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Red Son had never liked water. His memories from when he carried the Samadhi Fire were few and far between, but water had never really helped much with his firery outbursts. Not like it was even possible, since it was the most powerful fire in the world, but he had faint memories of his mother, Princess Iron Fan trying to douse him with water as a last resort. The only thing that did was anger him even more, and blow steam up in her face, but she still tried. It was her only option.
Then, when the Samadhi Fire had been split into the three rings and Red Son was old enough to go out into their old home's garden, he got dirty. Very dirty. He'd roll around in the grass, giggling at the feeling of it tickling his skin instead of turning to ashes under his fingers. He ran around in the bushes, hiding from the servants who kept trying to grab at him. He stomped in puddles of mud, fished for bugs in the flower beds, dug around in the soft dirt. He basically caked himself in dirt until his skin barely showed from under the dust and filth.
He had rather vivid memories of his father having to hold him down in the bath tub just so the maids could rinse him off. He would scream, kick and even bite his father's hands, wailing to be let go of. His father just looked down at him with a sad frown, promising that it'd be over soon. Later, they learned that showers were much more bearable for Red Son, but that was only after a lot of thrashing and screaming.
He also had faint memories of his mother offering compromises. "If you tie your hair up, leaves won't get tangled in your hair as often and we won't have to wash your hair." Because that was the worst: the feeling of his hair getting wet. It lost all of his volume, stuck to his neck and shoulders. It was heavy, feeling more like a head of magma than a head of fire. He didn't really know how to explain it back then, and he still doesn't have the exact words for it. Either way, it felt yucky and uncomfortable. After his mother had suggested that, Red Son had tied his hair every day before going outside. That habit stuck with him throughout the centuries that passed.
Now, just because Red Son hated baths didn't mean he was dirty or unkempt. One day, when he had been particularly difficult and locked himself in his room so his father and servants couldn't get to him, the Demon Bull King had almost given up trying to run after him through the halls. That's when he offered a compromise: taking a shower instead of a bath. Red Son had never heard of that before, mainly because they didn't have a shower. Princess Iron Fan preferred taking long baths, with candles and rose petals and lots of steam. DBK took baths because it helped relieve some of the pain in his muscles and joints, so they didn't really have a use for a shower.
They had a shower built in the bathroom closest to Red Son's room, and he found that taking a shower wasn't as unbearable as he previously thought. Sure, the water still felt a little uncomfortable on his skin and hair, but it felt more like rain. If he put it on the lightest setting, it even got pleasant. Maybe the water didn't soak into his hair as much and weigh him down, or maybe the fact he could control the pressure and flow of the water made Red Son a little more comfortable. A few times, if the settings were too strong for his taste, he could adjust them so it didn't feel so icky, sensory wise at least. Sure, he didn't like it, but he tolerated it just fine.
As Red Son grew older, his distaste for water subsided just a little. He could stand in the rain for extended periods of time without wanting to crawl out of his skin, and he could get splashed by it without running to the other side of the room hissing like a cat. On warm days, he even found himself running his hands under cold water and spreading it on the back of his neck. It didn't do that much, but he had a few minutes of relief before it completely drifted away into steam and sweat started to settle back on his skin. But by no means did he enjoy getting himself wet.
So, when MK asked him if he wanted to go to the beach with him and Mei, he had absolutely no reason to say yes.
But he still did.
So he found himself having to do a multitude of things before actually getting to go to the beach. First off: buying a swimming suit, (What? Did you think Red Son would have use for it? If baths were so uncomfortable, he definitely wasn't going to volountarily jump into a body of water and choose to swim. No way!) second off: at least try to figure out how to swim and third off: somehow convince himself that water was bearable.
Did he succeed on any of these? No. He did purchase a swimming suit, but it was much too tight and uncomfortable to even consider wearing in front of Mei and MK. He just decided he'd wear clothes and get them wet. Was it stupid to wear clothes, even though he despised getting to get his clothes wet, to go swimming? Yes. Did he have another option? No. (He could go back to the store and purchase a different pair of swimming attire, but considering he knew nothing on the matter, he didn't even try.)
Mei had offered to give him swimming lessons, but it didn't really go very well. He was too uncomfortable to completely get any of his limbs over his waist under the water, so getting his head underwater was a big no-no. Unfortunately, getting your face and hair completely submerged under the water was a requirement to swim, so Red Son didn't exactly learn how to swim. He just learned that he absolutely hated standing knee deep in water and was almost scared of the idea of getting his hair wet which was beyond the grounds of pathetic.
As for the last one, he did manage to convince himself that "dipping his toes", as Mei called it, in the water was somewhat pleasant. He and her would sit by the pool after their many failed attempts at getting Red Son to even try and swim, and they'd dangle their legs in the water. Red Son would watch her legs dragging back and forth in the water while he just kind of let his dangle motionless.
On one of those days, they sat by the pool in silence. Red Son's throat still ached from when he'd tried to dunk his his head under the water and had accidentally swallowed water. Mei had almost had to fish him out of the water. Usually, these moments just went by in silence until Mei either decided she was hungry and they would go back into her mansion and eat a snack and chat, or she would decide he needed another round of water torture.
However, that day, she'd spoken up. "Why are you trying so hard to swim?"
Red Son turned his head to look at her, blinking. His eyelashes were still wet.
"I mean, you clearly hate it, so I don't know why you try so hard to learn how to do it. You don't have to come with us," Mei explained, gaze trained on her legs, lifting one out of the water, before dipping it back in. "Don't get me wrong, I'm almost honored that you're trying so hard, but I have a feeling you're not doing it for me."
Red Son heaved out a sigh. Truthfully, he didn't know either. Rather, he knew perfectly why, but he absolutely didn't want to admit it in front of Mei.
He was doing all of this for MK. MK had suggested he tag along, and Red Son had said yes. Now that he'd said yes, he didn't want to disappoint MK by saying he couldn't come. He could lie, say that his parents suddenly gave him a project and that he couldn't join them, but it just felt... cruel.
MK had carved out a soft spot un Red Son's heart, even though he hated to admit it. Ever since MK had befriended him, Red Son had grown soft for him. He'd grown soft for those golden eyes, for those dumb and painfully wide grins, for that loud cackling laughter of his. Red Son didn't really know why he cared about MK so much, but he couldn't get rid of the squirming guilt whenever he couldn't make it to one of his and Mei's hang out. He couldn't get rid of the memories of MK that replayed on loop in Red Son's mind in the middle of the night, doing everything but helping him fall asleep. He couldn't get rid of the way his stomach swooped at the sight of MK laughing so hard his cheeks went red and small tears formed in the corners of his eyes, or the way his skin felt like it was on fire whenever MK as much as grazed Red Son.
"Red Sooon? You there?" Mei chirped, leaning forward to get a good look at him. Red Son had told her about his weird feelings reguarding MK, which had earned him squinted eyes and a mischevious smirk. Though, she hadn't helped him with figuring out why he felt that way. She'd insisted on letting him figure it out on his own.
Red Son shook his head briefly. "I don't want to disappoint MK," he heaved out.
Mei looked at him, then sighed. "You really are a hopeless case."
"I am not hopeless!" he snapped.
Mei shut him up by shoving her index finger in his face. She glared up at him. "Let me ask you this, Red Boy. Have you figured out what your... feelings... reguarding MK mean?"
Red Son shook his head, a bewildered look settling on his features. She groaned letting her hand fall on the ground beneath them. "Hopeless!" she yelled up to the sky.
This continues for a moment longer before Red Son started to get irritated. "Maybe if you told me, I wouldn't be so hopeless!" he snapped, crossing his arms over his chest.
"No, because if I do, you'll incinerate me!" she countered, whipping her head to face him.
Red Son rolled his eyes. "If you tell me, I promise I won't incinerate you."
"Promise?" Mei rose her brows at him, though she looked unconvinced.
Red Son nodded firmly. "I swear."
Mei seemed to consider this, looking at her legs slowly kicking back and forth in the water. Finally, she spoke. "You like MK. Like, like like. You like him romantically."
Red Son regretted agreeing to not incinerate her. He barked a string of syllables at her, hair flaming up. His skin felt like it was set afire, and the water around his legs steamed. Mei had to take her legs out of the water before became boiling hot. She just stood beside him, arms crossed over her chest, waiting for his fit to end. When Red Son finally managed to get his body heat under control, he continued to shout insults and half-sentences at her until she yawned, tapping her foot. "You done?" she asked, looking absolutely over it.
Red Son groaned with frustration. He swung his legs out of the water and stood before her. "You have it completely backward, Dragon Girl!"
Mei simply shook her head. "Nah. You'll figure it out eventually, and when you do, you'll see that I'm right. Now, get back in the water. You owe me after almost boiling my legs!"
In the end, Red Son did figure it out. And Mei, unfortunately, had indeed been right.
Red Son had come to the realization that she'd been right when he had awoken from a particularly interesting dream, which had consisted of he and MK... Well... partaking in activities that friends didn't partake in. For a few days after that, he'd had to force himself to answer MK's texts and calls. It was fine. They'd be fine. MK would never know, and Red Son would ride out his feelings. Surely, they'd go away eventually. He just... Needed to wait for them to go away, and then everything would go back to normal.
After around two weeks of Red Son letting Mei torture him in her private pool and failing to learn how to swim or convince himself that water was not absolutely unbearable, Red Son wakes up early on the morning of the so-called 'Beach Day'.
He trudges around the Demon Bull Family Fortress getting himself ready, gathering up supplies he thinks might be useful for the day. Not that he or his family own anything useful for a beach, but he still manages to gather some supplies. He drops the few objects he decided to bring along with him —sunscreen, sun glasses, a hat and a few extra hairties— on his bed before stuffing them all into a bag. He gets himself ready, tying his hair up and putting on his 'swimming attire' which consists of a black, skin tight tank top and some slight oversized shorts that stopped around halfway down his thighs. He then puts on a pair of dusty sandals before throwing the bag over one of his shoulders and teleporting to the designated pick-up spot.
Of course, no one is there when he arrives. He leans against a lamp post, feeling extremely uncomfortable in his current outfit, but there's not much he can do to combat it. The weather is warm, pleasantly so, and he's sure MK and Mei would have a blast running around in the water. Him, not so much.
Eventually, everyone arrives. Mei gladly sidles up to him and teases him about his shirt, or the fact they could see his legs. He just waves her off. MK, as usual, arrives five minutes late sporting a plain white shirt and black shorts somehow shorter than Red Son's. Mei was wearing a tank top and shorts, but Red Son can notice green straps peeking out from under her shirt's fabric.
They all stuff themselves in Pigsy's car. Of course, Pigsy drives and Tang sits up front, leaving Mei and MK to squeeze themselves in the much too small backseat. Mei tricks him into sitting in the middle, despite the fact he would only make them warmer with his body heat. His body heat, which is much much warmer than usual, because MK's thigh and shoulder are pressed up against him. Whenever Red Son looks Mei's way, she shoots him a mischevious grin, which only makes him burn with shame.
They remedy the unbearable heat by opening all four windows. The only problem is that MK and Mei are hogging their windows so much that Red Son isn't getting much air, and failing to cool off and thus not bringing his body temperature down, but none of them complain. They all happily sit with their windows while Red Son quite literally bakes in his seat.
Finally, they arrive at their destination. Red Son has never felt more thankful for the sweet relief of air blowing against his skin. They walk the rest of the way to the beach. The wind carries the salty smell their way, and the closer they get, the more miserable Red Son becomes. Mei tries to cheer him up by boasting about how she'd brought his favorite spicy snacks, or that Pigsy had made him his special extra spicy noodle recipe, but food isn't exactly the main thing on Red Son's mind.
Once they reach the beach, the ocean laps at the shore with the usual sound of waves rolling onto the sand. Pigsy and Tang run up to Sandy, who'd already set up a little area for them with chairs and towels. Red Son picks one of the towels, which was one of the many things he now realizes he'd forgotten. He slumps onto the floor, the sand shifting under his weight. He watches the ocean for a moment. For something so unpleasant, it sure looks pretty.
MK decides to take the towel beside him, while Mei takes a chair and drags it over to Red Son's other side. The trio sits in silence for a moment, enjoying the sight of the ocean before Mei sighs and takes off her shirt and shorts. She's wearing a green swimming suit, a one piece, with a little dragon design on the front. She then starts applying sunscreen, which Red Son does as well. MK wiggles out of his shorts, revealing Monkey King swimming trunks.
While Red Son is halfway done applying sunscreen, Mei leaps up from her chair. "I'm gonna test the water," she announces, then runs to the water. Red Son watches her, absolutely flabbergasted when she didn't even pause when the waves crash against her. She just... dives in.
MK laughs a little. "She always does that," he says, startling Red Son a little. "She loves swimming. Sometimes I think she's half-dolphin or something," he chuckles, leaning back and leaning his head against his crossed arms.
Red Son huffs a little, closing his bottle of sunscreen. He stares at Mei for a little, observing her swimming figure bobbing up and down in the waves. He can feel his skin crawl with discomfort already.
He turns to MK again. He'd kept his shirt on. "Are you-" he starts, then lowers his voice into a sharp whisper. "Are you binding while swimming?"
MK laughs, for some reason. "Yeah. Well- no. Or... I am, but not how I usually do it. I used tape this time." Red Son furrows his brows. "Don't worry about me! I'll be just fine," MK assures, waving him off with one hand.
Red Son grumbles. "You sure won't be fine if you don't wear sunscreen. Just because you're wearing a shirt doesn't mean you're immune to sun burns."
MK groans loudly. "I hate it though! It feels so yucky!"
Red Son rolls his eyes. "You sound like a child." He reaches over to MK's bag and, despite his protests, fishes around the snacks and useless trinkets to find a bottle of sunscreen. Of course, MK hadn't even packed any. He groans, dropping the bag between him and MK. "Fine. I'll just use Mei's."
"NOOO!" MK whines.
Red Son grabs Mei's sunscreen. He examines it, making sure it was actually good quality before squeezing some into his palm. "Here, sit up," he turns to MK, crossing his legs. MK begrudgingly sits up, holding out his arms and legs. Red Son spreads the sunscreen across his skin, gently holding his wrist to keep it in place. MK's skin feels warm and soft under his palm, but he somehow feels warmer. He avoids MK's eyes, focusing on what he's doing. It's much harder than he'd imagined, though, with MK's unwavering stare fixed on his face.
Red Son grabs the bottle of sunscreen again and squeezes some more into his hand. He finishes up MK's other arm before spreading just a little on his legs. The back of his neck burns, and he's sure his hair will start steaming any moment. He finishes MK's legs and reaches for more sunscreen. "Come closer," he says, looking up at MK's face.
"No." MK snaps. "Not on the face."
Red Son sighs. "Don't make me ask Sandy to hold you down."
"Red Son!" MK whines, wiggling his arms around. "Do you not pity me just a little?"
"No."
MK pouts, his lower lip sticking out. He makes the best puppy eyes he can muster, inching closer and closer to Red Son's face. Now Red Son's hair starts steaming, but MK is so close he probably won't even notice. MK only gets closer and closer. His dark eyes catch every ray of sun, turning them to a beautiful shade of gold. Small freckles dot his nose bridge and cheeks, his brows knit just so... Red Son stutters, before slapping his sunscreen covered hands on MK's cheeks. MK groans, rolling away. "YOU ABSOLUTE-" Red Son starts, but he can't even bring himself to scold him. "Just- spread it out," he grumbles, wiping the rest of the sunscreen on MK's towel. He waves the whisps of steam away from his hair, the back of his neck burning like it's on fire.
Surprisingly, MK obliges, spreading out the sunscreen around his cheeks, nose, forehead and chin. He sits up properly, making a face.
Red Son sighs, laying down on his towel. "You can go swim now."
MK stands, walking a little ways to the water, before stopping and turning to Red Son. "You're coming, right?"
He waves his hand at MK. "Yeah, yeah. Just give me a minute."
"Okay!" MK chirps, before running off to the water.
Red Son sighs, staring up at the sky. He'd have to swim eventually, but for now he prefers staring up at the blue sky, stalling until the very last minute. He never sees the sky much at the Demon Bull Family Fortress, and whenever he goes to hang out in Megapolis with Mei and MK, the tall buildings usually obstruct the view. There's no clouds in view. He hears MK and Mei shout, laughing loudly. He finally decides to sit up, staring ahead at the ocean. He secures his ponytail with an extra hairtie before standing and walking down to the water.
MK and Mei are too busy splashing water at eachother to notice him. He gets as close as he dares, watching the water lap up to his feet but not quite reaching them. He takes one step forward, and the water laps up his feet. It's not too cold, so that's nice. He takes another step so the water rides up to his ankles. He watches MK and Mei, crossing his arms protectively over his chest. Now, they're trying to do hand stands. Of course, Mei's are almost flawless, but MK fails miserably at every try. It's so ridiculous it brings a smile to Red Son's face.
Slowly, Red Son takes a few more steps until the water rides up to his knees. He's still a little far from MK and Mei, as the water rides up to their stomachs. Red Son isn't sure he'll be able to make it that deep, if he's completely honest. He sighs, leaning down just a little to get his hands wet. Mei had shown him that it was easier to get in the water if every part of his body was wet. However, as he leans down to get his forearm in, a wave hits him in the chest and knocks him back with surprising force. He falls on his ass with a sharp yell. Luckily, he's unscathed, apart from the fact that now his chest is wet and he's sitting almost shoulder deep in the water.
Mei turns toward him and laughs, wading toward him. MK laughs as well, waddling after Mei. "You look like a wet cat!" Mei snorts, handing out her hand. Red Son grabs it, heaving himself up. Now his clothes stick to his body uncomfortably. Maybe he should've just bought a different swim suit. "You're not hurt, right?" Mei asks, tilting her head.
Red Son shakes his head, reaching back to see if his hair had gotten wet. For now, it's dry. He knows that won't last very long though. Mei grins. "Well... if you aren't hurt..." she grabs his arm and drags him further into the water. He yells, shoulders hiking up to his ears as the water slowly rides up his waist and stomach. She finally lets him go and dives into the water, swimming away to god knows where. Red Son stands stiffly in the water, arms hovering above the surface. He feels miserable.
MK, on the other hand, is very happy that he's come with them into the water. He laughs and kicks his feet around, pointing to Red Son and laughing even harder. Mei finally resurfaces and takes a big gasp of air. The more Red Son watches her, the more he agrees with MK. She had to be mixed with some sort of sea creature. She swims around Red Son and MK easily, gliding through the water like some sort of water snake. Even MK, who was somewhat adept at swimming, splashed around and had trouble swimming against the current. Mei just leapt head first into the waves like a dolphin, resurfacing only to jump into the next one.
Red Son feels a little pathetic watching them dive into the waves and swim around him. He's so uncomfortable he doesn't even dare lower his arms into the water, he just stands there like a dork. It's not really his fault, though, that water makes him feel so... yucky. He was almost made of fire. It wasn't his fault that a part of him felt missing whenever he tried to swim. It wasn't his fault that his hair turned into some weird substance halfway between hair and halfway between magma. It wasn't his fault that the feeling of water rolling down his limbs almost hurt with how uncomfortable it felt. Still, despite all that, he stands in the water watching those two morons swim around him like fish, and he wishes he could swim.
After a little longer of them jumping into the waves, they eventually get tired of it. Mei resurfaces and smiles at Red Son. It's a sort of sad smile, but there's an undertone of pride to it. MK didn't know how hard Red Son had tried to swim. He didn't know how painful it had been for Red Son to stay underwater for more than ten seconds. He didn't know how many times Red Son had almost passed out from exhaustion and pain and accidentally holding his breath for too long. Mei did, though, and as Red Son returns her smile shyly, he knows that she understands how hard he's trying just to be standing with them.
MK's head pops out of the water. He shakes his hair away from his face. He, too, seemed to have the same issue as Red Son. His dark hair now lays relatively flat on his head, although it curled and spiked a little. "The good thing about having Red Son with us is that he warms the water a little!" he grins, shuffling a little closer to Red Son.
"The water's not even that cold, dimwit," Red Son snorts, crossing his arms over his chest.
Mei swims closer to Red Son and gasps. "You're right MK! It is warmer."
"You should totally come swimming with us more often," MK declares.
Red Son groans. He doesn't really give a reply though, just scrunches his face up and hopes MK gets the message.
"Aww, c'mon Red Son, it's not that bad!" MK insists, pressing his cheek against Red Son's shoulder. Red Son is convinced his body heat spikes when his skin comes in contact with MK's. MK looks up at him with those cursed eyes of his, a small smile on his face. Red Son looks away, cheeks burning with embarassment. He only finds Mei wiggling her eyebrows at him, a smirk on her face.
Red Son eventually shifts away from MK. "Stop getting so close to me, you're sticky with sunscreen."
"I wonder whose fault that is!" MK bites back, but he does move away from Red Son and waddles over to Mei. He launches at her like some kind of cat. They then tussle for a moment, before Mei overpowers MK and they fall into the water together. Red Son inches away before he gets splashed or something. To be honest, it's a miracle that hasn't happened yet.
They fight a little longer, falling into the water and resurfacing multiple times before Pigsy barks at them from the shore. "HEY! Quit it before you accidentally drown eachother!" When they don't seem to stop, Pigsy yells again, this time talking to Red Son. "Get them to stop, would'ja?"
Red Son groans, unfurling his arms from his chest, while still keeping them above the water. He slowly steps forward, approaching the tussling pair. Was Mei biting MK? He attempts to reach out and grab one of them, but he almost immediately moves away because Mei crashes into the water and sends a rippling wave his way. "Would you peasants stop it?" he snaps, glowering at the pair. They don't seem to hear him. He moves forward again, ready to grab whatever limb he can make out. MK leaps out from under the water and gasps, stumbling toward Red Son. Red Son grabs him and tries to lift him away, but MK starts thrashing in his arms and screaming. Mei laughs, until the MK's weight is too much and Red Son's knees buckle.
There's a splash and lots of bubbles swarming around them. Red Son groans at the sizzling, almost painful feeling of his hair getting wet and soaking up the water. MK bumps against him, knocking Red Son against the sandy floor. The water overwhelms him. MK kicks his way up to the surface while Red Son wiggles around, too overwhelmed by the tingling feeling of water submerging him to react accordingly. Mei finally manages to fish him out, heaving him from the water.
He takes in a long breath, hair sizzling. His hair sticks to his neck and back, and the hair ties float up to the surface, broken. He fishes them out, leaning against Mei for a minute or two, trying to recover from the rather unpleasant experience.
"Red Son? You good?" MK asks, leaning over to get a look at his face.
Red Son waves him off, letting go of Mei and stomping through the water. He needed to get his hair dry, his clothes dry, his whole body dry. He makes it out of the water and stumbles over to Pigsy, Tang and Sandy. He snatches up one of the extra towels and brings it to his hair. It was absolutely soaked. It would take hours to dry properly. This is exactly why he doesn't go swimming, or take baths.
He sits on the towel he'd chosen previously and pats down his limbs. He'd deal with the clothes later. He flops down and sighs, closing his eyes against the sun. It warms his skin, bringing his body temperature back up. Red Son sighs, content.
The sounds of MK and Mei shouting and laughing become nothing but white noise. He soaks up the sun like a plant, letting the rays warm his body and clothes. He'd be dry and back on his feet in no time!
After around an hour or so of Red Son sunning himself, MK and Mei scramble out of the water. MK leans over him, blocking the sun from reaching his face. "Noodle Boy," Red Son grumbles, not even bothering to open his eyes, "move. You're blocking the sun."
"You hair looks cool," MK hums. Soon, Red Son feels his hair getting poked and played with. He's not worried about it burning MK, because he can feel it's still soaking wet. "It's so weird. You hair is like... half hair, half magma."
"Do you guys want noodles?" Mei asks.
MK shouts enthusiastically. "Yeah!"
"Alright. I'll go get them."
"Don't forget Red Son's!"
"I won't!" With that, footsteps rush down the beach.
MK twirls a strand of hair around his finger, careful not to pull too hard. Red Son finally opens his eyes, only to find that MK had removed his shirt. He was, in fact, wearing some sort of tape over his chest. Red Son looks away, shifting so MK would stop fiddling with his hair. MK moves away from Red Son, sitting on his towel with a smile. Red Son heaves himself up, grabbing his extra towel and scrunching his magma-hair up and down in an attempt to dry it. Usually, he'd just dry his hair with a blow-dryer on the highest heat setting so it would puff up again, but he has to make due with what was available.
Mei returns with the three bowls of noodles. How Pigsy had packed those, he has no clue. Mei hands MK his usual recipe, then hand Red Son his. He takes the bowl in his hands. It's not as warm as he would've liked, but whatever.
"They're not very warm," Mei says as she leans back to sit in her beach chair.
MK turns to Red Son. "Can you heat them up?"
Red Son glares at him. "News flash, Noodle Boy, I can't. 'Cause, you know, water extinguishes fire? And I'm a fire demon? And I fell into the water?"
"Ooh... yeah, that makes sense."
"Besides, even if I could, I wouldn't. Do you really expect me to heat up your noodles like some sort of peasant?" Red Son snaps, setting his towel down and crossing his legs to enjoy his meal.
"Well I'm sure some spice will help ya get back into shape!" Mei chirps, her mouth full of noodles.
MK gives him an apologetic look before slurping up his noodles. Red Son takes the pair of chopsticks Mei had handed to him with the bowl and takes a portion of noodles. Pigsy never made the noodles quite spicy enough for Red Son's taste, but he never told the pig demon. They still had a nice flavour, and he could always add some extra spices if he ate them from home. He's just glad to have something somewhat spicy to give him some energy and fire powers back. (He wasn't sure it worked that way, but it doesn't really matter.) Point is, he's content with the meal.
He takes his time eating the noodles, unlike the two ravenous mortals on either side of him. While they wait for him to finish, they each eat some of their favorite snacks. MK not-so furtively places a bag of extra hot chips Red Son loves beside his towel, before resuming to munch on his peach flavored candies as if he hadn't done anything.
Red Son rolls his eyes at the gesture. "You are so bad at sneaking around," he snorts before taking another mouthfull of noodles.
MK groans. "Ugh, you caught me."
"It's not like you try very hard, is it?" Red Son places the now empty bowl beside him and opens the bag of chips. He pops one in his mouth and sighs. Finally something that hit the spot.
Mei stands up again. "I don't know about you, but I'm ready to jump back in."
MK nods. "I'll be right with ya!"
Mei flashes him and Red Son a thumbs up before rushing into the water. Once again, she dives in with no second thought. Red Son sighs, leaning back and laying down on the towel. His moment of peace is disturbed in record time when MK speaks up again. "I guess you're not coming in the water again." For some reason, he sounds so sad and disappointed.
"Probably not. I don't really see the point of getting wet again when I'm already dry," Red Son shifts his head so he can look at MK while he speaks.
MK shrugs. "Well, it's always the second dip that's best."
Red Son wrinkles his nose. "Never say that again."
MK frowns. "Listen. I'm sorry that you got your hair all wet, I really am, but don't you think it'd be less... unpleasant if you came into the water now rather than when it's dry again?"
He has a a point. If Red Son were to fall into the water again, it wouldn't be so painful. Sure, he wouldn't enjoy it by any means, but it was something he didn't have to worry about. And, when MK is giving him those eyes, how was he supposed to say no. "Well, I guess you have a point," he groans, lifting himself up again and stretching out his arms. "Go ahead, I'll join you."
MK grins before dashing off to join Mei. Red Son sighs. He grunts, reaching backward to snag at his shirt and lift it over his head. He manages to take it off before laying it out on his towel for it to dry. At least something could be dry before he headed home.
He makes his way down to the water a second time, feeling a little more confident. He wasn't going to dive in like Mei or run into the waves like MK, but this time he didn't pause as often. The water is soon riding up his thighs, and he doesn't feel that uncomfortable. He walks a little further until the water is about the same level as it was in their first swim. Like last time, he watches Mei and MK play around in the water, a little less envious. He focuses on their smiles, their bright and bubbling laughter, the sun on MK's skin, or the way his eyes lit up like gold—
Red Son lets out a huff. Would MK ever stop being so gorgeous? Would he ever let Red Son live in peace, without having to worry about heating up so much that he might burn MK when they touch? Would he ever stop plaguing his dreams, his thoughts, his memories? Would Red Son ever stop loving him?
It feels so ridiculous to say that word, even in his mind. Red Son didn't consider himself loving. Sure, he cared about people close to him, but he wouldn't call it love. Love was a big, soft and sweet and sappy feeling. What Red Son felt toward his friends and even family was more like affection. He wasn't soft, sweet, nor sappy; he was quite the opposite. When MK had first befriended Red Son, he had said something about Red Son caring a lot more than he let on and Red Son had almost exploded on him with anger. That anger and shock might've been warranted then, but Red Son was starting to think that MK hadn't been completely wrong.
His parents had never been loving toward him. They praised him every now and then, they cared for and about him, but they never showed honest displays of love. Well, at least not in the way MK and Mei did. They never showered him with compliments, never bought him gifts, never hugged or touched him much. They barely even acknowledged him at the dinner table, partaking in their own conversations. So Red Son had assumed that was love. A few compliments here and there, a few glances and that was it. Then, he'd befriended Mei and MK and his whole idea of love had shifted.
Love was a big word that had many different facets. It wasn't just one thing. It was a complex series of emotions and feelings. It made Red Son feel like an idiot when he'd first realized that. Not only did he understand what love was, but Mei also taught him to care more. He started losing a lot of his hard exterior and felt more and more open to physical touch, giving and recieving gifts, so on and so forth. But, still he didn't love.
At least, he didn't think so. Not until whatever his complicated mess of feelings and longings for MK was, at least. Up until a week ago, he hadn't even known his feelings were romantic. And now, suddenly, he was starting to love MK?
Red Son would've kept going down that road of self-reflection if it wasn't for Mei suddenly grabbing him by the shoulders. He blinks, staring at her face while she speaks excitedly. He doesn't hear anything of what she's saying, though, just kind of sees her lips moving without registering anything.
"Ugh, Red Son, are you listening?" Mei shouts, rolling her head back in annoyance.
Red Son shakes his head. "What?!"
"Whatever, forget it," she waves her hand, "I'm going to get a snack."
Red Son blinks as she shoves past him. He watches her go before turning to MK, who smiles while holding onto some sort of.. donut shaped floatie? Mei had mentionned those before. MK waddles forward, holding the floatie between him and Red Son. "I have an idea to get you in the deep water," he speaks, pointing to the floatie.
"Huh?"
"Okay. So, get your legs in there," MK points to the hole. Red Son climbs inside. So far, this was useless. "Now, lean back and lift your butt up." Red Son blinks, however doing what he's told. "Now, squeeze your legs through. Like that, yeah. Do that with your other leg. Perfect! Now you're sitting in the floatie, and you don't have to swim!" MK grins, the biggest grin on his face.
Red Son looks around. It's kind of comfortable. "Now what?"
MK places his hands on the floatie, using the space between Red Son's legs so he'd be facing him. "I push you!" he chirps, then kicks himself off of the sea floor. Red Son's makeshift boat lurches, but he doesn't fall over or get off balance. He stays rather comfortably put in his little blow-up donut while MK gladly pushes him.
Red Son props an elbow on the floatie and leans his head against his hand, watching MK. He doesn't even notice how far from the shore they are until MK stops swimming and gently clings to the floatie. He presses his cheek against the surface with a slight smile toward Red Son. "Can I tell you something?" he whispers, even though no one can hear them.
"Better not be something stupid," Red Son grumbles, squinting his eyes at MK.
MK smiles a little wider, his cheeks going a faint shade of red. "Well, maybe it's a little silly," he chuckles. "I... I love you."
Red Son blinks. His heart lurches, but in that strange way that makes him giddy with laughter. His skin feels like it's on fire for the millionth time today, and he's sure if his hair was perfectly dry it would've flared up. "E-Excuse me?" he stutters.
MK's smile fades a little. "I know, it's stupid. I don't really know when, or how, or why, but it kinda just happened. I told Mei like, ages ago. This week, she finally told me to tell you, and I thought I'd tell you here 'cause it's special or whatever. We had a whole thing planned, but I ditched it last minute 'cause I wanted something that felt more... natural. I just came up with this and, well, here we are." He scratches the back of his neck, an awkward smile on his face now. "You don't have to say it back or anything, I just wanted to tell you-"
"I do too," Red Son blurts out, then clamps his hand over his mouth. I AM SUCH A MORON!!! I SHOULDN'T HAVE SAID IT LIKE THAT!! WHY AM I SUCH AN IDIOT? I DIDN'T EVEN LET HIM FINISH! "I... love you.. too."
MK stares up at him, and Red Son is positive his eyes have never looked this golden and shiny. They almost look like the sun itself. Red Son wouldn't be surprised if whoever had created MK had taken rays from the sun and put them in his eyes.
"Can I kiss you?"
MK blinks, then clamps his hand over his mouth. His cheeks go a deep shade of red. "Wait- I didn't mean- you don't-" he stammers, waving his hand a little now instead of covering his face.
Red Son reaches out and lifts MK's chin just a little so the gold in his eyes really jumps out. MK's words die in his throat. Red Son is pleasantly surprised at how adorable MK looks with his cheeks all red like that. He sighs, a big lovesick smile forming on his face. "Yes, you can."
MK smiles, placing his hands flat on the floatie. He tries to heave himself up while Red Son leans down to meet him halfway. One they they hadn't anticipated, though, was that with their weight gathered on one side of the floatie, it would buckle out from under Red Son's legs. And, it does. He falls forward into the water with a sharp yell, bringing MK down with him. And with the deep water below them, they wouldn't reach the bottom very easily.
Bubbles float around them. Surprisingly, this isn't very painful. Sure, there's a faint prickling along Red Son's skin, but it's nowhere near as bad as it usually was. Maybe it's because of MK holding his face, a big smile on his big dumb face. His hands bring Red Son closer until they're so close Red Son can see those freckles again and something he hadn't noticed before: a faint scar across MK's right cheek. That's all Red Son sees before MK's lips are on his.
His lips are soft. The feeling alone heats up Red Son's body, warming the water around them. His eyes close of their own accord, hand finding MK's arms and shoulders and hair and neck easily. His calloused hands feel nice on Red Son's cheeks. They stay like that for a few seconds before parting, MK dragging Red Son up to get some air.
When they resurface, all Red Son can think about his the fact that he wants MK's lips on his again. He finds the floatie easily and wiggles himself inside, regaining his previous pose. MK clings to it, the brightest, biggest, dumbest and cutest smile on his face. Red Son smiles too, then breaks out in laughter at the absurdity of it all. He'd just had his first kiss underwater. How ironic is that, for a fire demon?
They laugh together for a little while until Red Son notices Mei waving at them from the shoreline. MK quickly starts pushing Red Son back. A sly look ignites in his eye. "I promise I'll give you a better kiss when we're home."
Their day at the beach ends nicely. They all lay on the beach and finish their snacks, then head home in Pigsy's car. This time, Red Son is allowed to have the window. He stares out at the scenery shifting, all the while a hand holds his, hidden in the small space between his and MK's thighs.
MK manages to convince Red Son to stay the night in his apartment, and purely because he hadn't yet fufilled his promise, Red Son had agreed. They'd eaten dinner and watched a couple episodes of some terrible show Red Son would surely criticize MK for later.
They lay on MK's bed, with MK resting his head on Red Son's chest, legs tangled together. Red Son strokes his hair, watching his face while MK watches Red Son's. His eyes still look pretty as ever.
"So... about that promise..." Red Son starts, a smile curling his lip.
MK snickers. "Yeah?"
Red Son tilts his head a little. "You ever gonna go through with it?"
MK snorts. "I never knew you'd be so desperate to kiss me."
"YOU- YOU'RE THE ONE THAT- I WAS ONLY-" he huffs, looking away, "I was only suggesting that you follow through. And, I'm not DESPERATE!"
"Uh-huh," MK leans forward, moving his hand from Red Son's chest to his face and turning it toward him. Red Sun fumbles a little before closing his eyes and letting MK kiss him.
It still feels just as nice. His lips are soft, but this time they're warm, too. Red Son sighs, holding the hand that rested on his cheek in place. This feels... nice. Very nice.
Maybe his trip to the beach had been worth it. (Just a little!)