Archive of Our Own

Pop music played over the mall speakers above Red Son as he meticulously examined a row of plushies in a toy store. Leaning forward, he got within inches of a plush, eyes narrowed.

Red Son needed this excursion to be an absolute secret.

Of course, it was no surprise that MK would find him.

As Red Son selected his plushie, scientifically squishing it for optimal firmness, a jarring squeak of sneakers came to a sudden halt behind him. “Oh! Hey Red Son! What’re you doing here?” MK was on him in an instant, all of Red Son’s senses bombarded by MK, complete with MK’s arm around his shoulders as he pointed to the plush. “And what’s thaaaaat?”

“Stop it,” grumbled Red Son, to no avail. He held out the plush out in both of their views.

It was a green dragon stuffy, the perfect size for cuddling.

MK gasped. “Awwww! Mei will love it!”

Red Son spoke before he could catch himself.

“It isn’t for Mei.”

MK stared. Red Son stared back. Against his will, Red Son’s face grew warm. MK’s eyes widened and he grinned. “Ooooh, that’s even cuter! It’s for you!”

“It’s not cute!” exclaimed Red Son. Catching what MK’s smug face meant, he continued, “And I am not cute either, mein brain!” Red Son held the plushie up as if it was one of his inventions rather than an adorable stuffed animal complete with a little flame coming out of its mouth. “Dragons are cool!” He tried to not think of how very Mei that sentence sounded. “They’re powerful, fiery, and symbols of strength.”

“Uh huhhhhhh.” MK patted the dragon’s head. “There’s nothing to be embarrassed about. My monkey plush is really cute. I think I’ve seen some little green dragon hats you might like-”

Red Son scowled. “I don’t have this because I’m some sort of Mei-worshiping fanboy.”

MK folded his arms. “What? You should be! What’s wrong with you? You get to be this close and you don’t want all the merch?”

“It’s-” It hadn’t fully clicked for MK, had it? MK seemed to think Red son just thought Mei was fun and liked her aesthetic. Red Son whirled around, sticking the stuffy in the inside of his jacket. “ Nothing. You never saw this.”

“Wait, I’m not going to just forget about this-”

“Yes you are.”

Red Son made for the exit. MK had to trot to keep up with Red Son. “You’re shoplifting!”

“Shut up! Of course I am!”

Hooking his hand in the back of Red Son’s collar, MK caught him midstep, yanking him back into the aisle. “Hold up- first of all, you have to pay for that, second of all, it isn’t a big deal, right? So you like Mei!”

Red Son sighed. He withdrew the plush, looking at its round embroidered eyes with affection. “It’s just something to have. For when I miss her.”

MK scratched his head. “You can see us like, every day you know?”

Could he? Red Son averted his eyes. “Is that so? I guess… I guess even if I could, I’d still feel… well. Whatever.”

“Okay. Wait wait.” MK stood in Red Son’s path, poking the plushie in his arms. “So even though we hang out all the time because we’re cool now, you still go home and miss Mei so bad that you want to hug a dragon stuffy?” The lightbulb finally flickered on. “Oooooh.”

“One more word and I’ll-”

“Wow, you sound as down bad as Macaque.”

Red Son’s mouth fell open, hit so hard he didn’t even have a comeback. Fire whooshed out from his hair as he waved his arms. “Now see here , don’t go comparing me to that- that lowlife monkey!”

MK was grinning again. “You both sulk too! No, no look.” His tone softened, dipping into his more serious side. MK draped his arm around Red Son’s shoulders again, giving him a light squeeze with his palm. “You should tell her.”

“That’s… not a good idea.”

“What?” Why?” MK was genuinely confused. “She’d like to hear you say it.”

“Just… leave it be.” Red Son’s eyes widened with alarm. “And don’t you dare tell her either! Unless- no, you’d better not like her too-”

“Woah!” MK retched, hand flying over his mouth as he coughed. “Oh, ew, don’t suggest that when I’m this far from a garbage can!”

It was Red Son’s turn to be offended. “How could someone not love her? Hmph. Of course I’m the only one between us with taste.”

Red Son paid for the plushie at staffpoint, MK behind Red Son at the checkstand. He rolled his eyes as he snatched his receipt from the cashier, walking out the door with MK at his side. “There, I passed as a law-abiding citizen. Happy?”

“Yeah!” said MK. “That’s what heroes do!”

Gritting his teeth, Red Son shoved the plushie back into his jacket. The hero argument was a long lost one, but it didn’t stop him from seething with annoyance. “What are you even doing here?”

“Oh, right!” MK snapped his fingers, suddenly remembering why he was at the mall at all. “Pigsy asked me to get some new potholders, and I totallyyyyyy forgot. Also, Mei wanted to try some of that taro bubble tea from the new stand over there! How about you get us all some bubble tea while I go get Pigsy’s stuff?”

“But I-”

“I’m a brown sugar fan- light on the ice!” called out MK over his shoulder, already running to the housewares store.

Red Son stood in the mall walkway. Should he let himself be bossed around by MK, noodle headed as ever? He had more important things to do than be an errand boy to the errand boy.

But…

One of those drinks was for Mei.

He met MK fifteen minutes later, scowling with a drink carrier in hand. MK beamed at him and clapped his shoulder. “Ooooh, you got us larges! Thanks so much, bestie.”

Red Son smoldered. “You’re welcome,” he grumbled. Taking his own drink and slurping it with obnoxious displeasure, Red Son shoved the carrier at MK and turned his back to him. “I have things to do, so it’s your problem now.”

“Awesome!” MK said it with such genuine cheer. Red Son’s ill temper only seemed to fuel MK’s sunny energy. Rather than brawl him in the parking lot about it, Red Son disappeared in a column of fire.

Whatever.

-~-

Red Son was having trouble sleeping. He tossed and turned, face twisted in a grimace even as he fitfully tried to force himself asleep. Sighing, he sat up in bed, hair disheveled. He reached for the newest attempt to try and soothe his internal turmoil.

The green dragon plushie was adorable despite his protests to MK. His heart couldn’t help but soften as he held it in his hands, stroking its cheek.

Was loving someone supposed to feel like this?

He had no other model for it, really.

For centuries, his mother had waited to break his father free of his imprisonment. She was loyal, fierce, strong- and lonely. She’d tried to hide it, of course, hide the heartache behind shows of force to their peers, behind determination to conquer and reclaim their missing piece of family for power above all. Red Son had been in step with her through it all, his own feelings flickering between rage and sorrow, sometimes blending it all together.

Mei wasn’t trapped under a mountain.

He even had her phone number and social accounts.

It seemed absurd to reach this point and be scared of rejection of all things. It was the one aspect of relationships he’d never witnessed his mother have to worry about. She had always been secure.

Was the solution to keep bottling it all away until he exploded? Red Son was good at that. 

Shaking his head, he laid back down and tucked the plush close to his chest, snuggling it close.

Mei’s voice, her laughter, her smiles, her playful elbowing and irritating teasing all ran through his head. She wasn’t even present and he couldn’t stop thinking about her. The protective, affectionate surge of emotion that welled up inside of him whenever he saw her was something like how he felt for his family, but just a little different.

“You were supposed to stop this,” he muttered to the plush, grabbing his phone. Red Son asked her out before he could change his mind, face burning as he hit send.

Of course, Mei texted back quickly.

Mei: Sounds great Red Boyfriend!

Mei: But you’re acting soooo weird about it. You good?

Red Son made a face. 

Red Son: Well… you could’ve said no.

Mei: That’s a funny thing to worry two months into a relationship!

…

Red Son bolted up in bed.

“WHAT?”

He called her immediately, eyes wide and hair fluffed up as she answered.

“Hey!” Mei’s voice was cheerful. He could hear video game noises and the clicking of a controller in the background.

“What do you mean, two months?!” he blurted out.

“Oh. Uhhh, has it technically only been sixty days? Basically two months,” she said.

Red Son floundered, stammering as he almost dropped his phone. “Since when? What?”

“Welllllllll, I asked you out, and you said yes! Remember how we went to the Anti-Gravity Arcade afterwards? That was our first date!” Mei paused while Red Son processed it, mouth hanging open. “You’ve always been kinda weird about it, like I keep thinking you’ll finally kiss me, and you don’t, but I figured demons run on their own time, you know? So I’m so happy you finally asked me out too!”

He thought she’d just been being nice.

Two months.

Oh, he was such a…

“I…” Red Son’s face burned even though she couldn’t see him. “I was trying to figure out how to tell you that I wanted to go out with you, I hadn’t really realized…”

The background noise ceased, indicating that Mei had paused her game.

“Wait, you didn’t know?”

Mei burst into laughter, the speaker crackling as she lost it directly into Red Son’s ear. Red Son stood on his bed, gesturing wildly with his free hand. “Shut up! I- I like you, but you don’t have to be so amused at my agonizing over it!”

Mei wheezed. “You’ve been agonizing?!” Her laughter redoubled. "What did you think I was doing when I was calling you Red Boyfriend all this time!?"

He’d never hear the end of it.

That was alright.

He hugged the dragon plush again.

He didn’t want to hear the end of it.