raiden’s one and only

kung lao had mentioned to you a few days ago that the wu shi academy needed help with some tasks such as cleaning or gardening, and you were happy to help.

you were sitting outside on a small stool, a huge bucket of water filled with clothes in front of you. the pleasant scent of laundry filled your nostrils. as you were scrubbing a shirt, kung lao brought you a bucket of clean water.

you smiled at him. “thanks for the help.”

he placed it on the ground with a faint sigh. “you're welcome. so, how are you doing with the laundry?”

you took a small container to retrieve some clean water to rinse a stain, then sighed, pursing your lips and dropping your shoulders. “it could have been much easier if you all avoided wearing white for your fights...” you reproached him (even though the shirt wasn't his, you were sure he had something to do with it).

he shrugged with a sorry smile. to prove your point, you looked down at your hands and said pitifully, “bleach damages my hands...” you displayed them in front of you and made a small pout.

he snorted and shook his head. “i'm not sure if you're aware, but there's a brilliant invention for washing clothes nowadays: the washing machine.”

you gave him a tired look, rolling your eyes as you scrubbed at a particularly stubborn stain. “this brilliant invention, as you call it, can't focus on the most arduous stains. you really have to rub—”

he feigned a loud yawn, emphasizing how much the topic bored him. you shook your head. “i don't even know why i'm talking about this with you. you can barely hold a broom...”

he frowned and crossed his arms, falsely offended. “i'll let you know i'm pretty good at washing dishes.”

you released the clothes and put your finger on your chin, pretending to think while looking at the sky. “oh yeah? remind me how many plates you broke last time… five, six?”

“oh come on! you’ll never let it go, will you?”

you couldn’t repress a laugh. “never. they had to make you swear you wouldn’t ever touch a plate, not even a fork.”

he shrugged and smiled, revealing his dimple. “my strength is just phenomenal. it’s not my fault.”

you sighed loudly but couldn’t suppress a small laugh. “‘phenomenal,’ he said…”

“hey, without it, who else would bother bringing you that heavy bucket of water?”

you rolled your eyes emphatically and pretended to bow with a completely unimpressed look. “i must express my gratitude to the almighty kung lao,” you mockingly announced.

he smiled proudly, fists on his hips.

“although i could have asked someone much less proud…” you added, looking away.

he raised an eyebrow. “oh yeah? and who would that be? raiden, perhaps?”

you detected the sarcasm in his tone, which made you blush despite yourself. since he had discovered your crush on his childhood best friend, he had made it his mission to tease you whenever he could. he had just touched a sensitive nerve.

you feigned indifference. “well, why not?”

now it was his turn to roll his eyes. “as if you could maintain a complete conversation with him without blabbering nonsense…”

you wanted to protest, but you started to stutter. your scrubbing became less controlled, water splashing in all directions, which made kung lao laugh.

“you see? just talking about him makes you lose your cool.”

you grimaced, and he mirrored your expression. it was imperative to change the subject before he mocked you until nightfall.

“don’t you have initiates to train?”

he let out a slight laugh. “i’ve really worn them out today. a little rest is welcome.”

you raised an eyebrow. “for who? them or you?”

he snorted. you pointed toward the training grounds. “why don’t you go back and grace them with your delightful presence?”

he lifted his arms as if you were about to shoot him and turned to leave, but then remembered something and turned back. “by the way, are you coming tonight?”

you raised an eyebrow. “where?”

“to fen shi’s birthday. at madam bo’s.”

the name didn’t ring a bell. you squinted. “who’s that?”

he looked taken aback. “are you serious? do you ever take an interest in anyone’s life other than raiden’s?”

“oh, come on. you say that as if he’s the only one i care about…”

kung lao crossed his arms, staring at you, eyebrows raised, smiling slyly. trying to regain composure, you pretended you knew who he meant. “you mean… the dark-haired man, right?”

he gave you an impassive look. “…she’s a woman. and we’re all dark-haired here.”

you were about to retort, but he stopped you with a hand gesture. “you have absolutely no idea who i’m talking about. stop playing guessing games.”

feigning exasperation, you threw water at him. he protested, still laughing as he wiped his face. “well, you can join. just, be sure not to call her ‘sir’…”

you cringed at that, accepting the remark since you admittedly deserved it. he added, “it’ll be fun, and there’ll be plenty of good food.”

now the true motive was clear: he wanted to fill his stomach without spending a dime. “why am i not surprised…” you muttered, too low for him to hear.

“what did you say?” he leaned forward, furrowing his brows.

you ignored the question. “will raiden be there?”

he paused to think. “i don’t know. i haven’t asked him yet, but knowing him, he’s not the type to show up at parties, so…”

you frowned. “if he doesn’t come, then neither will i.”

he burst out laughing. “would you look at that. you won’t have fun without your lover, right?”

your cheeks reddened further. it was already too much teasing for one day, and you wondered how you managed not to make him drink the whole bottle of bleach at your feet.

noticing your expression, he eased up. “he might change his mind, you know.”

you lowered your head and continued scrubbing. “well, if he does, let me know.”

“or maybe…” he added playfully, raising his eyebrows.

“or maybe what?” you mimicked his tone.

“i can convince him to come. simple as that.”

your eyes lit up and you clasped your hands in front of your chest. “would you do that for me?”

he struck a confident pose. “of course. what wouldn’t i do for my favorite couple?”

even knowing he was mocking you, your heart fluttered at the idea of being with raiden tonight. “thank you, great kung lao!”

“plus, i’d need something amusing to keep me entertained while i eat.”

your smile vanished at the sound of his mocking laughter and your shoulders slumped dramatically. you refocused on your task, a long tired sigh escaping your lips.

“that’s it, laugh it up.”

he almost felt guilty for teasing you so much, but he was enjoying himself far too much to stop. suddenly, an idea crossed his mind.

“hey.” he crouched down in front of you, smiling.

you stopped scrubbing to look at him. swiftly, he splashed water on your face and immediately ran off.