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Red Son was a little odd for a demon boy. Honestly, he never minded it, never bothered by it. The way others perceived him, how others thought he ‘should’ or what others thought were ‘proper’ never so much as phased him.
Even at a young age, since he could so much as talk, it was clear he was different from other demons. Dutiful, but not traditional. Helpful and polite, but snarky and quick witted. Clever and ambitious, but never reaching for more for himself, only for his family.
No one seemed to care much now, but in the past, when Red Son was younger, things were different. His parents loved him, and didn’t say anything about how odd he was. But his more distant family didn’t hold such reservations.
“Your eldest son acts more like a daughter. He’s like a girl.” Red Son’s nainai always scolded his father when Red Son helped his female cousins with the dishes, or was the first to do chores. Sometimes she went even further, implying that Red Son was a girl, just in disguise. Though the boy was never really offended by it, only finding the comments as odd.
The bull demon king just huffed, sometimes defending Red Son by calling him well behaved, but never really arguing with his mother. Princess Iron Fan didn’t argue either, but Red Son could tell that such comments made her furious. She pursed her lips, went pale, and clenched her fists. It always made the boy shiver, despite the fact that her anger wasn’t directed at him.
It took a few years, but eventually, after another tense visit, Red Son finally asked his mother what his nainai meant by her comments.
Princess Iron Fan sighed, and softened. “It’s supposed to be an insult towards both of us. Your grandmother never liked me after all.”
“But why would it be an insult?” Red Son asked innocently, tilting his head.
She smiled a little, before picking her son up with ease. “Demon culture is different from what I’m used to in the Heavenly court.” The Princess started to explain. “Demon families have lots of children, and often powerful demons like your father, have more than one wife or concubines.”
“What’s a concubine?” Red Son asked.
His mother hesitated “Like a wife but… Less important.”
“Oh.” The boy frowned. “That seems mean.”
“Yes, it is.” Iron Fan nodded. “That’s why your father agreed to have a concubine or second wife when he married me. Your nainai never liked me, but when she learned her son wouldn’t have any more wives, she started to hate me.”
The boy was still confused. “But why is her calling me a girl an insult?”
Princess Iron Fan frowned. “It’s because demon’s are like humans. They value sons a lot more than daughters. Your nainai wanted a lot of grandchildren, but I only had you. If I didn’t have any kids at all, or did have a daughter, she would have pushed your father for a divorce. But considering you’re a boy there’s nothing she can do. Of course it doesn’t help that…” She hesitated.
Red Son looked at his mother with big, innocent eyes. “It doesn’t help that what? What mama?”
His mother sighed. “You’re not a lot like most demon boys.”
The boy was still confused, though he didn’t mind. Even then, Red Son had almost no attachment to his gender. “Is it cause I don’t have horns like daddy?”
Iron Fan frowned, and slumped over, suddenly looking far more worn than before. “Do you see how your male cousins play outside, climb trees, and run around and get messy all the time?”
Red Son nodded. “Yeah?”
“And how your female cousins stay inside, sew, clean, and gossip?”
Once again he nods. “Yeah I do.”
“Well, you do both, and she doesn’t like that.” Iron Fan explained.
“But why wouldn’t I do both? All of those things are fun!” The boy protested, with a slight pout.
His mother laughed. “You should do both. Even if demons think one is for girls and one is for boys, none of them will dare say anything about it, I promise.”
Instead of reassuring the boy, her statement gives him pause. “Mama, I have a question.”
“What is it, my sweet boy?”
“If I do both girl and boy things, does that mean I’m neither a girl or boy? That I’m something else?” He couldn’t keep the excitement out of his voice.
At such an inquiry, Princess Iron Fan laughs. “Of course not! There’s no such thing. You’re still my little boy, and you’ll always be my little boy, no matter what anyone says.”
“Oh.” Red Son rescinded, far more subdued. Not that his mother noticed.
“Don’t worry about such things, when it comes to gender demons are all quite strict. If your nainai knew how rambunctious I was as a little girl she’d hate me even more. But you don’t need to worry about such adult things.” She ruffled his hair. “Go play with your cousins, mama will be ok.”
Red Son was too young to remember what the rest of the visit was like, but that one moment is crystal clear in his memory. Even now he’s not sure why. Maybe because it was the last time his nainai visited before his mother started to twirl her hair into horns, marking herself as part of the family for good, making it one of the last times she visited at all. Maybe because his mother was just so soft in that moment, something that went away when his father was locked under the mountain.
Or maybe it’s because he’ll never forget the crushing disappointment when he heard his mother say that there was nothing in between boy and girl, that he would always be a boy.
Still, it was something Red Son had mostly pushed into his subconscious, just an offhand comment that Iron Fan probably forgot she made. Honestly Red Son barely even remembered the conversation for most of his life. When his father was locked up he and his mother were put in a terrible position. A lady of the house with no husband, and only one son, marred by being both very effeminate and still quite young.
Red Son still isn’t sure how she kept a hand on their massive empire during such a tumultuous time, but he knows as he got older, things got easier. Iron Fan had started to gain respect and security in her stature, demons started to respect women more, and Red Son was no longer seen as easy pickings.
Still, he always worked hard to impress his mother, to make sure she was cared for and protected. Red Son wasn’t nearly as strong or intimidating as his father, or even his mother really, but to compensate he built his army of bull clones.
Princess Iron Fan was proud of him, even if she couldn’t show it like in the past. His mother couldn’t afford to be warm and loving, at least not in public. Instead long hugs and wide smiles were replaced with slight pats, gifts, and commands to go rest.
Red Son was the same. His hugs, his commands for attention, his childish whining and tugging, all vanished too. Instead it was replaced with making sure the house was taken care of, that dinner was made, and all the chores were done.
Sometimes Red Son did remember his nainai’s old insults, and laughed to himself. Sometimes he really did act like a daughter. Though as long as his estate and family were taken care of, he really didn’t mind.
Then finally, after 500 years, The Demon Bull King was freed from his prison.
And honestly, as overjoyed as Red Son was to have his father back, he was a complete hot mess.
Apparently having a mountain dropped on your head will give you brain damage, even if you are a demon. And having no way to recover, and being isolated for 500 years, will make the damage only worse.
The Demon Bull King had issues after coming back. Anger issues, which wasn’t unexpected, but also memory issues, which were.
It took Red Son and Iron Fan a bit too long to notice. When he came out of the mountain his father seemed confused, and disoriented. His mother warned him this might happen. He also warned Red Son that he might not recognize him at first, not with how long it’s been, and how much he’s grown.
That’s what Red Son assumed was going on when the Demon Bull King took a long look at him, squinting in confusion.
To the annoyance of his mother, Red Son decided to go for the dramatics. “Actually it was I, father!” He started, and kept going and going rambling, saying everything that came to mind, having no idea when to stop.
At least not until his father grinned, a wild look in his eye. “Excellent.”
The rest of the night was so hectic, that honestly, all of them forgot the initial confusion. When they got home. The Bull Demon King was still confused and even more dazed than before, Princess Iron Fan was exhausted, and Red Son was literally filthy.
So he did what he did best; prepared a lavish meal to impress his father and raise all their spirits.
Honestly Red Son wasn’t sure what his father’s tastes were, so he had everything prepared. Spicy barbeque, succulent fruits, sweet breads, an array of tastes to please even the pickiest, with enough food to feed an army.
Surely something here would please the Bull Demon King.
However, that didn’t exactly stop the dinner from being awkward and tense. Red Son’s father kept looking at him and squinting, before staring at the food like he’d never seen any of it before.
Eventually Princess Iron Fan picked up a red bean bun. “You should try these, my love. They’re Red Son’s specialty.” Her smile was soft, and she looked happier than she had in years.
Hesitantly the Bull Demon King plucks one from an oversized dish, and takes a hesitant bite. “It’s…. Sweet.”
Red Son suddenly realized that the last time his father had a meal sugar really wasn’t a thing. Thinking fast, he grabbed a plate of spicy ribs, cooked to perfection. “Here father, these might be more to your liking.”
Instead of calling a servant over, Red Son merely picked the plate up, struggling to keep it balanced, and walking it over to his father. He placed it in front of the king, then bowed nervously, before rushing back to his seat.
He stared at Red Son for a few seconds, before taking another hesitant bite. This time his yellow eyes lit up. “This is delicious.”
The boy beamed at the praise. “Thank you father, I made it myself.”
“It’s very good, daughter.” He praised, taking another bite, much larger this time.
Red Son was taken aback, and Princess Iron Fan froze.
“Did you call our son daughter?” She asked, lowering his chopsticks.
The Demon Bull King lowered his own meal. “I- Son? We have a son?”
“Love, are you ok?” She asked, approaching hesitantly. “I’m Iron Fan, your wife. We married seven centuries ago, and had a son a century later. We started a family together.”
Red Son’s father leaned over and clutched his head. “I am sorry. My memories, they’re fuzzy. All mixed up. I must have gotten confused.”
Princess Iron Fan frowned. “That is… Alright. I am just worried. What do you remember about Red Son?”
His father finally looked up at the boy, and smiled softly. “I remember when you were little, you were such a fussy baby. Everytime we tried to give you a toy you always burned it only minutes later, and laughed. I was the cutest thing in the world.”
Red Son doesn’t remember that well, but it sounds like something he’d do as a kid.
However his father wasn’t done. “When my family came over you always got nervous, and hid behind your mothers dress. At least till your cousins started to play. You always ran off with my nieces first, then when you got bored you went outside with my nephews." The Bull Demon King was getting misty eyed at the story.
“I was worried you forgot him completely.” Princess Iron Fan smiled.
“Son, forgive me.” The king said, his voice worn. “I am just tired.” He stood, his giant chair skidding across the floor.
Red Son wrung out his hands. “Would you like me to bring dinner to your room?”
“No.”
“How about water? Or is there something else you’d like? I can make you anything at all, if you-”
“I’m just tired.” His father interrupted, rubbing his eyes. “Just let me sleep. I’ll join you for breakfast. But I don’t have the energy tonight.” Then he stood and left, limping slightly.
Helplessly, Red Son looked at his mother for comfort, who just sighed. “He’s not angry with you. You might not remember, but your father gets like this when stressed.”
“Is there anything special he’d like for breakfast? I can-”
“Don’t.” His mother commands. “Everything is very new to him. It’s all overwhelming. I know you miss your father, but let him come to you.” She steps closer to Red Son, before placing a kiss on his forehead. “He’ll come to you, he loves you too. Just let him get used to things first.”
Red Son didn’t sleep well that night, too busy tossing and turning and thinking. No matter how he tried to calm his mind, there was too much going on.
His dad was free.
The monkey king had a prodigy, who might try and lock his father up again.
His dad didn’t remember him.
He liked to be called daughter.
Red Son liked to be called daughter.
The boy put that last point on the back burner, but it was still something to take note of. Something to come back to later. After all, he didn’t mind being called son, but he didn’t mind being called daughter either. Both felt the same.
He quickly shook his head. That was a problem for a different day. Right now he needed to be a dutiful son and do everything he could to help his father.
Dutiful daughter?
Ok, maybe that was a problem for sooner rather than later, but it wasn’t one for right this second.
When the sun started to rise the boy decided he’d try taking a nap later, and started to get up. He slipped into the kitchen and prepared a simple, but large meal for his father. Congee, egg crepes, pork buns, and a few leftovers from the night before. All simple and easy on the stomach.
Though mistakenly Red Son thought he had time. His father wouldn’t be up early, he’d probably rest for a long time. So he didn’t rush when setting the table, instead making sure everything was in place, that was completely perfect for his father. Only then, after looking over everything meticulously, was he content to bring food out.
That's when his father walked in, when he was about halfway through with bringing out the food.
Despite his size, he was quite quiet, and Red Son didn’t even know anyone was approaching until the door opened. Even then, he thought it was his mother, and turned to greet her. Only to freeze when he realized who it really was.
“F-father.” He stuttered, before bowing quickly. Would his father want him to bow? It had been a really long time, and Red Son didn’t remember him well.
Though it seems that his father didn’t remember him well either, so the feeling was mutual.
“You’re up early.” He remarks, someone confused almost. “I thought you’d still be in the bed.”
“I thought the same, father.” Red Son responds nervously. “Shouldn’t you still be resting? You just got out. You must be exhausted.”
“I’m actually pretty restless. Couldn’t stay still.”
Suddenly realizing how insensitive he was being, the boy’s face went bright red. “Of course! Forgive me!” He stuttered. “Here, let me get your chair-”
“No, I can get my own chair.” His father raised a hand to stop him.
“Then at least let me get the rest of the food-”
“You brought plenty.” The Bull Demon King retorts, before beckoning to a chair beside him. “Please, daughter, join me. I haven’t had a meal with my child in 500 years. I miss you.” He said with a smile, far more gentle than Red Son knew he was capable of.
Joy welled up in him, and Red Son could barely suppress a beaming smile. “Of course!” The seats at the table were quite large, but he was used to jumping into them at this point, or even using his fire to teleport. It was no issue. “How are you feeling, father?”
He takes a sip of water and thinks. “Sore. And weak. But I’m not in pain.”
“I’m sure you’ll get your strength back soon enough. Would you like me to make protein rich food?” Honestly he had no idea if that would help at all, but the boy wanted to do something to help his father.
The Bull Demon King snorts in amusement. “You love to cook, don’t you?”
“Yes, I do!” He smiled at the praise, a slight blush going over their face. “Is there anything you want me to make?”
The offer was sincere, but his father frowned, shoulders slumping. The mood also switched from lighthearted to heavy.
“Father?” Red Son questions, nervous he did something wrong.
“I’ve forgotten.” Then he sniffled, barely holding back tears. “I’ve forgotten everything about myself.”
Red Son places a hand on his forearm in comfort. “We’ll help you learn. We’ll help you remember.”
This didn’t seem to help, as he just sobbed. “I don’t even remember your name. I don’t remember my own daughter’s name.” He forced out, before letting out another sob.
Red Son was concerned. Not just at the emotion, but because he knows he told his father his name many times the night before.
These memory issues were far more serious than just a little confusion.
“It’s Red Son, father. My name is Red Son. I can tell you as many times as you need to hear it.”
The Bull Demon King snorts. “I forgot how uncreative I am. I should have probably been able to guess that.”
The boy suddenly realizes that his father probably assumes his name is spelt Red S-U-N, not Red S-O-N. For a second he considered saying something, but decided against it.
If anyone asks he’d claim it was because he didn’t want to confuse or upset his father on purpose. But in reality, his reasoning wasn’t that selfless; Red Son just liked to be called daughter.
Though that didn’t mean he didn’t tell his mother about what happened later that day, when he had a chance to talk to her alone. “I’m worried. There's more going on with his memory. What if it gets worse?”
His mother hadn’t said much, instead just listening the entire time with a flat expression, and the occasional nod. “We need to give him some time.”
“You didn’t see how upset he got when he couldn’t remember my name.” Red Son had never seen his father cry before. It was unnerving.
Princess Iron Fan rubs her head. “Did he call you his daughter again?”
The boy hesitates, before nodding. “I didn’t want to cause an issue, so I didn't say anything. I don’t think he knows how my name is actually spelt.”
“That’s the first thing that needs to be corrected.” She growls.
“No, it’s ok, really!” The boy protests.
“Pardon?” His mother raises an eyebrow, and tilts her head.
“I don’t wanna cause any issues. Or stress him out more.” Red Son protested again. He really didn’t want to stop being called daughter.
Admittedly he didn’t want to stop being called son either, but he liked daughter as well.
“It’ll be simple to correct, and if we don’t make a big deal about it I doubt your father will feel too badly.”
“Yes,” The boy stuttered. “But it’s no big deal either. He has enough on his plate, I really don’t see why risking him crying again is worth such a small thing. Besides, he might just remember on his own.”
Princess Iron Fan narrows her eyes. “I will respect your wishes. But I do worry that it might cause more distress for your father in the long run.” Though afterwards she didn’t say a word of disagreement towards either Red Son or his father. Not when the Bull Demon King called him ‘daughter’ nor when Red Son agreed.
A week passed, and while his fathers memory didn’t seem to be worsening, it didn’t seem to be getting better either. Red Son’s father started to remember his name more, but sometimes he still forgot. And each time it happened, the Bull Demon King got more and more distressed. Same thing when he forgot where a room was, and ended up wandering the maze of a manor, often destroying things in frustration.
Red Son got pretty used to repairing bull demon clones.
Eventually his mother suggested bringing in a doctor, something his father eagerly agreed to.
Naturally, Red Son didn’t sit in on the appointment, but he did wait outside, offering the doctor freshly made cookies as he left.
The doctor, an old blue skinned demon with grey hair, smiled as he took them. “You worried about your father?”
“A little.” The boy sheepishly admitted.
“Good lad.” The doctor’s smile widened. “Your fathers condition won’t worsen, so no need to worry.”
The boy sighed in relief. “Are you sure?”
He nodded. “Yes, I am. If other issues arise your parents have my number. Call me if there is any sort of emergency, but your father should be ok.”
Red Son was quite reassured, but when he rushed to his parents room, the mood was significantly more grim. His father was sitting on the bed, hounding his head, and his mother was pacing.
“Father? Mother? What’s wrong? The doctor said father’s memory wouldn’t worsen.” Did he lie?
“It won’t worsen.” Princess Iron Fan mumbled, not looking up from the ground. “But it might not get better either.”
“Oh…” Was all he said, not sure how to respond.
His father then let out a sob. “How am I supposed to protect you, if I can barely remember you?”
“Don’t get upset father! You remember us!” He said, rushing over to his fathers side and laying a comforting hand on his knee.
“I can’t even remember your name. I don’t know my own daughter's name.” He sobbed again. Princess Iron Fan gave him the side eye, but didn’t say anything.
“Well, no, but you remember me anyway.” He stuttered. “You remember what I was like as a baby, all the messes I made. You remember that I like to bake, and you always ask about my hobbies. It’s ok if you don’t remember everything. You know us.” Red Son comforted the best he could.
This seems to help, as the sobs start to preside, though only slightly.
Red Son figured he’d keep going. “I know you wouldn’t know this, but there are a lot of inventions that can help with memory loss. And if we can’t buy it I can make it, I promise.”
He wiped his eyes. “Thank you… My daughter. You’re a good kid.” The Bull Demon claimed, before ruffling his hair.
Later than night, when Red Son was working on some signs to help his father, Princess Iron Fan visited.
“Ah, hello mother. I haven’t made dinner yet, but I’ll be able to right after I finish this.”
She smiled slightly. “Don’t worry, I’ll get it tonight. I just wanted to see how you were doing.”
He hummed, turning off his blowtorch. Hopefully his mother knew what food his father liked, and what he couldn’t eat. Of course he tried to cook for himself, but all of them quickly realized that he’d forget what he was doing halfway through and wander off, making a fire risk.
Red Son needed to make timer knobs for the oven, to automatically turn it off when the time runs out, but that was for later. Right now he needs to finish this.
“I’m just making signs to hang up so father won’t get lost in the halls anymore.” It was quite upsetting to see how frustrated he got after getting lost, and even helping him to where he wanted to go didn’t help.
His father wanted to be self-sufficient, and the boy didn’t blame him.
Princess Iron Fan sighed. “Your father was right, you are a good son.” She placed a cold hand on his shoulder. “Or, you’re a good daughter. Whichever you prefer.” She spoke slowly, almost like she was digging for more information.
“I told you mother,” He said, adjusting the sign on his desk. This one was to mark the living room. “I don’t mind either.”
His mother nodded, seemingly satisfied with this answer. “You seem busy, so I’ll have a servant bring you dinner. Remember to eat at some point tonight.”
He waves her off. “I will, I will.”
She smirks. “Sure. Just remember that I’ll know if you don’t.”
Red Son knew she wouldn’t, but he nodded anyway, and got back to the task.
Making signs was more menial than anything else, so it gave him time to think. To think about all the changes, about his family, and most importantly, about himself.
Ever since he was young Red Son knew he was a weird boy. A bit too feminine, a bit too soft. His parents were pretty lenient on this, with his mother far more used to the more diverse culture of heaven, and his father too happy that Red Son was healthy and safe to care.
The boy knows something happened when he was a young boy that nearly killed him, though he isn’t sure exactly what. Something to do with his powers, probably, or at least that's what he gathered from the few things his mother let slip.
Either way, Red Son was allowed to do whatever he wanted, feminine, masculine, or anything in between. Honestly he never gave much thought to this, not unless someone else brought it up. Even then he was often just annoyed and ignored whatever comments were made. He liked what he liked, and that wouldn’t change.
But maybe there was something deeper to why he always seemed off as a boy. Something more. Red Son had never played around with his gender, but he liked to be called a daughter, and liked it when his father called him a girl.
He still liked being a boy, but maybe those two weren’t mutually exclusive? There didn’t seem to be a good reason why they couldn’t be.
The boy, or maybe girl, would have to do what he did best; experiment.
Early the next morning he rose and placed up all the navigational signs, making sure they were at the perfect height for his father to read. All of them looked quite nice, with large letters. Each was affixed with a light on the top, that would automatically turn on when it got dark, so even at night his father could find his way around.
However, making a sign for every room, and several generic navigation signs fir the halls, left him quite short on materials. So, it was time to go shopping.
Shopping was an errand Red Son always enjoyed, especially when he took his time, but now the boy was outright excited, and didn’t even bother telling his mother he’d be out.
Being one for restraint, he went to the hardware supply first, and picked up supplies. Several pounds of metal, a pair of gloves, gas, a new box of sharpies because he kept losing his, and an oversized welding helmet.
Of course he already had several, but if his father wanted to show interest in his work, then he wanted to keep him safe.
He then delivered the materials right to his workshop, before immediately teleporting back to town. His day wasn’t finished after all.
Admittedly Red Son wasn’t all that familiar with the Megapolis mall, however it was fairly easy to navigate. The bright and cheaper stores were at the entrance, with tacky trinkets and 30$ faded tee shirts. He skipped over all of those and headed to the second floor, where all the nicer shops were. The ones with higher end clothes, with better quality and designer brands, and where the music played significantly quieter.
Gods that music was annoying. How have the staff not torn the speakers off the walls yet? If Red Son worked here he would have done that on his first day.
Not entirely sure where to start, the boy wandered around for a good ten minutes, window shopping, until a mannequin caught his eye. Its clothes were quite simple, a loose denim shirt with a black skirt, heeled boots, and a colorful canvas bag. But it seemed both nice enough for Red Son to comfortably wear, while still being quite casual and comfortable. If that was in the window, then there were probably more clothes similar inside.
The glass door hits a bell as he walks inside, one that rings softly. When the door closes behind him the pop music muffles and quiets, which he has no complaint about. A young woman in a tight uniform and blonde hair tied in a bun looks up from rearranging shirts. “Hello sir. May I help you?”
“Yes, you can.” He says, before pointing to the mannequin. “Where can I find this skirt?”
“Oh! It’s a LeClair, so it’ll be over here. Follow me.” She smiles, before walking to the back left of the store, heels clacking against the linoleum floor.
Red Son had never heard of LeClair before, but the entire corner seemed to be their clothes, at least from the cursive writing on the wall and the few signs propped on tables, all with the word ‘LeClair’ in the same writing.
All of the clothing seemed… Well not exactly drab, but nuted almost, for lack of a better term. All of them neutrals, lots of blacks and pales. Somewhat his style, but he’ll have to mix and match.
Not entirely sure what to do, Red Son just starts grabbing anything that looked good, and that was in his size. By the time he was done there was a decent pile in his arms, almost all skirts and shirts. The boy didn’t really feel like trying any dresses, they just didn’t seem like his style.
Skirts were enough for now.
Well, maybe not.
“You’re familiar with this mall, yes?” He asked the employee as she was ringing up his massive pile of clothes.
She tilted her head in confusion, but nodded. “Yes, familiar enough I think. Are you looking for something?”
“Just a jewelry store. A proper one, with real gold and silver jewelry.” Red Son wouldn't be caught dead in cheap costume jewelry. Besides, it would literally melt if he used his powers.
Well so would metal, but not nearly as quickly. If he was cautious it would be ok.
“Hm. I mean the store on the corner is pretty good. I think. I don’t really shop there myself.” She admits sheepishly, while bagging his items.
The statement made Red Son frown, though it made sense. Those that worked at stores were seldom paid well.
She finished bagging the rest of the items, and sighed. “Is that all sir? Er, Ma’am? I’m sorry, I don’t-”
“Don’t worry about it.” He waved her hand, trying to ignore how his heart fluttered at being called ‘ma’am’. Then he handed over a stack of bills, not bothering to count or even looking at the price. Then the employee taps a few keys on the register, and shuffles the money, pulling several bills out.
“Ok, thank you. Here’s your change.” She tries to hand it back, but again, Red Son waves her off.
“Keep the change. Buy something nice from that jewelry store with it.” However much it was, it would surely be enough.
The woman’s eyes go wide. “Are you sure? Thank you!”
Red Son just takes the bags and leaves, easily hosting them over his shoulder. They’re quite light to him, though would probably weigh down a normal human easily.
At the jewelry store he picks up a few simple necklaces and bracelets, both silver and gold, just so he had options.
The earrings also looked quite tempting, but he didn’t have any piercings, meaning he had to pass. At least for now.
Maybe one day he’d be back for them.
It wasn’t hard to make space for his new clothes in his closet. He did live in a mansion after all, one made for his father’s size. His closet wasn’t really a closet, more a second suit attached to his room, with clothes all the way up the towering walls. Even with 500 years of clothes, it wasn’t so much as halfway full. Despite getting maybe a full wardrobe of skirts, adding them to the massive closet didn’t even make it look any more full than before. The boy was half tempted to put on some jewelry, but he felt that would make him a little too feminine.
Then he changes, replacing his usual jeans with a black skirt, his turtleneck with a tight, white shirt, and his shoes with white sneakers. Looking in the mirror, he smiled.
He looked nice. Pretty, but the sharpness of his hair and more masculine features added a bit of ambiguity to his appearance, something that he didn’t realize he was missing.
Honestly he lingered in the mirror a lot longer than usual, taking in his own appearance.
He was beautiful. Handsome. Gorgeous. Modest. Lovely.
He was everything he always wanted to be, and only now just realized it.
Of course Red Son had long missed breakfast, and the family really didn’t have another meal until dinner, so it took a few hours for his parents to see his new clothes. By that time Red Son found himself immensely grateful that his skirt was black, or it would have several new stains from his work.
When he walked in the Bull Demon King noticed his clothes first, and beamed. “Red Sun! You look wonderful. I love the outfit.”
This caused Princess Iron Fan to whip her head around, and her eyes to go wide in shock.
Red Son ignores this. “Thank you father. Have you seen the new signs? I’m not entirely finished, but-”
“They’re very helpful, daughter.” He says quietly.
“I haven’t finished, and I plan to get several more aids as well-”
“You’ve done plenty daughter. Don’t strain yourself.” His father interrupts, which earns a slight chuckle from the boy.
Princess Iron Fan seems to return to herself at this point, with only a little shock. “Yes, Red Son tends to push himself, my love. But when h-she gets an idea in… Her mind nothing will stop our… Daughter.” The words seem a little awkward on her tongue, but they strike something in his heart.
She.
Her.
Daughter.
She. Her. Daughter. She. Her. Daughter. She. Her. Daughter. She. Her. Daughter. She. Her. Daughter. She. Her. Daughter. She. Her. Daughter. She. Her-
It was just nice.
It was a lot more than just nice
“We all saw what the doctor said about accommodations.” He… She? Hummed, before placing a hand on her… His? Father’s arm. “We’re all happy to have you back home, father. I missed you.”
The meal is nice, however the second it’s over, Red Son’s mother pulls him to the side to talk alone.
“Red Son, what are you doing?” She asks, not unkindly. “I’m worried.”
“I’m not doing anything mother.” He reassures, or at least tries to.
She seems unconvinced. “I know it’s been hard with your father back, and with his memories. You’ve been doing really well, and I’m proud of you. But you don’t have to change yourself to him. He’s not trying to pressure you to be a girl, he just doesn’t know.”
“Father isn’t pressuring me to do anything.” Red Son insists.
“You say that, but then you wear this.” She beckons at his clothes. “You’ve never worn a skirt before, and it’s only after your father started to get confused.”
“That’s only because I didn’t think of it before.” Red Son sighs. “But I’m doing this because I want to, not because of father. I wanted to try on skirts, I wanted to try and be more feminine. Nothing more, nothing less.”
This seems to satisfy his mother, who sighs, and softens. “Alright. I just want to make sure.” Then she chuckles. “Really I shouldn’t have been that surprised, should I? You’ve always been this way, haven’t you?”
Red Son didn’t really know what she meant, but nodded anyway, and took the opportunity to take his leave, not one for confrontation.
That night Red Son decided to test a few things, to get his thoughts together.
He took an old piece of paper and listed every pronoun he could think of.
He. She. They. It. Ta.
There were neo pronouns too, pronouns that were completely invented. They seemed very fun, and felt like a power move almost, but none of them interested Red Son, so he kept them off the list.
Then the boy tried each of them out. Looked in the mirror as he said them. Saw how they felt when they rolled off the tongue. Used them in a sentence. Several sentences. Tried them paired with his name.
By the end of the night he knew exactly how he felt about each of them.
He - Yes, 100%
She - Also a yes
They - Nope, not at all. Just didn’t like it.
It - Ok, but not preferred.
Ta - Ok enough, but old fashioned, so no
It was nice to know exactly who she was, to have something just click so perfectly.
It was a feeling he wanted to chase.
Afterwards Red Son starts to play with his fashion more, mixing feminine and masculine stuff. A nice mix of both, just enough to confuse people who passed on the street, even if it was for only a few seconds. Still, everytime it happened, it made her smile.
For a while, things seemed to be looking up. Though slowly, his fathers memory was improving, and all the aids Red Son got worked wonders. She was starting to feel more comfortable, and even his mother seemed to be doing a lot better than before, with a lot less weight on her shoulders. Even that noodle boy seemed to have no intentions of retaliating against his father, making all of them breathe easier.
Then his father got possessed. That demoness, that bitch , took advantage of him, a man who was still confused and forgetting, who wouldn’t notice he was changing as she slowly crept in, who wouldn’t notice something was wrong.
It was sickening, and made everything so much worse.
The second the Bull Demon King was freed Princess Iron Fan whisked him to their manor, Red Son not far behind.
Immediately he fell ill. Terribly ill. So sick neither his wife nor daughter were sure he was going to make it.
They called the doctor, who rushed over and helped the best he could, but there was only so much he could do, even with his magic.
The Bull Demon King survived, but it wasn’t clean or pretty. With a frown the doctor informed them that “He’ll physically be ok, but his memory issues are almost certainly going to get worse.”
“You said that wasn’t going to happen.” Princess Iron Fan scolded, fighting tears.
The doctor remained calm. “That was before he was possessed, and fell deathly ill.” He offered a handkerchief. “Your husband is a fighter. A weaker man wouldn’t even be alive, but he is, and he’s going to physically recover.”
Red Son purses his lips. “What else can help? The aids you suggested last time were very useful, what else can help?”
“I’ll make a list and send it over, miss.” He told her, as he packed up his bags. “But just let him rest for a few days before introducing anything new. He’s going to be confused and stressed. Just be kind.”
For once Red Son didn’t even notice being called miss, as he was far too worried about his father, who spent the last three days tossing and turning in a delirious haze, not even conscious.
“Son… Red Son… Where is my child.” He forced out weakly on the fourth day. Immediately the girl ran to his side.
“I’m here father, I’m here, Would you like me to get mother?” He said, barely holding back panic as he rushed to his father’s side.
The Bull Demon King scoops him up. “My baby… My child was hurt. Where is she? She was hurt.”
“I’m here father, I’m here.” Red Son reassures, adjusting herself to wrap her arms around his father’s head. “It’s me, Red Son, your child. It’s me. I’m not hurt at all, father. I’m not. I’m right here.”
“But… You were so scared. You looked so scared.” He clutches his head and squeezes his eyes shut. “Wait- I can’t- What happened? Why were you so scared? Why was my wife- PRINCESS IRON FAN!” He blurted out, jerking up, before hissing in pain.
“Father! Please, lay down, I’ll go get mother. She’s alright too, neither of us were harmed. Just lay down. You’re very sick.” It takes a few moments to coax him to lie back down, and immediately Red Son rushed to his parent’s bedroom. His mother had been by his side almost entirely for the last three days, and desperately needed rest. Red Son almost felt bad shaking her awake, but his father needed her.
“He’s awake, and confused.” Red Son said. Princess Iron Fan’s eyes go wide. She jumps off the bed, throws on a robe, and rushes out the door. The boy rushes behind.
“Father seems to think we were hurt, though I don’t think he remembers much else.” He explains, slightly out of breath from all the running.
Iron Fan doesn’t answer, instead slamming the door open, rushing to her husband's side. “My love!”
“Iron Fan!” The Bull Demon King’s eyes go wide. “You’re safe! I thought you were hurt! I thought I hurt you.”
“You did nothing of the sort my love.” She says softly, smiling, before embracing her husband. “You fought her as long as you could, you didn’t know what was going on. It wasn’t your fault. We’re ok.”
He hesitates. “Fought who? What happened? You two were so scared. You two were terrified. You were scared of me. What happened?”
Princess Iron Fan speaks very carefully. “There was a demoness that tried to hurt us, but she didn’t. We’re ok, but you fell very sick.”
Seemingly satisfied, he cradles her to his chest. “And our daughter? She was there too. Where is she?”
Red Son and Princess Iron Fan shared a nervous expression, before he stepped forward. “I’m right here father.”
“Ah! Red Sun! Were you with your mother? Did you get hurt too?” He smiled, but Red Son furrows her brows.
This might be worse than he feared.
At least this time the family was prepared. As soon as the Bull Demon King woke up, and they knew he’d pull through, Red Son started getting even more memory aids. Custom made vocal assists put in each public room. Knobs on the oven. Trackers put on everything that was important and could also be lost. There were others, but more importantly, a memory book for him to carry around.
The Bull Demon King didn’t seem to remember that he couldn’t remember, or what had happened before at all. Sometimes he asked about Wukong, worried he’d come back later, that he’d get revenge. Red Son tried to explain several times, but he never seemed to get it.
At least not until Red Son wrote ‘Wukong no longer wants revenge-Had a son, doesn’t care anymore. Son is cool with us.’ In his memory book.
Not exactly the truth, but close enough.
Red Son also made a few notes about herself in his father’s memory journal, just to avoid confusion.
‘Red Son-He/she-Your only child. Both your daughter and son. Loves to cook and engineering-Loves you-Is happy you’re back’
Sometimes he sees his father flip to her page and smile.
Yeah, the sudden regression in memory was hard for all of them, but they were together. His family was together, the Lady Bone Demon was gone, and Wukong didn’t want revenge. They didn’t have enemies, they were going to be ok.
Except, like always, the world had different plans.
First, Red Son decided that he and his father could have some father-son bonding by running a food truck for the New Year’s festivals. She liked to cook, and his father loved barbeque, so it seemed like a good idea at the time.
It was not a good idea.
The first thing that went wrong was that their spices were far more suited to demons than they were humans. Of course Red Son believed that as long as he marked the spice levels accordingly, then humans would only buy the level they could actually handle, and if they didn’t like spice, they’d go to one of the hundred other food carts in the area.
She failed to account for the fact that humans were extremely stupid, and would order something ‘very hot’ even if they didn’t like spice at all, just because it was the lowest setting.
Then his father started to get overwhelmed. Red Son thought keeping him behind the grill would keep him calm and happy, but even then it was all too much, and he started to get snappy.
Of course Red Son was going to offer to go home, but then they were attacked by the Spider Queen, and his father was captured.
Red Son would have loved to have stayed and helped, to free his father there and then, but she isn’t stupid. His father was captured in seconds, and Red Son was not his father. She could barely fight off a single spider robot.
“I’m coming back for you.” The boy called, before fleeing.
He didn’t get very far before getting shot out of the sky, but she got far enough. Landing on the boat the monkie kid didn’t seem like a blessing at the time, but it turns out for a group of heroes, they were all too willing to break into and subsequently rob heaven.
They were also shockingly good at robbing heaven. Or more accurately Heaven had absolutely awful security. Either way, they got all the supplies they needed in less than an hour, letting Red Son brew the cure, save his father, and subsequently the entire city.
With the hiccup of getting captured of course, but it all ended debatably well.
Of course that didn’t mean that the Bull Demon King wasn’t absolutely, 100% done with the human world. Nor did it mean that Red Son ever wanted to see MK and his friends again.
Not because she disliked them, they were actually quite fun. However, wherever they went, chaos seemed to follow. And Red Son had enough of him or his family being in danger.
Though the universe has never given two shits about what Red Son wanted before, so why would it start now?
MK and his gang randomly got stranded by his manor. Don’t ask Red Son how they got stranded, she has absolutely no clue. There was no vehicle, no method of transportation, and no supplies. They were also hundreds of miles away from any human civilizations. Not an issue for the Demon Bull family, as two of them could teleport, but very much a problem for humans.
Nor was Red Son sure why they were in the middle of the desert either, and when he eventually drags them back and asks, she wishes she hadn’t.
They wanted the Samadhi fire. An extremely deadly and uncontrollable power that they could have literally no good reason for getting.
But apparently they did have a reason, as the Lady Bone Demon was out there, stronger than ever, and with a physical form now.
Though then Red Son’s parents joined for a meal, and revealed something even more disturbing; He was responsible for the creation of the Samadhi fire. She made it, and it had to be stripped away, lest it kill them all.
But Red Son couldn’t even wrap his head around the implications of all of that, before she had to set up a guest room for the three members of MK’s group. Then MK asked for milk and a blanket, and when she returned, none of them were anywhere to be seen.
When he found them they were snooping around, trying to get into her garage.
Red Son doesn’t remember what happened after that, but when she woke up, his car was missing and the three of them were gone. Apparently they also had his father’s ring of Samadhi fire, and who knows how long it would take them to find the rest?
Needless to say, it was a very weird three hours. But there wasn’t time to dwell on that.
There wasn’t time to wait for the next horrible thing to catch up to her family, to make his father sick, to strike at his mother’s heart. Trying to stay out of what was going on, whatever it was, wasn’t an option any more.
Maybe the Lady Bone Demon would strike again, or the gang would lose control of the fire. Either way, Red Son needed to be there. Either to stop them, or if that wasn’t possible, then to help them remain in control.
After all, he was the only one of them who was completely immune to fire, the only one who knew how to control it.
As soon as making sure his parents were unharmed, she packed a bag, and followed the trail those three left behind, hoping to catch up before it was too late.
But of course, when did things ever work out for him? When did things ever go smoothly? When were things ever easy?
Not only was he far too late, but the Lady Bone Demon was already on the attack, freezing whole cities and almost anything she could find.
She’s not entirely sure what happened back at home. But at some point on the seventh day, both his mother and father stopped answering his calls. Stopped responding to his text. They talked every night, both of her parents worried sick, though they wouldn’t show it. Then absolutely nothing.
It didn’t take a genius to figure out what happened, and Red Son being a genius, barely took a second to connect the dots.
His parents were frozen. A fate that met thousands, millions of mortals, also met his parents. They succumbed to the Lady Bone demon, frozen solid, waiting.
Either waiting to meet their doom, or waiting to be rescued.
Red Son was going to make damn sure it would be the ladder.
But of course, she didn’t get to the group in time to stop them. She was only there to see someone fly off in a literal blaze of glory, before landing by a secluded temple, the flames still alight
Hopefully the others were still alive, but either way, Red Son had other concerns. Mainly keeping whoever had the fire now, most likely her uncle, from destroying the world.
Though when she finally arrived the boy realized that surprisingly enough, the horse girl is the one with the fire now. For a mortal she was doing shockingly well in keeping herself under control. And if she was still alive and not burnt to a crisp, then all the others were probably ok too.
Or at least mostly ok.
Fire was still fire after all.
“Dragon horse girl!” He called after tossing her her stuffed animal, and striking a very dramatic pose. “Looks like you could use some fire training!”
Both his presence and attitude seemed to confuse her enough to calm her down, which let Red Son step in and explain things. “I’m here to help you.”
“How? How can you help me? I’m going to hurt you.” She sniffled, hugging herself and shaking.
He laughed. “Please, fire can’t hurt me, especially not my own fire. And I can help you control it. It’s not easy, but It’s possible.” She lit a spark to show Mei what he was talking about. “I do it every day now. There’s no one in this world more equipped to help you.”
Mei sniffled again. “And I won’t hurt you? You promise?”
He places a hand on her shoulder. “You couldn’t if you tried.”
Surprisingly, the dragon girl calmed down quickly. Her cheerful demeanor, as annoying as it could be, was actually quite useful. Not only did it keep her calm, but it also kept Red Son calm as well. Even he knew how bad his temper could be sometimes. Having someone like Mei around helped.
It was also a reassurance that everyone else was ok. Because if they were dead or hurt, she wouldn’t be nearly as calm.
However the first concern wasn’t training Mei, it was getting her fed and getting her some non-burnt clothes.
Luckily, there were plenty of fruit trees around, so as soon as she got Mei situated at the temple he grabbed a random bowl and filled it to the brim, before shoving it in the girl's arms. “Here, eat.”
Mei looked at it, and frowned. “I’m not really hungry.”
Red Son rolled her eyes. “Trust me, you are. Fire takes a lot of energy, so eat up.”
The second she took a bite her eyes went wide, and she started shoving the fruit into her mouth, scoffing it up. Naturally it wasn’t the most dignified scene, but he chose not to say anything considering the circumstances.
Instead the boy ruffled through his small suitcase and picked out a plain outfit of a long skirt and t-shirt that would hopefully fit. Mei was a little shorter and wider than him, but not by much, so it would probably work well enough.
“Here.” She says, tossing the girl a towel, then the clothes. “Clean yourself up and get changed. I don’t have any clothes for you, so you’re going to have to share mine.”
She ruffled through the pile, held up a skirt, and raised an eyebrow. “This is yours?”
Red Son stutters, suddenly remembering that humans had the same hiccups about gender as most demons did, and a man, or at least what seemed to be a man, wearing a skirt wasn’t proper. “Yes, I- Yes it’s mine.”
Then, surprisingly enough, she smiled. “Nice! You have good taste.”
She sighed in relief. “Thank you. If it fits you can keep it.”
“Aw! You’re a secret softy under all that sharpness, aren’t you!” She teases.
Red Son blushes even harder. “S-Shut up!”
After the meal and getting changed, Mei is, unsurprisingly, exhausted. She doesn’t say anything, but it's clear anyway. With how she’s slumped over, and the circles under her eyes.
Seeing this, the boy softens. She was holding herself very well, but Mei had been through alot. “Training can start tomorrow. For now let's get some rest. Do you want a blanket, or are you hot from the Samadhi fire?”
“A blanket, please.” She yawns, holding her hand in front of her mouth.
Red Son has to guide her to the internal room of the temple, with Mei leaning on her all the way. She has to help her lie down, as she was already half asleep. Then he tucks her under the single, thin blanket, and stands to leave. Only to be stopped by a weak grip on his jeans.
“Don’t go… Please.”
Red Son sighs. “You're going to be more trouble than you’re worth, aren’t you?” She complains, but lies down anyway, under the blanket. It’s quite small, so she snuggles right beside Mei, taking in all the warmth, and starting to doze off himself.
When did he get so tired?
When Red Son finally woke up Mei was playing with his hair. This was so surprising that he instinctively jerked away and hissed. “What are you doing?”
“Relax Red Boy, I was just trying to get the knots out. Your hair is a mess.”
“While I was asleep?” He snaps, rubbing her head.
Mei shrugs. “Well I had already gotten breakfast, and you were dead to the world, so I thought I’d try to help! Besides, when's the last time you’ve brushed this out? Or got any sleep?”
“I’ve been busy trying to chase you.” Red Son grumbled, not wanting to admit that he’s gotten maybe 12 hours of sleep in the past seven days, and pretty much any other forms of self care went immediately out the window.
“Well you don’t have to chase us anymore, so here.” Mei pushed her back on the blanket. “Let me braid your hair.”
“Braid it?” Red Son questions. For all of her experimenting, she didn’t mess with her hair that much. He didn’t want to cut it, and the only styles she was familiar with were older, traditional styles that required several feet of hair to do properly, so he just didn’t mess with it.
Mei doesn’t seem to notice, and just nods. “Yeah, it’ll keep it from getting tangled up again, especially during training.” She says, before doing… Something with his hair, trying it back.
The weight of it on his neck felt rather odd, but not strictly uncomfortable.
“How's that, red boy?” Mei teased.
“It’s Red Son.” He grumbled, though only halfheartedly. “And I’d have to see it first before I make my decisions. Do you have a mirror?”
Mei did not, so Red Son had to use a nearby stream to see her own reflection.
Honestly it looked quite nice. She’d have to wear her hair down more often.
However Red Son wasn’t there to have his hair played with. No, he was there to train Mei, help her hone her powers, and control them. He was there to help her save the world rather than destroy it.
It wasn’t exactly easy. Mei was… Stubborn, self assured, hot tempered, and very easily distracted. Coaching her was not easy. However, she was also easygoing, and quickly calmed down after a minute or two of getting upset, which helped a lot with keeping her powers in check.
Once she knew what was going on and realized she couldn’t hurt anyone, as Red Son was immune to fire, she calmed down remarkably well.
But even then, things couldn’t be easy.
MK arrived to try and find Mei. Right on his heels, was the Lady Bone Demon.
And Wukong as well, who was apparently possessed, because again, things could literally never be simple, nor easy.
Red Son tried to yell a warning, to tell the other two to flee, but it’s for naught. One punch from Wukong sends her straight into the temple walls. By the time she can pull herself back up, Wukong is gone, and he’d gotten Mei.
Naturally Red Son was approximately 7000% done with the world and all its bullshit, and was honestly starting to consider if the Lady Bone Demon had a point, because she really never wanted to deal with any of this ever again, and couldn’t catch a Goddamn break.
But MK was somehow even more positive and upbeat than Mei was, and was convinced that if they acted fast enough, they could still manage to save the world.
Not really sure what else to do, she tentatively agreed.
Then was immediately flung into the sky by MK, who transformed into a bird and caught him before he could plunge to his death.
The rescue was appreciated, but give a guy some warning next time.
He took Red Son to a hide out of some sort, an odd library, where the rest of his friends were. Friends who seemed to share her completely logical opinion that they were completely fucked.
At least until someone literally stepped out of his shadow to offer assistance.
Apparently the stranger, who looked like Sun Wukong only even more emo, was called Macaque. Apparently he was a skilled fighter, and apparently he also brought a gift in the form of the Lady Bone Demon’s right hand man.
And Red Son thought he had a complicated relationship with MK.
Though with all of them together they finally came up with a plan. That is if Red Son wildly stretched the definition of ‘plan’ to include ‘kinda knowing what the end goal is.’
So no, they didn’t really have a plan, but they had fighters now. Someone to counter Wukong, letting them get close to the Lady Bone Demon. She was magically powerful, but not a fighter.
But more importantly, it would let Red Son get to Mei.
He didn’t know exactly what he was going to do, but Mei was powerful, determined, and extraordinarily stubborn. Clearly she had managed to keep a hold of her power, or the world would be destroyed already.
If Red Son could just manage to see what state she was in, what prison she was in, he might be able to help free her.
The group found her quickly. She was encased in some sort of gem prison, power slowly being drained. Clearly she was still fighting, as a steady stream of fire was flaring out of the prison. It would be impossible for any mortal to get close.
Luckily they had Red Son, who jumped into the fire without hesitation.
Though even for him it was uncomfortably hot. How hot was it for Mei? Was she burning up from the inside? How much longer did she have? Maybe days, maybe hours, maybe only minutes.
She plunged her hands into the crystal prison, feeling the walls shatter beneath his hands. She tore, punched, scratched, anything to strip the prison away. Anyway to free Mei.
And it worked. The crystal chipped away into nothingness, only to reveal a new prison.
Mei herself.
Somehow the girl used the Samadhi fire to go into a trance like state, where nothing could get to her. Both physically and mentally.
“Go!” Red Son called to the others on the ground below, shielding herself with her arms. “I’ll get through to her.” He promised, even as the embers scorched his skin and clothes. “Somehow.”
Mei’s flesh burned. It was as if her skin was made of lava, not flesh. Yet as Red Son placed his hands on her cheeks, he could feel her breathing. Mei was still there.
“DON’T YOU GIVE UP ON MY DRAGON GIRL!” He screams, praying to be heard over the flames, to be loud enough to reach her. “The Samadhi fire is not her power.” She digs her fingers into Mei’s skin, leaving indents. “It’s yours!”
There’s a shift in Mei’s breathing. So slight, Red Son barely noticed. But it was there.
She could hear him.
“Bend it to your will.” Red Son’s own flames started to rise, wrapping around both of them.
“Don’t use the flame Mei.” Her own fire starts to tangle in his, exactly like a braid.
“Be the flame.” He goes to say, but the words echo in the air instead. The fire of Samadhi shifts to green, overpowering his own flame, which Red Son lets drop. There's no reason to have it up anymore.
Mei won.
She blinks her eyes for a few seconds, then smiles. “Hey Red Boy. Took you long enough. I was starting to get bored.”
Red Son laughs, and wraps her arms around Mei’s waist. “Hold on, let's get you out of here.” The mortal girl holds on tight, and the demon teleports away, glad for the opportunity to get the fuck away from that prison.
Though the second they land, Mei tears away, wielding her own powers. “I need to get back to MK.”
“I’ll be right behind you.” Red Son promises, only waiting long enough to make sure Mei actually teleported correctly, before following her, into MK’s giant golden mech.
Against all odds, logic, and reasonable expectations, they win.
The Lady Bone Demon is defeated, the ice shattered, and her soul fades into the afterlife, never to be a threat again.
Even after it's all over, when the sky lightens back to its usual blue, and the golden mech slowly dissolves, it's all still hard to believe. Maybe it’s exhaustion, or maybe it’s shock, but everything feels blurry, and unreal. Like a dream.
Like a nightmare.
“Red Son?” MK Questions, placing a hand on her shoulder. Then, after noticing how unsteady the demon was, grabbing his elbow.
“I need to call my parents.” He mumbles, vision blurring, hands groping the air for something, anything, to support her weight.
Someone sits him on the ground.
“I have a phone you can borrow.” Sandy offers earnestly, gently handing something over. The metal is cold, almost jarringly so.
Red Son wraps the phone in a fist for a few seconds, revealing the chill, before finally dialing his mother’s number.
She picks up on the first ring. “Is this Red Son?” She demands. To anyone else Princess Iron Fan would sound completely calm. To Red Son she sounded borderline hysterical.
“Mother-” She starts, but is quickly cut off by a sob from the other side.
“You’re ok! We were so worried. We felt your power, we felt you ask for some of ours.”
Honestly Red Son couldn’t identify any one power when it all blended together. He was a catalyst for all of it, guiding the hopes of the world and magic of anyone able to give it into MK, letting him wield it.
Needless to say it was impossible to pinpoint anyone's power. But Red Son was one of only about six or so, his own magic would be much more defined as it washed over the world. Of course his parents would recognize it immediately.
“I’m alright mother.” Red Son mumbled.
“You sound weak. Are you injured at all?”
“Just… A little tired.”
Princess Iron Fan hums. “Your father is here. He forgot you left.”
That was hardly surprising. “Hello father. I’m ok.”
“DAUGHTER!” The voice screeches from the other end of the line, loud enough to hurt his ears, and for the others around to hear. Red Son has to yank the phone away.
Mei raises an eyebrow, and MK looks at him in confusion.
Red Son ignores them. “Hello father. I’m glad to hear from you. Do you remember what happened?”
“You weren’t here. We were attacked, and I didn’t know where you were, and now we’re free, but you’re not here. Were you attacked? Where are you? I’ll get Iron Fan to pick you up.” His words are rushed and incoherent, obviously in a panic.
Red Son feels a pang of guilt. Did the time in the ice make his memory worse? Or was it just the panic? She really didn’t want to worry his parents, and especially didn’t want to cause his father any more stress. It was the last thing he needed.
“I don’t actually know.” He confessed. “But don’t worry. I just need some rest and I’ll be able to get back on my own.”
“Daughter…” The Bull Demon King sniffles softly.
Red Son wraps his arms around himself at the sound. “I’m not alone, father. I’m in good hands, with MK and his father, and that dragon girl I told you about. Do you remember?”
She can hear paper ruffling from the other side of the phone. “MK? That powerful boy that helped save you when I was possessed?”
“Yes, he helped free you.” Red Son nodded in confirmation. “And he just helped defeat the Lady Bone Demon. She’s gone now.”
“And you’re safe?” The Demon Bull King asked.
“I’m safe, I promise.” She said, before yawning.
His father hands the phone back to his mother, who is unsurprisingly, significantly more calm. “Red Son, we’re proud of you.”
The rudeness of the statement takes him aback slightly. “Oh, um, you are? I mean, thank you.”
“Yes, we’re proud. And when you get back we’re going to celebrate. Whatever you want, we'll do it. Please, just don’t take too long.”
“I won’t.” He sniffles, wiping his eyes. “I’ll be back as soon as I’m able. I’m just too tired to teleport right now, but I’ll be home soon, I swear.”
“We love you.” His mother said, before ending the call.
Red Son takes a deep breath.
Mei immediately jumps to his side. “Hey, why did your dad call you daughter?”
Red Son jumped back, her face going bright red. “Excuse me?”
MK also seemed curious. “Yeah, that was weird.”
“I-” He stutters, posing nervously and jumping around. She never really expected to have to explain her gender situation to anyone. Hell, he never even really explained it to his parents, just kinda confused them into using both pronouns. Red Son had no idea how mortals would react.
A deep laugh from behind him makes the demon jump up, until she recognizes it as Macaque, and relaxes slightly.
“Oh kids, so adorable.” He chucks, grinning viciously.
Red Son makes a face, but says nothing as Macaque steps in front of him, and continues explaining. “Demon genders are very different and more complex than human genders.”
The younger demon blinks.
Did… Did Macaque just lie for him? Why would he do that?
“Oh that makes sense!” Mei smiles. “What’s the difference?”
Macaque patronizingly pats her on the head. “It would take hours to explain. Besides, I think the whole thing is a little silly. Now if you’ll excuse me…” He took a step back, and vanished into Red Son’s shadow.
The girl doesn’t think she’ll ever get used to that, but maybe Macaque wasn’t nearly as shady as he thought.
No, scratch that, he was definitely shady, but maybe not untrustworthy if he was willing to lie so quickly for someone he didn’t even know.
… Actually that probably did mean he was untrustworthy. He came up with a lie pretty damn quick. But at least he probably wasn’t evil?
Still, Red Son isn’t about to let this position go to waste. So she crosses his arms and sighs. “Macaque is quite correct. I am both male and female, both a daughter and a son.”
“Oh! So that’s why your dad called you Son during the new year’s festival.” MK noted, hand on chin in thought.
Mei grinned mysteriously. “So… I can call you Red girl now?”
Something fluttered in his chest at being called girl, making a blush rise to his face. “It’s Red Son!” He protested lightheartedly.
The other girl laughs, and even MK chuckles. “Ok, come on Red Girl , Pigsy’s almost done with dinner, and I’m starving.”
Honestly, Red Son didn’t even realize how hungry he was till the pig demon poured him a huge bowl of noodles, and she took a bite.
Almost immediately he dug in, practically scarfing down the noodles. For once Mei wasn’t making fun of him, because she was far too distracted with her own food. Red Son wouldn’t be surprised if she was more hungry than him after using so much fire.
No one was really that talkative during dinner. After everything that had happened, all the running around and fighting, it was no surprise they were all content just to sit together and eat. Even if everyone was a little more affectionate than normal. Tang was snuggling with Pigsy, the little girl huddled beside Sandy, and Mei wrapped her arm around his shoulders.
By the time the food was finished, all of them were exhausted, and the sun was going down.
“I don’t think anyone’s up for traveling tonight.” Sandy noted quietly, raising up one hand daintily, but not moving anything else at all. The little girl had fallen sound asleep beside him, curled up in a ball, looking absolutely tiny. “The van should have enough room for all of us, but we’re a little low on blankets and pillows.”
“That won’t be a problem for me, I can generate my own heat.” Red Son said, a little proudly. “And I believe Macaque left us as well. So only Nezha and her need blankets.” He beckoned towards the sleeping girl as he spoke.
“MK and I can share!” Mei offered, which took the demon aback slightly, but only slightly. Sure, Mei had shared a bed with him without issue for the past week or so, but would MK’s father really allow that?
Apparently yes, because Pigsy just nodded and yawned. “That’s fine. Tang and I can share as well. We should have enough then.”
Sandy nodded, before gently cradling the little girl. “Let me get Bai He situated first. Poor thing is exhausted.”
Oh, so that was her name.
Red Son should have probably asked at some point, but she was a little too exhausted to care.
Once Sandy stepped back out and gave them the thumbs up, the rest of the group stumbled like zombie’s into the van.
Immediately Mei grabbed him and started leading his up to the second floor. “Here, I have the perfect spot for you Red Son.”
She just nodded tiredly, letting herself be led away into a much smaller, yet more private level of the car.
MK was already snuggled against the wall in a makeshift nest of blankets, half asleep.
Mei pushed him a little forward. “Go on, snuggle in.”
“What?” Red Son questioned. “But there’s not much space? I really don’t mind sleeping on my own. I won’t get cold.”
The girl just rolls her eyes, giving him one more gentle nudge. “Yeah, but the ground isn’t comfortable.”
“I really don’t mind.” MK mumbled sleepily, not even opening his eyes.
Red Son thinks he should probably put up a little more protest, but she was utterly exhausted, and the bed looked so comfy. With a sigh he walked over plopped down, and snuggled into the blankets.
A few seconds later Mei snuggles right beside him, her weight comforting and familiar.
Then MK wraps his arm around her slender form. “You’re warm.” The Monkie Kid giggles.
Red Son rolls his eyes. “And you’re delerious.”
“Go to bed you two.” Mei yawned, readjusting slightly, before sighing. “I’m so tired. Goodnight Monkie Man. Goodnight Red Boy-Girl.” She mumbled, then closed her eyes.
Sleeping in an old creaky van felt weird. Sleeping on the floor instead of a bed felt weird. And sleeping squeezed between two friends also felt odd.
But it wasn’t a bad odd in any way. It felt like it fit, like when her father first called her daughter. It was change, but change could be good, and seemed to be serving him well as of late.
Content, comfortable, and warm in the arms of his friends, Red Son finally closed his own eyes, letting herself doze off, completely at peace for the first time in a long time.