this is so self indulgent i will not lie. posted this first on ao3 but i liked it and it was a pretty short one shot so get wreaked. um, lego monkie kid season 4 spoilers? but like at the end, it's mostly just a silly oneshot

Red Son groaned as he continuously wrung his hands through his wet and tangled hair. It had long lost its flames and vibrance from being at the beach all day causing it to become quite knotty and more burnt and dim orange.

It was annoying, to say the least, considering he usually let his hair do whatever it wanted. Still, here he was, working through a complicated tangle as the sunset. Allowing his fingers to continue their tedious task he stared at the crashing and unruly waves that had driven away most of their group by now. Most of his "companions" were sitting farther into the woods beside a bonfire as he occasionally heard a chorus of laughter or some pointless argument.

Focusing on the ocean waves, Red Son almost missed the quiet footsteps that hit the sand beside him. Turning his orange eyes upwards, he saw the familiar sunburned face that belonged to the noodle boy. Rolling his eyes he turned back his attention to the ocean as he continued to detangle his hair.

"You good?

"Sticky." Red Son said gruffly as he continued to comb through his helpless hair. It was starting to piss him off as he groaned and simply decided to leave it to cling to his neck and lower shoulders. Tying it up at this point would make it heavy and take forever to dry. At least if he left it alone it might be easier to tame when it isn't wet.

"Sticky...?" MK said in confusion as he dropped down on the sand next to the Demon Bull Prince, shifting a bit of sand on him causing the redhead to shoot a harmless glare.

"I don't fancy the beach." Red Son simply said as he looked at MK's sunburned face. The boy was already fairly tan, but his cheeks and forehead had been tinted a light red along with his arms and knuckles.

"Oh," MK responded simply as he raised his eyebrow. "Is it because you're all like... fire?"

"Something like that." Red Son replied as he stared at his companion who had a thoughtful look on his face as his hands brushed against the sand. Upon closer inspection, Red Son could identify the shapes and lines MK was tracing into the sand with his pointer fingers. His eyes focused on the mindless shapes the Monkie Kid was making as he focused on the ever-present sunburn on his knuckles. Even if Red Son was mostly fire, he couldn't imagine that he would feel comfortable with a mere mortal.

"How did you even get sunburned?" Red Son blurted out as MK looked up at the demon with a confused blink as a careless grin formed on his face, proudly showing off a chipped tooth and his new set of fangs.

That would take some getting used to. (Even if Red Son hadn't officially seen the new mystic monkey form that MK took to defeat the Azure Lion when he had failed.)
"Dunno!" MK said proudly as he ran his fingers through his semi-wet brown curls that were plastered against his face and neck, only being held back by his loosely tied red headband. "It's like it's useless every time I put it on after I get into the water."

Red Son simply blinked as he rolled his eyes and he couldn't help the snippy remark that rolled off his tongue.

"Idiot, it's supposed to absorb."

"That's boooring," MK whined as he leaned back, and pressed his palms into the sand as he stared at the setting sun. "Sitting still and just waiting! Argg... it's the worst! Besides, I didn't see you put on sunscreen."

Red Son rolled his eyes again as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "That's because I'm a demon, you idiot." He hissed. Comparing the two of them was like comparing peaches to mangos, and god forbid he did that.

He had never heard the end of it from Macaque.

MK simply hummed as he collapsed back on the sand. However, he just stared at the dimming sky from exhaustion or the said boredom. Red Son's tail slightly flicked in thought as he finally finished detangling his wet hair. It was still warm with a spark of ember but unbelievably heavy.

"Why'd you come out here? Get bored of sitting around your mentor all day?" Red Son asked almost rhetorically. A huff was heard from the other as he shuffled on the sand. Looking back, Red Son was able to see MK's exasperated face. It wasn't annoyed, but it looked tired and more on edge than usual.

"I just needed to get him off my back, I guess," MK spoke softly as he sighed softly as Red Son raised an eyebrow.

"What did he do to you?" Red Son asked quizzically as he immediately thought of the worst happening. Yes, it was often that Wukong would end up dumping a lot on MK, and his generally... horrible mentor style.

MK seemingly looked confused and then alarmed as he waved his hands to clarify what he meant. "Oh! Nothing, really... it's just..."

"Just?"

"Bugging me about something," MK said bluntly his cheeks heating up slightly, his gaze trailing back to their companions who were providing a steady stream of chattering as he specifically focused on his mentor and the shadow user.

"Hm?" Red Son asked as he watched MK's facial expressions shift before the Monkie Kid finally met his gaze. Immediately he looked away with an embarrassed and annoyed look. Generally speaking, his face was already sunburnt so his flush didn't make much of a difference or impression.

"C'mon. Wanna go on a walk?" MK asked as he jumped to a different topic. Ironically, also jumped to his feet making Red Son scoff in displeasure at the sand surging on him.

"I suppose it's better than sitting here doing nothing." Red Son grumbled as he stood up, brushing the sand off of his swim trunks before he began to follow after MK. They began to silently walk down the coast. The only thing registering was the crunch of sand or the sloshing of water when it went past their legs. The latter made Red Son a bit uncomfortable since the water was so cold. It didn't seem to bother MK, but the sounds of their group were fading quickly into the background, signaling that they were far away enough out of both earshot and eyesight.

It was a little comforting, Red Son supposed. Especially when he noticed MK calming down a bit and not becoming so tense. His shoulders slackened as he filled the silence with some soft rambling and telling Red Son about the Scroll of Memory along with telling him more about what happened inside.

Some details were omitted, either for MK's comfort or his general not wanting to talk about specific details.

"So, what about that new form then?" Red Son asked walking forward before he felt the other's footsteps pause. Turning around and looking at MK's face which looked a bit strained and... conflicted, Red Son felt as if he offended the Monkie Kid as the brunet stared at the sand.

The silence overtook again, interrupted by the constant crash of waves, but this time it felt uncomfortable. Suffocating, even.

"Oh, um," MK replied in a strained voice. "It was mega-cool, y'know? I got to be like Monkey King! Y'know, I even hit Azure with my tail?"

Red Son simply stared with a confused look. Normally MK would be excited at the idea of sharing his powers or being proud of them, but he almost sounded disappointed and even scared. Especially when mentioning the Azure Lion.

"Right."

They simply stared at each other for a moment before MK kicked some water, allowing it to splash back into the ocean as he silently began to walk on some of the rocks. The Demon Bull Prince hesitated for a moment but followed after him, climbing the slippery rocks as he watched MK's expression play on his face.

MK sat on one of the rocks that was a bit higher up as he let his legs swing from the ledge with a sigh. He patted the spot next to him and Red Son immediately took him up on the offer. Sitting there and simply watching the dying embers of the sun.

He didn't know how long they sat there for before MK spoke in a quiet voice.

"It was kind of scary." He admitted. Red Son raised his eyebrow as he looked at the boy who stared at his hands.

"One moment... I was just trying to protect Monkey King, the next... I lost it," MK admitted. "I couldn't stop... I wanted to hurt him like he hurt all of us."

Red Son simply stared as he watched MK grip his arms tightly with a hurt and horrified look on his face. The boy's emotions were seemingly odd with himself for just saying that sentence.

"I feel my bones pushing out of place and rearranging themselves to fit and they just don't," The brunet groaned as he slightly hunched over. His form trembled slightly. "I feel like I'm so close to tipping over... so close... and that's exactly what they would want."

"They...?"

MK hesitated as he spoke in a forced tone that sounded aggressive... one he had never heard the other use before. "That fucking ink parasite."

The moment the words left his mouth a piercing scream left his mouth as Red Son slightly jolted back at seeing the Monkie Kid's body glitch into a golden color, back and forth, as if his two sides were struggling. His monkey form and his original form as the other's hands moved to grip his hair tightly and slightly tug on it. Red Son was motionless and watched with a conflicted expression before MK slipped.

The large splash was deafening as Red Son hesitated, he almost debated just watching... but he didn't know if MK was in the right state of mind to swim. Hell, he didn't even know if he could swim based on the floaties from earlier.

Without a second thought, he leapt into the water, tensing up at feeling the water rush through his body and hair. It was uncomfortable and felt like his body was in a foreign place. Water rushed him from all sides as he took a moment to adjust and try not to freak out too much before he saw MK flailing around in the water, still disoriented and almost terrifyingly trying to fight something that wasn't there.

Swimming forward he reached out towards MK, jolting back at seeing the boy's golden eyes stare at him as he raised his hands to try and defend himself. They reflected anger and sadness. Both are two sides of the same coin. They also reflected something terrifying. It was almost reminiscent of The Great Sage's eyes... Equal to Heaven and Little Heaven. It was ironic almost. Red Son blinked as they both simply stared at each other before MK slightly coughed at inhaling the water and his hands went up to grip his throat. Red Son didn't know how to assure him he wasn't going to hurt the other as he hesitated. He knew that every second he spent underwater though would be dangerous for MK. Growling he swam forward wrapped his arms tightly around MK's torso and swam up, ignoring how the other was flailing and kicking.

They both crashed up, breaking the water's surface as he heard MK choking but also kicking harshly and screaming at Red Son. The Demon Prince didn't let go though, if anything he tightened his grip as he yelled louder.

"Xiaotian! Calm down! Calm down!" He pleaded as one of his hands trailed up to cup the other's cheek, hopefully to distract him.

It worked as MK seemingly paused at the foreign touch. His eyes remained their piercing golden color before they calmed and reverted to their usual brown. The boy's breathing was uneven as he simply stared at Red Son through his wet bangs and he looked terrified. Without being prompted too, he clung to the prince. If Red Son's hair wasn't painfully wet, it would've sparked up with surprise and embarrassment as it helplessly clung to his forehead and shoulders.

The prince didn't push the other off, instead, he continued to keep them steady as he wrapped his arms around MK's torso and gripped him tightly. Willing the other to feel his heartbeat. Soon enough, MK's breathing slowed down but he didn't let go. If anything he gripped tighter as he whispered.

"I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"For being this monster."

Red Son's breathing hitched slightly as he dug his fingers into MK's soaking white shirt. "You're not a monster."

"But..."

"You did what you had to do. It doesn't change how I or anybody else feel about you." Red Son interrupted as he pulled back slightly to look at MK face-to-face. His eyes narrowed as he cupped the other's cheeks.

"Push whatever parasite you have out of your head. You're the Monkie Kid, Xiaotian," Red Son reassured, using his given name once more to get it through his skull. It wasn't often that he used that name, or anything other than an "insulting" nickname. "You're not some puppet or some ticking time bomb. I know you're stronger than whatever demon you're going to face."

MK simply stared, his eyes wide and his cheeks slightly flushed as he stared at the Demon Bull Prince. His breathing hitching he leaned forward and pressed his forehead against the others. It was strange. A bit embarrassing even, Red Son always found himself above such foolish displays of... affection.

Thought, he couldn't ignore how it felt nice. He didn't seem to mind when it was just them. Carefully he slid his hands back down to wrap around MK's waist as he swam them both to the shallow part of the beach where he let go to climb up the bank of rocks and sand before he felt a hand grab his blank tank and pull him down slightly. His lips pressed lightly against the Monkie Kid's.

Water be damned, he could've sworn the ends of his hair flickered with life.

Pulling back once MK let him go he stared with an awestruck expression as he looked away with a glare and a growl.

"Idiot." He grumbled as he scrambled up the rock bank and reached his hands out to help the brunet up the rock bank.

MK let out a tired chuckle as he pulled himself up and fell into Red Son, the both of them collapsing back into the damp sand. Red Son sighed as he felt the sand envelop the both of them. He knew it would be hell to deal with later... but he didn't seem to focus on that at this very moment, instead, he simply hugged MK in a loose embrace as he watched the other's face. It was noticeably dim and not as light-hearted as before, but he seemed more content at the proximity.

Red Son just silently ran his finger through the other's soaking hair as he tried to bring him some semblance of comfort. It seemed even the littlest things helped his partner relax. And maybe even, it helped him do the same.

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Ever the perceptive, neither of them knew of the two simians watching from the foliage. One who seemed to know how it all would play out (albeit, a bit worried at the extra steps) and the other exasperated with the other's tricks and schemes.

woah, sometimes i write you guyz !! i might write oc stuff soon? but for the time being have thiz as its all i offer and its the only actually happy one shot I've written 😭