Chapter 8: Feelings Realized, Konstruction's End
AN: We're reaching the last chapter of the Coliseum Konstruction/Cave Bonding! Prepare yourselves for a surprise at the end of this chapter!
Shao Khan's Palace
Mileena opened her eyes. The first thing that caught her attention were the silk sheets that she laid on, quite different from the regular cotton the library had. The second thing that caught her attention was where she was located. She tried to get up and get her bearings, only for a pair of strong hands to circle around her stomach and bring her back down to the bed.
"Tired of me already?" a familiar voice asked her.
Mileena froze. "I-Izuku?!" she exclaimed. She turned her head, only to be met with Izuku's trademark smile. "The one and only." he replied. He flipped their positions, looming over the Half-Tarkatan.
He smirked, before lowering himself to her face.
Outworld, Edinian Caves
Mileena woke up with a gasp, breathing heavily. She looked around her room a few times, before falling back down to the bed.
She laid on the bed, unable to go back to sleep. The dream she'd just had kept running through her head, leaving her mind in disarray.
Mileena couldn't help but feel a tiny bit intimidated by the feelings she had towards Izuku. She'd never really bothered with romance her whole life. Why would she, with a face as hideous as hers? She'd tried to hide her insecurity at that fact through her rage and her desire to help her sister. She'd never bothered trying to know people outside of her sister and possibly Jade. Now, however, things had changed. Her face had improved (a tiny bit. She still carried the fangs of a Tarkatan.), her usual anger had faded almost entirely, she had made a new friend, and said friend had admitted that her features didn't really intimidate him at all.
The worst part about all this was she wasn't even sure if Izuku felt the same or if he didn't. There were times where he'd acknowledged her as a friend and nothing more, but there were other times where she'd catch him looking at her in a… strange way. Whatever it was, though, it made her feel strange in return, sending her heart jumping or her stomach fluttering or making her body feel something stupid that only Izuku could do.
Mileena sighed. She knew she should just be upfront and ask if Izuku liked her, but everytime she tried to gather her courage on that front, she'd find herself unable to continue with her question. She got up from her bed and headed to the oasis she and Izuku visited a few hours ago.
The glow of the crystals and the water soothed her mind.
Maybe I could just cut the walk and move a bed here?
"Couldn't sleep?" a familiar voice echoed behind her. Mileena turned around, shocked at the fact Izuku had appeared almost out of nowhere.
Her cheeks felt a tiny bit of heat creep into them, seeing Izuku's attire. He'd traded his usual vigilante gear for a tight shirt with strange characters on it, along with some strange kind of pants that she'd never seen before, all of which highlighted his physique.
Mileena vaguely found herself answering back. "Yes, I was feeling quite restless."
Izuku smiled, before sitting down next to her.
P.O.V Switch - Izuku, A Few Minutes Earlier
Izuku's Apartment
Izuku opened his eyes. The first thing that caught him attention was the sensation of the wind hitting his bare skin. He rose up from the bed, only to be pushed back down by a slender hand. "What the-
Izuku's next few words got caught in his throat when he saw the person responsible for that action.
"Bored of my company already, Izuku?" Mileena asked, as naked as he was.
Izuku's cheeks caught on fire. "M-Mileena?!" he exclaimed, trying his hardest to tear away his eyes from his friend's bare body, to no avail.
Mileena giggled, grabbing the sides of Izuku's head and lowering her face to his. "Shhh. No need for words now."
Outworld, Edinian Caves
Izuku woke up with a gasp, breathing heavily. Izuku took a look downwards and breathed a sigh of relief.
Izuku laid on his bed, unable to sleep. The dream he'd just had kept running through his head, leaving his mind in disarray.
He'd never really been the romantic type. He'd always been too busy with vigilantism and his last attempt at romance had gone horrifically bad.
Izuku found himself clenching his fists at the thought of his ex. Goddammit, he hated that HPSC bitch. He still did, all these years later. Another reason why he was perfectly happy never returning to his home dimension.
And to think that she, of all fucking people, had me fooled into thinking she cared about me.
Izuku sighed, looking to the ceiling. The question lingered, did he...like Mileena? She was a good friend, and he was never bored in her company, but did he like Mileena how he once liked...her?
Fucking bitch. Hope she's rotting in hell.
Izuku got up from the bed. Maybe a walk would clear his head, get rid of the hard-on that was refusing to go away, and get the thought of that slag out of his mind. He quietly walked out of his small room and into the caves he and Mileena had explored. To his surprise, Mileena was already there, looking at the water.
"Couldn't sleep?" Izuku asked. Mileena turned around, surprised, before nodding.
"Yes. I felt quite restless" she replied.
Izuku sat down next to her.
"So, just wondering, what'll you do when this is all over, when Kitana gets her revenge and the Tournament's over?"
Mileena looked over at him, frowning. "You say that like it's a foregone conclusion."
Izuku chuckled. "Well, I distinctly remember that a lot of people said I had no chance of becoming a hero in my home dimension, and then I spat in their face and became a hero anyways. Then, people kept telling me that I had no chance of winning the last Tournament, and lo and behold, I took down a god. By the way, that last part gives me eternal bragging rights, right?"
Mileena laughed. "Yes, I have a feeling that it does." She looked down into the water. "Umm. I...I was wondering. Would it be alright if...if I went with you all back to Earthrealm?"
Whatever Izuku was expecting to hear, it definitely wasn't that. "Why? Don't get me wrong, I'd love to have you with us, but why do you wanna leave Outworld so bad?"
Mileena sighed, before answering. "Have you ever felt like… I don't know, like you did not belong? That you are stuck, with nowhere to go, because you still feel like you have to accomplish something, to help someone you care about, to take care of any unfinished business?"
"I've felt like that, once." Izuku replied, quietly. What else could he say? Mileena had just said out loud every reason why he had hated his home dimension so much. No matter what he did, he was never appreciated. He'd only stuck around as long as he had because of the League and because Toga and Dabi were in danger from his stupidity. If he hadn't been hit with that warp quirk, Izuku had no illusions about him staying in Japan. He'd have probably moved somewhere else, away from the hell that had once been his home. It wouldn't even have mattered where, as long as it was away from there.
Life has a funny way of working itself out, doesn't it?
And as Izuku sat there, looking at his friend, the glow of the crystals perfectly framing her face and he found his hand unconsciously moving over hers yet again, he realized that statement was also true in another department.
Damn. Well, guess it took me long enough to sort this out.
Izuku and Mileena didn't say another word the rest of the night, basking in a comfortable silence.
P.O.V Switch - Sub-Zero
Coliseum (Almost Finished)
Kuai Liang woke up with a shout, as Bob clanged on some kind of instrument from hell. "Rise and shine, ice boy! We got a Coliseum to finish building!" Bob shouted.
"Fuck off." Kuai Liang muttered, his bones creaking. Jesus, what had he been sleeping on, a chair?
Oh, right. He'd been busy talking to Li Mei all night and fell asleep on the chair. Well, at least he'd had a blanket-
Wait, what?! Where'd that come from?!
His thoughts a jumbled mess, Kuai Liang stumbled over to the meeting ground where Bob gathered all the villagers/workers daily.
Wait a minute, is Bob wearing a construction hard hat?!
"Here's the deal! We've got three more days to finish this damn Coliseum! Remember, if it's unfinished, I'll kill you all first, before Khan can kill me! Are we clear?!"
"Yes, Bob!" the crowd answered back.
Bob stepped down from the podium, and Kuai Liang could only stare in shock. Bob was wearing a hard hat, for sure, but in typical Outworld fashion, it wasn't made of plastic. Rather, it was made out of some kind of skull that had been painted yellow.
"What?" Bob asked, grumpily.
"Is that a hard hat?" Kuai Liang asked, still incredulous.
Bob shook his head. "I've got no idea what a 'hard hat' is. This hat was made to show off our positions as well as protect our heads. However, because most Tarkatans are obsessed with fighting and think this position is cursed, or they're too stubborn to wear any kind of protection, they decide not to wear this. I recently dug it up in my tent, so I decided to wear it, because as I have said before, I like living."
As Kuai Liang looked over the Tarkatan Supervisor, only one thought kept echoing through his head.
My coworker is literally Bob The Builder from Hell.
Bob snarled. "Oi, ice boy! Stop standing around and get to work! You want this Coliseum built too, remember?!"
Kuai Liang sighed. "Yes, Bob. I'll get back to work now."
"Good!" The Tarkatan said, before walking away. Kuai Liang could faintly hear him yelling at another group.
"Funny, I almost miss the old Bob. At least he had a habit of staying quiet while whipping us." a familiar voice said behind him.
Kuai Liang turned around, greeted by the visage of Li Mei.
"What can I say? I bring out the worst in people." Kuai Liang joked. Li Mei laughed.
"Perhaps you can list that as another one of your abilities." she replied.
The two stared at each other for some time, before Bob appeared out of nowhere and hit the instrument right next to Kuai Liang's ear.
"When I tell you to do something, lover boy, I expect you to do it! Stop standing around!"
"Argh, fuck off you psychotic custodian!" Kuai Liang exclaimed.
Many Hours Later
Bob stared at the board intensely.
"You know, staring at those pieces isn't going to do you any good, right?" Kuai Liang stated.
Bob sighed, before putting a piece forward.
"Checkmate." Kuai Liang replied to the move.
Bob hissed in indignation. "This is impossible!"
Kuai Liang shook his head. "It's not impossible. It's just that you keep rushing through the game, trying to take my king. That's not how you're supposed to play it."
Bob growled. "And how would you do it?"
Kuai gestured to his side of the board. "See how I've positioned my pieces? It's a game of strategy. This is Chess, not Team Fortress 2."
Bob turned to Kuai Liang, confused. "What the fuck is a Team Fortress?"
Kuai Liang chuckled. "Nothing, nothing. We'll pick this up another time."
He got up from his chair, taking a peek outside of the tent. "You know, we're almost done with this thing. You could come outside and enjoy the small celebration the villagers are throwing for completing the Coliseum?"
Bob waved his hands. "Nah. I'd just make everything extremely awkward by showing up there."
At that moment, Li Mei walked in.
"Unfortunately, Bob, I'm not giving you a choice. Come and enjoy the fruits of your labors!"
Bob struggled. "Oi, lemme go! Crazy witch! Ice boy! Get your girlfriend off me!"
Kuai Liang chuckled. "Nah, don't think I will."
The trio walked outside to a raging fire pit the villagers had taken the liberty to set up. There was conversation and drinks flowing all over the place.
"Huh. Been a while since I've seen anything like this." Kuai Liang remarked. The trio took the liberty of sitting down next to the pit. The Tarkatan huffed, before picking up a casket of some kind of alcohol. Kuai Liang decided to do the same.
"Oi, ice boy, does that mask of yours come with a drinking port or something?" Bob remarked.
Kuai Liang chuckled, before removing his respirator. "Satisfied, Bob?" he asked.
Bob whistled. "Not bad. Better than my mug, at least." Bob looked over at Li Mei, whose face was starting to heat up a bit, unbeknownst to Kuai Liang. He muttered something under his breath, before drinking a shot.
Kuai Liang decided to do the same, only to cough and sputter as soon as he swallowed the concoction.
"Wha-what the hell is this stuff made of?!" he exclaimed. Bob laughed. "Outworld alcohol, ice boy! Guaranteed to knock any human off their ass!"
The trio took the liberty off knocking back a few more drinks. Before long, Bob started opening up.
"You know, I've always -hic- always carried a bit of a torch for Sheeva. She's -hic- really big. I mean, Khan, have you seen those abs? Hehehehe."
Kuai Liang laughed. "Sounds like you have it real bad, Bob."
At this, Bob let out a sigh. "Ah, who am I kidding. I'm a fucking weakling. You know, there's a reason why I landed this assignment. Only the weak guys get put on shit like Konstruction. If I was stronger, I'd be…. I dunno. Better off than here."
Kuai Liang frowned. "Hey, hey, we're not that bad, are we?"
Bob looked off in the distance, staring at something. Kuai looked in the same direction, noticing that Bob was staring at a mother and her daughter, dancing and celebrating their accomplishment.
"Nah. Could've been worse, I guess." Bob said, looking downwards.
"Hey, don't look so down! We still got a lot of this stuff to go through, man!" Kuai exclaimed.
Bob perked up. "Oh, you're on, ice boy!"
In the far off distance, a group of cyborgs observed the scene.
"So, this is the brother of Sub-Zero." Sektor stated, a small degree of interest leaking into his otherwise emotionless drone.
Cyrax stood next to him. "We only have enough resources to cyberize one more agent. After that, we will need to defeat the Grandmaster to gain the resources necessary to further push the Cyberization Initiative. Do you wish to further pursue this action?"
Sektor chuckled. "This will work. Smoke owes Kuai Liang his life. Such a debt cannot go unpaid. Besides, even if Smoke decides not to come, we will at least have Kuai Liang to take with us."
Sektor turned to his other cyberized agents. "Prepare the attack."
AN: Kuai Liang's had enough fun. Now it's time to get the shit kicked outta him, physically and mentally.
Writer's block has been a real bitch this time around, since I've never really tried my hand at romance that much before, even though I like to read a bunch of romance stories on this site because I'm a lonely sack of shit.
I really wasn't planning on making the Tarkatan dude Bob the Builder, until you guys pointed it out. Once that happened, I couldn't resist. Maybe in the future I'll find some excuse to put Bob in construction overalls.
I'll reveal who Izuku's ex was sometime within the next few chapters, and why he hates her so much, so look out for that. All I'll say now is that they were a member of Class 1-A.
I'm starting to get a tiny bit burnt out by this story, so I think I'll take a small break after the next chapter (no more than 1 week) and focus on updating some of my other stories. Plus, I just started playing Mass Effect: Legendary Edition, so that'll also chew up some time.
Thanks for reading!