Chapter 7
Muffled breathing was heard behind the door.
Then, a loud crash.
Sonya's eyes grew wide as she pressed her ear to the hotel room door. Smoke cried Sub Zero's name, followed by a crash against the wall.
Another crash, and another.
He cried his name again. "Either they're fighting or..well, I don't want to think about the other option." Jax said.
The sounds behind the door stopped, and was replaced with laughter. Smoke leaned against the wall, sitting on the floor, laying his arm over a broken table.
He was shirtless again, his skin shiny with sweat and red with exertion, his lilac eyes looking upon his partner, who looked the same. "Holy shit. Luckily the bill's on the Grandmaster." Sub Zero said, looking at the destruction in the room.
Tables were flipped over, pieces of wood broken all over the place, papers all over, the two lamps on the side fallen and shattered. The two lay across from each other, eyes on each other, breathing deeply. "Can we..just lay here forever?" Smoke breathed. "Wouldn't you rather be in my arms?" Sub Zero asked.
"Don't push your luck, Kuai." Smoke said with a laugh. Sub Zero laughed deeply, causing a shiver down Smoke's spine. Two knocks came to the door, both men looked at it with surprised looks.
"Kuai Liang?" a feminine voice asked from behind the door. "Sonya?" Smoke mouthed, cocking his head at the door. Sub Zero nodded.
"Yeah?" he called. "We heard some complaints from this room and came to check on you guys. Is everything ok?" it wasn't that much the truth, but it wasn't much a lie either. She really wanted to check up on them, for Kano's sake.
Instead, they had walked into something else.
"It's fine. Tomas and I had a little fun, that's all." Sub Zero said with a smile. Sonya sighed and rolled her pretty blue eyes. "Alright Kuai. See you around. There's a dinner special at the resturaunt, all guests get 50% off their meal. Just thought I'd let you know." she said, suddenly looking for something to say, to lessen the awkwardness of the situation. "
"Oh. Thanks dear. Bye." Sub Zero said, and with that, he got up, and began to clean the room. Smoke helped, too. After they were finished cleaning, Smoke lay in the bed, resting comfortably, when Sub Zero lay his head on his lap. "What do you want?" Smoke asked, letting his hands run slowly through Sub Zero's hair.
"Nothing, I just like the view." he replied with a smirk, to which Smoke smacked him with a pillow. Sub Zero grabbed another pillow, ready to beat the daylights out of Smoke, when they were stopped by a local ninja knocking on the windows.
"Another Kano sighting. But it was so quick, they didn't have the chance to stop him." Sub Zero said, when the ninja was gone.
"I still don't trust them. How do you know they aren't working for Kano, and they're actually telling him about us?" Smoke asked, his arms crossed.
Sub Zero smirked and said, "Do you know how cute you look when you pout?" "What?" Smoke yelled, "I'm too old to be cute!" "You don't even know how old you are." Sub Zero retorted.
Smoke was about to utter another reply, when his stomach growled. "Pig." Smoke snapped. "Get yourself ready, princess. I'm hungry, and dinner is on a discount!"
"I am not a girl! Stop calling me princess!"
Once again, he pouted, causing Sub Zero to laugh. "I think I have a dress that would go perfect with that little figure of yours."
As he spoke, he nudged Smoke to the mirror, and ran his hand over his hips, running his nose against his neck and shoulder.
Smoke trembled.
Sub Zero growled internally, feeling that body tremble beneath his touch. "Stop it, Kuai. I'm not going to melt under you like some teenage girl." Smoke snapped.
"No, but you trembled. That's at least something."
He smirked, ready to be attacked by Smoke, but instead, found himself alone when the door to the bathroom closed.
Looking at his hands, he thought about Smoke's body's reaction to being touched. How his body shook and grew warm under his touch.
He shuddered just thinking about it; if he's that warm from just a simple fondle, god...how he'd react when intimate...
He could have drooled at the thought. Now that things were a lot more friendly between the two...
Quickly, he was taken out of his thoughts when Smoke exited the bathroom, having changed out of his work-out gear, cleaning up to look like the ultimate gorgeous man.
Hair perfect and flowing. White collar shirt that was left open at the first two buttons(giving Sub a nice view-he figured he'd mess with him tonight, too). And figure hugging black pants that Sub-Zero couldn't keep his eyes off.
No man should have a figure like that. But he could work it to his advantage. And sometimes, they were just born like that.
Of all the luck. At least Smoke wouldn't get confused with something else..
Protection came to mind; Smoke was his. His friend, his partner, if anyone so much batted an eyelash at him, they would be dead.
"You're scowling." Smoke said.
He didn't even realize it.
Fastening the last two buttons of his dark blue shirt, he slicked his black hair back and looked at himself in the mirror, bringing Smoke with him.
"Damn we look good." he said,"I bet even Hattori Hanzo didn't look this good when attending parties."
"It's just dinner, you know." Smoke said. "Says the one all decked out like you. Look, white dress shirt, nice dress pants...that strong-ass cologne." Sub Zero retorted, causing Smoke to blush.
"Yeah, well..." he began, when Sub Zero said,"..I know, you're from Europe."
The two began to leave the room, when Sub Zero pulled Smoke close to him. So close that their bodies pressed. Sub Zero's nose pressed against Smoke's, lips close to the others, when he said,"Stay close to me, Tomas. Don't leave my sight."
He didn't take into account that Smoke trembled in his hold again.
Smoke blushed; he didn't want to reveal how much his possessiveness was a turn-on.
As they were ready to leave the room, Smoke's eyebrow quirked. "What is it, Tomas?" Sub Zero asked, when he saw Smoke bend over for a letter.
"We're invited to some party.." he replied. Sub-Zero's eyebrow quirked as well. Smoke handed over the letter and Sub Zero began to read.
"Huh...it seems it's in an uptown area..a private party." he said. "Private party?" Smoke asked. Sub Zero shrugged,"It doesn't sound like Lin Kuei."
"Then who would invite us..." Smoke said,"we should go anyway, to investigate."
"And what if it's a trap?" Sub Zero asked. Smoke smirked and replied,"You're a trained assassin.."
"I hate to kill. Unlike most assassins that you've heard of, I have a heart of gold." he replied.
"And yet.." Smoke said. "..it's my job. It's really the only thing I have. I can't just enter a normal life, I've been with the Lin Kuei for as long as I can remember. Oh I've tried it. Tried normalcy, went to school, dated a girl, but I just came right back here."
Smoke hummed in response. "Let's go then."
Sub Zero looked at the address on the postcard again and said,"Yeah, let's go.
Still untrusting. The two of them left the hall, and went to the lobby, when Sonya watched them again.
As they walked outside towards the taxi lot, Smoke couldn't help the piercing eyes burning a hole in his back. "Everything ok?" Sub Zero asked. Smoke turned around for a second, then shook his head. "Yeah. Everything is fine, Kuai."
Sub Zero looked back as well, but was pushed forward by Smoke, and into the taxi.
Behind them, they were indeed being watched. Sonya rose up from her table, and left the restaurant. Following close behind was Jax, who tried to protest with her.
But she would hear none of it. Instead, she quickly jumped into another taxi and demanded it follow them.
As the taxi drove through town, Sub Zero couldn't help but notice how on-edge Smoke looked. The grey-haired man kept looking out the window, his shoulders were raised, he just looked all around nervous.
"Tomas...what is wrong?" Sub Zero asked. He lay his hands on Smoke's shoulders and began to massage, Smoke leaning back into his touch. "I'm just..uneasy. I just don't feel right." he admitted.
"I'm here. It's ok to feel nervous." Sub Zero said. Smoke rolled his eyes,"like that's reassuring." "Tomas.." Sub Zero sighed. "I...I appreciate it." Smoke said with a warm blush.
Sub Zero couldn't deny just how cute Smoke looked when with red cheeks.
As if he could sense the other's perverted eyes on him, Smoke growled and was about to fight, but the taxi stopped and let them out. Smoke went into his wallet to get money, but the driver simply shooed him off and drove away.
Now things were getting too weird.
And Smoke couldn't stop that rising feeling in his spine.
"You're tense." Sub Zero said, when the two entered the swanky-looking hotel. "And I suppose you'll be the one to offer the support in form of something pervert-" Smoke said, before he was interrupted by the sound of two men decked out in suits approached them.
"So you two must be Kuai Liang and Tomas Vrbada. Come with us."
Smoke and Sub Zero exchanged confused looks and nodded, following carefully.
And still Smoke was uneasy. He walked closely to Sub Zero, his hand slowly brushing against his. Sub Zero could tell how tense he was, but tried to remain calm.
"Right this way." the two men said, leading Smoke and Sub Zero into a banquet hall.
They looked up and the lights turned on, with balloons and a banner of the Lin Kuei falling from the ceiling.
"So much for the Lin Kuei's privacy. Throwing an extravagant party in the middle of Australia..." Sub Zero said. And for the first time today, he was beginning to feel just as uneasy.
For a second, Smoke thought he saw Sektor and Cyrax.
Sub Zero did, too. But they quickly disappeared down a hallway.
"Here." Sub Zero said, turning to his friend, handing him a drink. Perhaps if he was intoxicated, he'd get rid of that sinking feeling.
"I..." Smoke said, almost in protest. "Drink, be merry. Let's party. I promise I won't get so drunk that I can't keep an eye on you." Sub Zero said with a smile. Smoke chuckled,"Like I can believe that." He downed the shot that Sub Zero gave him, a clear, strong-tasting drink. "What is this?" he asked, swallowing the burn that turned his throat aflame, and his eyes into tears.
"Cognac." Sub Zero said, taking another shot.
Smoke swallowed and said,"Give me another one."
Four shots later, Smoke began to grow a bit more intoxicated by the minute. But he still held a level head. Sub Zero made sure of that.
He took his hand into his, and smiled. Smoke didn't know if he liked where this was going, but he threaded his hand through his anyway.
"Dance with me." Sub Zero said, causing Smoke to blush wildly.
"I'm drunk, I'll fall down. I'll look like a fool. Besides, the Lin Kuei will talk about us." Smoke said. "One, I wouldn't let you fall. And two, who cares, let them talk. I hate those guys anyway." Sub Zero growled, pulling Smoke to the dance floor.
Sub Zero wrapped his arm around Smoke's slender figure, and with his other hand, took Smoke's hand. They slowly began to dance, when Smoke questioned,"And you don't find this odd that the Lin Kuei suddenly decided to have a party out in the open like this?"
"Shhh...I do find it odd. Play along with me." Sub Zero said. He surely had a plan in his mind. Smoke could only look on in confusion. He was about to speak, when Sub Zero spun him around. "Stay by my side, Tomas. I won't let you go." Sub Zero said softly, into his grey hair.
If only Sub Zero could hear the sound of Smoke's heart melting.
He had him spinning, swooning like a maiden. Smoke wasn't sure if he should like it or not, but the warm feeling was so...immaculate.
If only...he could put his mind at ease.