This story was largely inspired by a Smoke/Tundra story called "Final Request" by Annie-chan here on . I was so touched by the story, I wanted to write a response to it with Sektor and Cyrax's reaction to the events in that story.

I am irritated that there is not one damn story about Sektor and Cyrax as a pairing on here, human or cyborg. WTH. (Well, there was ONE a while back ago, but the writer took it down along with some other stories and pairings she wrote. :( )

Annie-chan, if you ever read this, thank you for inspiring me to write again.

Disclaimer: All characters are owned by Netherealm Studios and Warner Brothers Entertainment. I made no money from this and do not intend to make any money.

Warning: Alternate universe, definite instances of out-of-characterness, definite sappiness, fictional homosexual pairings, sexual content, mentioned character deaths and Sektor and Cyrax as humans. If you do not approve of any of the aforementioned, kindly get off my story page and read something else.

Story Notes: Because I care too much about them, Sektor and Cyrax have civilian names. They are as follows:

Sektor - Jiao Hou (With Hou as his given name, and Jiao as the family name)

Cyrax - Fenyang Nhuru (With Fenyang as his given name and Nhuru as the family name)

The Man I Love

"It is good to be home."

It had been a long day for Sektor and his personal quarters were a very welcoming sight after returning from a long and difficult assignment. As he walked down the dark and foreboding corridors leading to his quarters, he passed by the emptied room of Tomas Vrbada. It was the very room the terminally-ill assassin had been found in, with his faithful companion Kuia-Liang at his side, also dead. Apparently, Kuia Liang had spared his lover the pain of the illness and poisoned Tomas, then himself. The incident happened some months ago, and it was shock to those that knew them. He remembered all too well the look of horror on Cyrax's face when they removed the bodies from the room. Sektor couldn't remember the last time the younger assassin ever looked so scared, other than Bi-Han's slaying. Sektor sighed and continued on his way, finally making it to his quarters. He unlocked the door and entered his room, relieved to see a familiar and non-judgmental sight.

He removed his soiled mission gear and clothing, tossing them on the table in front of his bed. After stripping down to his loincloth, he reached behind his head and loosed his queue. Hair cascaded down the back of his head before touching his neck. He ran a hand through his loosened hair in half-hearted attempt to loosen his hair as he peeled the covers of his bed back. A night's rest was just what he needed, he thought as he crawled into bed. He would bathe in the morning.

As he settled into bed, he couldn't help but think that he needed to check on Cyrax. The younger assassin had been unusually quiet since the deaths of their friends Tundra and Smoke. Before he left for his assignment, Cyrax had been sullen (though he tried to hide it), but offered his farewells. When he had returned, the younger man was elated to see him, greeting him with an embrace, but there was a haunted look in his eyes that suggested that he was far more troubled by their passing that he was willing to admit. Sektor didn't confront him about it, but realized he probably should have, as he was worried for him. There would be time for that in the morning, he reasoned as he drifted off to sleep.

There was a quiet knock on the door at two in the morning. To Sektor, however, it was loud enough to wake the dead. He woke up with the intent of maiming the person outside his door. Sektor grabbed the kunai he kept under his pillow and flung back the covers. He took aim and flung the kunai at the door, hitting the wall closest to it. Just as he was about to get out of bed, the door gave way to reveal his insomnia-haunted friend, dressed in loose-fitting pants and his dreadlocks loose from the normal ponytail he wore. Sektor quickly rose out of bed and went to allow Cyrax in, as well as to dislodge the kunai he had thrown earlier. Once inside, Cyrax shut the door behind him as the agitated Lin Kuei Price hid the weapon back under his pillow.

"I'm sorry to wake you, Hou, but can I sleep in here tonight?" the younger man asked. He looked exhausted. It was obvious that this wasn't the first sleepless night the Motswana warrior had been having.

He had tried so hard to hide his pain, focusing on his duties in the Lin Kuei, but he was working himself to near exhaustion on most days. It took the Grandmaster's intervention to place the warrior on less stressful duties, but even then, Cyrax found ways to exhaust himself; to keep himself from dealing with it.

After seeing the haunted look in Cyrax's eyes again, the anger Sektor felt by been woken up dissipated. He wanted to check on his friend, the chance presented itself.

Sitting up on his bed, he gently ushered the younger man closer, "Come here, Fenyang."

The younger man did so, taking weary steps towards the bed. Once he reached the bed, he fell into Sektor's arms, wrapping his arms around the older man. Being in the older man's warm embrace finally allowed poor Cyrax to do what he been wanting to so for months. He cried openly. Sektor gently petted him and kissed his forehead to comfort him.

When Cyrax calmed down enough, he thanked his friend by kissing Sektor on the lips. The kiss grew heated, needy and longing as the older man pinned him down to the bed. During the embrace, both had started to divest themselves of their remaining articles of clothing.

"Hou…please…" Cyrax pleaded, grinding his hips to meet Sektor's.

"You are so beautiful, Fenyang." Sektor murmured, capturing his lips in another round of long-overdue kisses, "Not a day went by when I didn't think about you, missing you, holding you, and loving you."

"I missed you too, Hou."

One good thing came out of Tomas and Kuia-Liang's passing. It made Sektor and Cyrax finally realize what they meant to each other. Their friendship-which had been on the verge of collapse-was repaired and deepened, with romance being a recent and welcome addition.

"Just try to make your visits a little earlier in the night next time. You almost had a kunai in your skull."

"I'll remember that. I'm sorry, Hou it was…bad dreams."

"It's all right...let me take those away from you, even if momentarily," Hearing those words filled the younger assassin with relief, and that in turn, made Sektor relieved to not see the haunted expression, "Are you ready for me, Mustard Seed?"

The younger man smiled at the pet name; he was normally annoyed by it, but now he didn't mind it. He simply nodded and gave the older man one last kiss.

Holding his lover's shoulders firmly, Sektor leaned in, deepening the kiss. He released one hand from Cyrax's shoulder and gently pushed his friend's tear-brimmed eyelids down before closing his own. Now they would have to rely on their sense of touch and taste.

His wet tongue weaved itself out of his mouth and brushed Cyrax's lower lip, requesting entry into the mouth of the man he loved and so desired to taste. Cyrax gladly responded by opening his mouth just wide enough for his friend to slip his tongue through the opening. Sektor gladly took the opportunity to explore the assassin's hot, wet and perfect mouth, his tongue swiftly circling around, prodding and lapping against anything he could feel. Cyrax let out a breathy moan of pure pleasure bringing his arms up and wrapping them around Sektor torso, pulling him in even closer. Panting lightly, Cyrax rubbed the tip of his hot tongue against Sektor's, who smiled slightly and moved his tongue in, massaging it against Cyrax's, coaxing him into the wet, passionate kiss.

Both men opened their mouths, yet still kept their tongues smoothly swiping and lapping against the other's. The two men finally pulled back Sektor smirking at the apparent blush on his friends face, in one smooth motion Cyrax raised his dark hand and brushed back a few obscuring hairs that had slipped down in front of Sektor's eyes.

Sektor's hungry mouth attached itself gently to Cyrax's neck. Licking him, tasting him. The assassin beneath him groaned loudly as Sektor continued sucking on his bare skin, moving down slowly until he finally reached the ever-sensitive crook in Cyrax's neck.

He whimpered quietly when his friend's teeth sunk themselves into his dark skin, marking him as Sektor's.
Kneeling over the man he loved, feeling him twist and writhe in pleasure in his arms filled Sektor with an overwhelming sense of familiarity, this man belonged to him once again. Behind him he felt Cyrax reach up and sink his nails into his back, not drawing blood, but enough to make Sektor hiss softly and release his friend's neck.

Wordlessly, Cyrax's hands ghosted down to Sektor's hardening cock, helping to it fully harden for entry. The action rewarded him with a low growl from Sektor, who clutched the rolling muscles on his back and squeezed painfully tight. Sektor was now going over the edge, enjoying the feeling he had always secretly wanted to endure. Suddenly his dark eyes flew open and he let out a low moaning wail that he buried in the thicker part of Cyrax's shoulder. This made his friend pause, wondering if his friend had the strength to keep going.

As if reading his thoughts Sektor whispered through his teeth, "No… no Fenyang. Keep going, I'm fine."
Only after moments when Cyrax continued did Sektor stop him. He moved his hands down Cyrax's sides and followed the different curves of his friend's well-formed body, down to his rear where he stopped but kept his grip still perfectly immovable, a clear sign that Cyrax shouldn't move.

Sektor's breaths were deep and steady, not like Cyrax's ragged breathing, his was more like exaggerated breathing, simply deep inhales and exhales with a barley ragged ending. Angling his hips Sektor paused, letting the man beneath him wait one long anxious moment. He then struck down without warning, hitting a sweet spot deep within Cyrax making him howl and collapse back onto the bed, his dreadlocks fanning out behind him. Sektor instantly pulled him back up lifting his hips in sharp thrusts, forcing Cyrax to grit his teeth every time he hit him. Eventually Cyrax found a rhythm in the hard propulsion and began lifting and dropping his hips in time with his best friend.

This was a sure sign that the sex was coming to a close, as much as it disappointed Cyrax, he was almost grateful because he doubted he had the strength to go for any longer. He could tell that Sektor felt the same way, but he knew his friend well enough to know that he would never show weakness. Not to Cyrax Not to anybody.

The second round of love-making was even fiercer, with both men struggling to keep quiet on the mattress. Despite the pillows and sheets used to muffle the cries of passions, it was still evident that intercourse was being performed in the room. After a while, both men stopped caring and lost themselves in passion. They fell asleep in one another's arms, sated and happy.

Morning came three hours after they fell asleep; the sun was directly in their faces, forcing them to wake up. Cyrax woke up first, trying to shield his eyes from the sunlight. He was slightly confused as to why the sun was there, as his bed was not positioned towards the window. Then he realized he wasn't in his bed when he heard Sektor waking up, cursing in Japanese about the sun.

"…Good morning, Hou." The younger man offered. He was sitting up as Sektor was rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"Ne? Oh…mornin', Mustard Seed."

"How did you sleep?"

"What sleep?" Sektor offered, amused at the notion that there was any sort of rest after the hours of love-making previously.

"Okay, stupid question." Cyrax admitted, brushing the kinky strands of dreadlocks out of his face.

"Before we fell asleep, you pleaded with me not to leave you." The older man pointed out, sitting up on the bed.

Cyrax was clearly embarrassed, asking after an uncomfortable pause, "…you heard that?"

"Why are you worried about me leaving you, Fenyang?"

Once again, the haunted expression formed on Cyrax's face, but this time, his eyes were brimming with tears, "You're the only one I have left, Hou. After Kuia and Tomas passed on, I've been terrified of loosing you. I've tried so hard to put their deaths behind me, and I know I was the one that said it was a coward's way out for Kuai-Liang…but…"

"You really didn't believe it, did you?"

"No. They were my friends, Hou. I should have done more for them. But I was silent most when they needed me. Instead of defending Tomas's condition alongside Kuai, I was silent. I knew what the others said was wrong…but I kept silent. I thought it would help them…I was a fool. Some friend I turned out to be."

"So THAT'S what's been bothering you all this time! You're guilty because you believed you failed them."

"I know what you're going to say, Hou. 'It wasn't your battle to fight. They were weak with love.' What if it had been you, Hou? What if they were calling for your execution if you grew sick enough to no longer be an assassin?! What if I had to-"

"Mustard Seed…calm down. Nothing like that is going to happen." Sektor reassured him, gently touching his shoulder.

"You don't know that!"

"Neither do you, and there's no good in thinking that it will. And even if it did, you ARE stronger than they are. You are a conqueror, after all, like your given name. Like it or not, Mustard Seed, Death is a very real prospect in the Lin Kuei, in all forms. Friends can honor their fallen friends by choosing to live their lives."

After the initial shock, Cyrax looked at his friend as is he was seeing him for the first time, "Hou…"

"You seemed surprised at my words, Mustard Seed."

"I…I am, actually." The younger man admitted.

"Don't get used to it. I say these things to comfort you. I love you, Fenyang, and I don't wish to see you so troubled. I'm not going anywhere. You need not worry about that. "

"I love you too, Jiao Hou."

The kiss they shared afterwards erased all the doubt from Cyrax's mind. The lovers embraced briefly, with Cyrax resting his head on Sektor's chest and Sektor placing light kisses on Cyrax's forehead.

After a moment, Sektor moved out of the embrace and started getting out of bed, "I'm in need of a shower. Care to join me?" Sektor asked him, giving a look that promised mischief and intimacy.

"As if you had to ask." Cyrax retorted, also getting out of the bed.

Leading him into the adjacent washroom, Sektor held the other man's hand, never taking his eyes off his snickering, naked form. Once the two were into the shower stall with hot water running, they proceeded to shower one another with kisses and carnal nipping. They were attempting to remain quiet about their passion at first, but once soap, herbs and wayward fingers were introduced to their shower, all bets were off and both were too hot and needy to contain themselves.

Eventually, they remembered that there were there to actually bathe, and managed to pry away from one another long enough to finish. They exited the washroom, and dried themselves off. Cyrax went over to Sektor's armoire and quickly dressed in Sektor's spare vestments. He gathered his pants off the floor and turned to his friend one last time, who was fully-dressed and ready to start the day.

"Hou…thank you."

"You need not thank me, Fenyang. I do these things out of love for you."

"Nonetheless, I feel like I needed to thank you."

"I think I've been thanked enough this morning."

"…Pervert."

With a quick kiss, the lovers parted, with Cyrax exiting the room. The Motswana sprinted across the corridor into his quarters, dropping off the pants he wore the night before and retrieving his own mission gear. He didn't see the need to change out of Sektor's spare clothes, as most of the clan was aware that they often wore each other's clothes. He suspected that they probably already knew they were lovers as well, but he didn't care. Once fully dressed, Cyrax left his quarters and went to report to his post, along the way, he passed by Smoke's emptied room. He stopped momentarily. He remembered how sad he had been losing both Tomas and Kuia-Liang, but now, he felt some sort peace, thankful towards the star-crossed lovers. If it had not been for their devotion towards each other, he probably would have never repaired his friendship with Sektor, or even fallen in love with the Lin Kuei Prince.

A genuine smile was on his lips, thinking about the man he loved and about his words.

"Tomas, Kuia-Liang…I hope you can forgive me for my silence back then…but I also know that because of you both…I can move forward for the better. Thank you, my friends."

He continued on his way, unaware that his respects had been overheard by Sektor, who was on his way out as well. He was relieved that he no longer had to worry about him. He glanced and at the empty room, offering a silent respect to his fallen clan brothers and continued on his way out.

"It is good to be home." He said quietly.