Chapter Text
Sativa and Madeline walked out of the clothing store after a pretty successful shopping trip. The shorter of the two had a date later that week, and she was feeling a bit smug about it. Speaking of the date, Sativa was curious about what her friend was planning for the date. Maddie was a hopeless romantic, but she also didn’t really believe in the cliches, so something like this was a bit intriguing.
“So what are your plans for the date? You did have plans, right?” Sativa asked.
“There’s an Italian place downtown that I’ve been wanting to try, so I was going to take her there, then finish the night with a walk through the park,” Maddie answered.
“Oh? Simple but seems nice. So, gonna go all out and bring flowers too?” Sati asked.
“No. I’m not you. I don’t believe in cliches like that,” Maddie responded.
“Fair. Well then, the most I can say at this point is good luck. You didn’t need my help, really,” Sati said.
“I did. I’m not the best at dressing myself,” Maddie said.
“Yeah. You still dress like a teenage boy,” Sati teased. Maddie hit her shoulder with a huff.
“Anyway, since I’m back in the city, I’m going to pay Chun-Li a visit. If you need me, don’t be scared to text me,” Sati said as she made her way to Chinatown.
“Ok. Be sure to ask her out before someone takes her!” Maddie called out. Sati flipped her off, and the shorter of the two walked into the apartment with a grin on her face.
‘Stupid Maddie. I’m not a wuss. I just don’t want to make someone uncomfortable. So what if I happen to have feelings for her? It’s nothing more than a small crush. Puppy love, as amma would say,’ Sativa thought. She had been telling herself this for six months. Six long agonizing months since she initially met Chun-Li with Maddie, and she has been in denial about the intensity of her feelings. Months of yearning, dreaming about, and thinking of one woman who had several other students.
For all Sati knew, Chun-Li didn’t see her the same way, so she kept telling herself she was content with where things were. She had to be. If she wasn’t, then she’d just retreat to the mountain village with Sagat to isolate herself until the thoughts and feelings went away. Like she attempted to do before Maddie called her.
‘Ok, maybe you are a wuss, Sativa,’ She thought as she stepped foot into Chinatown. She took a deep breath and slapped her cheeks before walking up. She waved towards Chun-Li and Li-Fen as she approached. At the same time, Li-Fen was talking to Chun and being a bit of a nuisance.
“You know, big sis, you could just tell Sati how you feel. Preferably before she goes to Thailand again,” The teen said.
“There’s nothing to tell. I think she’s remarkable and hard working, but she wouldn’t want someone old like me,” The brunette said.
“You’re your own worst enemy,” Li-Fen said as she waved at Sativa.
“What does that mean?” The older woman asked. However, before she got her answer, she’d be met with the topic of their conversation.
“Hello, Sativa. What brings you back to Metro City?” She asked.
“I’m here cause Maddie needed my help picking what to wear for her date later this week,” Sativa said. Though she tried to hide it, her voice had a tinge of disappointment considering who Madeline’s date was with and a bit of jealousy from the fact that Maddie still had a date.
“Oh. Well, that’s good for her. Who with? If you don’t mind me asking,” The older woman asked.
“I couldn’t tell you. She wouldn’t tell me,” Sativa lied. She was not about to tell a cop that her best friend was going on a date with an ex-member of Shadaloo. She knew Chun-Li was part of the efforts that went towards the collapse of the terrorist organization, so she had to be careful with what she said. However, Sativa was a horrible liar with the very obvious tell of her voice cracking every time she lied without fail. She took a moment to silently curse herself out and question why she even bothered trying to lie. She buried her face in her hands, hoping that it wouldn’t be acknowledged.
“You know you didn’t have to lie. You could've just said something along the lines of it not being your business to tell,” Chun-Li said as she placed a hand on Sativa’s shoulder. Granted, it was a bit difficult considering the height difference between the two of them. Sativa was a giant close to Marisa and Zangeif in height, which she always seemed a bit self-conscious about. Even if she tried to hide it.
“I know. I don’t know why I even tried to lie here,” Sativa admitted as she put her hands on her hips.
“Sounds like you’re just looking out for Maddie. Though I am more curious now. Who are you hiding?” The older woman asked.
“Someone she has no business being with,” The taller woman said.
“I know the feeling. My friend Cammy has questionable tastes, too,” Chun-Li said.
“Can’t be as bad as Maddie’s. I worry her tastes are gonna get her killed,” Sati said.
“Should I be worried? She’s still one of my students. Even if Kung-Fu isn’t her main style,” Chun said.
“About as worried as one should be when A.K.I of all people is concerned. Shit! You didn’t hear that from me,” Sati said as she tried to do a bit of damage control.
“My lips are sealed. The most I can do is ask Cammy to talk to Maddie before anything gets serious. Granted, she’s probably not going to be much help, but I can try,” Chun offered.
“Not the worst idea. She does look up to Cammy… Wait, you said you were worried about Cammy’s taste. Who is she dating?” Sati asked. Chun took a moment to decide whether or not to tell, but just went ahead since Sati slipped up anyway.
“Juri. Juri Han,” She answered. There was a moment of silence between them as Sati realized Cammy would not at all help here.
“I think getting Cammy involved would be counterintuitive,” Sati said. She tried to be as polite as possible while saying it, but her face and tone were anything but.
“Yeah, those two are a bit too similar for it to be helpful,” Chun-Li added.
“Yeah…” Sati said as she tried to think of something for them to do other than talk about their friends' questionable tastes.
“Instead of talking ill of our friends, perhaps we could spar? Might get our minds off our concern,” Sati suggested.
“Sounds nice,” Chun-Li said as she and Sati walked in front of the gazebo in Chinatown.
“Yeah. That’s why you two are sparring. You two should just date already,” Li-Fen said under her breath. She knew it was pointless to say anything out loud, but watching the two dance around this was less than fun. Back when Sativa and Madeline first came around, Li-Fen noticed the giant woman’s immediate crush but saw it as nothing else.
She couldn’t remember when Chun-Li’s side of the crush came in. Probably when Sati had started to travel the world in search of masters to find a fighting style that suited her. It started small at first, with the older woman just looking and waiting for Sati to show up before starting a class. Then, Chun-Li was checking her phone more and more, hoping for a text or something from the other woman. They had exchanged numbers, but Sati wasn’t the most communicative anyway.
‘It’s a bit silly, big sis. You’re completely smitten and don’t even know it,’ She thought as she looked up from her laptop to watch the two fight. Sati got into a fight stance similar to that of Sagat, while Chun-Li got into her signature fighting stance.
“Fight!” The teen shouted when it looked like they were both ready. Watching Chun-Li and Sativa fight was an interesting one. Sati had not only gotten the hang of how Muay Thai worked beyond its fundamentals, but she was also weaving in Kung Fu to make a style unique to herself. It was impressive and a joy to watch.
‘Ok, Sati. As Master Marisa taught, fighting is more than just the physical fight itself. It’s about the emotions and drive behind it. Even if I’m too cowardly to confess to Chun-Li, maybe I can get my feelings out in the fight,’ Sativa thought as she switched from the defensive to being on the offensive. That would quickly bite her in the ass. Chun-Li was using the switch-up against Sativa, stepping just out of the taller woman’s range before punishing every attack.
‘She’s gotten really good in just ten months. If Maddie hadn’t called her here, I wonder how good she’d be when she came back on her own,’ Chun-Li thought as she had to dodge out of the way of very hard hits and kicks. As the round went on, Chun-Li would start backing Sati into a corner. She still had decades of experience on Sati, so it made sense she was winning. However, seeing the other woman not backing down and trying to get a hold was enough to impress her.
‘Fuck. I can’t get a hit in. Think Sati. What did Master Ken say when going against her,’ Sativa thought. She remembered back to when she had come to Ken for advice after a complete ass-whopping courtesy of Chun-Li. She didn’t know why she went to him, just that he was nearby and he had fought the older woman before.
“Alright, Sativa. There’s one thing you need to know when fighting Chun-Li. When she starts to get her footing on you and thinks you’re on your last legs, she gets a bit cocky and will use Hoyoku-sen. What you want to do is parry it. All of it. She’s never ready for it to happen, so it should throw her off her game,” Ken said.
“Parry it? I’ve just gotten the hang of fighting. What makes you think I can parry her?” Sati asked.
“Because she grins before going for it. When you see her grin, that’s when you go for it. Should be easy enough. You got it,” Ken said as he gave her a thumbs-up.
‘Right. As insane as it is, only one way to find out,”’ Sati thought as she blocked a kikoken. Her back was to the wall, and she was running low on health at this point. It felt like every condition Ken was warning her about. She took a glance towards Chun-Li’s face and, sure enough, the older woman was grinning. Just as Ken warned her about, Chun-Li threw out a flurry of kicks.
Without time to think or breathe, Sati’s body moved on its own. The first parry came out, then the next, until every kick of the Hoyoku-sen was parried. Chun-Li’s cocky grin turned into shock before she was met with a flying knee to the stomach that launched her into the air, followed by three kicks sending her even higher before being met with an uppercut to the chest that sent her back. As she scrambled to get up, she’d be met with both a kikoken and a tiger shot, which she blocked.
The problem now was that Sativa was on the offensive again, and Chun-Li was finding herself backed into the wall. Sativa had managed to turn things around on her, leaving her on the back foot. She was trying to get out any way she could, but Sati was not letting it happen. After that parry, the pace of the fight tipped into Sati’s scale, and with a Hoyoku-sen of her own, the giant woman won.
‘I won? Oh shit, I WON!?’ She thought as she walked up to Chun-Li. She held her hand out to help the other woman up.
“Thank you for sparring with me, Master Chun-Li,” She said.
“You’re welcome. Seems I taught you everything you needed,” Chun-Li said as she took Sati’s hand. The giant woman helped her up, and they shook hands.
“It seems you have,” Sati said back.
‘Thank you, Master Ken,’ She thought.
“Good job, Sati. You beat big sis,” Li-Fen said as she walked up to the two.
“Yeah. I did,” Sati said, trying and failing to hold back a smile.
“So what now? Heading back to Thailand?” The teen asked. She needed to know how much she had to interfere for things to leave the normal.
“Probably. There’s still more for Master Sagat to teach me, and I wouldn’t want to overstay my welcome,” Sati answered. Li-Fen glanced towards Chun-Li and noticed a small pout and look of disappointment on her face.
“Couldn’t you stay for a couple of days? You just got back to Metro City. It’d be a shame if you left after just getting here,” The teen said. If Chun-Li wasn’t going to speak up, she was going to use the charm of being young to get what she wanted.
“I could stay for a day or two. Not like Master Sagat is going anywhere,” Sati said.
“Great. Because I won tickets to go see the new Resident Evil movie. Here you go,” Li-Fen said, handing one ticket to Sati and the other to Chun-Li. Before either one could say anything, the teen had walked off to grab her laptop and leave.
“Oh. She just handed them… would you like to go with me? If not, I can just give you the other ticket and-”
“I wouldn’t mind going with you. It could be fun,” Chun-Li said. Li-Fen had given her an opportunity, and she was going to try not to waste it.
“Ok… it seems the movie starts at seven tonight, so I will be back at five, maybe five thirty to get you… unless you want to meet there,” Sativa said.
‘Calm it down, Sati. It’s probably not a date. Li-Fen just gave us the tickets to hang out. As we did before, I started to travel the world. Don’t overthink it,’ She thought.
“We can meet here. We can even get something to eat before we go. There’s a nice bao stand run by a mom and son nearby with really good pork dumplings,” Chun-Li offered.
“I don’t eat pork,” Sati sheepishly said. She had nothing to be ashamed about, but having a conversation like this always felt awkward.
“Oh well, they also have beef, lamb, and chicken. They also have vegetarian options if you don’t eat meat,” Chun-Li said.
“That works. So, should I come earlier so we can eat before the movie? This theater is like two hours away from here on foot,” Sati said.
“We can just take the bus, Sativa. I think you’re overcomplicating things right now. Just come at five. We’ll eat, then take the bus. Should be there in time for the previews,” Chun said as she placed her hand on Sativa’s shoulder.
“Right, yeah. Sorry. I guess see you tonight,” Sati said, relaxing a bit.
“See you tonight,” Chun-Li said with a soft smile on her face. Sativa left Chinatown to take a quick trip to the clothing store for herself. Once she was long out of sight and earshot, Chun-Li turned her attention to Li-Fen, who was eavesdropping from around the corner.
“You are not subtle at all,” She said.
“I wasn’t going for subtlety. Now go get ready for your date,” Li-Fen said, pushing Chun-Li to her apartment.
“Who said anything about it being a date? We’re just going to see a movie,” The older woman said.
“You’re going to see a horror movie. You suck with those,” The teen said.
“I don-”
“You do. I’m calling it now. By the end of the movie, you’re going to be in her arms, all scared and stuff,” Li-Fen said cockily.
“That’s not going to happen. I can handle myself in public,” Chun-Li protested.
“Sure, you can, but where would the fun in that be?” Li-Fen said as she pushed Chun-Li into her apartment and closed the door.
During the two and a half hours the two were getting ready, Sati showered, changed, and made any last-minute adjustments she needed to, like braiding her hair. Sati was wearing a dark blue sleeveless blouse with a deep V neck, a pair of black trousers, black moccasin shoes, and a dark blue cashmere coat.
‘Yeah. This outfit does look better on me than it did on Maddie,’ She thought as she started to leave the apartment. When she got close to the door, Maddie would stop her.
“Where are you going all dressed up?” The shorter woman asked.
“Nowhere. Just got a new outfit and wanted to wear it out,” The giant woman lied. Her voice cracked, giving her away.
“Sati, you can’t be a compulsive liar and a horrible one. Spill,” Maddie said, stepping in front of the door so Sati couldn’t leave.
“I am going back to Chinatown,” Sati said.
“For?” Madeline asked.
“A hangout with Chun-Li,” The taller woman answered.
“A hangout or a hangout? Because if you need the apartment, I can make sure everyone kicks rocks. Me included,” The shorter woman suggested.
“We’re just going to watch the movie. Apparently, Li-Fen won tickets, and she gave them to Chun-Li and me. Nothing else to it,” Sati said.
“Alright. Don’t say I didn’t offer, and don’t do anything we wouldn’t normally do,” Madeline said as she stepped to the side.
“Considering what’s on the list of usual activities, I don’t think we have a leg to stand on,” Sati said as she left.
“True,” Madeline said, waving her friend off. Sati made the walk to Chinatown since she was still early. Thirty minutes early.
‘I might be a little too excited,’ She thought as she tried to find something to do, so she didn’t seem too eager. However, she found herself standing in the town. She sighed and just walked inside. She could just talk with some of Chun-Li’s other students or even just sit around at one of the tables.
When she walked up to the gazebo, she’d find Chun-Li already waiting. The brunette was wearing a coral pink bodysuit top, a navy blue mermaid skirt, and navy blue strapped gladiator wedges. Sati couldn’t find the right words to describe what she was seeing, but thankfully, her mouth moved before she could overthink things.
“You look gorgeous,” She said. Both hers and Chun-Li’s faces lit up, and she tried to play it off, but with no one there to take the fall, she couldn’t really.
‘Ok. Maybe Li-Fen was onto something,’ Chun-Li thought as she walked up to Sativa.
“Thank you, Sativa. You look beautiful as well,” She said as she looked the giant woman up and down.
“Thank you,” Sati said.
“Well then, let’s get something to eat. My treat,” Chun-Li said as she walked towards the bao stand.
“You don’t have t-”
“I want to, Sativa. Plus, you can pay for concessions when we get to the theater,” The brunette said as she looked back towards Sativa.
“Ok,” Sati said before taking a deep breath. She was a nervous wreck as anyone would be in a situation like this, but it felt different somehow. Maybe because she was still overthinking it. Neither one of them said it was a date, yet now that they were here, it definitely felt like a date.
‘Calm down, Sati. We’re just eating dinner and going to see a movie. You and Maddie do it all the time. This is no different,’ The giant woman thought as they arrived at the stand. They ordered with Chun-Li getting the pork dumplings she was raving about and Sativa getting the chicken dumplings. They found a quiet spot away from everyone to sit down and eat.
‘Pretty sure this is actually a date. You got this. Just don’t make a fool of yourself and if you do be ready to become a hermit in Thailand,’ Sati thought.
“Hey Sativa, how well can you handle horror?” Chun-Li asked. She wanted to gauge if she could be truthful about her inability to handle it or if she had to lie.
“Not really the best, but Maddie loves them, so I do my best to deal with them,” Sati answered.
“Well, since we’re both bad with horror, why don’t we watch something else? I have a few movies I’ve rented that I’ve been meaning to watch. Would you watch them with me?” Chun-Li asked.
“O-Of course,” Sati said.
“Great. We can go after we eat,” Chun-Li said. What she hadn’t realized was that she was the only one with food left.
“When did you-”
“I eat fast… and a lot,” Sati admitted.
“Oh… are you still hungry? The stand is still open,” Chun-Li offered.
“I’m fine. Don’t worry about it,” Sati said.
“If you say so. Well then, we can go after I’m done eating,” Chun-Li said as she started to eat a little faster. She finished soon after and got up. She led Sati to her apartment, and the two went in. She sat down on the couch with Sati and started to go through the movies she had rented. They decided on Ace Attorney, and with that, the movie started, and the two were watching. At least Chun-Li was. Sativa was watching Chun-Li more than she was watching the movie. She had a million thoughts running through her head, but the main one that kept coming up was a small nagging voice in the back of her head that kept saying ‘make a move’ over and over again. She just had to find the right moment.
That moment never came for her, however, because she kept overthinking it. Her saving grace was Chun-Li making the moment. She kicked her shoes off before lifting her legs onto the couch and leaning against Sati. Deciding not to overthink things, Sati just carefully wrapped her arm around the other woman and finally turned her attention to the movie. While the movie wasn’t to her taste, she was still more than happy. After watching the next two movies in the series, Sati decided to head out. Chun-Li walked her to the door.
“This was nice. Thank you for spending time with me,” She said.
“Of course. Thank you for inviting me. I’ll have to apologize to Li-Fen for not using the tickets,” Sati said.
“It’ll be fine. She was just trying to get us on a date. If anything, I have to thank her,” Chun-Li said.
“Guess I should thank her, too. Well, I should probably be going… I wouldn't want to overstay my welcome,” Sativa said.
“Then, before you go. Close your eyes,” The older woman requested. Sati looked a bit confused and tilted her head, but still closed her eyes. Chun-Li pulled her in and kissed her. A simple, quick peck, but one that meant a lot. Sati opened her eyes to be met with Chun-Li blushing just as much as she was.
“See you next time you're in Metro City,” Chun-Li said.
“Y-yeah. Bye,” Sati said as she leaned up. She made her way back to the apartment to tell Maddie about the date and deal with any teasing that was sure to come.