Bi Han "Sub-Zero" x F!Reader

Nineteen

Sleep. Sleep was like a prison, a state of complete helplessness.

It was like floating while being afraid of heights. Being under the water while unable to swim.

And then there was this feeling of exhaustion. The forced rest through sleep was not satisfying. It didn't help the body to heal, it just stole time.

Hunger turned your stomach. It hurt so much that it brought tears to your eyes. Panting, your feet wriggled in the darkness.

You felt sick. Then came the emptiness. Nothing wrapped its fingers around your throat and squeezed it shut. It was as if your lungs were as heavy as lead, filled with glass and sand.

Bones crumbled, grew back together again. There was an unpleasant aura in the air.

Like a grin with too many teeth, eyes that didn't blink.

Shakily exhaling, you tried to move in the darkness. But everything was so difficult. And yet far too light.

A shock coursed through the darkness. It seemed to breathe, in and then out again. The suction stroked through your (H/C) hair, pulling out each strand individually and hammering nails into your head.

Something dripped down your arms. As if they were not attached to your body, they floated in the air. You couldn't move them. Your fingers were numb, stiff.

When you managed to open your eyes a crack, you thought you could see ice colouring the tips of your fingers black.

Frostbite.

Bi Han's ice was capable of doing something like this within seconds if he wanted to.

But why would he do something like that?

He would never hurt you. He had never raised a hand against you, unless it was in training. And even then you were convinced that he never used his full strength.

The darkness breathed a sigh of relief again. This time the force crawled into your bones and shattered your whole body.

You were tired. At the end. It felt like it wasn't worth opening your eyes anymore.

Ever.

You just wanted to sleep. But if you didn't open your eyes, you would never see Bi Han again. And Kuai Liang. A longing for Tomas' laughter filled your chest.

Your fingers twitched. You could feel your body falling, sinking deeper into the darkness like a stone into the sea. Darkness was swallowed up by even darker shadows.

Inhaling deeply, you met the next shockwave with all the strength that exhaustion had not yet sucked out of you. Light tore the shadows apart.

Blinded, you squint your eyes. Then everything was dark again. Your breath hitched. Again you forced yourself to fight your way back to the surface.

A flash of lightning brought tears to your eyes. Suddenly, pain exploded in your chest. It felt like you were being cut alive into a thousand little pieces.

All of a sudden you longed for the feeling of a bleeding wound. It would have been so much more pleasant. Poison flowed through your veins. Dust filled your lungs.

And suddenly there was so much light that everything glowed red under your closed eyelids. Panting, trembling and sweating, you open your mouth and gasp for breath.

Lightning crackled in the back of your neck, rippling your skin. Then there was only exhaustion. Completely soaked with sweat, you let yourself fall back, shivering.

Soft fur nestled against your glowing cheeks. Your body was so sensitive that it felt like you were lying in thistles.

Shuddering, you flinched. Colours blurred before your eyes. Small sparks of light danced. For a few breaths you just lay there and tried not to die breathing.

It burned like fire. Everything hurt.

Muffled noises filled your ears. Vibrations approached. Footsteps.

A shadow fell over you. Tired, you raised your head. Baobab growled.

"Silence, animal.", growled a deep voice that made your innermost being tremble.

A thin smile spread across your lips.

"In a bad mood, Grandmaster?", you asked, your tongue heavy.

"Hm.", black hair formed in front of your eyes.

An angular chin appeared, dark eyes and the familiar grim expression of Bi Han. Your lungs rattled. His gaze travelled along your chest.

Slowly, he stretched out his hand. You sighed as the weight pressed against your lungs. The pressure suppressed the pain.

"You disobeyed my order.", he said.

Vapour rose from his fingers. The cold made your limbs numb. At least they didn't hurt then.

"You would have killed him.", you whispered tiredly.

Baobao raised his head and grumbled in agreement. In return, Bi Han looked at the panda as if he were a human and could understand that he should keep his mouth shut.

"He hurt you.", he said back.

"He would have hurt you if I hadn't prevented it. One of us would have been hurt either way."

Scoffing, Bi Han withdrew his hand. The expression on his face was anything but enthusiastic. But he couldn't argue with that logic. In the end, one of you would have returned from that fight bleeding. He just would have preferred it to be himself.

Even if he would have never admitted that.

With a little strength, you tried to sit up. Your muscles were stiff.

"How long did I sleep?", you ran your hand through Baobao's soft fur.

He grumbled with satisfaction. Then his stomach growled.

With narrowed eyes, Bi Han gave the animal a look that revealed that he was holding a grudge. He had probably tried to feed him and received a less than warm-hearted response in return.

"Bibi.", with a gentle voice you drew his attention back to you.

He scoffed.

"Four days.", he replied and sat down on the floor next to you.

Although he was a man of ice, you could feel his warmth. You frowned.

"It's getting longer and longer...", you mumbled to yourself.

His brown eyes travelled over your body. The wound had already closed. Thanks to your heritage, wounds were rarely a problem for long. But now there was a light-coloured scar through the (S/C) skin. Nothing else was visible.

"You don't use your powers often.", he said.

"The more I do the higher the price."

"Hm. Then don't use it no more."

"I'll be fine."

His eyes narrowed.

"This is an order.", in one swift movement Bi Han got up, offering you a hand. "Liu Kang has gathered the rest of his champions. Come."

Your eyes lingered on his hand for a moment.

"I'll ride Baobao.", you said with a smile.

Tired, the panda yawned.