Chapter Text
Red Son couldn't sleep.
In fact, he couldn't sleep for the past week, ever since he learned the truth. He had promised to protect MK from whatever the secret was--fight it so his dear husband didn't have to--but how could Red Son fight this? Would he try? Most certainly but that wasn't the point. The point was that this was beyond his capabilities and fighting would be a losing battle.
Red Son slowly sat up in bed, staring at MK who curled up on his side. The time spent training, controlling new powers, oh, what newborn muscles weren't aching incredibly? Red Son sighed, leaning over and kissing MK's head. Within a second, Red Son had risen out of bed and onto the balcony, overlooking the palace garden. It's funny, really, how much he hated this balcony, thinking it a crude invitation for wayward fools to attempt an assassination. Or perhaps another kidnapping of the monkey prince. Now? It felt like the right place to refresh his mind.
Truthfully, he's been waking up almost every night now. Red Son hated this idiotic deathtrap presented. On one hand, he goes back on his word to MK's primate fathers and reveal everything to MK, together they make a plan, and set things right. On the other, Red Son goes alone, find a solution on his own, and protects MK from a destiny he did not deserve. Should this other hand fold nicely, then MK will never have to know.
But, did MK not deserve to know...?
Red Son rested his arms on the balcony railing, rubbing the tiredness from his face. A tangible army is one thing but all these complicated and contradictory and confusing emotions were another. All too torturous. Red Son was thankful he was blessed with exquisite youth, lest, by now, his face be wrinkled like a pig's. Oops, best not let the piggy father hear such an insult. Red Son would make the claim that he could see the future but, no, the piggy father's response is just predictable.
Hmm... predict the future. Red Son heard only a few legends of Heaventries having the ability to outlie outcomes. It was an interesting ability but one as unpredictable as it was useful. The future changes all the time--a butterfly flaps its wings and a hurricane is summoned, a rock is rolled into the road and causes a crash, going left instead of right changes what treasure you find--and so to see the preferred ending is to align perfectly with each point to get an ending in the first place. If only there was a machine that could calculate the best possible outcome and create steps based on it.
A machine... that could... calculate...
It would be infinitely complex, maybe take years, but if Red Son could stall, then surely he could create such a magnificent machine. Maybe, if he hurried, then Red Son would not need years. Oh, yes yes yes, this could save MK! This could save their future together! The future of the entire world even! Red Son could imagine all the hours he'd have to spend on blueprinting, testing. configuring, and... and all the extra hours he'd have to be away from MK.
Red Son shook his head at the idea. No, he promised to try. He'll spend his usual workshop hours on the project, nothing more and nothing less. As much as Red Son would love to spend, perhaps, six months endlessly on a project that would save his husband, day and night until he couldn't breathe... if he was to, then would he have a husband to return to at all?
A philosopher could argue that spending hours on a cure is more beneficial than tending to the patient. Another could argue that, without tender care, there would be no patient to cure.
Red Son, however, walked back into his bedroom, shut and locked the balcony doors, and went back to bed. Call him a loon or call him selfish, but Red Son desired nothing more than to keep his husband. He had time to work on this new project, Red Son will not allow it to interfere with the time spent with MK.
He made a mistake once. Not again. Never again.
🍑🍑🍑🍑🍑🍑🍑🍑🍑🍑🍑🍑
"My dear, you really should take a break."
"Wait, wait, wait! I've almost beat my record."
"You've been trying for the past two hours," Red Son stepped into the palace garden with a cup of tea, watching warily as MK hung from a tree branch with his tail. "Should you go any longer, I fear all that blood in your ears will cause you to lose more braincells than you have."
"HEY!" With a loud thunk, MK flopped on the ground. "Ow..."
Red Son knelt down and carefully brushed aside MK's hair, revealing his eyes. "Perhaps the fall would've been more graceful if you set down some padding, since you're so dedicated to this cause."
"Hey, monkeys are suppose to be able to hang from their tail."
"A trait they have since birth but, my dear, you've had no such ability. It wasn't until after our wedding you even had your monkey form unlocked."
"Which!" MK sat up, groaning. "Ow--which is why I need to practice now! Plus, monkey dad said it's an effective skill to have in the heat of combat!"
"As is... shapeshifting? Flying? Wielding a magic staff that's over one thousand pounds? Or is that plucking out hairs and creating clones? Immortality?-"
MK pouted. "You've made your point, Red Son..."
"Oh, dear," Red Son leaned forward and pecked MK's lips. "I'm only teasing. Physical abilities are always good to have. Magic can only go so far. However, so can my patience, now drink your tea and have a break."
"Yes, dear..."
"Good boy," Did that slip out? Perhaps but that's none of your business. "Do you feel better though?"
MK nodded, huffing out a sigh. "What did you do today, by the way?"
"Oh, just some tinkering," Red Son shrugged. "I have a new project and it's quite unpredictable in results, so in between blueprinting and experimental design work, I've been working on mechanical suits of armor. My favorite so far is the Titanium RED XL201, which is modeled after a few toy--ahem, a few action figures with a similar design. I admired it's sleek design yet robotically accurate body shape, storing its energy compactors in the hips offered an interesting discussion. Normally, you set the core into the chest, against the operator, as it's the center of gravity and the center of the mechanics, yet it's so cliche that the chest or back is the first place to strike. However, in the hips, you have a new center of gravity, a less cliche place to be struck with the only scare being the operator being hurt, and-..."
MK stared up at Red Son with very confused but starry eyes, tailing swishing behind him.
"You have no idea what I'm saying, do you?"
"No, but I like when you talk," MK smiled goofily. "You get so animated when you're not angry."
"Yes, well, it's not often I get an audience."
MK leaned up and rubbed their cheeks together. "I will never understand what you're saying but I still wanna listen!"
"Terrible flirt, aren't you, noodle boy," Red Son wasn't going to stop him though. He was, however, going to look around, conclude they were alone, and hold the tiddies.
MK yelped and fell back.
"MK, are you alright-?! I didn't mean to scare you, I- we were alone and I thought-"
"Sorry, sorry, sorry- oh my gosh, that felt weird-"
"Sweetie, I'm so sorry-"
"Stop, you're fine, just-... you know that moment before you start a fight when your spirit leaves your body? Like you're following a camera instead of being in your own body."
Red Son blinked. "No...? I haven't personally but I understand the metaphor."
"Yeah, it was like that?" MK rubbed his head, which burned on the temples. "Like, I felt like an invader? In my own body? Like I was just... BLEH! Fully hated that..."
"If I knew, my dear, I would've warned you-"
"Try again?"
"Pardon?"
"Can you try holding me again?"
Red Son looked unsure.
So, MK took his hands and placed them himself. "Much better... gods below, I don't know why it happens, but I promise I don't mind."
"You're just very pretty-"
"Awwww, Red Son, you're becoming more of a flirt."
"I just... love you," Red Son connected their foreheads. "And I don't want anything bad to happen to you, not after everything I caused, all the pain you had to suffer through because I was stubborn."
"Red, come on," MK offered a smile, his grey eyes holding nothing but gentleness and sincerity. "We were just dumb and I've already forgiven you."
Red Son moved his hands and held MK's face, passing over a few kisses. "I have no forgiven myself, my dear, and I'll make sure to make it up to you."
"You're so obsessed, Red Son-"
"Well, of course! And..." Red Son took a deep breath. "My dear, there is something I must tell you."
MK tilted his head. "What is it?"
"It's... you're..." Red Son took a deep breath. "You're-"
"PRINCE RED SON! PRINCE QI XIAOTIAN!" Both looked over to see a bull maiden rushing over, fear painted on her face. "It's his majesty! The Bull King has gone mad! And your mother, Prince Red Son, she has been injured!"
Truth can wait. His family was in danger.
Red Son picked up MK and followed the bull maiden to an encapsulated room where the doors were kept shut with sutra chains. In the eyes of the Demon Bull King, there lied no memories, no recollection, nothing that hinted that this was the same man. He was destroying everything and, when everything was destroyed, he screamed and attacked the walls. What once was a gorgeous study was now nothing but desolate and needless destruction.
The only thing that separated Bull from family was the balcony that overlooked the room, protected by a magic barrier.
"Father..." Red Son whispered, unable to bare the sight. "What happened to you?"
"One second he was calm," The bull maiden swore. "The next, he was attacking your mother and the servants. We were only lucky her majesty was able to create the barriers before his majesty could escape and do more damage."
"Where's my mother?"
"Safe in the palace clinic," Promised the bull maiden. "The on-staff nurses are already tending to her and a messenger is running for doctors. She'll survive, prince, she's the strongest woman in this lifetime."
Red Son was shaking.
Then, MK took Red Son's hand. "His eyes are blue."
"What-?"
"His eyes, Red Son, they're blue," MK glared down, squeezing Red Son's hand tight.
Red Son took a deep breath. "It's her..."
"Lady Bone Demon."