A groan rolled off your lips as your head hit the surface of the small tables that were lined up in neat order. You kneeled in front of one, last row, behind Kenshi and Kung Lao.

Raiden was in the front, listend to every single thing the monks said with way more interest than you would have been able to pretend to have.

You and Johnny had been banned to the last row, since no one wanted to look at your dirt covered backs for the entirety of three hours.

Kenshi had baited you. It was a cruel statement but you needed to admit that he had been pretty slick with it. The conversation wasn't a deep one but enough to have you forget your surroundings.

He had led you across the temple garden, all the way to the lecture halls.

And now you were here, sitting on the floor with this tiny table made of wood in front of you and Johnny by your side.

Dirt made your skin itch and you believed you were able to smell your own sweat. Or maybe it was just Johnny next to you. It was hard to tell since both you and him were still a mess.

Now that you thought about it, it could have been worse. You could have been alone and actually forced to listen. Now you were able to enjoy the leverages of the last row.

"Reminds me of my school days.", Johnny muttered under his breath.

He looked just the way you felt, a little annoyed but also unwilling to waste his energy on something so trivia. Stretching his legs, he pulled a face.

Irritated, you frowned at him only to realise that he tried to suppress a yawn.

"And Liu Kang called me difficult...", you huffed under your breath.

Sighing, you rested your chin in the palm of your hand and tried to stay focused. Or at least pretend enough to make it seem you were.

Lessons about monsters and magic weren't really your cup of tea. In the end it didn't really matter anyways. You'd fight them all regardless.

"It's important to fight with mind and spirit united.", the monk said and did a gesture that you knew from watching the others meditate.

You didn't meditate. Nine out of ten times you fell asleep during it. And the other time you were kicked out because of causing trouble.

The thought made you chuckle to yourself.

Next thing you knew you could feel your eyelids getting heavy. The world before your eyes started to fade to black. A soft sound of annoyance escaped your lips.

Quickly, you shook your head and rubbed your eyes to get yourself back on track. But the weight that nestled in your body did not disappear.

It made you feel like your bones wanted to pull you down. A cozy warmth filled your limbs and made you weary.

"Scoot over, sleeping beauty.", all of a sudden Johnny's head squeezed into the space between your leg and your arm to rest on your thigh.

Confused, you glanced down on him. A silent question was written in your eyes.

He glanced through the legs of the table over to the monk. Satisfaction appeared on his face and he turned his head back to get comfortable.

With his hands crossed on his chest he let his eyes fall shut and breathed out deeply.

"Wake me when this is over...", he muttered, lips curling.

Unsure what else to do, you just huffed and shook your head.

"You're a menace.", you chuckled softly.

He shrugged. You could feel how the weight of his body rested on your leg. It wasn't as uncomfortable as you would have expected it to be.

Instead, his body had this pleasant kind of pressure. Like a weighted blanket. Warmth of his body seeped into yours and made your skin feel smooth.

Your eyes wandered over his face.

Even though he must have been middle aged by now he still had this kind of youthful glamour showing on his face. The small wrinkles that danced around his mouth and nose and even showed clearly around his eyes were much more like decoration.

It made him look mature not old.

He had a nice face, you had to admit that to yourself. Friendly even, like a face of someone everybody wanted to be friends with.

Sure, his attitude was a little much from time to time. But so was yours. And you liked that a lot. You could relate to the kind of person that he was.

Sucking in a sharp breath, he adjusted his position and sighed softly.

You threw a quick glance up before your attention returned to him.

His hair seemed soft, you noticed. Like strands of otters fur. Now that you thought about it that was kind of a strange thing to think about. You've never seen an otter with dry fur.

How were you supposed to know that Johnny's hair resembled that?

His face moved. A soft mutter made his lips curl. He seemed to fall asleep rather quick. Or maybe he was just good in ignoring everything around and mind his own business.

Your fingers flinched. There was this urge that made your cells itch. You wanted to touch him.

"Odd.", you muttered and frowned it off.

Yet, you found yourself lacking.

Softly, almost frighteningly gentle, you allowed the tips of your fingers to reach down and draw circles over his face.

What would his skin feel like?

He seemed to be vain. His skin was spotless and he smelled of hygiene products, not just cologne, but also toothpaste and shampoo from a shower the day before.

The dirt didn't do him any favours in this moment and yet you felt he was desirable.

Your fingers brushed the tip of his nose.

Johnny's eyes moved behind lids. He crunched his nose and let out a deep breath. But he didn't turn away, nor did he shake you off.

With the back of your hand you followed the edge of his jawline. It felt a little scratchy, some stubbles mingled with your skin.

"You know, others gotta pay an awful lot of money to be allowed to touch me like that.", he suddenly said, one eye open to see your reaction.

With a smirk, you bend down just deep enough to make your noses touch.

"Do you also lay in other peoples laps like this?", you asked back. "Makes it wayyy easier to touch you without paying."