Sacharott

An understated aspect of the Mk/Mei dynamic lies in how Mk unintentionally affirms the way Mei has crafted her entire identity around being needed by Mk, and a lot of this is only fueled by how Mk is frequently isolated and left with only Mei to rely upon! Mk's fear of abandonment isn't one of an internal origin: those whom Mk should otherwise be able to depend on frequently decide that Mk is better off without them in his life— Pigsy doesn't believe he is worthy of being Mk's father; SWK believes that he should fight his own battles and shouldn't drag Mk into his mess, and, as such, both of them make the decision to distance themselves from Mk when he needs them more than ever— Everyone always leaves, except for Mei. The only time she meaningfully makes the decision to leave Mk throughout the series, is when she legitimately fears she would hurt Mk otherwise and was willing to resign herself to the fate she would die alone if it meant Mk would be able to keep living without her. Mei stays with him no matter how many times he dismisses her, or spirals, or runs them both ragged in his fervor to burn bridges, because she's his best friend and sees herself as responsible for his wellbeing. She's the one left to pick up the pieces the others left behind: She trains with Mk during SWK's absence, gets him a new jacket—paralleling how Pigsy lent Mk his aviator jacket in EYD—and is the only one to reassure him when he's uncertain. Mk does need someone who won't leave him behind, needs Mei, and, as such, only unconsciously validates her belief that her life is only meaningful when he's reliant upon her. By placing his faith in her, he effectively rewards her for staying even when his self destructive behaviors slowly kill both of them. He inadvertently forces her to associate 'saving' him with the inevitable aftertaste of suffering. Neither of them can escape this dynamic because Mk cannot conceive of a world in which someone chooses to stay, and Mei cannot weather the thought of abandoning her life's only purpose. My codependent cats <3