Work Text:
Red Son was at home, lounging around in his bedroom, laughing with MK and Mei. MK had practically insisted on them watching Monkie cop. One of his favourite movies, cus of course it was. They were enjoying their collection of snacks, discussing the movie, Red Son made it very clear he found it 'distasteful'. They played games together, competitively racing each other in mariokart as they yelled jokingly at each other when one of them got hit by a shell. Red Son cackling manically as he passed Mei and reached the finish line before her as MK chuckled about their banter and playful digs at each other.
He had only closed his eyes for a second, enjoying the peace of the moment. Suddenly, the whole fortress was on fire. The sands around it carrying some of the flames, leaving scorch marks on the grains. Sections of the huge building collapsing as the fire devoured it.
As Red Son stood just out of its reach, he noticed it looked like it had been abandoned for years now. Appearing desolate and decaying as the vines that swirled up the sides of the building turned to ash. Red Son could hear screams echoing out over the sound of the flames, that engulfed the burning palace that he once called 'home'. His clothes were torn, frayed... burnt at the edges. Dark blood coating his hands and parts of his clothes. Soaking around his sleeves and legs. It was caked onto the fabric due to the immense heat of the fire, that consumed the palace and sands around it. In the distance, he noticed that people were trying to escape the inferno of flames that he'd created, their skin almost melting away at the fire that licked harshly at their flesh, revealing the muscle tissue and bone underneath, staining all of it a dark ashy colour as their blood pooled out from their wounds.
They stared up at him with widened eyes, screaming out their pleas for help..
For anything,
For anyone to save them-
But he just stood there. Frozen in horror, despite the almost unbearable heat of the flames that surrounded him.
...He could smell them..
The vile smell of burning flesh and hair assulting his nose, making his every breath painful and his face scrunch up in disgust. His lungs writhing in agony at each stuttered inhale he took, as the scent wafted through the air around him. Almost tauntingly. Their cries and pleas to be saved growing louder and louder, until..
silence
Other than the crackle of the seemingly infinite and unstopable samadhi fire, there was nothing.
No screams.
No birds.
No wind.
No sun.
Just the darkness of night and the oppressive glow of the samadhi fire, as it ate away at his family's home, and all the people that were inside...
He was alone.
Just Red Son and the raging inferno he'd created. And as horrified as he was at what he'd created, at what he'd done...He felt almost... empty
Numb.
He had the unrelenting urge to just walk into the flames and let them consume him as they had done to everything and everyone else.
Every item he'd collected over the years.
Every invention he'd built from scratch.
Every memory created in his home.
Everyone he cared about.
His parents.
His friends.
Gone.
Melted and burnt away into dark piles of flesh, bone and ashes. Mixing together to form a glob of memories, regret and guilt.
Red Son stood helplessly in front of the burning palace. Guilt and pain ate away at him. Slowly devouring what was left of him.
He wanted to walk into the flames.
To become one with the chaos that he had created.
To feel something. Even if that something was agonising pain, that'll have eventually brought about his demise.
He just wanted it all to end. To be free. To be reunited with his loved ones.
He stepped closer to the flames of the samadhi fire.
Reaching his arm out.
Feeling the familiar destructive power of the flames flicker at his fingertips.
He reached forward, taking another step until-
Red Son jolted upright. Sitting up in his bedroom, unburnt and clean, just as he left it. Mei and MK crowding around him, trying to get him to snap out of it. Rubbing his eyes, lethargiclly, as he registered the hot tears trailing down his cheeks. A cold sensation bubbled in his stomach. His head pounded and whirled around as he took in the surroundings of his bedroom and his friends trying to ask if he was okay. Trying to comfort him. Mei and MK held him close, burying themselves against Red Son as he tried to clear his mind. He took a deep breath. The feeling of clear oxygen in his lungs felt blissful. As he recalled the events he'd just experienced, Red Son tried to console himself quietly, as MK and Mei lay against him to try and ground him.
He didn't have the samadhi fire anymore.
He didn't burn the fortress down.
He hadn't destroyed everything.
He hadn't killed his family.
His friends were still alive and safe.
He was still alive.
He hadn't hurt them..
Hadn't killed them..
Everything was okay.
They were all okay.
As he reassured himself, Red Son noticed that he had left the window open, a warm breeze wafting through his bedroom. Wiping the sweat off his forehead and swallowing hard to try and quell the dryness in his mouth, Red Son shakily slid out from underneath his two friends, who had fallen asleep on his lap. As he managed to escape, he shuffled towards the window, peering out of it as he felt the warm breeze on his face. It was a little hot.. but no where near as hot as the samadhi fire had once felt against his skin. As a child, the flames burnt uncontrollably through the pores of his skin. Rippling menacingly through his deep scarlet hair.
But it was gone now.
His magic was but a small flicker of the inferno he once possessed. A dwindling little flame that would eventually burn out. Despite the destruction that his flames could still cause, it was nothing compared to the samadhi fire...
But.. Red Son was kind of glad about that. His flames couldn't ruin everything, like they once had. Not anymore.
He couldn't leave third degree burns on his parents when they had tried to calm him after a temper tantrum. He couldn't destroy the entirety of the kitchen, like he had done to try and impress his father when he was cooking.
He couldn't hurt them.
They were okay.
He was okay.
Red Son took another deep breath, filling his lungs with the warm comforting air as he clutched his head tightly in his hands. He rubbed at his temples with his fingertips, trying to numb the pain of the headache that had formed in his... "daydream".
He paused to yawn and stretch. Then rubbing his eyes again, in an attempt to prepare himself to go to sleep, he opted to forget his little.. "episode" ever happened in the first place. He gently closed the window before shuffling back over to where his console was placed. Kneeling down to turn it off, he heard MK murmur something in his sleep.
Red Son paused, thinking his shuffling about had woken his friend up. Slowly turning to look over at his resting friends when he realised that they were in fact asleep. However, MK was shuffling a little bit, a look of unease spread across his face.
Red Son slowly moved over towards them, trying to be quiet as not to wake Mei. Sitting down quietly on the edge of the bed, next to MK's resting form, he reached out. Flinching slightly as he recalled the events of his dream all over again at the familiar action, but he pushed them all aside in the hopes of comforting his friend. He slowly and gently placed his hand on top of MK's cheek. He flinched at the touch, before he began leaning into it, relishing in the warmth of Red Son's palm. MK's hands wrapped around Red Son's in an attempt to hold him there, slowly moving them up his arm. Red Son tilted his head at the action, raising an eyebrow questioningly, before being roughly dragged down by MK. Holding him close as he buried his head into Red Son's chest. His arms slipping around Red Son's waist as he was pulled ever closer to MK's sleeping form.
Red Son's face flushed as he tried to process the situation he now found himself in. However, the heavy weight of sleep was weighing down on his eyelids so he decided to just lay there, letting sleep take a hold of him. He rested his head above MK's, enjoying the warmth and comfort of his presence as his eyes drifted shut.
This time when he closed his eyes, there was no flames awaiting him. Only the gentle smiles, kind eyes and warm hands of his friends, keeping him close. Their soft laughter filling his ears as the flames dispersed in the back of his mind.
He was okay.
They were okay.