It was most certainly a luxurious place, one of the hottest properties on the block that overlooked Venice Beach. The interior of the actor's apartment did not belie that luxury – the living-room was decorated with a rich, almost-but-not-too-overtly-gaudy theme in mind, as suggested by the velvet carpeting on the hardwood floor, the exotic statuettes bought from around the world, the flashy flat-screen television mounted on the wall, the huge stereo set-up in the corner, the hand-crafted coffee table and even the plush, cream-coloured divan the Special Forces major was sitting on. Instead of paintings lining the white Italian wallpaper, posters from Johnny's films dominated them instead, all depicting the man in question in different modes of heroic poses and fighting stances.
Why own the Mona Lisa when you can have Johnny Cage smiling right back at you? Sonya thought drily, albeit giving a small smile of her own as she gazed upon Johnny's face grinning madly at her from his Brokenose Mountain poster.
Then she turned away, frowning. Bet he'd have enough money to buy the whole Louvre if he wanted to …
The opulence of Johnny's apartment – his lifestyle – made the major, as aforementioned, somewhat uneasy and self-conscious. Hers were humble beginnings; growing up in a Texan household, her life took a hellish dip when her father (bless his soul) never returned from a covert mission. Helping her wearied mother out whenever she could, mourning over her brother's death and striving hard for years to get to where she was now in Special Forces … if she had been anyone else, she would have reached her boiling point already.
But Sonya was stronger than that. She pushed herself, sometimes never minding the strain that it would put on her. All she wanted was her due. Acknowledgement, respect, acceptance ... the full amount, nothing more nor less.
Yet here in this place, surrounded by all these lavish things, the major felt out of place.
Small. Insignificant.
What the hell did Johnny ever see in me? Sonya thought as she laid her head back with an inward groan. God knows I'm not the type to fit the blonde-headed trophy girlfriend image. I've had my fair share of bozos back in the army trying their luck, but never a guy like Johnny …
Sonya closed her eyes, letting the wind carry the music back to her ears. She began to hum once more, tapping out the rhythm. Her tenseness began to ebb away, leaving her body and relaxed.
S'long as I keep my eyes closed …
"Hey, babe! Sorry to keep you waiting – and I sure as heck hope you haven't completely melted in this heat. My Juicy Johnny cocktails will put some life back in ya, or your money back!"
Johnny Cage walked out of the kitchen, carrying a tray with two drinks (not cocktails, but tropical fruit juice in fancy glasses). His eyes did not fall instantly on anything but the woman sitting on the divan. Seeing her head turned upwards, her fingers tapping, and hearing her humming along to the music, made the actor smile.
"Cutting loose there, Major?" he commented. "Not something I see everyday, but it suits you."
Sonya opened her eyes and lifted her head so that their gazes met. A shy smile graced her lips.
"It's not often that I allow myself to get some R&R," she said. "Although I probably look foolish right now, you seeing me acting out of character."
"In and out of character, I still think you're something wonderful," Johnny replied, his eyes bright as he set down the tray on the coffee table. "And honestly, a cute girl who can kiss me and kick ass in the same breath isn't someone that anybody should let go in a hurry."
Sonya chuckled. "I'm hardly cute. Or wonderful, for that matter."
"And I'm Leonardo di Caprio," was the dry retort. "Okay, even I'm better than him, but you know what I mean …"
Chuckling again, Sonya quickly turned her attention to the stereo, humming again. Johnny raised his eyebrows.
"Like the music?" he asked.
"No, I'm just humming for giggles," replied Sonya jokingly. "Yeah, I like it. It's a good song. Upbeat."
"And romantic," Johnny added, grinning for Earthrealm.
He held out his hand. Sonya stared at it with narrowed eyes before looking up at its owner, confused.
"And now, Johnny?" she asked.
The actor's grin never faltered.
"It's the universal sign for "I would like to dance with you"," he answered.
The major's cheeks flushed. "Uh uh, nothing doing. I don't dance."
"Codswallop, balderdash and other fancy words for bulls***. Everybody can dance when they put their minds to it – I can go from Johnny Cage to Johnny Castle on a good day."
"I put my mind to other things. I don't dance, Johnny."
"All the world's a stage when you're dancing with a Cage," insisted Johnny.
"It's too damn hot to respond with a witty remark … or to dance."
Sonya sighed. "I'll just look friggin' stupid."
Johnny shook his head. "There's nothing stupid about you, Sonya ... except for that statement saying that you would be."
His hand wandered up to cup the side of her face. It was surprisingly cool to the touch, and Sonya found the coolness pleasant. Closing her eyes and pressing her cheek into his palm, she gave a soft hum.
Slowly, her boyfriend reached out with his left hand to take hold of hers. Hesitant at first, Sonya's hand relaxed in his grip. Johnny smiled at this, brushing his thumb over her knuckles before gently pulling the woman off the divan and onto her feet. Tipping her chin upwards, his bright eyes met her open baby blues.
"You've already got the rhythm," he said softly. "I just want to follow your lead, from the first dance to the last."
His hand moved from her face and onto her shoulder. Seeing the change in roles, Sonya followed Johnny's movement by placing her hand on his back.
"Hope that's the right way to do it," she murmured. "I'm a lousy dancer, but I don't know if this is the proper procedure for lead and follow."
Johnny laughed. "Procedure, babe? It's not an operation."
Then he leaned forward to kiss her forehead. Pulling back, he added, "Move, and I'll follow. I got you, you got me …"
Sonya did just that. She began to sway her body, trying to find her footing. Johnny followed, swaying when she did. He squeezed her shoulder.
"You got it," he said.
"I hope so," Sonya mumbled, shutting her eyelids. "I feel like I'm a slow-frying jerk chicken right now."
She felt a weight against her forehead, and she opened her eyes to see that Johnny had pushed their foreheads together. She wanted to look away, but the loving gaze that her boyfriend was giving her was enough to wrest her attention from her discomfort, the heat … everything.
"Trust me, Sonya," Johnny whispered, "you got it."
"You got more," Sonya answered in kind, biting her bottom lip.
"But you are the only thing that matters."
Johnny's lips touched Sonya's, and they both melted into a long and tender kiss. The major hummed with pleasure, and the actor found the humming sensation pleasurable against his lips. When they finally withdrew, both of them were smiling.
"Just for that, I'll dance with you some more," Sonya remarked. "Get you spinning for me."
Johnny laughed again. "You've already got me spun, babe, you wouldn't believe ..."
The wind carried the music and the couple's laughter around the decadent apartment for a long while afterwards.
"So, babe, did you ever think that was our last dance?" asked Johnny.
Sonya subtly shrugged her shoulders. "I didn't think you'd ever want me as your dance partner again."
"Trust me, I wanted to be your partner for everything. Like I said earlier, I wanted to follow your lead."
"From the first dance to the last," murmured Sonya, smiling as she remembered. "Did you get Kenshi to write your vows, Mr Cage?"
Johnny chuckled under his breath. "Those words were my own, Mrs Cage."
The actor let himself be spun by the major, who he spun in kind thereafter, the ends of her white Florentine gown sweeping across the parquet floor. Cheers from the wedding guests rung in their ears, momentarily entering their personal bubble, but for the groom and his bride, they saw and heard no one but each other.
Sonya's forehead rested against her husband's, her baby blue eyes holding his gaze. "I never thought I'd want to get married to someone like you, Johnny. But I guess you proved me wrong ... for once."
"Well, an action movie star and a military woman sounds like a strange combo," admitted Johnny. "I didn't think I deserved somebody so wonderful like you."
"You really think I'm wonderful?"
"Yes, Sonya. That's why I married you. That, and I just wanted to hear you say that I was right for once."
His wife rolled her eyes, but she pressed a kiss to Johnny's lips - more cheers and catcalls sounded around them. When they pulled apart, Sonya smiled.
"First dance to the last," she said again. "I hope this dance goes on forever."
Johnny Cage nodded. "I'll never stop following you, Sonya."
Sonya held her husband tight as the music, their guests and their applause surrounded them.
"I won't stop either, Johnny," she hummed.
A/N: A short little oneshot I wrote for a friend on Tumblr who's absolute CageBlade trash like I am. X3 I bet if Cassie were around, she'd cringe so bad at Johnny's line "The whole world's a stage when you're dancing with a Cage" (damn it, Johnny). I'm planning to upload more C/B drabbles as well as other Cage family-related and MK fics on here soon, plus update my other fics Stained Glass and Past The Point Of No Return.
Reviews are welcome!
*~AI07~* :)