Johnny Cage x Reader

Twenty-Two

A deep breath escaped you as the light of a clearing fell through the dense cover of leaves and bamboo trunks. Your eyes were a little heavy from the many shadows and the sweet scent of flowers didn't make it any easier to stay awake.

Soft ripples mingled in the silence along with the rustling of leaves shaking in the wind.

A contented grunt sounded behind you. Stretching his arms, Johnny closed his eyes and let the sunlight caress his face.

He had led you both through the labyrinth of green leaves and colourful flowers without a plan. Now he seemed quite pleased with the result.

"That's what I'm talkin' about.", he grumbled and sucked in the air. "How about a little picnic?"

Without waiting for your answer, he stepped further into the clearing, phone in hand, and filmed the leaves moving with the wind. Dragonflies flew by, grabbing his attention and making him spin in circles.

You followed him with an amused shake of your head and let him guide you in the direction of the splashing. A small lake opened up at the edge of the densely growing trees.

White and pink lines of water covered almost the entire surface with their flowers. Curious, you dropped to your knees and stretched out your fingers.

The water was cold, almost icy, and smelled of iron and freshly grown ice. As you pulled your hand back, you could feel goose bumps creeping up your arm over the back of your hand.

"Not warm enough to swim.", you said, dropping to the grass.

"Can you swim?", Johnny sat down next to you and crossed his legs.

He was still filming. This time the recording caught your laughter.

"And you?", you asked, glancing at him.

His lips parted to let out a long breath. For a second, he seemed at a loss for words. Then he cleared his throat and put the mobile phone away to finally look at the lake with his own eyes, the sunlight reflecting on its crystal-clear surface.

"I prefer flying.", he said with a shrug. "Nothing feels quite like dangling your legs out of a helicopter."

You let out an approving sound. Your eyes fell shut. It was warm, warmer than before in the shadows. There was something sweet in the air, like honey. But there was no buzzing of bees.

Only silence.

For the first time, you noticed that Johnny had gone quiet too. Normally he seemed to like to communicate, but when you opened your eyes again and your gaze fell on him, you could tell how dreamily he was staring at the water.

His lips were pressed into a thin line. Somehow you thought you could recognise a certain sadness in his eyes.

Or maybe he was just lost in thought.

You didn't want to interrupt him, but something itched at your fingertips. Something you couldn't explain. There was this urge to find out more about him.

The words were already on the tip of your tongue when he suddenly took a sharp intake of breath and looked at you.

"You know, the world isn't always like this.", he gestured at everything. "Sometimes it just sucks."

A sarcastic laugh made your chest quiver.

"I grew up lonely, but not naive.", you said.

"Lonely. Yes, I know that feeling.", again lost in thought, he rubbed the ring finger of his right hand.

You knew that he had once been married. His wedding ring must be missing in that place now.

"Do you miss her?", you asked bluntly.

Without having to think about it, he shook his head.

"No. No, not really. Cris and I had some good years, but it was time. We're more different now than we were before."

"Hm. I think I get it...", your eyes returned to the lake, watching the leaves of the water lines bend under the weight of the dragonflies. "It's kind of funny, but I know most of the world from your films."

His eyebrows rose in surprise.

"Really?", he sounded almost amused.

"Yeah. If you don't go out, you have a lot of time for other things. Books, learning to fight. I once broke my leg while training and couldn't get out of bed for a month. So I just watched all your stuff."

"Did you like it?", a spark of excitement flashed up in his eyes.

"Seriously?", you looked up at him through lowered lids, a grin on your face. "You should be ashamed of some of em'."

"Ah, my first movies...", Johnny shook his head with a chuckle. "God, they were trash."

His eyes wandered across your face. It almost felt like he was looking for something.

This entire moment felt a bit strange, like no word needed to be spoke in order to understand one another. Nothing could have described the things that were felt.

Mutual trust.

Or was that appreciation for one another?

No matter the real answer, you couldn't help but cherish that he had decided to go with you. In fact, you were glad even that he did.

"You really don't wanna be an Earthrealm champion?", Johnny suddenly asked out of the blue.

He turned his gaze away so suddenly that the tips of his brown hair trembled with the movement. The sunlight made it shimmer like strands of solid honey.

He was almost blond. But only almost.

A sigh made your chest feel heavy.

"I dunno.", you admitted and sat up straight. "To be honest, I just don't want to cater to my fathers expectations no more."

"Daddy issues?", he asked with a sarcastic grin.

"If you don't shut it I'll make it your issue.", you spit back with a laugh.

"Easy now, hot stuff.", with both hands raised in defence he jumped up.

You followed his example in one swift movement. A laugh made you feel all fuzzy inside as you playfully charged at him.

He didn't back away but rather reached out to grab you by the wirst. Taken by surprise, you stumbled and didn't resist as he pulled you flush against his chest.

Your hands rose in a reflex, pushing against his warm body.

All of a sudden you could feel your heart hammer against your rib cage. Your cheeks were all warm.

Johnny's hand wrapped around your lower torso, coming to a rest in the small of your back.

His gaze met yours.

Warm hazel collided with trembling (E/C).

His lips parted to release a soft breath. Suddenly his face was so close to yours.

And then his lips gently brushed over your own.