Proposition

Although knowing Kuai’s luck, he’d gather all his gangbanger friends and try to take him out for disrespecting him or some bullshit like that.

Kuai looked down at the envelope of money on the side. At the very least he had enough to keep him going for another few weeks. Maybe even enough to splash out on a cheap motel room for a night or two. That’d be nice, I could use an actual bed and a night of just watching shitty TV shows.

He supposed, in reality, there was still a bed for him back with his family. It wouldn’t be so bad right? At least he’d be with Tomas again…

As if to remind him why he left in the first place, the scar on his face began to ache.

No. I can never go back. He sighed miserably to himself, grabbing the envelope and shoving it into his backpack. Sorry Tomas. It’s probably for the best you don’t see what I’ve become.

He was brought out of his musings by the sound of the door opening. Expecting it to be Kabal or Kano coming to inform him of the next fight they’d want him to do, he turned his head. Only to find it was neither man, or even any member of The Black Dragon that Kuai was familiar with. He was a man of a similar stature to Kuai Liang himself, long hair and a very fancy looking suit. So fancy that it was completely out of place for someone to be wearing at an illegal fighting ring.

“If you’re looking for the toilets, they’re a little further down,” Kuai informed the man, jerking his head in a motion to indicate which way the man needed to go.

“Actually, I’ve found exactly what I was looking for,” the man replied, a strange smug tone to his voice that made Kuai wish he was in the ring with him so he could get away with punching him for it. “Scorpion, am I correct?” Kuai frowned at the man, hoping to prompt him to clarify why he was looking for him. “Although I assume that’s not your real name.”

“Kuai Liang,” he snapped, although why he told the man his name at all was beyond him. For all he knew, this guy was a cop or something. Then again, he doubted Kano would let a pig get this far into the club.

“I’m Shang Tsung.” He held out his hand as if to offer it to shake. Kuai did not respond to it.

“I’d rather you tell me what you want,” Kuai hissed, hauling his backpack over his shoulder. “I have other places to be, you know.”

Well, really he wanted to try and get a good place to sleep for the night. His preferred spot was kind of in high demand, an isolated bridge by the river. No one really went down there at night and it was mostly sheltered from bad weather. It could only fit about 4 or 5 people under there, so it was a bit of a rush to get to it before it was full.

“I have a proposition for you, if you are willing to hear me out.” Oh. Great. A proposition.

“I’m not interested in whatever pyramid scheme you’re trying to peddle.” He hated that his snappy words seemed to cause the man some sort of pleasure, at least that was what the smirk on his face suggested. “Now if you’ll excuse me-“

“I can assure you, what I am offering is more than worth your while,” he tried, holding his hands up as if to try and block Kuai from leaving. Kuai just rolled his eyes. “It would include you having more stable living accommodations, if that takes your interest at all.”

Kuai paused, feeling a strange cold overcome him. “How the hell do you know I’m homeless?”

“Kano rather does have a habit of rambling once he’s had a few beers.” Shit, of course. Really it could have been anyone from The Black Dragon who told him, but Kano did make the most sense. Loud mouthed bastard. “I’ve watched you fight for the last few weeks, and I can’t help but think your skills would be better suited elsewhere.”

Kuai stayed silent. He had no idea where this was going.

“I work for Miss Sindel Von Edenia. Are you familiar with that name?”

“Wait, you don’t mean that woman who runs that one crime family or whatever? Outworld or something like that?” Kuai was confused, that was one of the biggest crime networks in the city. So much so there was no way in hell they’d bother with someone who committed petty crime at best like himself. “If you work for her, what the hell are you doing in a dive like this?”

“We like keeping an eye out for upcoming talents in our field.” Kuai huffed and rolled his eyes yet again, this guy was so pretentious. “And I am personally seeking out a bodyguard currently.”

“A bodyguard?” Kuai asked slowly, finally realising where this conversation was going.

“Well, bodyguard, enforcer, I am in need of someone good with their fists,” Shang Tsung chuckled, ambling towards Kuai slowly. Once close enough, he gently took Kuai’s hand in his, rubbing his thumb along Kuai’s knuckle. “And from what I’ve seen, you are exactly what I’m looking for.”

“Why me?” Kuai asked, wanting to rip his hand from the other man, but the part of him that longed so much for such a gentle touch stopped him. “There’s dozens of other guys fighting in that ring on a weekly basis. Why me?”

“Maybe there are.” Shang Tsung tilted his head, a small smirk on his face as his eyes swept Kuai up and down. “But none of them look quite as enchanting when covered in blood as you do.”

Kuai choked on his own spit, as his entire world went red hot. He’d been propositioned enough times to be somewhat aware that people found him attractive for some reason. No one had quite ever told him that he looked good while causing others pain however.

“Y-You said…” Kuai cleared his throat, trying to swiftly move on. However the way Shang Tsung looked at him indicated the embarrassed fluster was exactly the reaction he’d hoped for. “You said about stable living accommodations.”

“As my bodyguard, I would require you to be available 24/7.” That sounded extremely unnecessary, if you asked Kuai Liang, but he wasn’t about to voice that. “I have a spare room in my condominium, it would be yours for as long as you are in my employment.”

That did sound good. He’d been living on the street for almost a year now, the brief stays in motels were a small reminder of what he left behind. It’d be nice to have more security in that regard.

You could just go home, moron. The fact that thought was in Bi-Han’s voice disturbed him more than it should have.

But… he could just go home, couldn’t he? It wasn’t like that wasn’t an option. He could go home, head hung low and tail between his legs. He could go back to his brothers.

His gut twisted. He couldn’t go back to his brothers. He loved them, but he just couldn’t.

Tomas would be so disappointed by what he’d become. They’d both always shared the same sense of morality, yet here Kuai was, taking part in illegal fights, stealing money and food to survive. How could Tomas ever look him in the eye again? How could Kuai ever live with the shame Tomas would no doubt feel?

And then there was Bi-Han. His scar began to sting again, the wound that had caused that explosive final argument before Kuai left. Returning to that house would be proof that Bi-Han had been right all along. That Kuai couldn’t look after himself, and he needed his elder brother’s to coddle and smother him for the rest of his life.

He just couldn’t stand having to live the rest of his life being thought of as incapable of even the most basic of self care.

He’d never meant to leave forever. When he walked out the door, he’d intended to wander around for a while to clear his head before returning to plead his case. But in the end he just… Never went back. The longer he spent away, the harder the idea of returning became. Eventually, he just came to one very simple conclusion.

He could never go home to them.

A hand on his cheek brought him out of his musings, a thumb wiping away a tear that Kuai hadn’t realised was there. He tried to resist the urge to nuzzle into the hand. He couldn’t remember the last time someone touched him so gently. He’d grown far too used to the harsh hands he encountered in battle.

“Of course you’ll also have a generous pay check,” Shang Tsung continued, “I wouldn’t expect you to pay rent, or even pay for food. That would be all part of the package in your employment.”

“That…” Kuai paused, squinting suspiciously at the man in front of him. “That sounds too good to be true.”

And his Father, ever the savvy businessman, had always told him if something sounded too good to be true, it probably was.

“I can understand why you would think that.” Shang Tsung gently patted Kuai’s cheek, pulling his hand away. “I think the question you should really be asking is if you can afford to pass over the potential opportunity?”

Kuai hated that he had a point. His current situation was not ideal at all. He needed something to change, something that didn’t require him to go home. Maybe this all sounded like fantasy, but the fact there was a slim chance it could be real was very tempting.

“How about this, I’ll give you a trial period,” Shang Tsung continued. “One month, and if you are not satisfied you can walk away, no questions asked.”

A month's trial huh? He supposed he could do that.

“Okay.” He nodded, although not as confidently as he probably should have. “You have one month to convince me that your offer is worth my time.”

Shang Tsung smiled brightly at that, saying “you’ve made the right choice.” Seconds later, he was slipping his arm around Kuai’s waist, and gently ushering him towards the door. “Why don’t we talk more about the details over dinner. My treat, of course.”

Kuai didn’t say anything, but did allow Shang Tsung to guide him. He hadn’t realised how hungry he was until the word dinner had been mentioned. Right now, he couldn’t tell if he was doing the right thing, or if this was going to end up on his neverending list of shitty life decisions. He briefly thought of his brother, Tomas, of how stupid he’d probably think he was being.

Tomas… Maybe one day you’ll forgive me for all of this.

Kuai doubted it though.

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