An Unfamiliar place
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Red woke up in a room.
"Where am I? What happened?" Was all he could think of. His heart was racing as he looked around the room he was in. The room had posters all over the walls, a cluttered desk with a computer, figurines on the shelves, and lots of comic books.
Where the hell was he?
Red son tried his hardest to piece two and two together. Last thing he remembered, he was locked in his room, Zora was destroyed, and Red son was crying. Did that happen yesterday? The day before?
Red son looked down to see that his arms were wrapped in cloth. He stared blankly, and realized that he was wearing shorts, no shirt, and his chest was covered in bandages. At least that explained why he was freezing.
Ok, this was getting odd.
Red son desperately tried to remember anything at all that might be the reason for him being where he was right now. That's when snippets of the events came back to him.
"Ohhh... OHH NO..." Red stared at his hands.
"I'm fucked." Was all he could think.
He remebered his parents, who we're probably furious because he wasn't at the palace. Wait, the palace was probably recked. Another reason for him to be in deep shit. Red son needed to get out of this room. He doesn't know where he is, or who brought him here, but he had to leave. He had to get back to his parents, because he knew that they would be looking for him eventually.
Red lifted himself off the bed, only to fall to the floor from the pain in his body. He saw that his leg was wrapped tightly in some sort of cast. What was that from again..?
Flashes of his injuries came back to him as he bit his nails in frustration.
Hold on, hold on.. How was he even alive?! He was stabbed in the shoulder, back, shot in the leg, and god knows what else. And if those didn't kill him, then he surely should have died of blood loss.
Awesome. He was completely fine with death, but of course he had to live. Now he had to carry on with his parents, loneliness, being evil, battles with Monkie kid-
Not Monkie kid. Mk. His name was Mk. The though of Mk made Red son slightly smile. He remembered how he lay in Mk's arms, practically dying as Mk held him close. He didn't want to admit it, but he liked being held like that. Red looked down, his face turning slightly red.
No! Nope! No. Mk is your sworn enemy. You can't be giggling and blushing over that shit. In fact, you hate his guts. He sucks! You know what, forget it.
Red son groaned and tilted his head back, accidentally hitting his head on the bed frame."Ow! Fuck!" Red son groaned once more.
He sat on the floor and tucked his face into his knees. He couldn't remember everything, yet he knew that damage has been done. What he does in fact know is that he Practically got Monkie kids whole team killed, destroyed the city, and dissapointed his parents. He doesn't know how, he only knows why.
Stupid Mk! He had to come in and save his life, and now Red had to deal with recovery, his parents, and all the other shit that bugged him.
"God, fuck my life." Was all he though as he tapped his foot on the floor. Suddenly, the door to the room opened.
Red jumped back and hit a dresser. A picture frame fell off the shelf and shattered on the floor. Red son stared blankly at the shattered glass, frozen in shock.
The person who entered the room was Mk, carrying a stack of comics. He saw Red son on the floor, glass surrounding him. Mk dropped his beloved books in shock.
"Oh my god, are you okay?! Your not hurt, are you?" Mk rushed over and began picking up bits of glass. Red son didn't look at him, already embarrassed for breaking someone else's property.
"Did any glass cut you at all, Red?" Mk asked, but got no response.
"It's alright, I can replace it later." Mk smiled as he threw away the broken pieces. Once he was finished, he clasped his hands together.
"Alright! Wha-"
Mk froze and turned back at Red son.
"Oh my.. Oh my god, your awake! Thank goodness, I thought you were dead!" Mk rushed over and gave Red son a big hug. Red son's face turned a bright red as his hair burst into flames. He pushed Mk away, hugging his knees close to him.
"Ahh.. Sorry.. I'm just relieved. You were out for 2 weeks! I don't know how you managed to survive all of that, it must be some sort of thing with you being a demon. Because that's kind of the deal with me and the others. That's probably why Mei didn't blow your whole leg off, and that's why I didn't end of losing my whole face."
Red son kept his eyes glued on the wall to his right. Mk sighed and lifted himself off the floor, it was clear that Red son didn't want to talk.
"Okay, What was I doing again.. Oh, Right." Mk walked over to the pile of comic books on the floor. He began picking them up and putting them on a nearby shelf.
"There we go! My stash of sonic, jojo, and Monkie king comics. How lovely they look together." Mk put his hands on his hips and began posing, pretty full of himself.
"So this is Mk's room." Red son thought as he smiled, then shook his head. Mk's room was covered in action figures and Jojo's bizzare adventure posters. It looked like some weird quirky college student's apartment.
Mk made his way to a closet and started hanging up a pile of unorganized jackets. "So.. How are you feeling? okay at least?" Mk asked, putting a hoodie on a hanger.
Red son ignored the question and looked down, his head in his knees. He was feeling anything but okay. His whole body hurt like shit, he's literally shivering, and Mk had to play hero and nurse him back to life or something.
"Not in a talking mood? That's fine." Mk shrugged and turned back to the closet, then turned back to Red.
"Why.. Why are you on the floor?" Mk blinked. Red completely forgot about that, and Mk didn't seem to notice until now.
"Well, You certainly look like your freezing to death." Mk said as he tossed a jacket to Red son. He put it on, relieved that Mk noticed. It was comfortable, and smelled really nice.
Red son sighed and lifted himself off the floor, once again forgetting about the conditions his body was in. He fell to the floor with a loud thump, groaning in pain.
"Oh, don't move! Trying to stand or walk gives your body a shock, I suggest you just stop moving in general for a few hours. Now I'm actually wondering how you got on the floor in the first place." Mk scooped him up and sat him on the bed. Mk then plopped down right next to the demon.
"..I can take care of myself, you know.." Red son sighed. What he hated most was being seen as weak or incompetent.
"I figured.. Although, without me and the others, you would be dead. It's a relief that I convinced them in time. A little more wasted blood, and you would've been a goner."
Red son continued to avoid looking at Mk. He was embarrassed to know that someone else had to see him in this state. He looked at the floor and bit his nails.
"Why did you save me?"
"Huh-?"
"You could have let me die, but you didn't. After the things I've done, I wanted death. Yet, you still fed up with my bullshit and took care of me, knowing damn well that we were never on good terms, let alone me almost murdering you. Why would you do that? I've hated you ever since you showed up to that stupid hill that kept the Monkie kings staff, yet you still care. Why?"
Mk stared at him blankly, then turned away. He thought about it for a few moments, then finally responded.
"I couldn't just let you die out there. No matter how bad a person may be, they dont deserve death."
"Mk, I've literally killed thousands at this point. How could I deserve anything but death? I swear to god, how could you just simply say that?"
Mk blinked and looked at his hands.
"...Monkie king once told me something wise. Set an example. Treat everyone with respect and kindness, Even those who are cruel. Not because they are nice, but because you are. It stuck with me in that moment, I guess. You don't have to be the greatest person on earth to deserve life." Mk chuckled and shifted awkwardly.
"You wouldn't understand.. I've fucked up big time." Red chuckled and put his face in his hands.
"How could I? Listen, your not a terrible person, in my opinion. You must have had a reason for destroying the city. And honestly, You don't have to tell me anything you're not comfortable with sharing, but I'm here to listen if you want to talk about it."
"How do you expect me to "TALK ABOUT IT" WHEN I LITERALLY ALMOST KILLED YOU?! I'VE BEEN TRYING TO KILL YOU FOR MONTHS! WERE ENEMIES! YOU CAN'T JUST SAVE MY LIFE BECAUSE YOUR A HERO OR SOME SHIT! YOU SHOULD HAVE LET ME DIE!" Red son began yelling, water collecting in his eyes. Then came the water works. He couldn't help it, he was pretty upset.
"Oh, Red.. Please don't cry." Mk began to lift his hand, only for Red son to flinch and jolt away. Red stared at him, and Mk stared back.
"IM NOT CRYING! I don't cry!" Red son yelled, practically shaking.
Mk stared at Red son, speechless.
"Red.. Why.. Do.. Do you not like being touched..? Or.. Is that not exactly.. The case..."
Red son began to visibly sweat.
"... I.. Well.. It's not exactly.. Erm.. I... Uhm..."
"..I know it's not my place to ask... But.. Do your parents... Hit you? Or when you cry, at least?"
"... I.. Erm... Well... I... Suppose..? It's... It doesn't matter."
Mk looked like his heart broke.
"Red, It does matter. It matters a lot. That's.. That's not okay.."
"It really doesn't."
"Red... I... I don't even know what to say.."
Red sons tears began to slow. He realized that he was staring at Mk and looked away.
"Do you.. Want to talk about it..?"
Red son tapped his foot, thinking. Honestly, would it hurt to talk about it?
"Sigh.. To keep it short.. I.. I was slapped pretty regularly. I was.. I was dragged by my hair, ears, etc? But I was honestly used to it, so it doesn't matter. I was called rather intriguing things, but that doesn't really matter either. And I wasn't aloud to go outside? I was lonely? That's kind of it, no big deal. Does that feed your curiosity?"
Red son suddenly felt himself in Mk's grasp, which was a shock. Mk hugged him tightly as Red sat there, still quivering.
"Red son, that sounds awful! All this time.. You.. How did you live through that!? Oh my god, You poor thing! That's not okay! How could your parents treat you like that?!" Mk sounded like he was on the verge of crying. Red sons eyes filled with tears once more, then he started sobbing. He wailed into Mk's shoulder, hugging him tightly.
"N-Now that I s-say it out loud.. It sounds.. Pretty b-bad, huh?" Red son stuttered as he squeezed the life out of Mk. His lip trembled and he was shaking like mad.
He couldn't remember the last time somebody has felt genuine care for him. It felt nice, he had to admit. He sobbed for quite awhile, Mk hugging him tightly. He felt like if he were to let go, he would sink to the bottom of a lake.
"Red?"
"Hm?"
"Your safe, your worthy, your enough. Okay?"
This made Red son smile, yet he was still sobbed aggressively. He hugged Mk tightly, pretty much refusing to let go.
"Sorry for asking, that's probably a very harsh topic to simply talk about. That was really brave of you. I'm glad that you were able to share that bit of yourself. I'm sorry you had to go through that."
Red son finally let go of Mk, wiping away his tears. His eyes were puffy and his face hurt. He sat next to Mk, and they both stared at the floor awkwardly.
"I'm.. I'm sorry for crying.. I didn't... You shouldn't have seen any of that.. I apologize.." Red son shifted away from Mk, hugging himself tightly.
"No, no, it's fine! It was kind of my fault in the first place. It wasn't my place to ask questions, I'm sorry.." Mk muttered, lifting himself off the bed. Red son turned to him, and finally noticed his face.
Mk had one white eye, along with half of his face covered in red markings. His right shoulder was wrapped tightly in cloth, and he looked very tired.
Red son stared at him, and Mk stared back.
"What.. What happened to your eye..?" Red son was taken aback.
Mk raised an eyebrow. "Does it really look that bad?" He laughed. "You kind of lit my whole face on fire."
"I... Wow.. How did I do that..?" Red sons eyes widened as he tried to remember the events.
"It's fine, I'm over it. But I look super cool and tough now, so I'm not worried. The burns are still healing, but I wouldn't mind if they were permanent." Mk shrugged and gave Red son another big hug.
Suddenly, Wukong poked his head into the door frame. "Ahh, Red sons awake. Welcome back, trooper." Wukong waved and then glared at him. "Are you done killing people now? We're still cleaning up dead bodies on the streets."
"Monkie king! He just woke up, leave him alone!" Mk glared at his mentor, who grinned sheepishly.
"Ugh, go hang out with Macaque, we don't need your negative energy. We all know that you enjoy spending time with him anyways." Mk smiled and crossed his arms.
Wukongs face turned red as he pointed at Mk. "HEY! you and me both know that there's nothing between us. I dont wanna hear it!" He laughed and turned to Red.
"Hey, everyone's down stairs if you want something to eat. Everybody stayed in Pigsy's to recover, so beware for the wild dragon thing who will most definitely attack you the second she sees your face. But don't worry about it." Wukong told him, and went back downstairs. Mk chuckled and grabbed Red's hand.
"Come on, you must be hungry. You should probably come out of this room for a little bit, too. You need to get some fresh air."
"Hell no! It's hard enough showing my face around you. I can't imagine having to face everyone else."
"You'll be fine, I talked them into helping you recover in the first place. It's not like they're going to kill you the second they see you."
"Noodle boy, if you already forgot, I can barely stand on my own. How do you expect me to go downstairs?"
----
"Guess who's awake!" Mk sang as he trotted down the stairs, carrying Red son on his back. Red held on to Mk's neck for dear life, nearly choking the poor boy. How was Mk able to carry Red with a possible broken back? Only god knows.
"Hi Mk! Hi.. Red.. Son.." Mei glared daggers upon the demon from one of the stools. Red son saw that there was, in fact, everyone there. Macaque was snoozing at one of the booths as Wukong walked over to him, carrying a big bowl of noodles. Pigsy and Sandy were in the kitchen, making breakfast. And Mei and Tang were sitting on the stools.
Pigsy shot a glare at Red son and continued chopping carrots. Tang looked at him and turned away quickly. And Sandy looked like he wished death upon the poor prince. In other words, nobody was too happy to see him. Which was expected. Well, Tang just looked scared. Red son really did wonder why.
As Red looked around the room, he realized that half of the people there looked like a reck. Mei's legs were covered in bandages, her right leg in a cast. Wukong had a black eye, along with bandages covering half of his face. Tang had a bruise on his face and bandages covering his hands. The only people who were in good shape was Pigsy and Sandy, lucky bastards.
Macaque looked up from the table and waved. Red saw that his eyes were wrapped in cloth, the area around his eyes were covered in burns. Red couldn't tell if the shadow could still see, or was just physic or some shit.
"Hi, Red son. How you feeling?" Macaque asked casually as he snatched the bowl of noodles from Wukong.
"Dude, that was for me! Are you serious?!" Wukong whined and tried to snatch them back.
"Hey, you should feel bad for me. I can't see, remember?"
"bullshit! You can see just fine!"
"Pftt- noo~"
"Your so annoying! I can't believe you." Wukong groaned and went to go grab another bowl of noodles.
Red son and Mk looked at each other and blinked. Red leaned into Mk's ear and whispered "I'm telling you, they've got something going on.." Mk whispered back to him. "That's what I've been saying! I mean, just look at them."
They both laughed as Mk skipped over to the counter, Red still on his back. "Hi, Pigsy! How is everybody doing? Also, did you manage to fix the fridge yet?" He asked brightly, a big smile on his face.
Pigsy turned to him as he chopped onions. "I did, actually. Most of us are still trying to recover from.. Red son over here.." Pigsy glared at Red, and he glared back.
"Pigsy, let's not antagonize Red son, okay? He already has a lot on his hands." Mk shook his head.
"Sighh.. For your sake only. Go take a seat over there, breakfast is almost ready."
Mk walked over to a booth and sat Red down on one of the seats. "You want anything to eat or drink?" He asked him, smiling. Red son asked for water, and off Mk went.
Mei practically flew into the seat across from Red, looking like she was trying her hardest to be obnoxious. Red son rolled his eyes and stared out the window next to him.
"Soo~! Red son. Why did you destroy the entire city? Was it an accident? Was it on purpose? Was it uncontrolled fire? Did you do it just for fun? Or was it something else?" She had a lot of energy for some reason, and it was kind of annoying.
"Get out of my face, dragon girl. I wish not to discuss any of the sort at the moment, let alone discuss it with you."
Mei was taken aback, shocked at the sass.
"Mei! I would never take that!" Wukong laughed as he walked back over to Macaque, who already finished his bowl of noodles and was prepared to steal another serving.
"Hmm? What might you do about it, dragon girl?" Red son laughed as Mei tilted her head down and grinned, already preparing to recite an entire speech just to diss him.
"Before I flame the fuck out of you, I'm just going to say that you look like a reck. Looks like you just rolled out of bed." Mei smirked, folding her hands underneath her chin. She knew that Red son cared a lot about his public appearance.
"That's because I did! Do you expect me to look as if I was going to a job interview after this whole situation?!" Red son glared at her, Mei smiling sweetly.
"Okay, okay, that's enough. Were here to get along, not to kill each other." Mk laughed as he walked over to the two.
"Here's your water, Red." Mk said as he handed the glass cup to Red son and sat down next to him. That's when Red son noticed the nickname Mk kept calling him. "Red."
He smiled to himself as the word kept repeating in his head. The nickname was cute, and it was something only Mk called him. In other words, it was special.
Red son leaned against Mk and closed his eyes. Tang walked over to the three and handed them each a bowl of noodles from a tray.
"Glad your feeling a bit better, Red son. Call me if you ever need anything." Tang smiled to him as he handed Red son his bowl. He moved on pretty quickly from the incident, Red guessed.
"Sandy is making tea, it might calm everyone's nerves down a bit. I'll go help him with that." Tang said to Mk as he walked away from the table.
Red son thought for a moment before dropping it. Sure, life was cruel. But maybe..
Maybe this wasn't so bad.
"Mk! You still have to challenge me to another game of poker!" Wukong yelled, slamming his fist on the table.
"I'll still beat you, Monkie king! Even though your the almighty Great Sage equal to heaven or something, your still shit at strategy games!" Mk laughed as he ate his noodles.
"What? Your leaving me to go play cards?" Macaque groaned as he latched onto Wukongs arm.
"Ugh! Let go of me! I need to beat Mk for once!"
"Not happening, Peaches. Your staying right here."
"Mk! Help me!" Wukong yelled, trying to free himself from Macaque's grasp.
Mk grinned and said "You know what? We can play poker another day."
Red son laughed, still leaning onto Mk. He smiled as he ate his bowl of noodles. They were just how he liked them. Spicy.
You know what? Maybe Red son could forget his home. His parents were fine, he knew that. He saw them evacuate the castle before the entire thing was set on fire. He didn't want to return. To be honest, he could try to make a living in the city. It would be difficult, sure, but nobody said that life was easy. His parents could survive without him, because he honestly didn't plan on going back.
He liked it right here, next to Mk.