Chapter Text
A golden figure curled up as much as they could on a thick mattress and a pile of blankets, their back was pressed against a wall.
Their wrists were cuffed together and a single chain wrapped around their right ankle, connecting them to a metal loop half-buried in the center of the space.
The figure shivered violently.
They clutched at their stomach, swollen with their child that could be born any day now.
Other than their unborn child, they were completely alone.
Panting breaths left their lungs.
Tears fell from their eyes, running down their flushed cheeks.
A familiar, burning heat was racing through their veins.
Each second made it harder and harder to think straight.
Soft whines and chirps came from trembling lips, along with a name.
A plea for help that they weren’t sure would ever be heard.
But they kept calling.
“Liu’Er…L-Liu’Er…please…please Liu’Er…”
“Please help me…I need you….”
----
“How are you feeling today, Wukong?”
Zhìyù Húlí gently laid the golden monkey back on their examination table. By his side, Macaque held his hand.
“Big. Ready to get this cub out of me.” He chuckled softly. He shivered and tensed slightly as he felt the cold gel for the ultrasound machine be squirted onto his stomach.
“Only a few more weeks, Peaches.” His mate rubbed his hand with a supportive smile.
“Indeed.” The fox demon nodded, “You have about three more weeks until your due date.” They flipped through a few pages on a clipboard, “I think now would be a good time to let you know of some…complications that will arise once the cub is born. Specifically around breast-feeding them.”
“What…what kind of complications?” His grip on Macaque’s hand tightened, his heart dropping down towards the floor.
“Due to the amount of the aphrodisiac that is still inside you, your breast milk would contain a large quantity of it that would make the child dangerously ill.” Zhìyù Húlí explained, “And that is before we begin the more aggressive treatment, which will more than likely also make your breast milk toxic.”
“Oh…so what will I do then? To feed them?”
“A special formula made for monkey demon cubs. I’ll get a shipment of the specific brand out to you before the due date.”
“Okay…”
“Your breasts will still continue to produce milk, so you will have to pump it out whenever it gets too uncomfortable.”
“Okay.”
“Now that the main concern is out of the way…” The fox demon picked up the ultrasound wand with a soft smile, “Are you ready to see how your cub has grown?”
Both monkeys eagerly nodded.
----
Macaque noticed immediately once Zhìyù Húlí left that his mate had curled up in one of his nests with a distant look in his eyes. The dark-furred monkey sat just outside the pile of blankets and pillows.
“What’s going on, Peaches?” He asked quietly.
“I don’t know…” Wukong frowned, one hand going to brace against his stomach, “I just…I think I’m just scared of what is going to come next.”
“For the cub or the treatment?”
“Both, honestly.”
“Can I join you in the nest?”
“Sure.”
Macaque crawled into the nest, facing his mate and taking his free hand in both of his. Their tails curled around each other as their foreheads pressed together.
“I know that I need the medicine to get rid of all the crap still inside me but…I just wish that it didn’t have to involve…needles.” A shudder ran through the golden monkey’s body.
“I know. I’m not a fan of it either.” He sighed. He really didn’t like that the next step in treating the aphrodisiac’s effects involved hooking his mate up to an IV drip several times a week. The drip would contain a mix of drugs that would, over time, break down the aphrodisiac and get it out of his system. If all went well he’d only have to do this three times a week for two years. It didn’t surprise anyone who knew what had happened to Wukong that he was very weary of needles. Or even just pricking sensations. The dark-furred monkey remembered the first time his mate had accidentally poked himself with a thorn and then fell into a hysterical, dissociative state. It took him and MK hours to calm him down and bring him back to them, “But there really is no way around it. Not if we want to get all of that drug out of you as fast as possible. It’s going to be okay though, Peaches. Cause I’ll be right here with you every step of the way, MK too. You don’t have to shoulder anything by yourself anymore.” A small, watery smile twitched at his mate’s lips. He giggled, tightening his hold on his hand.
“Thanks, Plums.”