Chapter Text
Raiden is a good person.
He’s humble and kind, a good friend and a dutiful brother. His whole life, all he’s ever wanted was to serve the village, to ensure that Fengjian always had what it needed to prosper. His own desires, his wants and dreams, he’d buried under the weight of responsibility. He’d helped raise his little sister, started working earlier than most of his peers to take some of the burden off of his mother while his father was off doing who knows what with barely a thought of the family he’d abandoned.
Raiden is a good person, which is why he hates the writhing, seething mass of jealousy that’s busy carving a home for itself in his chest as he watches Kung Lao flirt with one of Li Mei’s constables.
The rational part of his brain-the part that ached to remember how crestfallen his best friend had looked every time one of the girls from the village had turned him down, who wanted nothing more than for Kung Lao to be happy-whispered urgently in his ear, hoping to ease the spiteful thing trying to crawl out of his mouth.
Doesn’t he look happy? She’s smiling back at him, laughing at his jokes. Doesn’t he deserve for someone to notice how kind he is? How brilliant and wonderful he is?
But the beast in his chest had its own voice, one that was quite a bit louder than the other.
How dare she touch him? It snarled, honing in on the innocent pair with an unshakeable level of malice. We should be the ones making him smile like that, he should only ever look at us .
Raiden left the meeting room quietly, hoping not to disturb anyone else with his inner turmoil, unaware of the sightless gaze that followed him out. He tried, in vain, to reason with the jealousy that was brimming in his chest, to soothe the vicious monster that threatened to wrest control of his limbs from him so that they could drag Kung Lao away from her the constable.
Kung Lao does not belong to us. He told the voice firmly, trying in vain to ignore the sheer despair that bubbled up from the depths of his soul at the admission. He is free to flirt with anyone he wants and it is a good thing that someone else can see how amazing he is, not just us.
He could be , the voice answered, full of poisoned honey and false gentleness. He could be ours if we just take him, if we lock him away where no one can see. No one would ever hurt him again, never touch him never STEAL HIM HE'S OURS HE'S-
He all but ran to the washroom, locking the door and splashing cold water over his face, trying in vain to banish the vile thoughts swirling in his head. The voices dimmed, subsiding into whispers but they weren't gone. They were never gone.
Raiden had lived with the monster that shared his skin for as long as he had known Kung Lao, which is to say that he didn't remember a time without it.
Kung Lao was the one constant in his life, the one person who didn't need him to be humble, perfect Raiden. He had loved the other man since he could understand what love was; how could he not? For all Lao’s brashness, his arrogance and his frankly ridiculous appetite, he was brave and kind. Lao had never looked at him any differently when he started to crack under the weight of the village’s needs; he’d never backed away from a challenge or let an insult to Raiden slide without trying to defend him.
Lao wasn't perfect but he was brilliant and warm and Raiden was content to continue being his friend he wanted more.
Sure, sometimes when Lao threw his arm over his shoulders, Raiden leaned into the touch a little more than he should have. And yes, maybe when Lao grinned, all boyish charm and mischief, he had to stop himself from kissing the smile off his face. Maybe he never stopped thinking about that time Lao kissed him in the dark of their apartment, wine drunk and flushed with pride over winning some silly bet that hadn't mattered nearly as much as the way the scant light of the moon had made Lao look ethereal . He dug his nails into his bicep, drawing blood and likely leaving more little crescent-shaped scars to dot his arms.
It didn't matter though , he told himself, told the viciously jealous creature in his chest and the soft, fragile, hopeful thing that wanted so badly. It didn't matter because Lao didn't feel the same way about him. And Raiden was okay with that he wasn't.
A sharp rapping at the door startled Raiden out of his thoughts, Kung Lao’s voice sounding worried even while muffled by the thick wood.
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“Raiden? You okay in there?” Lao placed his hand flat on the door, worrying his lip between his teeth. “Kenshi told me he saw you run off, said he was worried about you.”
Well, that was a bit of a white lie. Kenshi had actually told him that Raiden had left in a bit of a hurry and that his emotions seemed a little off; Kung Lao was the one who was worried. Sue him, but he and Raiden have known each other since they were in diapers, and he knows that Raiden is much better at keeping his emotions hidden than most people realize. If he seemed “a little off”, it usually meant that something catastrophic was happening in his head and he’d need Lao to ease him back out.
Maybe I overdid it with the flirting, he thought to himself, sighing heavily and running a hand through his hair. He thought for sure that this time, he’d get Raiden to react and just admit how he felt. He knew that Raiden wanted him, could see the jealousy seething in his eyes whenever he flirted with other people and by the Elder Gods, did he want to see what would happen when Raiden finally did something about it. Maybe it was a little cruel, but his best friend was painfully oblivious and no amount of overly friendly touches or unsubtle innuendos seemed to get through that self-sacrificing skull of his.
They’d kissed once, for gods’ sake! Sure, he was a little tipsy but Raiden had seen him drink far more and still remember it the next morning. And yet, when he woke up the next day, Raiden was pretending that he had no idea what had happened the night before, despite the not-so-subtle flicker of his eyes towards Lao’s lips that Raiden was trying so hard to hide from him, like he could ever hide from Lao .
Lao had loved him since they were twelve years old and he’d realized that none of his other friends grew butterflies in his stomach when they laughed, or made him wonder what their lips would taste like if he kissed them. How could he not love him, when Raiden was the only person worth staying in Fengjian for? Raiden never got tired of his ego, his empty boasting; he never told him to be quiet, he stood up for him when the teasing got too sharp, too mean to be mistaken for anything but cruelty. Raiden was his best friend, his confidant, his everything , and he’d be damned if he let anyone else have him.
So he’d gotten desperate, turned to flirting with anyone who looked vaguely interested right in front of Raiden, hoping that he’d finally snap and Lao would get what he wanted. So far it hasn’t worked out quite right; he can clearly see the possessive fury in his best friend’s eyes whenever his flirting goes well so he knows Raiden is still interested, but unfortunately his self-control is a little too strong to give in to the monster lurking inside of him.
Maybe I should try kissing one of them next time , he mused, hearing the shuffle of fabric as Raiden moved towards the door. That’ll probably work.
Or, the little voice in his head that sounded annoyingly like Madam Bo said, you could just use your words like a grown-up.
Before he could come up with a proper rebuttal, the door swung open, revealing a flushed and slightly damp Raiden. Lao’s eyes zeroed in on the pinprick bloodstains on his upper arm, and he stepped closer to Raiden, gently pulling the fabric away from the bloody nail marks with a disapproving frown.
“Raiden…”
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“Raiden,” Kung Lao huffed, staring at his arm with unmitigated worry and disapproval. “I thought you said you weren’t going to do that anymore.”
He worried his lip between his teeth, and Raiden had to shove down the impulse to replace his teeth with his own. “Sorry Lao,” he smiled apologetically. “It’s a force of habit, you know that.”
Lao nudged him back into the washroom, wetting a cloth and pressing it against the small wounds.
“I’m well aware of that, why do you think I get on you about it?” He chastised gently, the motions of cleaning and bandaging his arm a well-practiced routine at this point. “There,” he said, finishing his work and pulling Raiden’s shirt back over his arm. Lao smirked at Raiden, throwing his arm around his shoulders and guiding him out to where Kenshi and Lord Liu Kang were waiting for them.
“Am I not the greatest healer you’ve ever met?” He asked, giving him a playful little shake as they walked.
Raiden smiled, the green-eyed monster purring in satisfaction at the attention they were receiving from Lao. “Your bedside manner could use some work.” He joked, reveling in the mock offense painted over Lao’s handsome features.
“Such cruelty!” He gasped dramatically, placing his free hand over his heart and swooning into his side; Raiden relished the closeness. “And after all the praise I’ve heaped on you when you patch me up!”
Lao kept up a steady stream of playfully offended muttering until they reached the rest of their group. He didn’t remove his arm from Raiden’s shoulders while they walked, and he basked in his warmth the whole way there. Liu Kang greeted them with a fond smile, ushering them back through the portal. Lao removed his arm, and he pretended not to mourn its loss, pointedly ignoring Kenshi’s gaze boring a hole into the back of his head, the swordsman co*cking his head slightly as he undoubtedly caught a hint of the emotions brewing beneath the surface of his calm facade.
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Once they reached the Academy, Kenshi pulled Kung Lao aside for a moment, trying to ignore the white hot flash of jealousy that had briefly emanated from Raiden before being smothered by shame.
“Mind explaining what that was about?” He asked, raising a brow at Kung Lao, unimpressed by his empty platitudes. “Because to me, it looks like Raiden’s ready to tear someone’s head off just for looking at you.”
Lao smiled guilty, rubbing the back of his head and shifting slightly.
“ Kung Lao. ”
“Alright, alright!” Lao held up his hands placatingly. “I may or may not have gone a little too far in trying to make Raiden jealous-but!” He added hastily, seeing the look of growing disbelief and irritation on Kenshi’s face. “It’s not like anything else has cued him in on how I feel. I’m getting a little desperate here!”
Kenshi pinched the bridge of his nose, inhaling and exhaling sharply, praying to whatever deity was listening for the strength not to smack his idiot of a friend upside the head.
“This might be a stupid suggestion-” And by the gods, was he hoping it was- “But have you tried telling him ? Out loud? With your words and not just weird little power plays that seem to have no other effect than inducing sheer rage in our famously composed friend?”
Judging by the fact that Lao was currently refusing to meet his eyes, Kenshi guessed that was a no.
“Lao.” He reached out and grabbed his shoulders, giving him a little shake. “Just talk to him.”
“What if I’m wrong?” Kenshi felt his heart break a little bit at the uncertain look in his eyes, so out of place on the usually self-assured young man’s face. “What if I misread everything and I ruin our friendship because I wanted more than he could give and everyone always asks so much of him, it’s not fair-”
“Hey, hey, hey.” He pulled Lao into a hug, feeling the tears wet his jacket. “You and I both know Raiden cares about you, he wouldn’t just throw away your friendship over this. And besides,” Kenshi coaxed Lao into looking at him, eyes reddened and shiny. “Even if you don’t trust yourself, trust me, there is absolutely no way I’m misinterpreting Raiden’s emotions. I thought he was going to stab me for a moment there.”
Lao giggled slightly, reaching up to wipe away the straggling tears.
“Thanks Kenshi.”
“No problem, just. For everyone's sake, tell him how you feel.”
“I will.”
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Raiden felt rage and panic trying to claw its way up his throat when Lao came back from his talk with Kenshi with red eyes, like he’d been crying.
How dare he make our Kung Lao cry? We’ll spill his entrails across the courtyard! The monster in his chest roared, fighting to take control, to rip their friend to pieces as Raiden struggled to think rationally. He didn’t notice Kenshi taking a step back, or Lord Liu Kang carefully positioning himself in between Raiden and his friends. He knew he was overreacting, he knew that Kenshi probably didn’t mean to make him cry but the monster was already on edge from earlier and it took all of his willpower to force it to yield. He felt warm, calloused hands sliding into his own, the scent of cherry blossoms invading his senses and easing the boiling rage inside of him.
Raiden looked up and saw Lao staring at him, worry etched into the curve of his lips and the furrow of his brow. He was saying something to him, but all he could think of was kissing the frown off his face, of erasing any trace of tears from his eyes.
He made his traitorous tongue move, reassuring Lao that he was fine, apologizing to Kenshi and Liu Kang for startling them. Lord Liu Kang eyed him warily, opening a portal to Fengjian to send him and Lao back home with orders to rest and recuperate from their trip. Raiden hardly noticed, too focused on the fact that Lao hadn’t let go of his hand yet. It was the only thing he could focus on, until they reached their apartment, and Lao said the most terrifying sentence he had ever heard in his life.
