Chapter Text
Redson exits his plane as he walks over to the "secret" hideout, as the noodle brain and dragon girl would call it. It's really just that treehouse they found when the lady bone demon was terrorizing them.
He picks up his bags and teleports into the treehouse. He puts his bags on the floor, grumbling quietly to himself. Stupid noodle brain not letting him build a startcase because a ladder is more "traditional". The stairs would have been more convenient but noooo we had to go for the ladder. Honestly, why is he friends with them again?
Feet patter across the floor broads. Redson turns just a second too late and gets tackled to the floor by Mei.
"GET OFF ME DRAGON GIRL! YOU FILTHY PEASENT" His hair starts smoking as he wiggles underneath the dragon girl pinning him down. This is ridiculous! This is exactly why he doesn't hang out with these buffoons!
Mei giggles from her spot above Redson. She gets off him, standing up as she dusts herself off. "Sorry Redboy! Had to make sure you weren't a clone!"
Redson sits up and tries to fix his ponytail that was messed up. Just fantastic. Stupid peasants, do they really think he would stoop so low to make a clone of himself to get out of hanging out? That's a cowardly way to get out of things, his ma- auntie did not raise him that way. He's THE Bull prince dammit! He's more respectable than that stupid noodle boy who pulled that stunt because he doesn't have the word no in his vocabulary.
Mei offers a hand out to redson. He smacks it away and stands up. "Do you really think I, the great Redson would stoop to that noodle brain's level? Honestly dragon girl use that brain cell I know is somewhere in that head of yours."
"Heyyyyy what'd I do?! I didn't even do anything! Why'd I'd get insulted?" Mk complains from his spot on the couch. His arms were crossed and there was a pout on his face.
Redson finally gets a good look at both of them. Mk was wearing a pajama set with little monkey king faces all over it, while mei was wearing a pajama set with little dragon faces all over it. "Why- why are you both wearing those ridiculous outfits?"
Mei grins and bounces back and forth on her toes. "Me and Mk got matching pajama sets for the sleepover! We even got a pair for you tooo~" Mk perks up and has a shit eating grin on his face.
"What are you- WAIT NO NO NO YOU PEASANTS STAY AWAY! I WONT PUT ON THAT RIDICULOUS OUTFIT!" Redson screeches and runs off deeper into the treehouse Mk and Mei run after him laughing and hold the pj's they got him.
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After 30 minutes of giving chase and Eedson throwing things at the both of them, they finally got the pj's on him.
"Mk. Mei. Why does these pj's look suspiciously like my father? And why does he look so...soft." Redson lifts up the shirt judging the cartoon of his father. "The material is soft...I suppose I will accept this- just this once." He lied he's gonna wear this alot but he can't let those noodle brains know, I'd ruin his reputation.
Mei snickers and high fives Mk. "hell yea Mk he loves it I told you this would be a good idea!" Mei wraps her arm around Mks neck and messes with his hair.
"WA- HEY meiiii stopppp." Mk wines and pushes Mei off him. "You messed up my hair!"
"Why the...matching pj's anyways? And why does mk have monkey king? I see no correlation whatsoever." Redson says as he takes off his glasses and shines them with his shirt.
"Oh! Cuz it's our heritage! You know since monkey king is Mks dad! And I have dragon heritage! And your father cuz he raised you right? Also you look up to him!" Mei says.
Redson hums and looks down at his shirt...he also looks up to someone else...NO he must not think that way its unbecoming of a prince besides he already has a mother. Even if she wasn't around alot...
Redson sighs and walks over to the couch and grabs the spicy chips Mei got him. He winced as a sharp wave of pain runs over him. He grabs a pillow and puts it against his stomach and sets the spicy chips back down on the table. Yea he can't eat those right now it's basically a death wish. His hair sparks slights as the pain gets worse. Dammit it's never been this bad before...well except that one day...whatever this will pass just like before.
Mei runs over and plops down on the couch next to Redson, the couch bouncing slightly. "WOOO I'm so ready for this sleep over! We gotta build a fort and watch scary movies!" She grins and leans over slightly, grabbing the remote and turning on the TV.
"So what movie are we think of boys? Horror? Comedy? Mystery? So many good ones! Oh! WE COULD WATCH K-POP DEMON HUNTERS!" What? He's never heard of that before...what the heck is a k-pop demon hunters? Is it like that demon slayer show they got him to watch?
"Um pony girl what is this...k-pop demons hunter thingy?" Mei lets out a gasp. She grabs him by the shoulders and shakes him. Oh gods he thinks he gonna be sick-
"YOUVE NEVER HEARD OF K-POP DEMON HUNTERS!? I knew you lived under a rock redboy but I didn't think you'd be THIS out of touch!" Mei wipes her head around and shouts in the direction of the kitchen. "MK REDSONS NEVER HEARD OF K-POP DEMON HUNTERS!"
"Pony girl please stop shaking me-"
"HES NEVER HEARD OF IT!? Mk darts around the corner a pile of snacks in his arms. He throws them onto the table and scampers over to the couch pulling up the rug with him. He goes flying forward and crashes into the arm of the couch. Mk bounces off of it and hits Mei and Redson in the process knocking them all off the couch and onto the floor.
Red wheezes as he's crushed under Mei and mk. Dammit these stupid peasants making him feel nauseous-
Oh.
Oh no.
Redson throws both of them off him and she scrambles upward and runs to the bathroom. He opens the door, nearly taking it off the hinges. He leans over the toilet and hurled.
"Redboy! Did we scare you off that bad-" Mei is cut off by the sound of puking. Mk and Mei get this worried look on their faces. "SHIT- redson!"
They both run to the bathroom door and are by Redson's side in an instant. Mk grabs one of the nearby rags and runs it under water in the sink.
Redson grips the toilet rim as more throw up flows out of his mouth. It feels like an endless cycle throw up a bit, wait 30 seconds for it to stop and then another wave hits. At the end of it he has spit dribbling down his mouth as he desperately tries not to barf again. His whole body is shaking as tremors hit his body from the force of throwing up. His face is ghostly pale.
*Mei props him up and sets him against the wall as mk wips the spit off his face with the wet rag. "Easy Redboy, easy, it's over now. How are you feeling?" Mei asks worriedly.
"Like shit dragon girl, I just puked my guts out." A piece of hair that fell out of his ponytail hits his face. He lets out an angry huff and reaches a shaky hand up to move it out of his face. Stupid ponytail coming undone stupid illness ruining his evening. Stupid Sun Wukong for ruining the ritual and giving him this illness.
A sharp wave of pain rolls over Redson as he clutches his stomach. Fuck it's never been like this before. He tries to stand up but falls back down the wall.
Mk and Mei glance at each other, worried about Redson. "Hey uh redboy let's get you to the couch yea? Here me and Mei can help you." Mk suggests and holds out his hand to Redson.
Redson slaps his hand away. He's not a damn baby! He can stand on his own! He's a prince for fucks sake! "I don't need help, I'm perfectly capable of standing on my own." He presses a hand against the wall and forces himself to stand up. His legs wobble like a new born calf. He takes a few steps forward before the pain in his abdomen spikes. He stumbles before falling forward and catching himself on the counter.
"Redson! Hey, you don't need to push yourself!" Mk step forward prepared to help redson. He reaches a hand out and holds redson up. "Come on redson let us help. I know it's a pride thing, but everyone needs help sometimes!"
Redson grumbles before giving in and letting Mei and mk help him over to the couch. Pain rolls over him in waves, it becoming nbearable. This isn't fair. He should be able to do this on his own dammit! Why does it hurt so bad!? It's never been this bad! It feels like his insides are turning inside out!
"I'm going to need you both to get me my bag, the red one if you will." He props himself up, his hand holding himself up. Mei walks over to the entrance and picks up his bag. She walks back over and stands next to mk.
"Sure Redson but why do you need your bag? Doesn't it just include clothes?" Mei asked while handing the Redson his bag. He sighs and opens up the bag. This is gonna be hard to explain and they will probably be mad at him for keeping this secret. He rummages around in his bag for a moment moving some clothes out of the way.
"I...I have something to confess to you both and please don't freak out but first noodle boy would you mind handing me that water bottle on the counter?" Mk on his part gives Redson a rightfully confused expression before grabbing the water bottle and handing it to Redson.
"Sure Redson but why do you-" Mk stops his sentence as him and Mei gape at the 5 bottles of pills redson pulls out if his bag like a fucking magician. "WHAT- where did those come from!? Did you have those this whole time!? Why do you have a copious amount of pill bottles!? ARE YOU ON DRUGS!?" Mk exclaims moving his hand around in the dramatic way he always does.
"wha- NO? Where did you even get that from!? I- WHAT. Noodle boy I knew you were stupid but I didn't think your only bain cell would be fried. This is clearly prescription medication." Redson opens one of the bottles and takes a pill. Shit this was going to be...difficult to explain to them.
"I...I haven't been truthful to you both. This is more of the main reasons why I hate sun wukong in the first place long before he seld away my father." He sets down the pill bottle and pulls out a heating pad from his bag and plugs it in to his portable power source.
"When the samadhi fire was being removed from my body, Sun Wukong messed around which caused the ritual to mess up and the fire was removed from my body incorrectly." He plugs in the heating pad and presses it against his stomach.
"We already know this Redson it's how I got the fire in the first place. What is the point in telling us this?" Mei says as she digs through Redson's bag, snooping as he predicted.
"Let me finish! Since the ritual failed to remove it from my body properly, I contracted an illness called Crohn's disease. I've had it since I was 14 in human years I suppose." Mei drops the article of clothes she was holding.
"YOU HAVE A INCURABLE DISEASE!? AND YOU NEVER TOLD US!?" Mei stands up shouting. Mk sits between the two of them looking confused. "Sorry to interrupt but what is Crohn's disease?" Both Mei and Redsons head snaps to them as they both shout "You don't know what Crohn's disease!?"
"Should I? I didn't really have a reason to know about illnesses before. It can't be that bad right?" Mk gives them a sheepish grin.
Mei glances at Redson before looking back down at the carpet. She reaches a hand over and squeezes Redson's shoulder.
Redson reaches a hand up and places it on top of Meis. On paper it doesn't sound too bad but when you have to watch and feel how it can destroy you...well then it can be bad.
"G-guys? Come on its not that bad right?...Redson?" Mk calls out worried now. Redson sighs and looks away for a moment before looking in the eyes.
"With my illness my intestines and colon don't behave like yours and Meis. My immune system sees it as a threat that needs to be eliminated like what it does when your sick." Redson glances down at his hand.
"And since it's an organ of mine that I need to survive or else I die and my body sees it as I threat...well you can imagine how painful that must be when your body is hurting itself and trying to erode your gut." Redson holds out his hand to Mk. Mk hesitantly takes Redson's hands into his.
"From what I've heard from women with this illness the pain of a person with a Crohn's stomach ache feels exactly like a period cramp with varying levels of pain depending on how bad the flare up is." Redson looks up again at Mk, his eyes looking more dead than normal.
"Flare up? Um, what's that?" Mk looks up at Redson, puzzled. He rubs his thumb comforting over redson knuckles.
"A flare up is exactly what it sounds like. You know how some people have allergies and if they eat a certain food, they flare up? That's what happens to my gut. It flares up with pain and can last for hours on end. For some people it can last weeks and if left untreated, or the wrong medication being given, it can last for years. Years of constant pain and wondering when it will ever stop." Mk eyes widen as he looks at redson horrified.
"Wait don't tell me-"
"That I'm the one who's been in a flare up for years on end? Yes noodle boy I'm one of the unlucky souls who's been in pain for years with no fix." Redson looks away from mk now, looking out the window.
"I never told you all because it's weak. I'm fucking demon prince, the creator of the Samadi fire! Son of one of the most powerful celestial maidens and the Bull King!...and yet I've been defeated by my own body. My own body is trying to kill itself. How pathetic is that? I didn't want you both to see my differently because im- I'm useless. I can't do anything when I get flare ups." Mk and Mei look at each other concerned and then at Redson.
Mk places his hand on redsons shoulder. "Hey, you're not useless! You've built amazing things and you're Stronger than me and Mei! I can't believe the mental battle that would take to deal with! You are strong Redson!" Redson glances over at mk. He suppose that's true, he is brilliant. But what kind of inventor is he if he can even cure himself? He's built all these great things to fix others' problems yet he can't fix his own. Sure he's freed his father but what father wants an offspring as weak and useless as him. Who wants a disabled son?
Redson's internal wallowing gets interrupted by yet another wave of nausea rolls over him. He shoots up from the couch startling mei and mk. He walks around the couch and makes a beeline for the bathroom.
He swings the bathroom door open again- who the fuck closed it!? He dashes over to the toilet just in time for a wave of barf eruptes from his mouth.
He grips the rim of the toilet trying to hold down another wave. He gags and it flies out of his mouth. He can feel the chucks of food leaving his mouth and into the toilet bowl, the disgusting yellowish brown color is all he can see around the porcelain white toilet.
All he can hear and feel is the sound of throwing up and desperately trying to hold it down. Mei and MK are shouting things around him as they scramble around him. They sound worried?
He grips the toilet rim harder as he holds back another wave. Mei his by his side in an instant wiping his mouth with a wet cloth and moving the loose hairs out of his face.
"-Hospital"
Huh? Hospital..wait do they want to take him to the hospital!? "No- no hospital!" He stands up wobbling.
"Wa- dude! You're in pain and you keep throwing up! You need to go to a hospital!" Mk shouts, he's by Redson's side in an instant holding him up.
"You're not okay! This isn't normal Redson! I've read about Crohn's disease and throwing up is not a side effect! Your hurt or something is seriously wrong!" Mei is over on reason's other side helping him stand up.
"I'm fine. No hospitals. I don't need to get a needle stabbed into my hand for no reason-"
"No reason!? YOUR DYING! or your going to die! This isn't normal and it's not okay!" Mei whips her head around to Redson. Tears are filling her eyes. "We're taking you to the hospital no buts! It's takes a hour to get back to the city a hour mind you we don't have!" Mei and Mk bring Redson back to the couch. Redson looks over at Mei and sighs.
“Alright, fine. If it makes you both feel better I'll go. Pack my bags there is a barf bag in one of the pockets I'm gonna need it.” Redson winced and clutches his stomach again. Fuck it hurts so bad why does it hurt so bad?
Mk makes a few clones out of his hair to bring the bags to Mei's plane. He lifts Redson up and walks over to the ladder. Redson's face burns with embarrassment, gods does he have to be carried like a princess?
Mei climbs down first and opens up the hatch. She gets into the pilot's seat and turns on the jet.
“You're gonna be okay Redson. If this was nothing then you can get mad at me and Mei later okay? We just- we just want you to be okay. You're our friend, we care about you. Tears prick Mks eyes as he starts going down the ladder with Redson in his arms.
Mk lands down on the ground and places Redson into one of the seats. He climbs into the seat next to Redson and makes his clones disappear. Redson looks over at Mk and rolls his eyes. He reaches out and grabs Mks hand.
“I'm going to be a fine noodle boy, I can't leave you idiots to fend for yourself without me. You'd both wouldn't survive. Mk looks over at redson and laughs. He wipes the tears from his eyes.
“Yea you can't leave us redboy! Who else is gonna get mad at me for my terrible cooking!” Mei shouts from the driver's seat.
“You do have terrible cooking.” Redson says before he curls up into a ball clutching his stomach. A wave of nausea rolls over him.
“Mk barf bag now.” Redson places a hand over his mouth. Mk panics and reaches I to the bag and pulls out the bag he hands it over to redson just in time for redson to barf into the bag.
Redson squeezes his eyes shut and he barfs. He keeps gagging but nothing will come out of his mouth. He opens his eyes back up to glance into the bag. It was this disgusting neon yellow color. He is probably now throwing up his own stomach acid. Just great. Fucking fantasic.
He groans as another wave of pain rolls over him. Why can't it just leave him alone!
“Hey uh Mei I don't wanna rush you but we're kinda in a hurry!” Mk calls out to Mei. He holds Redsons sholder as he continues to throw up.
“I'm trying Mk! Give me a second…you're gonna be fine redboy.” Mei finally takes off in the direction of the city.