Mk Oneshots

Syzoth(Reptile) x Shang Tsung's child Gender neutral reader

Requested by haley alexandria chambers on AO3

In this fic Syzoth's family who was held hostage by Shang Tsung is his immediate family as in mother, sister, brother. Feel free to use any headcanons you please.

You winced when you heard the sound of breaking glass and your father yelled from his laboratory. It didn't take much to piece together what happened, after all you had witnessed your father, Shang Tsung's cruelty to Syzoth fist hand for nearly a year now. Syzoth didn't deserve this treatment, to be threatened with the life of his family and kept a slave. You had offered to leave his gate open 'by accident' a few weeks after he first arrived, but he refused, both from not yet trusting you and his care for his family.

He never did take you up on your offer, though he did eventually learn to trust you. Your father always did say you were too soft for your own good. It had started with you sneaking him better lunches and snacks throughout the days. Knowing your father, he would give him scraps of his own unfinished food, regardless of his Zateran diet. It had been rather uncomfortable collecting and handling insects at first, but you had grown used to it. Eventually, he grew comfortable enough to let you treat his wounds, when your father was not present of course.

The day he first let you do this would forever haunt your memories. You had been passing your fathers fake laboratory, the only place your father would allow you remotely close to his work, when you heard his screams of pain. Peaking in you were met with your father, casting Syzoth in his Zateran form in the air with his magic. The sounds of Syzoth's screams only loudened until he relented and shifted into his more human form.

"You are to remain in this form. It's the only one I can tolerate to look at" your father had cruelly remarked dropping him to the floor leaving Syzoth to clean up the mess. As soon as your father left the room you ran in to help him.

"Where does it hurt?" you ask when he hissed through his teeth when he moved too quickly, clutching his ribs. It hurt to see him like this, more so to watch him try to scoot away from you. "Please, let me help you" He was quiet for some time before giving in. You were a novice at best at soul magic, something that irritated your father to no end. But healing magic was another story.

"How much did you see?" Syzoth asked, not daring to make eye contact while you sat him up and laid your hands on his abdomen, hovering what you assumed was a broken rib. "When he lifted you into the air" his nostrils flared "And what? You think my form is repulsive too then?".

"No" it was said plainly, you were too focused on healing his wounds to even catch his shocked expression. Finishing your spell, and seeing the skin begin to bruise over, you looked back to Syzoth who was staring at you, "It's just you".

Syzoth had learned to trust you from then on. You would often spend most days together, taking advantage of whenever you were free of your father's watchful eye. Had it not been for the terrible circumstances, you would equate it to a teen romance and an overprotective father. When your father would leave for extended amounts of time, you would cast a spell of incognab ility, allowing Syzoth to return to his Zateran form without your father knowing. While his true form didn't bother you, and you honestly charmed you, watching him shed for the first time was a tad daunting. "Um" you held the dry old shed in your hands after he asked for your help pulling off a piece stuck on his back. "What? Can't handle me showing some skin?" he asked in a sly tone with his Zateran equivalent of a smile. You threw the dead skin at him with an annoyed look, only making him let out a chuff like laugh.

The two of you were currently in the hall that led to your father's secret laboratory, you had asked Syzoth to let you see it once, but one accidental breakdown including him screaming at you and nearly crying told you enough about what was down there. "I brought you something" he smiled at you, "And what delicacies have you brought me today, Serpent". You laughed at his nickname from you, holding up a wrapped handful of squirming meathflies with a wing plucked off of each to keep them from flying away.

"What would I do without you?" he joked, reaching for the pouch, only for you to pull it out of his reach. "Ah ah ah. What do I get out of it?" he thought for a moment before smiling, looming closely. "What are you doing?" you asked, caught off guard by his proximity. "Absolutely nothing" you were tempted to give in, his form creeping closer, that is until you felt something graze your hand. Turning your head quickly you caught a glimpse of his tail, reaching for the pouch. "Syzoth!" he let out a hissing laugh, eyes closed and almost falling backwards. "You are cruel" you said, offended, thrusting his meal into him. "I'm hardly that" he grabs your hand before you could pull away and sulk.

The mood was quickly dropped, however, from the sound of both your father and General Shao. Syzoth was quick to hide you, lest you both incur his rage and spark punishment for him. "Put them in a cell" he said, shoving three men and a tarkatan into Syzoth. You were quick to run down the stairs at the entrance to the feign arriving.

"Father, are you–" up, up, there stood the towering form of General Shao. "Ah, perfect" it was your father, "Please escort the princesses out, if you would?" You bowed your head and helped the head Umgadi hold Princess Mileena down the stairs, Princess Kitana in tow. Eager to leave they swiftly left you alone, the perfect opening to check on Syzoth.

Slowly creeping downstairs into Shang Tsung's secret laboratory, you were disgusted at the horrific monstrosities that lied there. "By Argus" you clasped a hand over your mouth, holding back your vomit. A thud from the door to your right made you jump. From the other side you could hear painful and scratchy coughs in-between chokes and gags.

Regardless of how dangerous, no one deserved to be one of your fathers twisted experiments. Steeling yourself, you opened the door, just as you did, a raging Tarkatan fell to the ground attempting to break it down, only for it to be opened before he could stop himself.

Looking to see a number of men run out of the room, hacking their lungs as coughs racked their bodies, you recognized them as the earthrealmers present at the tournament. "Agh, god, thank you" one of them said with short brown hair. Looking up to see who he was talking to, the Tarkatan quickly stood up, unsheathing the blades from his arms to stand between you, "Don't! Their father is Shang Tsung".

"Please, I'm not going to hurt you. I only want to hel-" you cut yourself off when your eye caught Syzoth on his knees in a fit of coughs and sobs. "Syzoth!" running around the Tarkatan you kneeled by your friend to rest a hand on his back. "They're gone" he rambled to himself. "Syzoth, who's gone?" turning to you with red eyes and a look of betrayal and hurt, "Did you know?". "Know what?" Syzoth, gripped your hand on his back and pulled it off, gripping it hard to the point it began to hurt. "Shang Tsung killed my family! Did you know?" cold washed over you, your father in truth never told you anything about Syzoth's family, if he hadn't been the one to tell you you would have never even known they existed.

"No! We need to get you all out of here now! If he comes back and finds you here he'll kill you" Syzoth released his grip on your hand, trusting that you weren't lying. Helping him to his feet you led them out of the tower as quickly as possible.

"Go through the living forest, the roads are swarmed with guards" you instructed the Tarkatan. "Come with us" Syzoth said, a hand going to your arm. "Who would have me with my father who he is-". "I would" Syzoth's hand slid down to yours. Staring at each other for a moment you wordlessly nodded. He was quick to pull you along with him, going with the others into the living forest.

You would be leaving everything you knew behind to choose Syzoth over your father. But, in all honesty, you didn't really care.