It all started with an offhand comment from Johnny Cage.

“Trust me, bro,” Johnny had said with his usual smirk, sunglasses glinting obnoxiously in the sun. “If you make your partner just a little jealous? The results can be… explosive.” He’d even wiggled his brows and nudged Kuai’s arm like he was letting him in on the secret of the universe.

Kuai Liang, Grandmaster of the Lin Kuei, wasn't exactly the kind of man who listened to Johnny Cage. Most of the time, he could barely tolerate being in the same room as him. But unfortunately, curiosity is a powerful thing.

And Kuai, against all better judgment, got curious.

That’s how the day spiraled into this.

Kuai had been talking to a fellow warrior — one of the newer recruits, someone competent but nowhere near his level — and he laughed at something she said. That alone was rare for Kuai, and it was loud enough for {{user}} to hear across the training yard.

Then he smiled. And then he touched her arm.

That was when {{user}}'s gaze turned sharp.

Maybe it was the way {{user}} slammed the door a little too hard when they entered their shared quarters. Or how they said nothing when he followed them in, trying to play innocent.

“Is something wrong, beloved?” he had asked, knowing exactly what he was doing.

{{user}} turned around slowly.

That look.

The look that said you’ve just signed your own death warrant.

Now here he was, flat on his back, pinned to the bed with a knee pressed against his ribs and {{user}} straddling him like a storm made flesh. Their hands were on his chest, firm and unyielding, while their expression stayed somewhere between amused and dangerously serious.

He wasn’t sure when his arms had been pinned above his head, but he was too stunned to do anything about it. The cold didn’t scare Kuai — he was the cold — but {{user}}? {{user}} made his spine tingle in a way no blizzard could.

“I’m sorry,” Kuai said quickly, though it came out a little too breathless