A Garden Across Our Collarbone is a Monkie Kid SpicyNoodles Soulmate AU Fic by pittdpeaches.
Not everyone has a soulmate, but those who do are "shared skin," that is, if one writes on their body, the same writing will appear on their soulmate's skin as well.
Red Son has grown up knowing his parents were soulmates, and spent years drawing on himself in hopes that someone would write back. But nobody ever did…Until one night, he wakes up to the sensation of a marker on his arm, and sees an excited "HI!!!" appear under a to-do list he'd written on his arm earlier.
It was completed April 6, 2024 and can be read here.
A Garden Across Our Collarbone contains examples of…
- Adaptational Relationship Overhaul: In canon, Pigsy and Tang are Vitriolic Best Buds with canon never making outright confirmation on anything more. Here, they’re soulmates.
- Age-Gap Romance: What Red Son initially thinks he might have with his soulmate, when he thinks they're a demon like him. As soulmates' writing only appears when they come of age, Red Son thinks they must have only just turned 400 (the demon equivalent of eighteen). He notes that while the age gap wouldn't be distasteful, it'd still be noticeable.
- A Minor Kidroduction: The fic opens on a toddler Red Son as he watches his father write to his mother on his hand, and is explained the nature of soulmates.
- Both Sides Have a Point: The characters acknowledge this in-universe when MK and Red Son have their Third-Act Misunderstanding; Red Son is valid in feeling anxious and worried about telling MK who he is, especially after all that happened between himself and Xiaotian, but he is still wrong to hide what he knew as long as he did. Likewise, MK's feelings of hurt and betrayal are also valid, but he should have understood Red Son's explanation at least for the reason he didn't know Xiaotian was actually MK.
- Common Law Marriage: MK explains that Pigsy and Tang are basically this; they’ve lived together for years, they’re soulmates, and he considers Tang Pigsy’s "kind-of-husband." However, there’s too many legal hoops for humans and demons to jump through if they want to be officially married, so they haven’t bothered.
- Continuity Nod: DBK yells in chapter 25 "Don’t you dare speak to my wife! Don’t even look at her!" which is almost verbatim what he tells the Camel Ridge Trio in season 4.
- Deliberate Values Dissonance: MK learns about the concept of "courtnapping" - demons kidnapping their lovers as a form of courtship - and is unnerved. He later says that Pigsy had told him about it but had said the concept was outdated and barbaric.
- Played for laughs when DBK and Princess Iron Fan discover MK is Red Son’s soulmate. They immediately head to Pigsy’s Noodles to begin discussing marriage and a dowry. Pigsy is furious at the implication they can just buy his son.
- Dramatic Irony: The fic runs on it.
- MK confides in Red Son that his soulmate has been ignoring him, and he's incredibly hurt by it. Red Son feels bad for MK, and feels guilty for ignoring his own soulmate, Xiaotian… not realizing the two are one and the same.
- Because Red Son's arms were bandaged at the time and he couldn't read when his soulmate was writing, he completely misses being told that his soulmate is the Monkie Kid.
- MK and Red Son both find themselves feeling closer to each other than their soulmates, with Red Son even writing that he's in love with someone else so they shouldn't try to push a relationship. Of course, they are each other's soulmates.
- MK is hurt and betrayed when he finds that Red Son knew about them being soulmates, and asks if he'd been stringing him along and laughing behind his back the whole time, having no idea that Red Son had only just found out and had been trying to figure out how to tell him.
- Enter Stage Window: Both MK and Red Son enter each other’s rooms by flying or climbing through the window.
- Flower Motif: Red peonies, Red Son's favorite flower, serve as a recurring image and representation of his and MK's bond.
- Human Notepad: MK already had a habit of drawing on himself before he realized he had a soulmate, and Red Son would write reminders on himself if he couldn’t be bothered to grab paper. After they reconcile near the end of the fic, both of them are also covered in drawings and words, having spent the entire night doing so.
- Insistent Terminology: After discovering that Red Son has feelings for a mortal, Iron Fan refers to them as "your mortal" and "your dalliance" instead of anything else, no matter how much Red Son corrects her.
- Intimate Hairbrushing: Mei and Red Son have several meaningful conversations as the former brushes and braids the latter's hair. MK is comically jealous when he finds out, as he's been wanting to play with Red Son's hair for months.
- By the Hair: When Mei demands Red Son explain what happened between he and MK, Mei yanks on Red Son's hair when he starts dodging the subject or she doesn't find his answers satisfactory.
- Like Brother and Sister: Mei and MK view each other this way, as do Mei and Red Son, eventually.
- Mayfly–December Romance: What Red Son and MK actually have, and one of the reasons demons bonded to a human don't pursue it. Also part of why Pigsy, in his youth, tried to push his own soulmate, Tang, away. It’s addressed again in the final chapter, with Red Son breaking down crying after MK is hurt in a fight, admitting he knows his own lifespan is much longer, and doesn’t want to lose him before he has to.
- Mistaken for Romance: MK briefly asks Red Son if he's in love with Mei, after realizing his soulmate, the one who told him he loved another, is Red Son.
- No. Just... No: MK's reaction to being told demons call the soulmate bond "shared skin." He tells Red Son, "Shared skin is gross and you should never say it again."
- Not Cheating Unless You Get Caught: Tang has a habit of writing instructions for Pigsy during Chinese checkers, which Pigsy chides him for.
- Nutritional Nightmare: Mei and MK both enjoy huge ice-cream sundaes on top of waffles, Mei making MK and Red Son bring her one when she hurts her leg and can't get one herself. Red Son is horrified by how sugary it is, and wonders how the other two can stand to eat such things.
- Only Known by Their Nickname: Played for drama; Red Son only knows MK as just that, so when his soulmate says their name is Xiaotian, he fails to make the connection.
- Pet the Dog: The normally aloof (at best) DBK starts making Red Son's favorite meals every dinner for a few weeks following Red Son's breaking up with MK. Red Son doesn't notice until Princess Iron Fan actually tells him, but is very touched by the silent show of affection.
- Playing Pictionary: Red Son's attempt at art leaves much to be desired, apparently, as MK has to ask him multiple questions just to figure out what he's looking at.MK: I gotta ask: is that a dog or a horse?Red Son: It's supposed to be a bull.MK: That does not look like a bull. Where are the horns?[...]Red Son: Now does it look like a bull?MK: Not really. It'd be easier to tell it was a bull if it didn't have the weird hat.Red Son: That's a monkey!
- Poor Communication Kills:
- Red Son's That Came Out Wrong moment causes MK's family to mistake him for being homophobic and keep him at arm's length for a while.
- Red Son failing to tell MK who he is, and being unable to read some of MK’s earlier writing, nearly costs him their relationship entirely.
- Soulmate AU Fic: Not everyone actually has a soulmate, but those who do can communicate by drawing or writing on their skin.
- Tastes Like Friendship: Pigsy cooks a bowl of noodles for Red Son while asking him what happened between him and MK, the two bonding and discussing their reactions to finding their soulmates.
- That Came Out Wrong:
- Red Son is baffled by how casual Pigsy and Tang can be about being soulmates, as since Pigsy is a demon it means he'll live a lot longer than his mortal soulmate, and Red Son grew up being told that such a union was a sign of weakness. When he comments on it, his wording ( "Surely you feel some shame over your bond, don't you?") makes everyone think he's homophobic.
- Red Son telling MK, when the latter realizes they're soulmates and Red has known about it, that he couldn't have anyone finding out leads MK to believe Red Son is ashamed of him and thinks he's weak.
- Third-Act Misunderstanding: MK tells Red Son he needs time away from him and doesn't write to him or draw for weeks after finding out he knew about them being soulmates and didn't tell him.
- Title Drop: In chapter nineteen.Our collarbone. The pretentious little royal in Red Son chided him. A garden across our collarbone.
- Wham Episode: Chapter 19; MK finds all the photos Red Son took of the drawings that appeared on his skin, realizing he’s the mysterious, aloof soulmate MK has been conflicted about all along. The chapter ends with he and Red Son staring in stunned silence at one another as this realization sinks in.
- What the Hell, Hero?: MK delivers a scathing one to Red Son in chapter 20, pointing out that he knew MK was upset about his soulmate ignoring him, demanding to know why he would keep acting normal around him. Of course, Red Son didn’t know they were soulmates til recently, but MK is too upset to listen and Red Son keeps sticking his foot in his mouth.
- Your Favorite: Princess Iron Fan points out to Red Son that DBK has been doing this for a while, following his and MK's Third-Act Misunderstanding. Red Son, who was too depressed to notice, is genuinely surprised and touched by this.
