A/N: SUPER long hiatus, my apologies- but I came back with this monster of a chapter. 10K word count and I didn't even get out what I wanted to get out, but I had to stop myself because this was enough for now. (Maybe I'll have better luck with the next chapter). Anyways, I got this idea from the MKX comics, not that I read them myself, but sometimes I'll go on the wiki and look at the pages- just to see what's going on.
Also this entire chapter is to be read as a flashback, but I thought it would've been super annoying to have the whole thing italicized, so just dropping the heads up here.
His footsteps were near silent as Kung Jin made his way through the empty temple courtyards and gardens.
It was a few hours after curfew, but the blanket of night acted like a shield against the low-flames of the torches lined along the stone pathways underfoot. It acted like a shield against the working night guards who would no doubt have a fit if they caught him wandering out in the temple yards at such a late hour. Of course, in order to throw a fit they'd have to spot him first, and then catch him- and considering that he had already memorized their patterns and nightly routines, he didn't see that happening.
It didn't hurt to stay smart about it though, and keep a watchful eye out regardless.
And seeing as he was currently reporting to the Shaolin Master himself, it wasn't like the guards could drag him over there to be reprimanded about curfew.
Master Bo' Rai Cho was expecting him anyways- despite the late hour.
The quiet crunching of the grass underneath Kung Jin's feet just reminded him of how all he wanted to do was get back to his room, wash up, and pass out for the rest of the night- leaving it all behind him to deal with in the morning.
But the consistent throbbing of his ribs was an equal reminder that sleep would not be easy for him tonight.
They weren't broken, that much he was fairly confident on, but two or three of them sure as hell had to have been bruised by now. They were towards the upper ribs too, which made moving his shoulders and torso difficult to do without throbbing agony. Worst case scenario, they were either cracked, or fractured, but thankfully not splintered and broken instead.
The stiffness they created in his chest, and the persistent ache in his torso made jumping over the courtyard walls a real pain in the ass- especially with the sheer number of walls the temple had around it. Kung Jin swore he ran into more walls on the way in rather than on the way out. It also didn't help that he had slipped on that last jump and didn't stick the landing as well as he should've- as well as he could've had his legs not felt like they were going to break underneath him with the clumsy impact.
He would've gone face-first into the ground had he not caught himself at the last minute.
(As if he didn't already have enough bruises on his face either).
(Although the face-to-ground impact might've been enough to break his nose back in to place).
Kung Jin looked up as the old drunk's dormitory came into sight, and took quick note of the single lit candle in the back window; faint and warmly glowing against the dark. It was the usual sign that the man was still up and waiting on his arrival. Master Bo' Rai Cho always waited for his return- at least just long enough to gather whatever item he had asked for, and pay his dues before sending Kung Jin on his way.
Which worked well enough for him.
Especially considering that right now, whatever sealed package the man had asked him to seek out earlier that day, was still in his jacket; heavy and thumping against his ribs with every calculated step.
Kung Jin couldn't wait to get rid of the damn thing.
It had taken too long to secure, and been too much of a hassle for him to deal with.
Although he was willing to admit that his lack of current practice with his 'getting in, and getting out' skills might've always played a hand in it. Not too big of a hand though, considering he was still able to secure the requested item.
Approaching the isolated house, Kung Jin went his usual way of entrance through the back window- blowing out the candle as he pulled himself through the open sill. His ribs protested every movement and motion, causing him to clench his jaw to keep from making any noise. There was a sense of painful success as he landed soundlessly inside, although he had to take a moment to catch his breath.
Fingers moved to pull down on his clothed face mask, hoping to make it a little easier to breathe.
His nose, still freshly broken, was filled with blood and making it more than difficult to breathe through- forcing him to breath through his mouth for the time being, which only brought stinging pain to his busted lip.
He carefully brushed the back of his hand across his lips and chin, wiping off the blood that had already crystalized and dried against his skin.
Taking a few, slow calming breaths to ease the tightness in his chest, Kung Jin carefully made his way out of the empty back room and stepped out into the connecting, dimly-lit corridor. Even from the back of the small house, he still caught a glimpse of the Shaolin Master in the front welcoming room- no doubt drinking to pass the time, and night away. No surprise there.
Just make this quick and easy.
He slowly made his way down the short corridor with fingers already pulling the artifact from where he had hidden it inside of his jacket. It wasn't that big to begin with, barely the size of his palm, but it felt like a weight, like a rock, in his hand. He didn't know what it was, and didn't know if it was even worth its weight in the amount of trouble he went through for it.
All he cared about right now was dropping this thing off, getting back to his room, and sleeping the night and pain off.
His whole mind was focused on those three steps- dulling his senses, and ignoring the few spoken words that weren't coming from the Shaolin Master himself.
"With all due respect, Master Bo' Rai Cho, tell your informant next time to get his shit together," Kung Jin started as he stepped into the opened welcoming room. He already had the artifact out by that time, and tossed it towards the man as soon as their eyes linked- barely even noticing the hint of surprise on the man's face. He figured the Shaolin would've gotten used to his fast turn over rate with these sorts of runs.
The large room was filled with lit candles all over the place, and even as dim as they were, they still managed to irritate him.
The flat of the palm that had broken his nose in the first place had managed to plant a persistent throbbing in the front of his skull- making any sort of light, or noise near unbearable to stand. Even walking too quickly made the edges of his vision blur just slightly enough in warning.
It was about that time that he noticed that Master Bo' Rai Cho wasn't alone.
"Jin, what are you-" Fujin started, seated adjacent to Bo' Rai Cho in the center of the room- a small, square cherry-wood table between them lined with glasses and half-empty wine bottles.
It really wasn't a question as to why the Wind God's words died halfway out from his lips.
And Kung Jin wasn't certain if Fujin was going to ask what he was talking about in direct to Master Bo' Rai Cho, or if the God was going to ask what Kung Jin himself was doing here of all places so late at night- especially out past curfew.
One typically didn't want to report to, let alone be seen by, the Shaolin Master past curfew; it only guaranteed a full morning on the running course, which was never fun.
Part of him figured he should've guessed, maybe even known, that there was a chance that Fujin would be here. The Wind God often times visited Master Bo' Rai Cho when all his other duties were through, and the two could have some quiet time to drink and speak freely with one another.
(If he hadn't been so focused on himself, Kung Jin probably would've picked up on the clues).
(But he didn't).
Kung Jin felt himself stiffen slightly at the sight and recognition from the God.
"I take it you ran into some trouble," Bo' Rai Cho spoke, ignoring and interrupting Fujin for the time being, as he held the caught artifact in both hands- examining it.
"Yeah, you could say that," Kung Jin replied, as he forced his attention back to the Shaolin Master. "Nothing serious, just a couple of guards that I wasn't expecting to be out there- that I wasn't aware I needed to look out for. Doesn't matter now though. No one died, and you got whatever it was that you asked for." He risked his life for the damn thing and didn't know, didn't care for what it was; it was always easier for him to operate in this line of work with the classic 'the less he knew, the better' sort of method.
"I'll be sure to pass your complaints on to my informant."
Kung Jin frowned slightly at the words, and watched as Master Bo' Rai Cho got to his feet and carried the artifact off with him as he briefly left the room. The man was probably putting it somewhere for safe keeping until he could get it properly placed wherever it was needed- whatever the hell it was.
Thankfully, the man wasn't gone for too long- only a few seconds at best.
"What exactly is going on here?" Fujin pressed; the question directed towards Bo' Rao Cho, although Kung Jin could feel the occasional glance shot towards him instead. And the feel of the man's eyes on him sent a shiver through him. After the night he had already had, this wasn't exactly how he wanted it to end.
"Nothing more than the usual," Bo' Rai Cho assured, returning after his brief absence- sans artifact, but carrying a new, unopened bottle of wine. "No need to worry, brother, I just needed a few more things off of my list is all. I know how you prefer not to get involved in this... rather ugly side of business, so I will spare you the details of it."
The slight crunch of the God's expression implied that he wasn't exactly thrilled at such details being held from him- or such actions going on behind his back. "I thought you gave up on that after the Lin Kuei Cybernetic Initiative business," Fujin continued, glancing once more towards Kung Jin, before he moved back to Bo' Rai Cho. "And why send Kung Jin of all people? Don't tell me you're using the Academy now as some sort of front to your collection business."
The drunken master gave a hearty laugh as he grabbed an empty glass from the table, and began filling it with wine- the cork not all that surprisingly missing now. "Don't be so dramatic brother, I would never soil the Academy's name, nor my students like that. Kung Jin has been my runner even before he joined the Academy- and this is only the first of times I've asked since. I made sure beforehand that he was still comfortable with doing so, and he agreed. It was nothing more than a trade of business between us."
The exposure of his past dealings with the Shaolin Master felt like it hit harder than Kung Jin thought it would.
It wasn't like he was ashamed of his past work, after all it had basically kept him alive up until this point. He just- it was something that he was trying to put behind him now; something he wasn't trying to focus on anymore now that he had studies and practices to attend to. (Elder Gods knew he had heard enough slander of being called a 'thief' to last him a lifetime).
Master Bo' Rai Cho had asked him a favor, and he had complied. That was it.
And yet, the sudden pull of focus back onto him made him want to disappear at that moment.
"Are we through here?" Kung Jin spoke- quicker, and more rushed than he was willing to admit to. "Can I go?"
"You don't want to stay for a drink? It might help with the-" Master Bo' Rai Cho only gestured to his face to finish his sentence- implying enough to get the jest of his remark.
"I'm fine, I'm just gonna sleep it off," he replied.
Bo' Rai Cho barely gave him a nod of approval before Kung Jin was already heading out- hating that he had to ignore the Wind God for the time being. But this had been Master Bo' Rai Cho's business to begin with, so he could do all of the explaining of it to Fujin, who would no doubt have plenty of questions to ask.
It was just an overall bad situation to be in.
One that he didn't want to stick around for.
Making his way back across the temple courtyards, Kung Jin avoided any additional walls and pushed through the shrubbery instead- eventually making his way to the dormitory wing. True to his nature, he had yet to see a single person on the night watch as he quietly made his way through the inner corridors of the temple. The guards were all on the other side of the wing anyways, giving him plenty of time to make it to his room. He tried to remain silent out of respect to his classmates, while also trying to move as quickly as he could- which would've been easier to do without the bruised ribs.
Coming up to his room, he quietly pushed the door open and slipped inside- quick to close it behind him.
Slipping his bow off, Kung Jin set it next to the door and found himself having to fight off the urge to immediately go to bed instead. The urge was there, and every inch of him wanted to be lying down, no longer having to support his own body- but he knew better. There was a checklist of things he needed to go through first before he could put this night to rest.
He unclipped his belt, and reluctantly worked himself out of his leather chest piece- unable to avoid the strain it put on his ribs. Unable to avoid the slight light-headed feeling that washed over him when he finally got the flexible armor off, and tossed aside. His left arm was going to have to be useless for a few days if he wanted his ribs to have a better chance at a quick heal.
Pulling down on his hood, Kung Jin moved towards the back of his room where the washing basin was; he tried to convince himself that a quick clean was all he needed. He had a medical kit somewhere around that he could get into if he wanted to- but he wasn't in the mood to deal with it. If he could just get the blood cleaned up, and stopped for the time being, that was all he cared about.
He didn't necessarily want to look at himself in the hanging mirror above the basin, but it was near impossible not to.
Fingers lightly touched at his bottom lip, feeling the hefty split that had dried up over it; it was wider than he thought it was- cutting from the inside of his mouth and curving over his lip completely. Splitting it two-fold. He didn't think he had gotten hit that hard, but it was no wonder now why it had been bleeding so badly. It was already pretty swollen too, so there was no doubt that it would be hideous tomorrow.
Kung Jin grabbed the small hand towel that had been folded next to the basin and partly soaked it in the water, before he moved it to his lip. He tried to ignore the shaking of his hands as he carefully tried to clean the wound without irritating it. It was near easy to feel the dried blood peeling off from where it had spilt down his chin once more- tugging slightly at his skin as it rolled off as bloodied crystals.
Moving the rag to clean the blood from his broken nose, he winced every time he brushed against the darkening skin. It was going to hurt even worse tomorrow, and it was going to be hell tonight trying to sleep through blood-crusted nostrils. Drawing in a sharp breath through clenched teeth, he held it as he covered his nose with the damp rag- before he used his other hand to break it back into place.
The resulting crunch was near satisfying- had it not also flooded a nauseating amount of pain through him.
He swore he nearly blacked out as one hand fumbled to find support on the small table underneath the basin. Fingers were near white-knuckled as he held on, waiting for the nausea and wavering sense of consciousness to pass.
(Easier now than later he told himself).
Taking in a few, shaky-but-controlled breaths, testing his sense of control, Kung Jin willed himself to finish cleaning up- trying to ignore the fresh surplus of blood running down his chin and dripping into the water below.
Holding the rag underneath his nose for the time being, he took a look at his eye next, noting that it was already showing the signs of a righteous shiner. There was an obvious black ring where he had taken a nice elbow to the face. A few blood vessels had been broken underneath the skin, soon to fill the space with a mix of blue, red, and purple.
If he was lucky, there wouldn't be much swelling, but he doubted it.
Other bruises were already setting in against his jaw as well- dark, black spots marking a different fist.
Master Bo' Rai Cho was really going to owe him for this one.
He might've gone in with his guard lower than it should've been, but still- bad information was a very thin line to work off of.
And his ribs were still fucking throbbing too.
It was too late to visit the healer, and at this point, even if they were still awake, he didn't feel like walking all the way out there. He would be fine until tomorrow; he doubted there was much that could be done for him anyways. Nothing more than waiting for everything to naturally heal on its own.
All he wanted to do was get everything cleaned, and sleep this whole thing off.
Cleaning off the rest of the blood, Kung Jin made sure that it had stopped for the time being, before he tossed the towel aside and walked back into his room. It wasn't like this would be the first time he had woken up to blood stains on his pillow anyways. The heavy throbbing from breaking his nose back into place had thankfully dulled for the time being- quick to flood in and then out, although the pain would no doubt be back again by early morning. Which meant that it was just something that he could push off and deal with in the future.
He heard the sound of his door opening first, and barely convinced himself to look to it- hoping to convince himself that maybe the wind had just pushed it open.
(He wasn't too far off from the truth).
"Jin, are you alright?" Fujin spoke, already inside his room and closing the door behind him now. "You left so quickly, I didn't get a chance to ask you before."
Kung Jin blamed his slowed response to the man on just coming off of an adrenaline rush and feeling the pain really starting to seep in now. The sudden appearance of the Wind God didn't exactly help either- nor did the realization of the late hour, or where this conversation had decided to happen. He wasn't exactly expecting the man to be here- let alone get here so quickly.
"I uh... yeah- yeah, I'm fine," Kung Jin tried to assure, although he had to admit himself that he didn't sound all that convincing. "It's just, you know, cosmetic injuries, nothing more."
The concerned look the God wore on his face said he wasn't at all convinced either.
"Does it hurt?"
Yeah- yeah, it sure fucking did.
"It's fine- nothing I can't sleep off," he answered instead. "Believe me, this isn't the first time I've gotten my face beaten in."
Okay, so maybe he could've been a little more... reassuring, but that kind of was the truth in the matter.
(The slight twitch on the corners of Fujin's lips convinced him to try a little harder though).
"It's not a big deal," Kung Jin insisted once more, brushing aside a few loose strands of hair from his eyes. He was playing defensive now, putting up a minor guard to keep things from getting out of hand. He wanted to be reassuring, to give some amount of comfort, without throwing himself under the bus. "I've cracked my face open with my own staff before, this really isn't any different-"
He stopped as he watched Fujin suddenly step towards him, as he felt hands grab at his arms first, and then his shoulders, before they carefully moved to his jaw. He wasn't necessarily in the mood to be touched, especially since an uneasy sense of numbness had settled over him- and since he was still reeling from the last person who had put their hands on his face. But... he couldn't convince himself to push the God away; he didn't really want to anyways.
It didn't help that the sudden closeness of the man was enough to leave him without anything to say.
"This is different," Fujin spoke, briefly hesitating before he slowly continued. "... Someone else did this."
And it was all too easy to hear the worry in the God's voice when he spoke- and to see it reflected all too easily on his face as well.
Kung Jin waited, seeing if the man had anything else to say or do, but nothing else came from it. Instead, he stood there, waiting, and watching as the Wind God seemed focused solely on him. And even with pupil-less eyes, he could still feel them moving from one injury to the next, and to the next. He could feel the subtle change in pressure around him, caught the slight whip of Fujin's braid behind him; a subtle hint that the God's energy was agitated.
(As close as they were, he caught the hint of sweetness from the wine on the man's breath).
He felt the slight brush of fingers against his cheek, just barely skirting over the growing bruise there, before Fujin gently swept a hand across his brow- tucking aside any remaining loose locks.
"Jin," the God whispered, nearly sighed, as those white eyes closed on their own. "Jin, Jin, Jin."
He wanted to question what the man was talking about, but stopped as he felt Fujin brush his lips against his forehead once more- mimicking the same gesture from before. Only this one seemed to linger just a few seconds too long, sharing a sense of warmth against his skin. Kung Jin found himself holding his breath as he waited- a little too high-strung right now to melt into the gesture at the moment; not like he had before.
"... At least let me take care of you."
The Wind God's lips moved to just above his left eye, kissing just above the now-swelling skin- brushing along the black ring that was slowing forming over it. A righteous swing from his blindspot that had nearly blinded, and knocked him out upon impact; Kung Jin was almost convinced that the eye socket itself might've been bruised with how badly it was still throbbing.
Fujin moved down to touch at the bridge of his nose next, careful as he barely touched the badly swollen skin.
Kung Jin had to bite back the urge to flinch at the sensitivity of the break, and re-break- a full frontal slam of someone's palm against his face.
His mind was near racing at the subtle touches- desperately trying not to draw anything more from them, but unable to see them as anything else but that just the same. There were no other reasons for them; the two of them hadn't exactly been in this kind of situation before, but still- the God had never physically kissed him like this. He had never let such small gestures linger for as long as this.
The subtle throbbing from his lip seemed to draw his focus as Kung Jin felt Fujin linger where he was against the bridge of his nose; the man's palms were pressed lightly against his cheeks now, gently cradling his head in his cool hands. He swore he could feel the man's skin almost getting colder with each passing moment- not that he was complaining. It felt good against his skin- still heated and sweaty from the earlier ordeal.
Maybe it was the adrenaline crash, the late hour, the lingering exhaustion, and pain- maybe a cocktail of all of them pushed together.
It just seemed like an out-of-body experience as King Jin's hands moved on their own, as they brushed against Fujin's jaw, before he pulled the God down to his lips. A rushed chill ran through him at the way Fujin's lips felt against his own, ignoring the way they brushed across the raw tissue of his lower lip. He swore he could hear the hollowed-panic of his heart beating against wounded ribs; swore he could feel the nervous panic that gripped tight across his body as he held onto the other man- taking the moment for all that it was worth.
Fujin didn't resist.
And only seemed to pull Kung Jin in closer against him just the same.
It was slow and subtle, never going much further than touch- nothing more than the close share of warmth.
Kung Jin felt the God begin to pull away, and once more felt his own hands move all too quickly to grab at the man's jaw in response. "Don't stop," he whispered; and he swore his voice sounded near desperate as he pulled Fujin back in, brushing another kiss against him. "Please-"
It didn't take much for the man to give in, and oblige him- pulling him back in just the same.
Fujin's lips were firmer this time, providing more than just warmth- providing pressure, and weight behind him as hands carefully slid across his jaw and cheeks. He felt fingers brush and push themselves through his black hair, tangling the loose strands in his grasp as Fujin lightly curled his hands into the weight of it all; Kung Jin didn't really notice that his hair was beginning to fall loose at that point- the weight of it hitting his shoulders in long falling strands.
He felt the embrace turn from touch to tongue and teeth, to hands and heat as he held on tight to the man's jaw. It had been a long- long- time since he had last kissed someone like this, since he had last felt the wet heat of someone else's tongue in his mouth- the tightening curl of someone else's fingers tangling in his hair. He could taste the lingering sweetness of the wine now despite never having a glass of it himself; and despite his distaste of alcohol, he drank it in.
There were subtle breaths dragged between barely parted lips- just enough of a gasp to quell lungs and thundering hearts.
(He didn't even feel his lip break back open between them- never even noticed that the sweetness of the wine was soon replaced with the bitter hint of copper on his tongue).
"Let me speak," Fujin barely managed to whisper against him, seemingly fighting himself to get the words out.
Kung Jin didn't want him to- he didn't want to listen to what might come out of the Wind God next.
Didn't want to break the moment- the illusion maybe.
"Come on, your lip is bleeding."
He could see the slight spot of blood on Fujin's lip when he pulled away, and moved fingertips to touch at his own- wincing slightly as he touched at the raw injury. There was already another small trickle of blood rolling down his chin again, once more causing him to wipe it aside.
"I'm sorry, I should've been more careful."
"It's fine, I shouldn't-" Kung Jin started, only to stop himself from finishing the sentence- for now anyways. He refused to meet them, but he could still feel the God's eyes on him- watching, waiting, perhaps anticipating where his words were going to go when they were done. His hands pulled away from Fujin's jaw, slightly brushing down against the man's shoulders, before he stepped back. "- I shouldn't have done that with my lip like this. I have a kit around here somewhere; it'll be a quick fix-"
He didn't get the chance to look for that stupid medical kit, before he felt Fujin pull him back towards him.
Before he felt the subtle brush of lips against his once more, only this time they brushed against the unmarked corner of his lips- away and safe from the split injury which was now lightly throbbing. The touch lingered warm against him; and once more, it lingered longer than it should've, longer than it needed. There were a few seconds of it, before the man pressed firmer against him- just enough to seal one more kiss between them.
He felt the slightest touch of the God's thumb brushing against his chin- wiping aside the blood that continued to spill.
"Get some rest tonight."
Quiet, and concerned, but enough to resist any arguing- not that he would've.
...
Kung Jin considered asking the man to stay with him, at least just for the night, but the suggestion came and went as soon as it had crossed his mind. It wouldn't be smart for either of them to do so- and it wasn't like he would be in the mood for company once this adrenaline sequence had passed. "Are you... uh, are you alright?" he whispered, unsure if that was even the right thing to ask. Part of him almost wanted to ask if the man even knew what he was doing at the moment- if he was even aware of what had just happened between them.
His hands, still cool and careful against his jaw, still cupped against his face, were holding onto him- holding Kung Jin to him.
"I'm fine, just a little... off-guarded over the whole thing," Fujin answered, barely pulling away from him enough to break the subtle contact between their lips. "Thinking about how I might murder Master Bo' Rai Cho."
Kung Jin wasn't certain if it was the God's intention or not, but he managed a quiet chuckle at the remark regardless. "Yeah, well, if you're going to kill him, can you at least wait until after he pays me for this?" he replied, hearing Fujin chuckle in return this time- equally as quiet.
"I will try, but I cannot make promises," the man replied, looking him over once more. White eyes seemed to scope him out once again, this time while the flats of his thumbs brushed against his curved cheekbones. There seemed to be more to him- something more the God wanted to say, but ended up dropping. Instead, Fujin gently pulled his head back down, and brushed his lips to his forehead in a final gesture. "Sleep well."
He felt the God slowly drop all forms of contact between them- and almost immediately missed the cool warmth of the man's hands on him. He missed the warm closeness between them as the man stepped back, before looking him over once more. It seemed only when the God seemed satisfied that he could handle things from here, the man turned and left- sliding in and out the door without so much as causing it to creak.
Leaving him there to wonder just what exactly had happened.
(Leaving him there to convince himself that it was better this way- that they were better off this way.).
Kung Jin sighed and decided to leave his lip the way it was as he finally forced himself to bed; he had hopes to put the whole night behind him- fight, kiss, and all. The only difficult from here though was that there was no way in hell he was going to get out of this clothing tonight. Not without running the risk of making himself sick, or pass out anyways. At this point, he could barely move without having to force himself to choke something back.
He barely paused long enough to get out of his boots before he collapsed into bed- almost immediately regretting the motion as it strung tight across his ribs.
Whatever, as long as it got the pain over with now.
It took a few minutes for everything to settle, for his bones, and body to quit aching. The idea of lying down had been like a dream before, but now that he was here, actually doing it, it wasn't as painless as he had hoped it to be. Things still throbbed, although duller this time around as the damages were finally taking hold- and there was no doubt that they would look even worse tomorrow.
He laid there, staring at the wall in front of him, still able to feel the chill from the Wind God's energy in the room.
Kung Jin woke to the sound of faint knocking at his door.
He woke to the more apparent ache in his ribs that nearly had him convinced that they were broken rather than bruised. He woke to a consistent throbbing in his skull, which made even the tiniest sliver of light in his room completely unbearable to manage. And with the repeating knocking at his door, it made his seemingly impatient guest all the more intolerable to deal with- even from his bed.
Lifting himself up, Kung Jin moved just enough to shift the weight off of his right shoulder, which had started to go numb underneath him, before he dropped back down. He was already well aware of the obvious damp spot on his pillow- which he originally figured to be drool, but ended up being blood instead. Just a few minor spots, nothing too serious- nothing that could convince him out of bed at least.
The only thing it could, and did do, was bring attention to the dried mess of blood on his cheek, lip, and chin again.
He barely brushed the crystallized mess off of his skin once more, before he settled back down- hoping that he could still fall back to sleep with relative ease. It was already past early morning now, which meant that he had missed every class so far, not that it would matter all that much to him; he could risk losing out on a lecture or two. Missing out on practice was going to be a little more serious, but... he had gotten enough last night to hold him over.
Besides, it wasn't like Master Bo' Rai Cho was going to force him to go to them anyways. The man was somewhat in his debt now, and it wasn't like the Shaolin Master was going to risk bringing attention to his sudden, overnight injuries. He would eventually have to be seen with them, but it wasn't like he couldn't bullshit his way out of the situation- Elder Gods know he had done it plenty of times before.
And it wasn't like his classmates didn't already know that he liked to sneak off temple grounds every now and again.
Fingers reached back and grabbed the other half of his pillow before he folded it over his head- trying to cut out the faint slivers of sunlight that slipped through the cracks of his window blinds. Not to mention, the repetitive knocking.
Not that it seemed to matter in the end, because he heard the sound of his door opening anyways; a rather frowned upon offense in the domestic wing of the temple. It was rude to infringe upon someone else's personal, private space without acknowledgement or consent; it disrupted their focus and trust. Not to mention, he thought it would've been plenty obvious by now that he didn't want company.
"You're still asleep?"
Kung Jin tried to pretend that he didn't hear it.
He had to resist the urge to move, to curl up tighter, as he felt the slightest pinch from his ribs- a quick, lingering pain that vibrated and settled heavy throughout his left side. It was surprising that he had managed to sleep with them aching as badly as they did in the first place. They were just barely ignorable now, which he was going to take advantage of for as long as he could.
"Have you gone to see the healer yet at least?"
Seriously?
Could they not take the hint here?
The hint that he didn't want to be bothered with right now?
But he recognized the voice well enough, and couldn't help but to think that he just... wanted to avoid the man for a little while longer. Despite the persistent headache, going on migraine, he could still remember the night before- quite clearly too. There was a lot to process from it- things and thoughts he didn't want to deal with right now. Maybe later when he had a clearer head, but... just not now.
Kung Jin heard the sound of quiet footsteps approaching him, and heard the way they stopped just next to his bedside.
There was a passing moment of silence, of stillness, before he felt the subtle brush of fingertips against the back of his arm- as though they had to assure themselves that he was rightfully there. Fingers moved to brush against the hand he had curled into his pillow next. He felt the flat of a thumb run over his knuckle- bruised and a little bloodied from the skirmish the night before. He hadn't noticed them last night- there was just too much to deal with- but he had certainly taken note of them that morning.
He had felt the stiffness of his fingers and knuckles, barely able to curl them at first without feeling the tight pull of tendons resisting the movement.
One too many incorrect punches thrown in the heat of the moment.
He would have to be better about it next time.
Foreign fingers curled against his hand before they pulled it away from his pillow, allowing it to unfold away from him. His door had been closed, thankfully, so there wasn't any additional light filling the room- but still, some discomfort to his eyes remained.
There was no sense in trying to pretend that he couldn't be coaxed awake now.
No use in fighting it anymore- as much as it pained him to admit it.
"Can I help you?" Kung Jin muttered, as he pulled his hand free from the light grip, and moved to rub at his cheek- careful to avoid the sore perimeter of his black eye, and previously broken, now heavily bruised, nose. It was still hard to breathe through it, what with all the dried blood, but it was better than it had been the night before. Although the slight dryness of his mouth proved that it wasn't better by much.
He swore he heard the slight 'tsk' of the visitor's tongue clicking against teeth, a disapproving sort of sound, before Kung Jin felt fingers brush through his hair once more. Before he felt careful strokes gently pulling the loose strands away from his face, exposing the now-settled bruises on his jaw and cheekbone.
"Well at least I have the answer to whether or not you've seen the healer yet," Fujin started; there was a settled concerned hint in his voice as he spoke, before the Wind God carefully sat down on the edge of his bed. "Come, let me see."
Kung Jin tried to resist the slight movement from the shifted mattress, tried to ignore the way it slightly pulled on his ribs. Nothing serious- just more annoying than anything right now. He felt how the Wind God managed to slip one hand underneath his hidden jaw, clearly not waiting for his own response, before the man gently tilted his head back towards him. He didn't want to muster up the strength needed to pull away, or show annoyance at the touch, but figured the least he could do was offer a sarcastic remark in its place.
"You see it," he replied, gesturing briefly to his battered face, as he forced his remaining good eye open- feeling how the stiff swelling of his blackened eye made it basically useless for the time being.
And even with slightly impaired vision, it wasn't too hard to see the God's blurred look of concern.
"And I don't like it," Fujin admitted, as one hand moved to brush against his forehead now. "You're burning up too- come on, let's get the healer to look at you."
"Alright, fine," Kung Jin started, as he pulled himself out of the God's grasp- only to roll back over, and pull the pillow back over his head. "- Give me an hour or two."
There was another brief click of the man's tongue against his teeth.
"You'll see the healer now."
It was the tone of Fujin's voice that did a little more than imply that this wasn't an argument that he was going to win. Reading people's body language and listening to how they spoke was a skill he had been quick to pick up on; it was a good skill to have, and easy to master if one was attentive enough. And right now, it was telling him that if he wanted this situation to be as painless as possible, it was best to forfeit now.
(Not to mention, there was little good in arguing with a God).
"Fujin, it could potentially kill me if I walked outside right now," he groaned- a last ditch effort to prolong the inevitable. "So unless you want to summon up a storm, or an overcast, or something, I am not going out there."
That much was true.
His head was still killing him even now- making the backs of his eyes throb with every spot of light, and sound that got close to him.
"Fine."
Kung Jin almost wanted to call the man out on his bluff, but it only took a few seconds before he heard the wind beginning to rustle outside- heard the quiet melody of the wind chimes as they rocked against one another. Somehow he shouldn't have been surprised that Fujin would be the one to call him out in return, but he was, if only just a little bit. Because... of course the man would do anything for him.
Sighing, he barely put his hands up in a mock sign of surrender. "Fine, okay, you win."
A quiet chuckle from the other man seemed to be a bittersweet reward as Kung Jin slowly pushed himself up- nudging the Wind God out of the way as he did so. He kept his left arm braced against his ribs as he moved, hoping to offer them some sense of support as he worked his legs over the edge of the bed and got to his feet. The pain from his ribs kept him slightly hunched forward for a moment- just long enough for the pain to gradually pass before he worked himself straight again.
It really wasn't until then that he realized that he had been harboring a fever of some kind.
His body felt hot, and every limb seemed to weight heavier than they had before- although that could've just been a result of finally getting up after a night of dead sleep. This was probably nothing more than a stress fever- nothing more, nothing less. Just the aftermath of everything that had happened the night before- including the part where he had to break his nose back into place.
"Are you alright?"
"I'm fine," Kung Jin assured, rubbing slightly at his ribs to distract himself from the burning sensation in his throat. "Nothing more than some bruised ribs is all- they'll be fine." His words seemed to do little to assure the other man, but there was little else for him to say about it all.
At the very least, he was still dressed from the night before; he remembered not wanting to risk agitating his ribs with trying to wrestle himself out of his shirt. While he was somewhat worried about sticking out like a sore thumb in this attire on the temple grounds, it wasn't enough to hassle him into changing out of it. The pain alone wouldn't be worth the hassle to go through.
He would worry about it after his visit with the healers, and for whenever he would get around to showering.
For now, he just worried with getting into his boots, pulling his loose hair back and messily tying it together once more. "Alright, come on, you worrywart- you can walk me to the healer's to make sure I don't skip out on it."
Not that he would, but he was giving the Wind God an excuse to stick around for a little while longer.
(Despite the events from the night before... the man was still one of his closest friends- he didn't want to forget that).
It was an excuse that Fujin took him up on as the two of them stepped outside.
"Is this more suitable for you?"
True to the man's word, there was a thick overcast settling across the sky- blocking out the sun for the time being, and dropping the temperature slightly. It felt nice, and Kung Jin knew that the rest of the class out in the training fields were enjoying it more. His eyes still stung to some extent, but... not as badly as they could've. As much as he tried to avoid it, he still slipped his hood on to keep his eyes covered regardless, just as an extra precaution.
"It'll work," he answered, "- thanks."
The healer's chambers, conveniently, were located on the other end of the temple grounds, which meant that it would be quite the walk. One he wasn't exactly up to doing considering he could feel the slight weakness in his legs from all the running the night before. But, lucky enough for him, he already knew plenty of shortcuts around the grounds. It would still be a bit of a walk, but the fresh air might do him some good.
...
So far there was no mention of what had happened the night before still, and Kung Jin had to admit that part of him was relieved by it; it was just... best for everyone involved to forget that it had happened in the first place. Despite his feelings on the matter, it was still best to just leave the moment as it was and move forward. After all, he had been disoriented through adrenaline, and distracted by blood, and pain, and... there was no telling how much wine Fujin and Master Bo' Rai Cho had had before he had interrupted the two of them.
It was a bad combination for everyone involved- an unfair one even.
There just might be no truth to be found in the kiss between them.
(At the very least though, a few questions he had had about the man before were now answered- and they were geared into the Wind God's favor).
"You look worse today."
Kung Jin chuckled lightly at the obvious remark. "Yeah well... that's how it works," he replied, as he lead the man down one of the back walkways- taking Fujin on one of his constructed detours. "I doubt the healer can do much about it, but I guess it's worth looking into. I'd hate to see this pretty face go to waste."
Fujin laughed in response. "Come now, it looks bad- but certainly not that bad."
"You never know," he offered, as he ducked under one of the low-hanging archways, before he lead the man through one of the gardens; he made sure to mind his steps, knowing well how quick the caretakers were to get angry over a single missing petal. "I could've got hit with something poisoned, or diseased. I could get an infection in my eye that could make it rot and fall out- or make the skin on my face peel off. The possibilities are endless-"
"Let's not... discuss such outrageous travesties," the Wind God interrupted, keeping a brief chuckle in his tone, although the slight worried look on his face seemed to say otherwise. "Perhaps though, it wouldn't hurt if we moved a little quicker, and hurried on to the healer."
Definitely worried.
"Sure thing," Kung Jin replied in mock agreement. "You know, you should be glad that I'm in this condition though- otherwise I would've left you in the dust by now."
"As a being who can summon up winds going over a hundred miles per hour, I highly doubt that."
Even with the shortcuts it still took them some time to get to the healer's, and even when they finally arrived, the healer herself didn't seem all that surprised to see him. She ushered him in, and loosely remarked that Master Bo' Rai Cho was losing his touch on teaching discipline and honor during training. He didn't bother to correct her, and gave the excuse that a set-up match had gotten just a little out of hand. And considering that no one else had been by to see her recently, she must've assumed that he had lost- and as much as it killed him, he still didn't try to correct her on it.
The less she knew, the better... Just like him.
Fujin opted to stay outside to wait, giving him privacy in the matter.
The healer touched up his injuries as best she could, but as he had predicted beforehand, there wasn't much she could do for the bruising- skin and ribs included. He would just have to wait for it to heal on its own since none of it was life-threatening. Thankfully.
(And he could deal with sneezing blood every now and again if needed be).
The most she could do was put a herbal rub on his lip, and give him a soaking mixture for his eye that would help to take the swelling down- as well as some burning salts that would help him breathe a little easier, and get rid of his fever. She offered a herbal mix to help with the pain and discomfort, but Kung Jin was quick to turn the offer down. He wasn't a fan of herbal blends; his stomach was more sensitive than he was willing to admit to.
The first, and last, time she had given him one to drink, he ended up puking for the rest of the night- which, of course, only made him more miserable than he had been to start off with.
He would take the annoyance of bruised ribs, and a previously broken nose over going through that again.
(He ended up spending more time walking to the healer's than he had spent actually with her- but there wasn't much he could do about that).
Thanking her, he departed and stepped back outside to where Fujin was still waiting.
"Don't you have better things to do?" Kung Jin asked. "You know, like, Godly things or something?"
"Not until much later," Fujin answered simply enough, and then added, "or until Raiden realizes that I'm missing."
The remark was enough to bring a slight chuckle to his lips, which seemed to have been the point of it.
"Skipping out on work then, are we?" he remarked, as he started the long-short walk back to his room. The herbal rub the healer had put on his lip had burned the entire time he was inside, but now it had gone from a comforting sort of numb, to a discomforting one; the kind that had him wondering that if he bit into his lip would he even feel it to begin with. "I know that feeling."
Fujin moved to follow him once more, taking up the empty spot at his side- as always. "Yes well, since I've decided to let Master Bo' Rai Cho live, my schedule for today has gotten rather empty."
"That's good to hear," Kung Jin started, not surprised that the man would bring it up. Last night one could've mistaken the God to be hell-bent on the decision. "It would've been too suspicious otherwise- and he and I still need to talk some details out."
"Like what?"
A surprised, almost pushy kind of question.
"Like none of your business."
The Wind God snorted with a soft chuckle. "We shall see."
The rest of the walk back to his room was taken mostly in silence, which was fine with him. The healer had given him something for the semi-migraine, but it would take awhile for it to kick in, and until then he would have to put up with the throbbing sensation in his skull. For now, the dimmed lighting and outside noise were tolerable, but Kung Jin was still looking forward to locking himself back up into the silence and darkness.
Slowly making it back to his room, Kung Jin pushed the door aside once more and stepped in- once more hearing Fujin step in behind him. He could already tell that someone else had been in here in his absence, taking the clue from the fresh sheets on his bed, and the clean water basin in the back. For now, he wasn't going to question it; he was willing to write it up as some kind of small return for all of the chaos that had happened the night before.
At the very least, it would make sleeping a little easier now.
"Alright, well as fun as this has been, unless you want to watch me sleep for the next twelve hours, I don't really see you needing to stick around," Kung Jin started, as he pulled the burning salts out of the bag the healer had given him- glad that he still had the burning dish for them. They were thick and coarse to the touch as he rolled a rock or two of salt between his fingers; these ones didn't have a fragrance to them, which was probably for the best. He could burn them while he slept without running the risk of waking up to a highly concentrated smell flooding the room.
(One of his classmates had made the mistake of doing so, and the domestic wing smelt like cinnamon for a week).
"Don't take that as a challenge, or offer to watch me sleep though, because that's just sort of creepy," he continued, as he poured a few of the salt rocks into the long, narrow dish perched on the window sill next to his bed. Just a few drops of oil, and a low flame, and things would be good to go from here. Hopefully the salts would work in this case; they had before, but mostly just in use for illnesses. His mother used to swear by them- swearing that they were the only things that had saved his life when he was a kid and a loose fever had spiked his temperature into the triple digits overnight.
He sort of guessed they were worth the trouble.
"Before you do... can we talk about what happened last night?"
"Listen, if you have questions about the whole thing, I can't answer them," Kung Jin quickly replied, hoping to shut the topic down. "You're going to have to go back to the fat man himself about the whole thing. Again, I was just the hired hand in all of this- the less I knew, the better."
"Of course- don't worry, I already got all of the answers I needed from Master Bo' Rai Cho," Fujin replied- an exasperated expression all too easy to red on his face. "At the very least, I suppose I can take comfort in knowing that you were running errands for his shadier end of business, rather than for his brewery."
Kung Jin snorted slightly at the quick response- not all that much surprised by it. "I don't drink," he spoke. "Can't stand the smell, let alone the taste- which makes the occasional one-on-one practice with Master Bo' Rai Cho a little hard to deal with sometimes. All depending on the time and day anyways."
The Wind God chuckled lightly as he nodded. "Yes well, believe it or not, it has not always been that bad." There was a slight pause, a slight drop in his tone that was worth taking note of, just before the man continued. "I didn't come here to talk about your business with Master Bo' Rai Cho though. I wanted to talk about what happened after that."
He stilled at the words, at the memory that came along with them. He guessed some part of him was sort of hoping that the man wouldn't remember what had happened between them- or that maybe Fujin would just drop it altogether.
There was really no sense in running from it any longer; he was getting tired of doing so himself.
If he just... got it over with now, it would be better for him in the long run.
(But he couldn't- all he was good for was running).
"I... Do you think we could discuss that at another time?" Kung Jin spoke instead, letting himself focus on the low flame of the burner instead. "It's been a long enough day as it is, and I wouldn't make for a good conversationist."
There was a pause- a hesitant silence.
"Of course," Fujin assured. "You should get some rest anyways."
Right.
He should.
"Yeah, but uh... thanks for, you know, coming with me," he started.
"Yes well, someone should try and keep an open tab on you," the God replied.
He chuckled at the remark and heard the sound of Fujin's footsteps leaving, heard the sound of his door opening and closing as the man departed. Leaving him to the silence, to his own thoughts- to his own arguments that barked back and forth between one another.
"What were you thinking?"