#sonliu

There was a sound tied to broken worlds, and Sonic the Hedgehog had learned to trust it.

It wasn’t loud, like an explosion or Dr. Eggman’s usual complex disasters. It was a wrongness in the air that made his quills prickle. He slowed from a sprint to a careful jog, his boots sliding over ice that hadn’t been there a moment before. Snow covered the ruins ahead, sticking to shattered stone that looked older than anything in his world.

Sonic the Hedgehog (through communicator): “Tails, are you seeing this?”

Static crackled. Then Miles “Tails” Prower’s voice came through, strained.

Miles “Tails” Prower (through communicator): “Yeah… kind of? The readings just spiked and then flattened out. Knuckles says it feels like a bad omen.”

From somewhere behind him, Knuckles the Echidna’s voice cut in.

Knuckles the Echidna (through communicator): “Tell Sonic not to touch anything.” Sonic the Hedgehog (through communicator, muttering): “Too late for that, Knux.”

His eyes are then drawn to the figure standing at the center of the frost.

She was still, impossibly so, as if the storm had formed around her instead of the other way around. Pale hair framed her face, and her sharp, distant eyes rested on the horizon. In her hand was a sword made of translucent crystal, its edge catching the broken light of the sky.

Sonic took a step forward, and the ice creaked in response.

Sonic the Hedgehog: “Well, this place could really use a chili dog stand.”

After he had broken the silence, her gaze shifted towards him, assessing and weighing.

Jingliu: “You are not of the Xianzhou.” Sonic the Hedgehog: “Unsure of who or what you’re referring towards, but that’s quite an accurately good guess you’ve made, I’m Sonic. Sonic the Hedgehog. Long story short, I fix weird stuff like this.”

She considered him a moment longer before answering.

Jingliu: “Jingliu.”

The name carried weight. Sonic didn’t know why, but he felt it settle in his chest.

The rift opened moments later.

Creatures poured through twisted, echoing things that had uncomfortably reminded Sonic of the Phantom Ruby’s constructs. He didn’t hesitate; he never did. Blue light streaked across the battlefield as he took them apart one by one. Jingliu moved differently. Her strikes were deliberate and final, each swing of her shard sword cutting through the chaos with chilling precision.

Fire and ice. Motion and stillness.

Somehow, it worked.

When the last of the echoes faded away, Sonic leaned against a half-buried column, catching his breath.

Sonic the Hedgehog (grinning): “Okay, you’ve made it to my top five ‘most intense first meetings’.”

She wiped her blade clean as she listened.

Jingliu (observing): “You fight without hatred, that is rare.” Sonic the Hedgehog: “Guess I’ve had good teachers.”

After letting that leave his mouth, Sonic then thought of Amy Rose’s stubborn faith, Tails’ quiet belief, and even Shadow the Hedgehog, who had taught him that pain didn’t have to end the story.

They didn’t part after that. Instead, they traveled together through broken space, stabilizing weak points and chasing down remnants of whatever had torn the worlds apart. Jingliu spoke little at first, but Sonic was patient. He always had been.

At night, when the cold settled in, they shared quiet moments. Jingliu told him about the Xianzhou, about Jing Yuan, once her student, now a general weighted down with responsibility. She spoke of Blade and Dan Heng, of past bonds twisted by fate and memory. Sonic listened, sitting cross-legged by the fire, not interrupting.

He told her about his world in return, about Dr. Eggman and his endless schemes, about Amy’s hammer and heart, about how Shadow pretended not to care while caring too much, and how Rouge the Bat somehow knew everyone’s secrets.

Sonic the Hedgehog (gesturing and commenting towards the floating piece of machinery by Jingliu): “Tails would love this tech, he’s probably losing his mind back home.”

Jingliu’s expression softened at his quip.

Jingliu: “You are surrounded by people who trust you.” Sonic the Hedgehog (quieter tone): “Yeah, I’m lucky.”

The moment that changed everything came without warning.

They were resting in a ruined courtyard, moonlight glinting off ice-coated stone. Jingliu’s sword rested nearby, its crystalline surface reflecting the stars. Sonic paced, restless as always, until her voice stopped him.

Jingliu: “Come here.”

It wasn’t harsh or loud; it was absolute.

He turned to her, his heart skipping, not from fear, but from both understanding, yet holding a sense of confusion.

Sonic the Hedgehog: “You sure?” Jingliu: “Yes.”

Sonic reluctantly did as told.

There was no pain, no threat, only trust. Jingliu knelt beside him, one hand braced near his shoulder, the other hovering, as if giving him space to change his mind. He didn’t.

Jingliu (softly spoken): “This is not control taken, it is control given.”

He swallowed some air, his eyes never leaving hers.

Sonic the Hedgehog: “I know.”

She nodded, satisfied, and withdrew her hand. The moment lingered, quiet and deliberate, before she helped him up again, her touch lighter than before.

After that, things shifted. They shared a kiss weeks later beneath falling snow that reminded Sonic faintly of Angel Island’s higher peaks. Jingliu set the pace, and he followed, content to let her lead. It wasn’t about speed; it never was.

When the rift finally stabilized, the end came quickly.

Tails’ voice crackled through the communicator again.

Miles “Tails” Prower (through communicator): “Sonic, the readings just normalized. Whatever you did, it worked.” Sonic the Hedgehog (through communicator): “Good to hear!”

Unknown to the twin-tailed fox, Sonic had his gaze fixated on Jingliu.

Jingliu (stepping minimally closer) “Your path calls you elsewhere.” Sonic the Hedgehog (smiling): “Yeah, guess so.”

She rested her forehead against his, a gesture intimate in its restraint.

Jingliu: “Run well, Sonic the Hedgehog.”

He comfortably closed his eyes in response, returning the gesture.

Sonic the Hedgehog: “You too, Jingliu.”

When he ran again, past Green Hill, past Station Square, past friends who greeted him with relief and questions, he carried the memory of stillness with him. Of trust balanced carefully on the edge of a blade.

And somewhere among the stars, Jingliu resumed her journey, lighter than before, knowing that even fleeting warmth could leave a mark strong enough to endure.

Not every love needed forever.

God, Liu Kang was pretty.

With his big, almost permanently sad eyes, and his long, silky hair, and his soft pink lips (well, they looked soft anyway)—it was like he walked right out of one of Cole's dreams.

And now he was on his knees in front of Cole.

Not sexually, of course. Attracted as Cole may have been to the pretty boy in front of him, he was still a married man. He wouldn't have let it get so far for Liu Kang to actually drop down in front of him. No, Liu Kang was just tending to his wounds. But that didn’t stop Cole's racing mind.

Needle, thread, fire. Needle, thread, fire.

Liu Kang was speaking, but Cole hardly noticed, too busy staring at his elegant hands, strong and yet so gentle over Cole's skin, his pretty face, built so delicately that Cole felt he would shatter if his expression shifted too far. In his distraction, he almost didn't realise that Liu Kang was speaking at all. Almost. He finally tuned into Liu Kang’s words just in time to catch the tail end of his story.

“He had a mark, so I chose to take it from him, and in that moment, my arcana came forth.”

Fire, fire, fire.

Kano didn't really mean what he'd said at dinner. Well, half didn't mean it. Actually, he didn't care much for Kung Lao, but he meant everything he said about Liu Kang.

There was some mysterious, innate charm about Liu Kang. As frustrated as he was with Liu's obnoxious, pompous, self-righteous attitude, he couldn't deny that he was…intriguing, to say the least.

And by intriguing, he meant incredibly hot.

Fitting, considering the fireballs, that a guy like him would always get Kano hot and bothered—both in the figurative sense and the literal.

The idea of the pretty little monk on his knees was almost as arousing as the image of his cocky smirk when he knocked Kano on his ass. Damn, how he wanted to fuck that smirk off his face.

But now that Kano had unlocked his arcana, the sweet thing seemed to be favouring him over the others. At the very least he had to favour him over Little Miss “Liability” Blade, and he definitely favoured him over Cole, the human punching bag. And with that Major Briggs practically out of commission, who else was gonna be little Liu's favourite?

Of course, the guy was still annoying. That “I'm so pure and I'm better than you” attitude didn't leave, and it definitely didn't stop being directed at Kano, but now, while still obnoxious, it made Kano less angry than it had before.

He still wanted to fuck it out of him though.

Sonya liked Liu Kang.

He was sweet, and he was actually respectful of her without being afraid. It was hard to come by people like that. Jax was the only other person she could think of off the top of her head. Cole was intimidated by her (holding a gun up to him when they first meet will do that, she supposed), Kano looked down on her even though she'd taken him down before and could easily do so again, but Liu Kang, while not accepting her as a champion because she didn't have the marking (even though she would definitely be a much better fighter than Kano), still respected her as a fighter, and readily accepted the help she was willing to provide to help Jax get back on his feet.

They didn't have many chances to chat—the only consistent contact they had was at meals, and they couldn't talk to their full extent while in the middle of a table full of other people—but when they did talk, they got the chance to really speak.

Sonya expressed her distaste of Kano, Liu Kang did the same. Turned out he agreed that Sonya would have been a far better champion. Apparently he disliked Kano's unwarranted arrogance about as much as she hated his filthy mouthed disrespect. He also didn't trust him, what with his background, and he wasn't a fan of his brutish fighting style.

(“He doesn't fight,” Liu Kang said to her after yet another argument Kano had instigated. When Sonya opened her mouth to retort that yes, he very much did fight, he continued, “He destroys. He's not skilled, just strong. He's not a warrior. He's a thug.”

Sonya agreed.)

When Sonya said she was concerned about the tournament, Liu Kang assigned her a few tasks to help the others train. When Sonya said she was frustrated with Jax's hopelessness, Liu Kang told her to draw on her own experiences to motivate him, which turned out to be the first thing that worked.

When Sonya said she wished she could participate in the tournament, Liu Kang agreed, then leaned in closer while he whispered plans of bloodshed to her, plans of her taking a mark for herself, plans of her fighting in Kano's place, all while staring at her with those huge, dark eyes.

Yeah. Sonya liked him.

Liu Kang didn't come by Jax's room often. Tasks related to his recovery were mostly given to Sonya or the medics while Liu Kang focused on getting Cole to unlock his arcana. Every so often, however, Liu Kang left his duties to Kung Lao and went to see Jax himself.

Usually he would just come to check on him, asking about how he's been doing, any lingering issues, any further concerns. Sometimes, though, he'd assist Jax with his recovery and his training himself.

At the moment, at the end of the day, after training, he was working to alleviate Jax’s phantom pains by massaging what was left of his arms and shoulders.

While Liu's hands made tiny little circular motions over Jax's shoulders and the spot where they had connected to his arms, Jax remained silent. Liu Kang's treatment, the massages and the acupuncture, had been helping. The pains had stopped almost entirely, but he didn't want to end his sessions with Liu in case it was the continuation of that treatment that kept it from flaring up again. Something about not quitting when you see results, like with any long term medicine.

That, and the fact that he enjoyed seeing him.

He couldn't be blamed, really. The opportunity to see a pretty thing like that, have his hands on him, get to chat him up—anyone would understand, right? He saw how the others looked at Liu Kang, certainly none of them would disagree. So he never told Liu to quit, so he didn't.

Liu Kang took his hands off of Jax's shoulders slowly, each finger leaving Jax's skin separately, trailing just a little in their wake, causing him to shudder slightly. Liu Kang must have noticed, because he immediately asked if he was alright.

Jax hummed lowly. “Yeah, I'm fine,” he said. “It's just…” He trailed off, letting Liu Kang settle back in to listen.

“I can't fight as well as I used to,” he said.

Liu Kang tilted his head almost imperceptibly. “In what way?”

Jax twisted the hand at the end of his prosthetic arm. “I can't punch as hard.”

Liu Kang tipped his head downwards slightly, as if in thought, his hair falling just slightly in front of his face, then he looked back up at him. “You're trying to put force into your throw with the strength in your arms, but the prosthetics aren't as strong as your arms were. The strength in your punches should come from the motion. Try twisting more when you throw.”

He stood, placing a hand on Jax's shoulder just to bring himself closer in that way he was so fond of. “Get some rest. You made great progress today. Sonya will be back to help you further tomorrow.”

He turned and walked out of the room, leaving Jax to stare at his retreating figure.

Maybe next time he'd try harder to make him stay.

Kung Lao knew how the others viewed Liu Kang. It was obvious. They could hardly keep their eyes off him on a good day. The last time Cole trained with him, he got so distracted by Liu Kang's shirt being off that he got half the hair on his arm singed right off. Whenever the champions sat down at meals together, the spots directly next to and across from Liu Kang were immediately taken by whoever got there first. Kung Lao had to eat next to Kano several times because the bastard wouldn't stop stealing his seat. Every time Liu Kang looked away from Sonya, her eyes would immediately drop and linger on his waist. Jax always seemed to find excuses to talk to him or to spend time around him.

It wasn't that Kung Lao didn't understand—Liu Kang was attractive, Kung Lao saw that every day—but it was beginning to hinder everyone's training, and as the tournament grew nearer, any hindrances were infinitely more dangerous.

It got to the point where Kung Lao had to talk to Liu Kang about it.

“Liu,” he greeted upon entering their shared room. Liu Kang nodded in response.

He was organising a set of books. The collection seemed random, a few books on firearms that Liu Kang probably wouldn’t recognise even if he was holding them, a book on acupuncture, a couple on martial arts styles that Liu Kang had already mastered years ago, more that Kung Lao couldn't bother to make out, all seemingly randomly placed, but Kung Lao knew Liu Kang had a system. He always did.

Kung Lao sat down on the chair by Liu Kang's desk. “I've noticed you seem to be distracting the chosen ones,” he said.

Liu Kang turned his eyes to look at him. “How do you mean?”

“Are you genuinely ignorant or are you trying to protect them?”

Liu Kang paused in his sorting, then turned fully to Kung Lao. “I need to know how you think I'm distracting them before I can answer that question.”

Kung Lao took his hat off, setting it aside and then shaking his hair out. “Earlier today, you managed to knock Kano down with a sweep kick. He's always on guard for those.”

Liu Kang tipped his head to the side. “Perhaps he was distracted by something else,” he said. “As the tournament approaches, things look more dire by the day. It may be that the nerves are finally catching up past the alcohol in his system.”

“He was staring at your ass, shi di.”

Liu Kang turned away and leaned against the wall in one smooth motion. “It appears madness has finally taken hold.”

Kung Lao rolled his eyes. “I’m not mad, nor am I blind. Quit trying to protect them.” He stood and stepped forward towards Liu Kang. “Any distraction is a liability. It puts everyone in danger.” He sighed. “It's best that you take a less direct role in their training.”

Liu Kang looked back at him, silent for several moments, just staring.

Damn, Kung Lao really understood how the others were so taken with him. He was wildly alluring.

Kung Lao sighed again. “Just make sure they don't get so caught up in you that they forget the tournament.”

The corners of Liu Kang's mouth turned up just a bit. “Of course. I would never dream of putting the tournament in jeopardy.”

He went back to his sorting, arranging the books in an entirely different order this time. A book on criminal practices at the top of the stack, a book on war at the bottom. Kung Lao might never figure out what it meant, but books were unimportant when the chosen ones were too distracted by Liu to train. He stared at Liu Kang's back as he arranged the books in the middle.