Chapter 1: Familiar Faces
Chapter Text
MK tried his best to adjust to the new ‘normal’.
He REALLY did…
"But what the HECK is this?!"
He waved his hands wildly at a nearby dog walker and his furry companion, who was quite LITERALLY using his tail as a HELICOPTER ROTOR…
Mei just gave a light chuckle.
“Oops! Looks like our little ancient stones incident is bleedin a bit of magic-”
“IN EVERY CITIZEN OF MEGAPOLIS?!?!” MK yapped in disbelief-... Disbelief he could NOT hide for the life of him. Seriously, was he the only one who was ACTUALLY concerned about this?!
“I dunno Mei, seems like it’s a bit more than just ‘a bit’...” Pigsy muttered, rolling his eyes as two girls talked and laughed, before widening his eyes in surprise when one of the girls yawned a water bubble.
“Yes, saving the world may or may not have caused some mild repercussions, but nobody’s lit on fire yet… Right?” Tang attempted, sounding decently confident until the end. That shaky grin wasn’t doing many favors.
“He’s- not wrong?” Sandy chirped back, returning a nervous smile. Sure. Nobody was TECHNICALLY on fire, YET. But MK had suspicions. Maybe it was paranoia, but something felt very wrong- and what the HECK did Xiangliu MEAN when he said-...
No… Don’t think about that…
MK hadn’t even realized- just like the other seven times today, that he was holding his breath. It was only when a slightly concerned Mei gave him a gentle pat on the shoulder and a clearly worried glance (she was terrible at hiding it…) that MK remembered…
He was NOT going to let a gosh darn SNAKE ruin his day.
He let out a huff, before willing a smile.
“Okay, you know what? Tang. Sandy. You guys are right! Sure, this might be a little weird…”
Did that dog just super bark- ow.
“B-But uh… You know, it’s always weird at Megapolis!” MK stammered with a smile that was much harder to muster than he was expecting. And by the confused and mildly concerned glances he got in return, he knew he was blowing this…
MK’s eyes darted around between the people and the objects in that noodle restaurant. He needed something- anything… A distraction.
For himself or for the others, he didn’t-
“Hey Pigsy… When’s the last time a customer ordered noodles?” MK suddenly felt himself asking. It had been what felt like MONTHS since he last made a delivery, and it’d be weird if not a single customer had been ordering food for that entire time span.
Pigsy seemed to scratch the back of his neck in some kind of nervous manner, before mumbling; “Yeah… So uh… With all the end of the world stuff… Haven’t gotten an order.” Everybody’s jaws dropped. “HOW ARE YOU STILL IN BUSINESS???” Tang barked, incredulous, before snatching a nearby noodle bowl and aggressively slurping.
Pigsy sent Tang a glare, and MK couldn’t figure out (for once) if it was Tang stealing a bowl, or Tang’s remark.
Though instead of mentioning it, Pigsy simply scoffed. “Look, the tax guys haven’t even come to my place, and I’m not bout to call em. That being said, more and more people are ordering again, so we’ll be fine-”
“That’s my call!” MK chirped suddenly standing up. Perfect, something to think about. Something so absolutely NOT difficult OR dangerous that MK could handle!
Before anyone could say anything (and trust MK, they REALLY wanted to say something), he grabbed as many orders as he could, all stacked on the counter like normal (Oh how he loved normal), before running right out of the shop and scrambling on his cheap noodle cart.
How was this thing even working??
MK wasn’t about to question it too deeply though. Probably better left unnoticed, actually. So instead, he sped off, checking his phone for directions.
Things were going perfect! Peachy even, after three successful deliveries. Some part of MK was sobbing in relief at the fact that everything felt almost as normal as the day the-
The demon bull king was released-
Which…
Which caused…
…
Oh god…
MK felt himself slow down at a red light.
W-When did that happen- about a year ago, right? How did he get here? MK was just delivering noodles and having a great time and then-
What happened after that? The bull almost ran down the city- NO.
He DID run down the city! MK stopped him but-
No no no… MK didn’t CAUSE the Demon Bull King to get released. He just- He just witnessed it, right?
Right. Silly. Silly thoughts.
MK, against his own worsening anxieties, willed himself to breathe. He needed to breathe.
And then…
He did.
…
MK had more deliveries.
Another successful delivery! And another! Why not a third?! Man, MK felt so PUMPED! He hadn’t had such a great streak since- well… Since things were normal.
He hesitated on that thought, before quickly dismissing it. Because GOSH DARN IT, he was gonna MAKE this his new normal, whether the universe wanted him to or not!
MK had the line down perfectly. He didn’t miss a single second, when he slid right back into Pigsy’s Noodles with an accomplished smirk at a successful work shift, it took him a second to register-
It was… Really late…
MK turned back to the window. How had he not realized it was getting so dark? It was already some time after the sunset, an odd period where things were dark, but not quite NIGHT yet… MK’s eyes landed on another left behind bag of noodles-
Another order?
“S-Sorry kid… I thought that was all of em… Some bozo ordered one right as I was closing…” Pigsy muttered, huffing in… some kind of annoyance. “N-No, it’s fine.” MK sheepishly grabbed for the last bag.
“I’ve got this.”
MK could hear Pigsy’s hesitation. He paused so strangely. It was… Really obvious. “You sure, MK? It’s startin to get a little late…” MK gave a quick nod, only about a second after Pigsy said it. “Yep. I… I got this.”
MK walked back outside, got up on his cart again, and imputed the address.
“That’s weird…” MK mumbled to himself, checking his phone again. It was… Well, for the special instructions, it said ‘drop it down the sewer drain on Violet Avenue’. Wasn’t that the old lair of the Spider Queen?? MK forced himself to shrug it off as he began to drive.
The- The Spider Queen was gone now.
“A-At least no more spider queen, now?” MK stammered to himself, a shaky grin begging that he didn’t think too deeply about it. How could he say that?
Sure, MK hated spiders but-
Not even Spider Queen deserved what-
Oh god. Not again.
No. You have a delivery to make.
S t o p.
STOP thinking about that- Stop thinking about h-
MK stopped suddenly.
He almost missed his turn.
He nervously searched his trunk for the order and grabbed it. He looked around, confused and distant, before a whispery voice below asked; “Hey, boy. Drop it down here.” MK looked down in surprise.
That voice sounded very-
“OH MY GOSH YOU’RE STILL ALIVE??” MK yelped suddenly, taking a step back when he spotted one of the Spider Queen’s-... Henchmen??
It was… It was the one huntsman guy… Not really the strongest one or the cleverest one.
“Dudeeee… HUNTSMAN! I thought you DIED…”
“Your weird little spidery friends around too?! WHO’S BUTT DO I NEED TO KICK?!” MK barked, swinging his arms around in a warning readying sort of way. The huntsman sighed in annoyance, rolling his eyes.
“Relax, kid. It’s just me. I-... I made a deal with someone. My friends uh… They didn’t do that…” MK dropped the firsts in realization, his expression softening without him even realizing it. This guy had no friends?
“And just so ya know, my name ain’t huntsman!” The now very grumpy spider huntsman growled. MK knelt down so he could see the huntsman better. “Oh- yeah. I mean, I figured. What’s your name then?” He asked with what he hoped looked like a genuine smile. Funny how one of the Spider Queen’s henchman wasn’t as scary when he wasn’t trying to find and maim you-
The huntsman grumbled, narrowing his eyes at MK. “And why should I tell an enemy of my queen who I am-”
“Isn’t the queen kinda…” MK trailed off nervously looking off to the side. He probably should bring that up for, well, a whole multitude of reasons…
MK looked back at the huntsman when he heard no response, and felt a little sick in his stomach when he saw the seeming realization that the huntsman had on his face. Whether this henchman wanted to admit it or not, MK was PRETTY SURE this guy was feeling lost…
“...Crabbe… My name was- Crabbe, before the queen… Turned me…” MK couldn’t help but raise a brow. He honestly hadn’t expected the huntsman- Crabbe, to actually answer him. He gave Crabbe a small smile, before handing the noodles to the spider through the opened sewer drain.
“Well Crabbe, here’s your noodles! I- uh…”
MK dimmed.
Was he… Was he the reason Spider Queen-
No…
Yes.
MK let out a sigh, before turning back to Crabbe, who looked a bit distant, for understandable reason.
Finally, MK managed…
“I’m sorry about your queen…”
MK closed the door behind him, making sure to lock it. He may live in a friendly neighborhood, but Pigsy always made sure to remind MK that locking doors didn’t hurt.
He let out a tired sigh as he dropped his bag without thinking, leaving it by the door and walking to his bedroom, not bothering to change before flopping on the bed and going limp.
He was…
Tired…
He shouldn’t have been, he knew he shouldn’t have been.
MK had been delivering noodles ever since he turned 18. Plus, considering all the chaos-
Chaos…
Considering everything that happened, MK knew delivering some noodles should barely affect him-
It wasn’t the noodles, was it-
S t o p.
MK covered his face in his hands, groaning in clear frustration. At least there was nobody around to witness this frustration. He’d hold himself against it, otherwise…
Things were NORMAL now.
Kind of…
MK had NOTHING to complain about…
But he didn’t feel great at all. Something told him- a little voice in his head, said he wasn’t through the storm yet.
Wasn't that the thing he heard Macaque whisper?
Just when the group was celebrating their victory before more inevitable disasters occurred…
‘You do realize this is the calm before the storm, right?’
And what do you know, Macaque was right…
Was-...
Was that gonna happen again?
MK had a few choices, but something in his heart told him that purposely pretending things WOULDN’T get worse would hurt him more than the other options.
MK, whether he realized he was doing it or not, began to notice the way his nails dug into the skin of his scalp, the stress gnawing on him more than he realized.
When did he start clawing at his skin like that?-
When did he start holding his breath-
No.
MK knew he had work tomorrow.
The world isn’t ending anymore. MK had no excuse to linger on this. He had to get sleep. If he didn’t, he’d never be able to function. He needed a brain to function.
Preferably an energized one…
But just as MK finally began to relax, feeling the darkness slip into his mind…
The moment MK was expecting himself to go from tired to sleeping, something else flickered…
A little girl.
With glowing blue eyes…
Chapter 2: Sense of Direction
Summary:
Everyone's got traumas, and struggles, and issues, and things to get past. Just like that, everybody's got solutions that work for them, and friends they can lean on. There's at least someone out there to hold your hand, and this is something Everyone needs to get through...
MK's struggling with his mind and the distant future. Tang and Pigsy are trying their best to be the greatest fathers they can be for their kid. Mei just wants to help MK out like she usually does, but uncertainty bites her whenever a friend begins to hurt. A certain spidery fella doesn't know what to do with himself as he wanders a familiar yet distant world...
But all of these people need to figure out how to get past their struggles, and they will. They all know that festering doesn't help. So... What do they do?
Notes:
Heyaaa! Sorry that it's more character evaluations lol
I swear, stuff will ACTUALLY happen in chapter 3, but this chapter needs to exist for the sake of understanding where everyone is, and what the major conflicts are probably gonna be (as well as to hint at future major plots). Anywayyy...
The only WARNING I have is that it does talk a little about suicidal stuff towards the end, but it doesn't get super nitty gritty. Just refers to the Pillar of Light and everything, so... It's mostly just mentioning stuff, and shouldn't be triggering to most people.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
MK couldn’t fight the shiver as he gazed into the glowing blue eyes of the girl-
A helpless vessel of the Lady Bone Demon’s evil plans-
But he didn’t get it…
He TOOK DOWN the Lady Bone Demon.
She- She HAD to be DEAD.
MK nervously scrambled back as the darkness began to form into his night-lit bedroom. He bumped into the headboard of his bed, running out of space to back into as the little girl- no…. Lady Bone Demon approached him with a small smile.
She was so threatening without even trying.
She could always make your blood run cold…
All with one simple glance…
MK didn’t know how long he’d been holding his breath, but he knew it had to have been a while, considering how his lungs seemed to scream for release, but for the life of him, he couldn’t grant them that request…
He wanted to be small.
He wanted to be invisible…
He wanted to-
Maybe he didn’t… As he suddenly realized he had made himself tiny without even noticing, but now… Now the Lady Bone Demon loomed over him with that smile, that-
That toothy smile, she was no longer a little girl but a shadow with glowing icy blue eyes and teeth.
She was a monster.
MK watched in horror as the Lady Bone Demon raised a hand and reached down to grab MK as if he was nothing more than a little mouse, and he snapped his eyes shut in response, praying that this was all just a-
Dream…
MK sat up suddenly, gasping for breath he so desperately needed… His room was lit warmly in the morning light, but that did little to help MK’s nerves, his attention on anything but the ‘atmosphere’...
His gold vision- it activated without his permission, revealing to him the silvery blue fumes of magic smoke that radiated from his hands. Before he could even truly process it, the smoke began to evaporate, like they had never even been there in the first place…
What…
What the… Heck… Was that???
MK let out a shudder as he nervously pulled his blanket back to get out of his bed, standing slightly wobbly. He couldn’t balance himself for the life of him, opting to sit down and take a few more seconds…
He felt like a mess…
He closed his eyes, covering his face with his hands in silent distress, but the moment he did, the darkness of his mind began to fill with glowing blue smoke and glowing blue eyes… It was- horrible-... There was no escaping her…
He needed to get out of here.
MK scampered down the stairs in a panic as he realized just how absolutely LATE he was. He slept until TEN in the morning, and he was supposed to be at work by SEVEN THIRTY, the LATEST.
When MK burst into Pigsy’s Noodles, he had to take a moment to gasp for air, but then took a deep breath in, quickly recovering himself.
Why was it so silent?
Oh- THAT was why it was so silent.
MK just realized how concerned and confused Pigsy and Tang looked, as they both took in MK’s very shaky state. “Uhhh… Kid… You okay?” Pigsy muttered, raising a single eyebrow. “What’s got you so shaken up, MK?” Tang wondered, adjusting his glasses as if to re-evaluate the situation. MK attempted to shake himself out of whatever frantic scare he had been going through.
“Right uh-... S-Sorry I’m late…?” MK attempted with a nervous grin. Pigsy let out a nonchalant scoff, strangely enough… “Don’t worry about it, kid. I know you’re still adjusting. Just try to take care of this stuff, will ya?”
MK couldn’t help but feel puzzled. Why wouldn’t he? Pigsy was WAY too nice- Oh no… Was MK stuck in another Calabash??? Wait- no… Tang would be acting weird too…
“Uhhh… S-Sure…” MK stammered, failing to hide his confusion for the life of him, as he timidly took the orders that were made on the counter, and walked out the front door. He’d just play along for now…
Tang and Pigsy exchanged nervous looks.
“Tang…” Pigsy asked, narrowing his eyes nervously. “Pigsy,” Tang chirped back, taking a cautious slurp of noodles. “What… The HELL was that?” Tang could only shrug. “Clearly there’s something on MK’s mind. Though I’m not exactly sure he’s going to be forthcoming about it…” The chef could only let out a tired sigh.
Tang couldn't help but glance over.
“I know things are hard right now. For you, for me, for… For MK. We’ve just gotta do what we always do. Be there for him. You’re great at that. Eventually, when he’s ready, he’ll talk to us…” Tang spoke in his calm ‘I swear everything will work out’ voice, and he couldn’t help but smile when he saw Pigsy relax, even slightly. With some hesitance, the chef gave a nod.
“Y-Yeah… True… You’re right…”
There was more silence before Pigsy put a gentle hand on Tang’s. “Thank you. Really. I’m… I’m glad to not be alone here…” He admitted in a charming sheepish sort of way. Tang gave a soft chuckle back, nodding.
“You’re never alone, Pigsy. I promise.”
Mei let out a frustrated growl because she really couldn’t help herself, as she opened and closed her fists. That hand fidget was becoming a common one, and she really didn't know how to feel about it.
“So… Are you going to keep SNARLING about this? I thought you were the Dragon HORSE Girl, not the Dragon WOLF Girl…” She heard Red Son casually jab at her as he sat beside her.
She knew he was trying to get her to focus again, but she couldn’t help it if she was a LITTLE frustrated right now. “He’s LITERALLY forgetting to BREATHE!” She barked back, crossing her arms and huffing.
She felt Red Son’s nervous fidget, and admittedly, it DID make her feel a bit better that she wasn’t the only one getting worried about MK’s recent habits…
“I… Look, I UNDERSTAND, but huffing and puffing about it isn’t HELPING…” Red Son snarked, rolling his eyes and crossing his arms as well.
The two stared off at the distant sea, a normally very pleasant view from Red Son’s training area, but currently, the only thing keeping the two sane…
“Yeah well, I don’t know HOW to help him, okay?!” Mei snapped instinctively, taking a whole three seconds to realize what she just did. She faltered, before letting out a shaky sigh and turning back to Red Son with guilt she couldn’t hide. “I- I’m sorry-”
She cut off when she saw his dismissive raised hand though, giving her a mildly annoyed side-eye. “Don’t apologize… We’re all snappy right now…”
She hesitated, before giving a just as uncertain nod.
“But… I DO want to help him… I just… I feel so useless…”
“You AREN’T useless, Dra-... Mei…”
Mei couldn’t help but turn to look at Red Son at that. He hardly ever called people by their actual names, but it felt like him using hers was a punctuation of how serious he was being. This was… Well, it was a difficult situation for everyone.
He let out a huff, giving a small smirk alongside it.
“In fact, I feel that in terms of usefulness, you would be quite HIGH on the scale, if only you could settle that temper of yours.” Mei rolled her eyes, failing to fight a smile. “Rich, coming from you…”
“Red Boy,” Mei chirped with a smirk.
Inevitably, Red Son let out a little grumble as his hair flickered with embers, only slightly, but it TOTALLY had an effect on him. “Psh, you’re too easy to tease,” She chirped, chuckling lightly. Red Son simply rolled his eyes, but Mei knew he wasn’t gonna take it to heart.
“Yeah, yeah… Whatever… Horse Girl…”
“Hey... When are we ACTUALLY going to get around to TRAINING?” He suddenly called out, giving Mei a narrow-eyed glance. She snickered slightly, as she pushed herself up onto her feet again.
“Whenever you’re ready,” She answered, holding a hand to him, offering assistance. He looked at it, before failing to hide a small smile as he took it.
“Born ready.”
Sandy wiped the sweat from his forehead as he glanced at his newly painted boat. It was a gorgeous cyan color, with waves of green, and little orange flowers. “Ain't she a beaut?” Sandy asked with a grin, marveling at his hard work as he pet a little blue cat that stood beside him.
Mo gave a happy meow, tail swishing in amusement at the vintage-looking boat. It was a different sort of style than what Sandy usually went for, but somehow, it felt perfect. It gave Sandy vibes from the get-go.
Sandy began to put away his many brushes and buckets of paint, before suddenly, he heard the sounds of scuttling. “Huh? You hear that, Mo?” He asked. His feline companion raised a brow, glancing around at the sound, before hissing at a certain shadow that lurked behind a wall, just barely in sight. Sandy turned too, and darkened.
“Hey… Who’s…”
Mo raised his hackles, ready to fight, and Sandy grabbed for the nearest thing that worked as a weapon, a leaf rake. The shadow morphed as the person shifted, moving into sight to reveal himself to be-
Wait… The Spider fella??
“Woah! Hey! You’re still alive-...” Sandy said with shock as he remembered the Spider fiend. Or… One of the three… It was the one that had confronted Sandy when he was trying to find that flower for MK…
This couldn’t be good…
The huntsman took a step forward, and Sandy took a step back. “Now hold on man, we don’t have to do this, you know…”
“Relax, blue one... My queen is DEAD. I don’t follow any orders but my OWN now…”
Sandy raised an eyebrow, hesitantly lowering the leaf rake slightly. “Oh-... I’m… I’m sorry that happened…”
The huntsman let out a sigh.
“Well, I suppose that’s what happens when you’re a ‘bad guy’...” Sandy wasn’t sure what to say to that, as he nervously put down his rake. Mo was still on his hackles, but upon receiving a pat on the head by Sandy, he calmed down, eventually…
The cat still narrowed his eyes with suspicion at the Huntsman, but it would seem he was appeased for now.
“So uh… Whatcha doin here, man?” Sandy wondered, eventually getting back to picking up buckets of paint. The huntsman stood idly like he didn’t know what to do with himself. “I… I dunno actually… You’re the only guy I met who could- Well uh…”
Sandy stopped what he was doing to turn to face the huntsman again. He’d be lying if he said he wasn’t curious. Had he… Actually changed the Huntsman’s mind that adventure ago?
The huntsman let out another sigh, and something told Sandy this guy SERIOUSLY needed to learn how to meditate, cause wow. He was sighing a whole lot…
“I uh… I’ll tell you what I told the kid. I made a deal with someone who could revive me, and now I’m here… I… I don’t know why I came back…” Sandy noticed the tone shift at the end, and he began to wonder about things.
“Your friends?”
The Huntsman shook his head. “Either they couldn’t find someone, or they didn’t care to come back… I probably shouldn’t have, either…” Sandy couldn’t fight off the slight worry on his face as he put down his painting supplies and walked up to the huntsman, putting a hand on his shoulder.
The Huntsman seemed a little jumpy, considering his look of surprise, but he didn’t pull away.
“Why’d you say that? There’s so much to live for!” Sandy chirped with a sad smile. Huntsman didn’t return it…
“Psh. Like what…”
Sandy looked around, before spotting Mo.
“Like cats!” Sandy chirped, holding up Mo.
“Oh! And tea! Would- Would you like some tea?”
The Huntsman raised a brow as if Sandy had just offered the weirdest sort of something that could be offered… But with a grumble and a shrug, he muttered; “Sure… Why not…”
The two sat at a small table that Sandy had recently nailed to the boat deck. Sandy took a tiny sip of his tea, and the Huntsman followed suit.
“So uh… What they call you, man? I keep thinkin Huntsman, but that can’t be your actual name…”
The Huntsman hesitated, before mumbling;
“Crabbe…”
Sandy couldn’t help but light up slightly. He actually had a name! And quite a nice one, at that!
Sandy gave a light chuckle. “Well, Crabbe! How’s your tea? Too hot? Too cold? Need somethin added to it?” Crabbe shook his head. “Nah, it’s fine. You’re… Uh… Really good at this…” Crabbe admitted sheepishly, taking another sip.
Sandy couldn’t help but beam. He LOVED making stuff for people, and whenever he got a compliment, it felt like he was doin somethin right!
“Happy to hear it, fella! Now. What are your plans?”
Crabbe turned to Sandy confused, perplexed even.
“Plans? I don’t got none! I… I don’t even know what I’m doin here…” Sandy couldn’t help but feel a stir of sympathy. Wow, this guy really doesn’t know why he’s here… He was so… Lost. Sandy thought for a moment.
“Well, you’re finally free from orders. You’re your own person now. This should be nice… Exciting even!”
Crabbe clicked his tongue in what seemed like mild annoyance. “Nice? I just feel…”
“Lost?”
Crabbe looked up at Sandy with wide eyes, but Sandy simply chuckled. “I uh… I felt like that too. When I retired from my warrior duties… Didn’t know what to do with my life. Didn’t know where to go… But you know what helped?”
Crabbe leaned in, failing to hide curiosity.
“I just let life happen.”
Sandy had to fight off a snicker at Crabbe’s disbelief, but he managed to control himself as he continued. “Y-yeah! I just went with the flow. I looked for what I liked to do in life. I found hobbies, and friends, and… You know, just let life choose for me, and hey! I’m happy where I am.” Crabbe looked off.
It was hard to tell what was going on in his mind sometimes, but the fella looked confused.
Like he… Really didn’t understand.
Sandy thought further, stirring his tea before taking a sip. “Maybe… If ya wanna… I can show you. You’re welcome to stay here, if you’d like. Maybe we can go on a hobby chase, try to figure out what your passions are.”
Crabbe looked back at Sandy, before taking a nervous sip. “Bah, I don’t wanna bother ya…” Sandy felt a smile form. Crabbe was already forming a consideration for others. Sandy could help this guy along. Heck, they could end up being great friends from this…
“Nah, you wouldn’t be botherin me. It’d be fun!”
Crabbe hesitated.
“You… you sure…?”
Sandy gave a nod.
Crabbe let out another sigh. Yeah, all this sighing, Sandy was pretty sure Crabbe just wasn’t breathing enough. Sandy put meditation on his mental list of activities for Crabbe later, as he awaited a response.
“Alright, I guess it can’t hurt to try…”
MK came back from his noodle delivery, letting out an exhausted huff as he flopped onto the counter. “Wow, MK… You sound really tired…” Tang mumbled, prodding at MK’s arm more just to make sure he WAS in fact, alive.
“Yeah, what time you gettin to bed?” Pigsy muttered, narrowing his eyes. MK couldn’t help but let out a groan. “I’m tryinggg… It’s not… Easy…” MK looked off, trying to avoid eye contact, but it was becoming harder to do so when he felt the stares…
“What’s been causing you strife?” Tang asked softly, giving the boy a comforting pat on the shoulder. MK couldn’t help but grumble slightly, leaning into Tang’s comfort. “Just… Dumb brain stuff…”
Tang and Pigsy exchanged nervous glances, but didn’t say anything… Yet… With a single glance, MK could tell they wanted to, though. “It’s… I swear it’s nothing weird, kay?” He attempted, narrowing his eyes at the two adults.
They always got weird about it…
Ever since the whole- s-stupid pillar of light thing…
Everyone’s been acting weird… Like… Like MK was itching to jump off a bridge or something…
He wasn’t…
He wasn’t like that…
It wasn’t like that…
He just- didn’t think he had a choice… Was all…
MK looked up again to see those dumb sympathetic faces again. “Ugh… Guysss… I’m TELLING you… It’s not… Like…” MK trailed off, giving up quickly, as he smacked his face into the counter, muttering something only he could hear.
Tang rubbed at MK’s shoulder, in an attempt to break the tension there, but… Boy, the kid was tense…
Tang knew MK hated this recent… State… His friends would get in, but… Could the kid really blame them? Everyone took the Pillar of Light situation pretty badly, and all in their own ways too.
Many of the protective folks in MK’s life, especially his parental figures, couldn’t help but feel on guard, wondering when MK was gonna stick his foot out in Danger Road for the second time. MK had never gotten so… Terrifyingly suicidal…
Whether it was to save the world or not, MK really DID fight to jump into that pillar, and goodness was it a fight. Monkey King and Macaque had to use their whole strength to keep the kid at bay, and it was only the fact that MK somehow came back that he was still here now…
Tang and Pigsy couldn’t help but feel the need to keep an eye on MK after THAT, even though Tang knew just how the protectiveness seemed to bug the poor kid.
Eventually, MK lifted his head, glancing between Tang and Pigsy, before muttering… “Look, I KNOW you guys are just trying to protect me and everything, but I PROMISE I am NOT gonna be jumping into the next strange light beam that appears, okay?” Pigsy let out a frustrated sigh. One that Tang felt personally… They had to trust the kid on this one…
“We know, MK. We know.”
After some time, Pigsy decided to make some noodles for MK, despite the boy’s reluctance. Pigsy decided to close the shop early, in favor of getting MK to wind down earlier. Hopefully, that’d help with his sleep issues. Maybe some extra rest wouldn’t hurt…
It hurt Pigsy to not know what was going on in that kid’s mind, but he just had to trust that MK would tell him if something really bad was going on.
It hurt, but…
Tang made it easier…
Pigsy just had to… Trust the process…
Eventually, MK walked upstairs to his apartment room, like usual, but he wasn’t really looking forward to another night of… Her…
The more MK thought about it, actually… The more he felt like something had to be off… Maybe he’d pay Monkey King a visit. Ask about…
What would he even ask?
MK couldn’t help but let out a frustrated sigh, covering his face in his hands as he lay on the bed, very similar to the night before.
MK was pretty sure trying to go to sleep right before feeling a sense of worsening distress was NOT helping…
Notes:
Sorry if this chapter was short or boring nskvvd
I swear, we're almost done with the prologue/introduction stuff ;W;
I just really want you guys to have a general idea of where everyone is and what's going on with the current setting, but next chapter will ACTUALLY have a specific plot, so yay :DD
Chapter 3: Dread. That Is What I Feel.
Summary:
MK has another horrific sleepless night.
He panics.He runs to his monkey family cause they can make him feel better.
They do make him feel better.
And then he says something that causes them to need someone to make THEM feel better.
Notes:
The summary is a joke-
kind of 😭
Enjoy the short chapter, I wanted to upload SOMETHING since I took so long, but like,,, I'm planning on making this a writer weekend, so here's hoping uwu
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Those glowing eyes shined from the darkness again… MK couldn’t fight back a shudder.
He couldn’t, because it was horrifying…
Was she… Slower?
It’s like she wanted to draw out every movement, and Mk felt another shiver. Strangely, the moment he felt one, the shivers didn’t quite stop. At one point, it worsened so significantly that he fell to his knees, holding himself in that dark void as… Laughter…
She was laughing…
At HIM.
…
Could he blame her?
It WAS pretty ridiculous, when you think about it.
MK was getting scared by somebody who was long gone. Somebody who was entirely fake. Just his imagination. A literal bad dream, and nothing more-
“Are you sure that’s it?” She whispered into his ear. MK felt his vision blur… He was crying…
He was…
It was…
So stupid… That’s what it was…
He attempted to muffle the high pitched laughing, covering his ears, but it was fruitless. Nothing could muffle the shrill cackles that the Lady let out.
She found his suffering amusing.
He was AWARE that she found his suffering amusing, and that STILL didn’t stop him from shivering and crying and sniffling like the emotional mess he was…
Just like before, at SOME point, MK jolted, sitting up suddenly, as he sat, trembling in his bed.
He wasn’t breathing, and he had to force himself to do so. The breaths were shaky, and he was clearly NOT okay, but he couldn’t worry about-
God, why was it so dark…?
MK patted his surroundings in the darkness until he felt the wood of his nightstand. He continued, until his hand patted over his phone. He reached for it, unplugged it from its cord, and then tapped the screen-
He quickly had to look away, his eyes stinging at the brightness as he frantically switched it back down. But once he did that, he couldn’t help but gasp.
It was-... Literally 2:35…
In the morning…
…
Oh god…
“Aww, you feel that, bud?” Monkey King chirped, breathing in the cool night- or well… Very early, morning air. There was no response. Monkey King let out a chuckle, before turning his head slightly, moving one eye to a particularly large shadow that a nearby tree seemed to cast…
But Monkey King knew…
That wasn’t any ol shadow…
“Yeah… Okay, fine, I’ll admit it…” Came a rather charming voice from the dark, before two glowing purple eyes revealed themselves from the darkness. The shadow walked forward, before those purple eyes glinted gold.
Before Monkey King knew it-
Nah, he was gonna get a good look at that bud of his. Monkey King turned so that he fully faced the shadow monkey who stood before him.
“So, Macaque…
Think we got some stuff to talk about… Yeah?”
The shadow was silent.
Macaque was damn lucky it was so dark out… Monkey King could SENSE the glare.
“You’reee… Talkin about the thing that happened recently?” Macaque muttered rather generically. Seriously…
“Which one?” Monkey King answered with a raised brow. Macaque apparently found this amusing, considering that little chuckle he failed to muffle. “Okay, fair enough. Let’s uh… Let’s start with the big one…”
“The kid…” Monkey King answered, his eyes narrowing slightly. Truthfully, he would have liked to pretend the Pillar of Light thing never happened. Macaque would never let him forget though, would he?
“What do you have to say about that?” Macaque asked with barely a smile. It was subtle. Monkey King furrowed a brow. “‘What do I have to say about it?’ Macaque, he almost DIED.” There was a distinct silence.
“I know.”
“Then why are you-”
A shadowy tail swished over Monkey King’s mouth, silencing him. “Wukong… You HAVE to at least register this tension isn’t gonna go away. Everyone’s feeling it… ESPECIALLY the kid…” Macaque cut in, giving Monkey King a critical look. “When’s the last time you checked in on him?” Monkey King felt the tail move from his mouth.
But he remained silent.
Truthfully, not since the… Not since the… The time he and the kid sat on that roof. When Monkey King had to muster a pep talk to cheer the kid up, even though that… That poor student of his had been through hell and back.
It felt like everyone around Monkey King struggled to realize that he… He DID feel bad that MK had to… Deal with all of that… Monkey King DID take it light towards the beginning, but gosh, the kid really felt like-
He really felt like Monkey King’s kid, sometimes…
But then everyone would assume that Monkey King never did- no… Never COULD feel bad. Like he didn’t register all the hurt MK had to go through…
He did…
Maybe he struggled at the start.
Maybe he could have been a better mentor from the beginning, but… It hurt seeing the kid suffer…
Oh- wait…
Monkey King shook his head slightly, his eyes moving to the hand that had suddenly rested on his shoulder.
Macaque’s hand.
When Monkey King followed the hand to the wrist to the arm to the shoulder to the owner of the shoulder…
Macaque had a rare moment of concern…
Cute.
Monkey King felt his mouth twitch up slightly, and apparently Macaque had noticed that, considering how his face lit pink a bit as he pulled his hand away.
He let out a nervous chuckle, before stammering; “Y-You’re uh… You’re good, right?”
Monkey King should have made a goofy joke, or teased Macaque for how easily he could get flustered, but all Monkey King could do at the moment was smile…
And nod.
He should probably nod.
He did so, his gaze drifting to the ground.
“You… You should probably-” Macaque got cut off suddenly as the two tensed at the sound of feet pounding against dirt and rock.
Someone was running…
Right at them. The two monkeys turned in surprise as they saw the figure stop short, taking a nervous step back. Monkey King couldn’t tell who they were at first, considering they wore a hoodie- a red- no wait…
Orange…
“B-Bud…?” Monkey King mumbled, wincing at the panicked breathing of the- well, whoever this person was, but he was like 90% sure it was MK.
Sure enough, the boy pulled his hood down revealing his identity and confirming Monkey King’s suspicions. “Hey kid, you okay? Not lookin too hot…” Macaque muttered, narrowing his eyes slightly at- well… He wasn’t wrong.
MK looked like a sweaty panicked mess.
He had messy bed hair too, and those eye bags did NOT look good on him. Then again, eye bags didn’t really look good on ANYONE. Monkey King and Macaque both took instinctive steps forward.
Actually, yeah… Why WAS the kid up so early??
Before Monkey King or Macaque could ask anything else, he and his hesitant ‘friend’ were forced into a nervous group hug when MK suddenly rushed forward.
Was it awkward? Yes.
Were either of them gonna break it? GOD NO.
The kid clearly needed this! Even if Macaque and Monkey King were both on shaky ground still… Neither of them would dare break a hug MK CLEARLY needed, no matter HOW much platonic o̶r̶ ̶p̶o̶s̶s̶i̶b̶l̶y̶ ̶r̶o̶m̶a̶n̶t̶i̶c̶ tension there was between them. The monkey’s would be damned…
But when Monkey King looked over to Macaque, he DEFINITELY caught a sense of dread flicker on the shadow’s face, whether he wanted to admit it or not…
“K-Kid, seriously, are you okay?” Monkey King mumbled, nervously patting MK’s shoulder. He felt the kid shiver.
Definitely not okay…
Wat do-
Macaque suddenly gave a nervous tail twitch as he force-broke the hug- WHAT? HOW DARE HE-
Oh god wait, the kid wasn’t breathing-
Monkey King felt a sense of panic creep in when he noticed this. And uh… Also, question… How did MACAQUE realize that?? Though maybe that question could be answered later. In a less stressful environment…
“Bud, seriously. Breathe.” Macaque held MK by the shoulders as he muttered this, looking the kid in the eyes. It was a direct approach, but maybe soft wasn’t what MK needed right now, anyway…
Monkey King stepped over to stand beside Macaque, and gosh he REALLY wished he could stop his tail from giving out that nervous swish, but…
The kid let out a shaky breath.
It was a start, but boy was it a START…
Though eventually, the kid finally started breathing again… His eyes wouldn’t stop flooding with tears and he couldn’t stop sniffling for the life of him, but hey… The kid was breathing… Eventually, with exchanged glances, Monkey King and Macaque helped MK sit down on a nearby log.
It wasn’t perfect, but it worked. That was all that mattered, really, considering MK looked like he was about to fall over at any second…
Monkey King had about a dozen questions he wanted to ask, but every time he was about to pipe up, he caught Macaque’s warning glance and stayed silent.
Not now…
Monkey King and Macaque sat at either side of MK as he continued to breathe, his shaky breaths finally beginning to steady again… Like normal… Normal was good…
Eventually, though, Macaque broke his own rule.
“What happened?”
There was an uncomfortable silence.
MK hesitated for a longer time than Monkey King felt comfortable with. Like he was REALLY debating if it was ACTUALLY a good idea to talk about it…
That HAD to be bad…
“L-Lady Bone Demon…”
…
Yup, it was bad…
Notes:
LOL
I LOVE TRAUMA :D
Chapter 4: Figuring Shit Out
Summary:
Monkey King and Macaque split up.
Monkey King hangs with MK, neither knowing what to do, until they both decide to race to Flower Fruit Mountain.
A seemingly useless walk, but hey, at least it was relaxing.Macaque, on the other hand, is busy talking to a familiar fellow (maybe not fellow) from the Demon Marketplace. The two clearly want to throw one at each other, but Macaque NEEDS information on this new problem...
Notes:
Another short chapter, i sorry ;_;
I swear shit happens soon sbvdj
Oh yeah, ALSO! If you guys are curious about my lmk ocs, you can find em here!:
https://toyhou.se/critter_core/characters/folder:5956963I use ocs VERY sparingly in my books cause I know not everyone's a fan, but I try to keep it to semi-possible canon existence lol (like, no weird species we've never seen before or crazy new factions, etc)
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
“B-Bud… W h a t ?” Wukong sputtered, his eyes wide with disbelief, echoing Macaque’s sentiments.
Macaque stayed silent, but he could feel his own heart beating faster. Lady Bone Demon was gone. She HAD to be gone. If she was back-
Macaque knew he should be worried about the kid. MK would definitely be on Lady Bone Demon’s to-hit list, but… The little voice of self-preservation reminded Macaque that he’d be on that list too…
It… It had been a long time since Macaque had actually managed to let himself care about other people, and he still felt that instinctive urge to save his own skin.
It was a survival instinct… It wasn’t-... It wasn’t cowardly…
…
Macaque’s eyes moved back to MK as he mentally urged himself to stay present.
The kid was already struggling. He didn’t need mentors that were struggling too… The kid seemed nervous, glancing between the two monkeys like he was contemplating even sharing what he meant…
Finally, in one very fast-spoken manner, as if he spoke in one breath; “Yeah so I haven’t gotten any sleep lately because every time I try to I get stuck in this weird dark nightmare void and I see Lady Bone Demon and she’s talking to me and sometimes she’s laughing at me and then I wake up with gold vision activated and I don’t know why and there’s a lot of blue smoke-”
The kid let out an exhausted sigh, before once again, nervously glancing between the two monkeys.
The two monkeys who were…
In utter shock…
“B-Blue smoke…” Macaque murmured, narrowing his eyes. “That’s not… Just a nightmare, is it…?” He heard Sun Wukong stammer beside him, in a quiet whisper. The kid wasn’t deaf though. Macaque knew that as he caught MK paling slightly. They were making it worse…
Macaque let out a frustrated growl holding his face in his hands. “Kid, we just DEALT with the Lady Bone Demon…” Wukong nodded, adding; “Yeah, bud. She should be dead… We saw her die…” MK didn’t seem convinced though… He rubbed his arm in an anxious manner...
“Then what’s up with the blue smoke?”
…
Honestly? Neither of the monkeys had a good answer for that. Why WOULD there be blue smoke?? “W-What kinda blue smoke?” Macaque asked suddenly, looking up from his own hands. Wukong instinctively activated his gold vision, but furrowed a brow. “I… Don’t see anything…”
MK nodded. “Yeah, it evaporates quickly after I wake up. I think it just happens when I’m dreaming…” Macaque and Wukong exchange glances, before Macaque let out a sigh. “Okay, look. I know someone who can help us figure this out, but it might take a bit… He knows a lot of stuff, but he… drives a hard bargain…” Macaque muttered.
Wukong nodded, before glancing at MK again.
“Hey bud, is it okay if I hang around a bit? I wanna make sure you’re okay, you know? Maybe I could see this weird smoke stuff myself…” Macaque felt it when he saw MK hesitate. In general, it was funny how the kid always preached to his friends that it was okay to ask for help, but so rarely did he follow his own rules…
But eventually, the kid nodded.
It helped Macaque relax slightly, even if only slightly.
Macaque was about to walk off, his task explained and his mind set, but he stopped when he heard Wukong cough. “...Yes?” Macaque muttered, failing to hide his annoyance. “You’re not talkin about the demon market, are ya?” Wukong asked back, his voice laced with suspicion. Macaque rolled his eyes.
“It’s really not that bad, you know…”
“It’s full of scammers… And people’ll curse you for inconveniencing them…” Wukong didn’t hesitate to answer back, standing up suddenly. Macaque couldn’t fight the irritated scoff he let out. “It’s not a place for a ‘king’, but that’s why you’re not going,” Macaque said instead, turning to shine a cocky smirk.
That smirk turned more genuine when he was greeted by Wukong's mock-offended huff. Well? It wasn’t about to change Macaque’s mind. “Right, so. I’m gonna get started on that… See you guys in… Eh, let’s give it a day,” Macaque chirped, as he walked backward into a shadow.
Monkey King and MK stood there.
Silent.
Typical Macaque, walking off and leaving Monkey King to an utter mess of things…
Well, hopefully Macaque WOULD come back with something useful… Preferably not a curse…
…
He better not be heading for that stupid snake again…
Monkey King let out a sigh, before glancing over to MK. “How you holdin up, bud?” He checked. His heart fell slightly when he felt the kid hug him in response, staying silent. Monkey King, also quiet, put a hand on the kid’s shoulder in support. He’d be there now…
If the kid was gonna suffer, at least he wouldn’t suffer alone.
Eventually, the two decided to walk back to Pigsy’s Noodles, and by the time they got there, the sun was beginning to rise up into the sky.
Sure, you could say Monkey King could turn into a bird, or summon his cloud or something, but… Honestly, it felt like he and his successor BOTH needed that walk.
It was a silent walk, but it was almost relieving, after all the crying and torment MK had to experience… And Monkey King had to witness…
The two stood before the noodle shop, faltering.
Monkey King glanced over, to see his kid, still shivering… “Pighead’s not gonna make you work today, is he? It’s a weekend!” Monkey King chirped with an attempted grin. MK hesitated. “I would have liked it, actually… Delivering noodles is a nice distraction-... sometimes…”
Ah, kid…
Monkey King felt his heart sink. Something in his gut told him this issue was a lot bigger than just some bad dreams… Monkey King pondered a moment. If the kid needed a distraction… Ah, that’s it!
“Say, bud. You up for some training?”
Monkey King couldn’t help but smile when he saw his successor soften, smiling a bit and nodding. The kid looked relieved to have something else to think about. Might be good for Monkey King, too…
They were about to walk off, before Monkey King suddenly realized… “Uh… I guess we just walked to that noodle place for nothing, huh?” He asked with a sheepish chuckle. MK hummed in thought, before letting out a chuckle of his own. “True…”
Monkey King stepped in front of his student with a smirk. “So… How about we make it more fun. Eagle race to Flower Fruit Mountain?” He offered. MK gave a determined nod, excitement taking over immediately.
That’s my kid…
Monkey King let out a chuckle.
“Alright, good luck!~” He chirped, before suddenly turning into an eagle and taking to the skies.
“W-WhAT?? That is SO NOT FAIR,” MK yapped, before changing as well and soaring after.
Silly kid.
Macaque slammed his fist on the desk.
“God would you cut the bullshit, Abi?? I need to see Razaal!” He growled, narrowing his eyes as his tail swished with frantic impatience. A sage green snake woman with dark green hair tied into a bun stood on the other side of the counter, looking uninterested. Abi glanced down at Macaque with casualness, clicking her tongue.
“Duh, of couuurse ya do, hon… I thought your lil orange-furred friend didn’t want you seein him no more, though,” She chirped in a semi southern accent, a smirk present. God Macaque wanted to walk out of this damn tent as soon as he entered… Macaque let out a low growl.
“I’m not HERE for TRAINING, Abigail.”
He darkened, stealing every shadow in the tent and making every single one laughable, compared to his expression. His eyes glowed a slight purple as he answered; “Bring me, Razaal…”
Abigail scoffed with a put-off glare, as she called out suddenly (very loudly, making Macaque jump a bit-) “OHHH RAZZIE, YOUR SHADOW’S LOOKIN FOR YA!”
There was a moment of silence.
Before suddenly, a golden scaled snake with narrowed black eyes walked out. This snake, covered in scars and scales, with roughed up dark red hair, shined a toothy smile toward Macaque, which felt his stomach twist immediately. He forgot how intimidating Razaal was…
And tall. Very tall.
“Well if it ain’t ol’ Macaque, back once again…” Razaal churred, leaning over the counter, his eyes shined with casual intrigue. “I’m not here to entertain you, R-Razaal…” Macaque stammered. He took a breath, willing himself to quit the nervous stuttering.
“Oh…? Then what you here for, sugar plum?” Razaal churred with a smirk. Oh god… The things Macaque wanted to do to that snake. One was throwing the nearest object right at that stupid face of his.
Macaque’s tail twitched, but with another breath, he answered semi-calmly; “A friend of mine is dealing with… Oddities relating to a particular demon…” Razaal’s smirk fell, him raising a single brow in surprise.
“That… Was not- Hm… What demon?”
Macaque let out a sigh.
They were FINALLY starting to make progress…
“L-Lady Bone Demon…” He stammered, failing to fight the shiver that he felt when he spoke of her name. Razaal’s raised eyebrow raised higher. “Ain’t that bitch finally dead?” Abi sent Razaal a warning glare, shutting him up immediately. Macaque had to fight a snicker.
“Y-Yeah, she’s supposed to be. The kid I’m talking about says he sees blue ghostly smoke though… After- After dreams he gets of her…” Macaque answered, nervousness setting in. He wasn’t sure how much information Razaal needed, but if anybody knew about demons, it was Razaal… Unfortunately…
The guy was known for training demons all around the world, and when training a student, your first goal was to learn about them and their fighting style, pick up on patterns and weaknesses… That was useful-
Even if Macaque hated the guts of this guy more than anything… He knew if he even uttered Razaal’s name around Wukong, the sun monkey would spring to attack…
Razaal clicked his tongue in thought, before muttering; “Sounds like fragments…” He must have noticed Macaque’s raised eyebrow, as he nodded and continued; “Yes… Fragments. Most demons don’t leave fragments behind, but the ones that rely heavily on possession as one of their powers, they often leave fragments of themselves behind when they die. Depending on how many possessed souls were affected… Typically it’s three…”
Macaque narrowed his eyes, mulling over what Razaal said. If that was the case, they were in for trouble. Lady Bone Demon had at least possessed the little girl from before, but… They had no idea how many people outside of that… “So she’s…” He started but trailed off.
Razaal nodded. “Your girl ain’t back, but she left some of her behind. Mostly just causing chaos. The fragments have a mind of their own, and they’ll haunt who they fancy…” ‘Who they fancy’? Nice knowing MK was someone they ‘fancied’ then…
Macaque let out a huff, hoping to bring himself out of that anger, even if part of him really wanted to strangle something. “How do we deal with these fragments?”
Razaal was silent, before smirking.
That was a bad sign…
“You know Six Ears, I could give you that information and more… But, I’ve been missing our training sessions, you know? What do you say we go back at it one more time, and whatever you want is yours~” Razaal tempted with a snicker. Yeah, no. Fuck that.
Assuming Wukong would even APPROVE of that, Macaque wasn’t sure there was ANYTHING that could get him back to training with Razaal. “Listen, man… I don’t need any of your bullshit training. You’re gonna tell me what I need to know, and I’m gonna walk out of here with nothing touched, yeah?” Macaque growled.
Razaal clicked his tongue, disapprovingly.
Who was HE to- “Listen, Six Ears. I’m just asking for a good ol’ training sesh-”
“You’re asking for a BEATDOWN, and I refuse…” Macaque hissed back, narrowing his eyes, his pupils turning to slits. Razaal froze, shivering slightly.
After a few seconds of silence, he muttered;
“You’re gonna need a good sorcerer, Sugar Plum… A good sorcerer who can banish the demon fragments from the victim’s mind WHILE they’re stuck in that nightmare…” Macaque paled slightly. There were two major thorns…
He didn’t know a sorcerer,
And he’d have to WATCH MK suffer…
Lovely…
Razaal, seeming to pick up on Macaque’s uncertainty, smirked. He smirked at Macaque’s expense, just like last time… “I know a good sorcerer, you know~”
…
“I’m not asking for a lot, Six Ears…”
Macaque darkened, his claws nervously scratching against the wood of the counter.
He’d have to figure something out…
Something, somehow…
Notes:
So yeah, what's gonna happen?? Who knows?? Not I-
Actually, that's a lie.
I DO know what happens >:333
Chapter 5: No. Never Again.
Summary:
Macaque had to make a big decision.
He didn't WANT to think about having to rely on Razaal, but the offer was tempting.
And thus, Macaque decides to walk on it...
Notes:
TW for uh... Lossa ouchies (abuse, it's a traumatizing flashback, wooo!)
It's really just for the context of Razaal as a character (especially if he comes back again or smth)Also, the reason I didn't put abuse in the tags is that this is a very ONE-OFF thing.
Abuse is not the story, nor is it a large part of the story. This is a moment in Macaque's life that I wanted to highlight, but this is the only moment abuse will (probably) ever get a spotlight.
Chapter Text
“I wanna think on it.”
“S-Sorry…?” Razaal snapped in disbelief, sitting up suddenly. Macaque looked up to meet Razaal’s eyes but with a cold expression. “I said… I want to THINK on it…”
Razaal opened his mouth to argue, but Macaque raised his hand to silence the snake immediately. “If you don’t MIND, I’m gonna go take a walk. I’ll be back if I need your assistance…” Macaque answered calmly, as he walked out of the tent. He needed to really think about it…
A ‘banishment’ seal didn’t sound too… Complicated…
Though maybe that was because he and Wukong had been banishing CLONES for years… Fragments were… Well, they weren’t SUPPOSED to be strong… Fragments, as in shattered pieces, as in snippets.
Not Lady Bone Demon.
FRAGMENTS of Lady Bone Demon.
But then, part of him wondered if they assumed they could handle it, and then found out WHILE Mk was suffering that they didn’t have the technical know-how… That would be… Really upsetting for everyone.
The kid would have suffered for no reason…
But Macaque knew EXACTLY what Razaal wanted, and Macaque also knew he’d be… Sore for a few days…
He also knew Wukong would NOTICE he’d be sore for a few days…
Honestly, in regards to Razaal, Macaque had a feeling Sun hated Razaal MORE than even Macaque did.
A flash of a memory suddenly rolled, like watching an old cassette tape on a small box tv in a hot musty attic…
Macaque was walking through Lantern City before he suddenly (accidentally) bumped into Sun Wukong. It was a good thing Macaque had that purple hoodie up, but it didn’t stop his heart from beating like a rabbit’s.
Wukong wasn’t supposed to be there…
He felt the surprised glance but forced himself to keep walking. He was running late for something…
Someone…
Macaque eventually made it to the old shadow puppet stage of his. One he offered to this person, a place to train. To get strong. To become more powerful.
Macaque glanced around, before entering.
Little did he know, a slightly concerned Birdkong was following closely behind.
Macaque entered the dark, eerie theater room, looking around till he spotted the snake in question. Macaque rushed forward with speed, but the snake had seen him, too… “Six Ears! Thought you weren’t gonna make it…” Razaal churred, shining Macaque a smirk.
Macaque felt his stomach twist.
In an uncomfortable sort of way.
Did he… Really want to be here?
Yeah. He did. He wanted to get strong…
“S-Sorry, Razz…” Macaque stammered before letting out a sigh. “You know how it is,” He started, with a smirk.
“I tend to like arriving fashionably late~”
Razaal gave an amused chuckle, and Macaque felt himself relaxing immediately. He was lucky Razz didn’t hold grudges… W-Wait… Why’d he even have to say that-
Were you supposed to be- Why was he scared…?
Macaque let out another sigh, trying his best to settle his rabbit’s heart. It wasn’t working…
“So… Student. Are you ready for today’s lesson?” Razaal chirped, his toothy grin glinting in the dim light. Macaque suppressed a shudder, before muttering;
“Born ready.”
Razaal gave a snicker, straightening up and getting into battle formation. “That’s what I like to hear~”
Not even a second later, Razaal was charging at Macaque with flashing speed, a wide sharp-fanged grin ready to snap. Macaque took an involuntary step forward before he realized where he was, and what he was doing. He sidestepped Razaal, just barely dodging.
Razaal, seemingly endless on energy, turned fast and sprang to attack again. Macaque’s breath hitched as panic began to crawl in, the shadow monkey dodging under, over, around, attack after attack.
“God, come ON, Six Ears! When are you gonna ATTACK,” Razaal snapped, his grin looking more forced. He was getting impatient. Suddenly, while Macaque was catching his breath, wearing himself out, Razaal sprang.
Macaque’s eyes moved up, locking on Razaal’s claws, widening in realization, but his legs didn’t track. Razaal tackled the shadow down on the ground, pinning him with ease, and Macaque let out a panicked yelp as he felt sharpness clawing at his back.
It hurt…
A lot…
Razaal leaned over and turned Macaque’s head upward so that Macaque was forced to look into those snake eyes… The pupils were slits as thin as daggers…
Macaque failed to hide a shiver.
“Hey Sugar Plum, this is kind of boring… And I’m sacrificing MY TIME for YOUR TRAINING… It’d be REAL sweet of you to actually FIGHT…” Razaal churred, his smile hiding the glare rather lousily…
Macaque was making him mad…
That wasn’t- that was NOT a good thing…
Macaque felt nails digging into Macaque’s shoulder, and he heard the impatient rattling of Razaal’s tail. Macaque needed to- He needed to do something.
Macaque suddenly sunk into the shadows below him, leaving Razaal confused and shocked, sitting on the floor with Macaque no longer present.
Suddenly, Macaque tackled Razaal from behind, pinning him on the ground like he had pinned Macaque before. “Now that’s more like it~” Razaal churred with seeming amusement. It made Macaque’s stomach twist.
But then, suddenly, Razaal wrapped his tail around Macaque’s middle, slamming him into a wall. Why… Why couldn’t Macaque just- oh god- Razaal suddenly charged at Macaque again, slamming Macaque into the floor, before throwing punch after punch, roughing up Macaque’s face. It was relentless, it was merciless…
Every time Macaque opened an eye to look for a place to hit back, another punch was thrown. Macaque let out yelps he couldn’t control. He tried to squirm, he tried to get out. As a last resort, nothing more than an instinct, he tackled Razaal, rolling him over and snapping at Razaal’s neck. He tasted hot metallic blood on his tongue.
It made Macaque want to gag…
Razaal let out a dry chuckle.
“Was wondering when you were gonna go all feral on me…” He muttered like he had expected it. Macaque bit harder, leading to Razaal letting out a pained groan. Yeah, THAT felt good. Make him hurt… Make him squirm…
Just like he keeps doing to y-
…
Why was Macaque here?
Suddenly, as his pressure eased, his eyes widened in confusion, him getting lost in his thoughts- that’s all Razaal needed, before suddenly kicking Macaque off, him slamming painfully against the wood of the stage.
Macaque looked up, true fear setting in. He tried to move, but his arms and legs stung. Razaal walked over with that evil grin of his, as long as his horns…
Maybe longer…
Razaal silently pushed Macaque so he rolled on his back, before pushing a foot against Macaque’s stomach- pain… That’s what Macaque felt… Pain… He could have sworn he heard his bones creaking under the strain…
He deserved it, though… Didn’t he?
Macaque had once again failed a training session…
It was HIS fault for letting Razaal overpower him so easily… Macaque thought this as he let out a whine, his hands instinctively holding against the shoe that pushed into his stomach, but he wasn’t strong enough…
Macaque let out a shudder, as he felt pain coursing through him. “This was really fun, Sugar Plum…” Razaal churred. “But you know what would be even better? If you actually… FOUGHT me…” He whispered with a cackle, before pushing his foot into Macaque harder…
More pain…
Macaque couldn’t stop shivering…
Why did his vision keep blurring-
That was NOT helpful…
“HEY. Get your grubby claws OFFA him…” Macaque’s eyes widened in horror when he heard a very familiar voice. Razaal raised an eyebrow, before turning his head to the side. He let out a light amused chuckle at the figure behind him… A monkey with bright orange fur…
Macaque knew that monkey well…
Sun Wukong…
Macaque felt panic settle in, his stomach making him feel nauseous as he tried and failed to squirm out from under Razaal’s foot. “Well hello there,” Razaal churred with a grin, not paying any mind to Macaque.
“Didn’t know my little shadow had a friend…”
Macaque saw Wukong’s brow furrow in clear annoyance, as he went into a battle position. “Sun Wukong, did you FOLLOW me?!” Macaque snapped suddenly, praying his tone of irritation covered his nervousness.
Wukong suddenly softened, his expression flickering to concern when he glanced at Macaque, before switching back to anger. “Okay, MAYBE. But I tried calling your name and you just ignored me!”
Macaque certainly wasn’t deaf, and he couldn’t help but glare slightly when he heard Wukong mutter quietly; “Looking back, I’m glad I did follow you…”
“I don’t need PROTECTION…” Macaque growled, finally shoving Razaal’s foot off of him and standing up on his own two feet, his tail puffing up in frustration.
“Oh, CLEARLY…” Wukong barked back, waving a hand at Razaal, who was looking between the two monkeys in nothing more than amusement…
Macaque turned a bit red, before muttering; “I could have handled him-” Though he immediately knew by Wukong’s look of disbelief, that he had said the wrong thing. “Macaque! You were LETTING him HURT you!”
“I wasn’t LETTING HIM HURT ME, jackass!” Macaque snapped back, his fur fluffing up, and tail swishing back and forth in a fruitless attempt to calm down. “He’s my MENTOR…” Silence followed Macaque’s confession.
Wukong looked down slightly, his eyes widening in disbelief. He took a step back. “He- He’s not… He’s not teaching you, Macaque… He’s just- He’s just HURTING you!”
Macaque went silent, his stomach tying itself in knots.
He’d never admit to that… Not to Wukong…
But he knew the monkey wasn’t wrong…
“I’d like you to know, Monkey KING…” Razaal started. “It was your shadow friend that asked ME to train him…” Wukong narrowed his eyes at Razaal, the hatred shining through without hesitation. He then glanced back at Macaque, as if demanding him to confirm it.
Macaque let out a shiver, before answering; “He’s known for teaching demons all over Megapolis AND the Celestial Realm… He’s a big deal…” Wukong rolled his eyes, scoffing. “Yeah, a ‘big deal’? I bet… A big deal teaching the art of beating the snot out of people, I bet…” Wukong growled.
Macaque narrowed his eyes, his tail flicking in annoyance.
Razaal, too, narrowed his eyes, starting to take these jabs to heart… Though more to a hostile heart than a tearful one. If Razaal got upset, he got MAD upset…
“If you don’t mind, little sun monkey… I’d appreciate if you left your criticisms to yourself… Unless… Of course… YOU have taught a mentor before…” Razaal growled with a forced grin as he snaked up to Sun Wukong, beginning to tower over him. Macaque felt himself take an involuntary step forward, his protective instincts kicking in.
Wukong looked nervous for a moment, but only a flicker, before glaring up at Razaal. “I would… If your ‘teaching’ methods weren’t harming someone I CARE about…” He growled back, darkening.
This was getting worse…
This was DEFINITELY, without a DOUBT, getting worse…
“Wukong-” Macaque stammered, before suddenly letting out a yelp as Razaal yanked him by the wrist and forced him against the hardwood floor.
“Macaque-” Wukong yelped out, taking a step forward.
“I wouldn’t move if I were you, little sun monkey…” Razaal churred with a grin, pushing Macaque harder against the floor, causing him to let out a quiet whine. This ‘shoving into the floor thing’ was starting to get old…
“R-Razz-” Macaque stammered between nervous breaths. Razaal looked down, almost appearing sympathetic.
Almost…
“I really AM sorry about this, Sugar Plum… I don’t like to harm my students outside of training, but you LET yourself get followed… And I think your little sunshine needs to learn what happens when he gets in the way of things that… Well… Don’t involve him…” Razaal churred.
Macaque’s eyes widened as his brows furrowed in confusion before he suddenly caught Razaal’s claws unsheathing to their longest extent…
Dagger claws…
Macaque couldn’t fight the shivers, his eyes pricking with tears, trying and failing to squirm under Razaal’s iron-gold grip… Razaal let out a quiet snicker, raising a claw, before suddenly, in a flash of motion-
Somehow Razaal got sent back, hissing out at a large gash of blood that dripped from the side of his face. A VERY large gash. Macaque shivered, realizing suddenly he was being held up by Wukong, who growled, and worst of all, had blood-stained claws. Oh… Oh god…
He suddenly turned to Macaque in a quick motion, yelling out; “Macaque! Shadow portal! Now!” Macaque lagged for a moment before he suddenly heard a cynical laugh from Razaal, who looked up with a wide maddened grin.
He was VERY mad.
He suddenly began to rush forward, claws outstretched.
“MACAQUE. COME ON.”
Macaque blinked, suddenly realizing what was happening before he and Wukong suddenly fell into a shadowy void. An opening appeared, as the two rushed in, the portal they walked through, closed right in Razaal’s face.
The two hurried to the exit portal before suddenly rolling along the floor together in-...
In a grassy field with peach trees galore…
Flower Fruit Mountain…
Macaque let out a panicked breath, shivering and shuddering with wide eyes, realizing what Wukong did.
What HE did.
Macaque would NEVER be able to face Razaal again, after that… There was no way-
Suddenly, Macaque felt warmth, mostly in his face, but everywhere else too, as he felt Wukong pull him into a hug. “H-Hey, bud, it’s okay now. We’re done with that guy, okay? I- I won’t let him hurt you, again… Okay?”
Macaque felt his eyes prick with tears, forcing him to stop his pace to wipe them.
The LAST thing he wanted was to let Razaal get into a FIGHT with him again. So much pent-up rage…
VIOLENT pent-up rage…
Macaque shook that thought, glancing around the demon marketplace. He let out a sigh, before walking into a shadow, intending on getting back to Wukong and the kid.
They’d find another way…
Chapter 6: I'd Call That An Uno
Summary:
Monkey King and MK race to the top of Flower Fruit Mountain.
Things seem to be looking up, but the relief is short-lived when training gets a bit tense...
Nothing a game of UNO can't solve!
Meanwhile Macaque's... Uh... Struggling...
Notes:
Yayyyy a chapter I'm semi proud offf :333
Chapter Text
While a certain shadow monkey was taking a walk…
A handsome eagle suddenly swooped down and stuck the landing perfectly, at the highest point on the mountain, before the magnificent bird turned into a monkey.
Not just any monkey, though...
THE Monkey King!
“Uno!” He chirped with a smug smirk, doing a little spin, before a mildly annoyed eagle of ALLLLMOST the same handsomeness (but not quite at MONKEY KING level), landed next to him, turning into a huffy kid.
“WhAT??? NO WAY, cheater! You took off earlier and-
…Wait, did you just say Uno?” MK suddenly muttered, giving a perplexed expression. Monkey King lazily turned his head over to look at the kid with narrowed eyes. “Duhhhh yeah? You got a problem with it?”
MK’s expression flickered to disbelief within seconds.
“T-That doesn’t even make sense! Y-... You do know that’s a card game, right??” Monkey King blanked. “Ohhhhhhh! Weird! I see mortals yelling it out and then get super excited, so I just assumed it was a thing you’re supposed to say when you do something super cool,” Monkey King admitted with a lighthearted chuckle.
MK narrowed his eyes even further, if that was even possible. “Y-Yeah no… It’s a card game…” MK answered, before rolling his eyes and softening, giving a snicker of his own. Monkey King couldn’t fight the smile.
This felt… Familiar.
Normal.
He liked when MK was so relaxed.
Butttttt… Knowing the two had stalled long enough, Monkey King gave a satisfied sigh, before getting into battle formation, and sending MK a playful taunt.
MK let out a scoff, as he too, got into battle formation.
The two waited silently, neither daring to move. They both knew whoever moved first would be put into a natural disadvantage. Monkey King cleared his throat.
“Here's your Monkey tip of the day. In the opening of a battle, whoever moves last moves fast.”
To anyone who hadn’t been in a fight before, it might sound a bit silly, but that little tip had never led Monkey King wrong before. Whoever moves first is letting the other person dodge… As long as they’re paying attention, of course! Monkey King couldn’t help but smirk.
MK was paying attention, for sure. Surprising, actually. The kid could get distracted pretty easily, so to see such discipline… Very impressive…
The two stood still for a few more moments, before Monkey King suddenly caved, dashing forward.
MK dodged quickly- dang. The kid was getting good!
Monkey King couldn’t help but let out a surprised hum, but he didn’t even try to hide how impressed he was. Though the Monkey King wasn’t called the Monkey King for nothing! He turned on his heel fast, as he took another rush forward.
Once again, MK dodged.
“What?” Monkey King couldn’t help but whisper in quiet shock. How was the kid so quick on his feet today?-
Before Monkey King could really think about it, he felt something- someone push him down. Monkey King rolled against the dirt, looking up in surprise, before turning and looking at his attacker- the kid…
He… Well, he LOOKED focused-
But he didn’t have that usual smile.
His brows were furrowed, and he was clearly taking this seriously, but… Maybe there was a miscommunication? This was supposed to be a pleasant distraction-
Fun even?
Monkey King got onto his two feet.
It would be hard for MK to HURT him, so, that wasn’t the issue… And who was Monkey King to bash how… Serious, MK was taking this. Good, the kid wanted to improve-
‘But what if he’s so focused on it because it ISN’T a distraction- What if he’s tense or- what if he’s just stressing out over TRAINING instead???’
That little voice whispered in Monkey King’s head… It was a weird voice typically, or at least, it would normally be. Maybe it was Monkey King starting to care about someone who felt more and more like his kid…
Yeah, he was a little worried. Monkey King couldn’t help but want to be completely sure, even if he had a feeling MK didn’t want him worrying about it…
“Hey, when are we gonna get to the TRAINING part?” The uncharacteristically- well… It wasn’t completely uncharacteris-
It shook Monkey King from his thoughts suddenly.
But even for impatience, it DID sound weird, coming from MK. As if the kid picked up on this too, he suddenly stammered; “I-If you don’t mind me asking-”
A clear and obvious coverup.
The kid wasn’t really great at subtly.
Monkey King straightened up, and yeah, he DID notice the way his student’s expression flickered to frustration when Monkey King moved from his battle stance.
“Bud, are you- Are you sure you’re okay…?”
MK went silent, looking off… Nervously…
“I’m fine. Can we just get back to training?” That was so… Dismissive. “Kid…?” Monkey King muttered, his eyes narrowing and his tone one of suspicion. “Whatttt? I SAID I was FINE…” MK answered back matter-of-factly.
“Yeah well, I’m not sure I believe you…” Monkey King snapped back slightly. This was actually starting to irk him a bit. Why was the kid being so dodgy??
MK let out a pouty huff. “Well fine then! What can I do to make you believe me??” He cut in, not even attempting to hide the annoyance. Monkey King gave him a look, but MK didn’t back down. He looked away with slight uncertainty, but then looked back at Monkey King, right in the eyes.
His brows furrowed, like as if he was challenging him…
“Kid…” Monkey King muttered.
“Well?? What can I do??” Mk blurted, waving his hands about, as if pleading for something tangible.
Monkey King let out a sigh, before crossing his legs suddenly and dropping to the ground. He patted at a spot on the grass next to him. “You can SIT here, and tell me what the hell’s goin on in your head…” He answered.
MK hesitated before his brain seemed to comprehend the words. How could Monkey King tell, you ask? Well, probably from that huffy puffy scoff. After a moment of frustrated stubbornness, MK let out a sigh of his own, and dragged his feet, till he sat next to Monkey King.
“So…?”
MK was silent. “Kid, we start training when you’re ready to start training…” MK flopped back, putting hands over his eyes in some kind of exasperation. “I AM ready! You’re just-...” Monkey King couldn’t hold back the glare. “...Well? Go on? I’m just what?” He muttered, falling back too.
MK hesitated.
Something told Monkey King he did actually feel bad, even if- well… Monkey King wasn’t sure where all this steam was coming from, but he didn’t feel like any of it was the kid’s fault. Something told him there was…
Something he didn’t know about.
“I’m sorry…”
…
Monkey King was silent for a moment, his eyes wide in surprise. He faltered, not knowing what to say at first. “Sorry… For what…?” He attempted, a nervousness settling in. MK let out a muffled groan. “Sorry for being a jerk! O-Obviously…” Monkey King hummed in thought.
“Kid. You’re not being a jerk…”
“But I literally AM…” MK barked, sitting up suddenly, his eyes glued onto his opened hands in front of him. “I’m snapping at you and I’m acting like a little kid with a temper, and I keep getting impatient and-”
“Kid, stop, stop…” Monkey King muttered, sitting up and waving his hand, cutting MK off quickly.
“If there’s something bothering you, that’s not your fault.”
“B-But Monkey King-”
“AND… I’d appreciate it if you told me what that was, so you wouldn’t have to- well, feel OBLIGATED to apologize for something that isn’t in your control… That’d be nice, right?” Monkey King chirped, glancing at MK with a soft smile.
MK hesitated, sheepishly.
“Remember when training was fun?” Monkey King asked, after a period of silence. MK raised a brow. “Monkey King, what do you…?” Monkey King shook his head, giving a light laugh. “There was a time when you went to training with me because it was fun. You wanted to learn something new. You LIKED a challenge…”
…
“Don’t you miss that?”
MK looked up at Monkey King, still appearing confused. “But… I DO like that. I still-”
“No, bud… You want training because it’s something to distract you- AND… Before you say it… Tell me I’m wrong, you want to get stronger.” MK looked mildly offended, his eyes narrowing. “I wanted to get stronger before-”
“But that was a benefit. Not the priority.”
Monkey King felt his heart sting slightly.
It stung when he saw MK’s expression fall. He looked off, and whether he was aware of it or not, he held himself.
Something told Monkey King he was on the money about this. He lifted a hand, gingerly putting it on MK’s shoulder. The kid tensed, making Monkey King wonder if he should pull back, but then, before Monkey King could even do anything, MK held the hand on his shoulder.
He kept it in place.
And then he leaned forward, letting out a sigh. He sounded… Tired… That felt like a held breath, actually…
“Maybe a no to training, yeah?” Monkey King tested. Sure enough, he heard a hum of agreement beside him. Monkey King patted MK on the shoulder, before getting his arm back, standing, and pulling MK up.
Monkey King stood in place for a moment, thinking through something, before glancing at the kid.
“Hey… Are we actually gonna be able to talk about this?”
MK rubbed at his arm in an anxious way, failing to maintain eye contact, before mumbling; “...After the Lady Bone Demon thing?” He attempted with a creaky smile. Monkey King let out a light scoff, before nodding.
“I can roll with that.”
Monkey King was about to walk towards the Water Curtain Cave, before stopping to turn to his kid when he heard his name get called.
“What’s up, bud?”
MK looked off nervously, turning a little pink. “U-Uh… Can you uh… Like… That thing where you-...” MK stammered with a sheepish grin. Monkey King couldn’t help but soften with a smirk, letting out a snicker.
“Sure, kid…” He answered, as he walked up to MK and helped him up onto his back. If his kid should have been any monkey, it should have been a spider monkey-
Well… Actually…
Monkey King was gonna go for a joke about how much MK liked climbing up on people, but spiders weren’t really his ‘thing’, were they?
With that, Monkey King began to walk off to his waterfall home, with a silly kid monkey-back riding on him the whole way. Monkey King didn’t mind though. The ride seemed to comfort MK, and that was well worth it.
About halfway through though, MK got an idea, and they stopped at a nice little clearing that had some stumps and stones that the two turned into a table and chairs.
And…
They played uno.
Monkey King had never played this game before, but hey, it was a distraction, it was LOTS of fun, and “k-kind of confusing…?” Monkey King stammered with a sheepish snicker. MK let out a light chuckle, as he put down a card in the middle, topping Wukong’s yellow 5 with a yellow 3. “Eh, you’ll get it the more we play, no worries!”
Monkey King hummed. “Yeah, I mean… I GET it… Guess it’s just the whole ‘uno’ means you win but not really- t-thing…? And all the other weird cards.” MK nodded as Monkey King put down a red 3. “Yeah, Uno just means you’ve got one card left. Game ends when somebody has no cards. Guess it’s a warning, but hey. The supposed winner could still have the tables flipped on them…” Mk noted.
He put down another card- oh. His second to last card. “Uno,” He teased with a smile. Monkey King snickered slightly. “Huh… Seems a bit needlessly complicated, if you ask me…” He answered, looking up for a moment. MK shrugged. “I guess mortals tend to be that?”
Before either could say anything, a shadow portal suddenly appeared as a slightly panicked monkey rushed out. “Macaque?!” The players both cut in, surprised. Monkey King only hesitated half a second, before rushing to the panicked shadow’s side.
“Hey, hey, it’s okay, just breathe, you’re alright…” He stammered, pulling Macaque into a hug. “M-Monkey king, is he okay??” MK mumbled, clearly worried. Monkey King rubbed at Macaque’s back, urging the shadow to relax, but his breathing stayed quick…
Something must have REALLY shook him.
“Hey… Hey… What happened?” Monkey King mumbled, trying to keep his voice soft as he broke the hug slightly, looking Macaque in the eyes. The shadow monkey couldn’t do the same for him though, his gaze glued to the floor.
“Bud, come on…” Monkey King encouraged, but no response. He let out a sigh. “Okay, did you get cursed?” Macaque hesitated, before shaking his head.
No? Well. At least they had THAT going…
“D-Did someone attack you?” MK asked, but thankfully, Macaque again, shook his head, no.
Monkey King darkened suddenly.
“Macaque… You- You didn’t go looking for Razaal…”
It wasn’t a question, really. More of a ‘tell me you didn’t’ kind of scenario, but the way Macaque only looked MORE guilty after, made Monkey King nervous.
“Uh… Who’s Razaal?” MK cut in, a nervous bead of sweat going down his neck. Monkey King ignored him. “Macaque, I thought we both decided we were DONE with that jackass…” Monkey King growled slightly.
“H-He had information, Sun… You know that…” Macaque answered instead, his tail giving an anxious swish. “Macaque! You could have gotten hurt! That snake has it in for you, come on!” Monkey King snapped slightly.
He needed to hold back his anger…
He let out a sigh.
“You didn’t-”
“I didn’t agree to anything…”
Monkey King let out a relieved sigh.
MK suddenly cleared his throat, causing the two monkeys to look over. “Uh… We talk this over Uno?” He offered with a nervous smile. Macaque raised a brow, but Monkey King couldn’t fight back the snicker.
“Yeah, sounds like a plan.”
“So… What DID that bastard say?” Monkey King muttered half-interested as he put down a card. Macaque let out a quiet huff. “Said the Lady Bone Demon isn’t coming back.” All three of them felt relief at that.
“Buttt… Also said that there are fragments of her going around. Since she used her possession powers so much. We can deal with them, but we need somebody who can banish the fragments-... WHILE the person’s… Suffering…” Anddd now everyone dimmed.
It was like the tamest roller coaster imaginable.
But it was SO tame that every bump was felt instantly.
MK let out a hum. “Okay, but we’re just dealing with fragments… That sounds less powerful…?” He wondered hopefully. Macaque nodded. “Fragments. All she can do is be blue smoke and get into people’s heads.
Torment them, I guess…” Macaque muttered as he took his turn and put a card down. Monkey King gave an impatient tail twitch, as he put a card down with little thought. “Alright, so how do we DEAL with it, then?”
“Razaal says-...” Macaque trailed off momentarily, feeling the glare Monkey King failed to hide. “I know you hate him, but his information DID kind of help…” Macaque criticized slightly, as he put a card down after MK’s.
“Macaque, I’m allowed to hate him. He’s an abusive son of a bitch…” Monkey King growled in return, flicking a card on the table, skillfully landing on the card that was placed after MK’s turn. He noticed MK’s nervous fidget.
Monkey King wasn’t dumb. He knew MK had wanted them playing UNO while having this conversation for a reason. Truthfully, it probably WAS the only thing keeping the three of them sane, right now…
“Okay, seriously, who IS Razaal??” MK muttered suddenly, looking between Monkey King and Macaque with slight annoyance. Monkey King let out a frustrated sigh. He REALLY didn’t want to talk about Razaal.
Mostly cause the guy was an utter PRICK, but partly cause he didn’t want to give one more thing for the kid to worry about, and give Macaque one more person to sympathize for him. Monkey King knew Macaque hated it.
Macaque was also silent, sheepishly glancing up at Monkey King. MK looked between the two slightly faster, his hands clenching. “Oh COME ON! Seriously?!”
Monkey King let out a huff. Neither of them were gonna escape this. “Okay. Listen, bud. He’s just… An asshole who fucked with Macaque, that’s all. He beat up my friend one too many times, and so we got the hell out of there.” MK’s expression fell slightly, the situation sinking in.
“W-Why’d you let him-”
“No kid. It wasn’t Wukong. He found out a bit… later…” Macaque clarified, something that caught Monkey King’s interest. He hadn’t expected Macaque to interject, but he DID kind of appreciate it. “Oh…” MK mumbled.
“That’s… Not nice…”
Monkey King let out a held breath, leaning back slightly, before remembering his ‘chair’ didn’t have a back and straightened up again. “Yup. That’s Razaal. ‘Not Nice’... So, Macaque, what’d he offer you?” Monkey King asked with narrowed eyes, glancing up suddenly.
Macaque swallowed slightly, before looking off.
Anxious.
“He- He said he knew a sorcerer who could-”
“Banish the fragments? We can find one ourselves.”
Macaque visibly relaxed, letting out a sigh of relief. Monkey King couldn’t help but smile slightly. “Don’t worry, Bud. When I told you you’re never gonna have to put up with that snake again, I meant it.”
Whether Macaque wanted to admit it or not, Monkey King caught the shadow monkey’s appreciative tail wag. Like hell was Monkey King gonna ask Macaque to get himself beaten to shit for a ‘sorcerer’.
“Wait… But do we KNOW a sorcerer?” MK suddenly realized. “Yeah… I was worried about that… I dunno how different banishing a clone is from a fragment…” Macaque muttered, tensing slightly.
Monkey King gave a thoughtful hum. “Well, I’ve got a few ideas… Ne Zha may actually be helpful. He knows some seals. I’d imagine with his line of work, he’s gotta know a ‘fragment banishing’ seal…” Monkey King responded.
“Working for the Celestial Court? Yeah. He’s gotta AT LEAST know a guy,” Macaque agreed, scratching his arm slightly. Monkey King felt himself wanting to call it out… “Do we know where Ne Zha is though?” MK reasonably noted. Monkey King gave a shrug. “Can’t be too hard…”
“…Probably…”
Chapter 7: To Find A Prince
Summary:
Monkey King and Macaque spread out, in search of Ne Zha, their best person for the job.
What job? Why, banishing Lady Bone Demon's remaining defenses from this world!
What's going on in MK's life? Well, he's not quite sure WHAT to do when two out of his four (at least) parental figures leave without him. Even worse when he realizes that in the current state of things, he won't have anyone but himself when those nightmares start up again...
Notes:
Sort of a stalling chapter, cause I realized it was getting long and I wanted to break it up. Still, I'm very happy with my progress :]]]
Chapter Text
“Alright! So Macky and I are gonna find Ne Zha!” Sun Wukong chirped with a cheerful smile, as he finished the game, dishing out his last card.
Macaque noticed MK dim slightly, even if the kid tried to hide it. Not very well, Macaque might add…
He let out a sigh. “Yeah. We’ll be able to do it quick if we both use our eagle forms… Bird’s eye view, and all of that…” Macaque muttered, swishing his tail slightly.
He DID feel kind of bad that they were once again leaving the kid behind, but hopefully, he’d understand.
“H-How long do you guys think it’s gonna take…
T-To find Ne Zha, I mean…” MK cut in nervously. Macaque glanced at Wukong, who broke into a slightly nervous sweat-... Dumbass…
“Ahm. Right. So… First we gotta FIND Nezhy… Could take from an hour to a day, just depending on our luck…” Wukong stammered with a nervous smile. “Then we gotta explain to him the situation…” Macaque cut in, glaring slightly. “Ah, but that shouldn’t take long!” Wukong chirped with recovered confidence.
“Yeah, and then we gotta HOPE he’ll actually HELP us…” Macaque interjected, narrowing his eyes. Wukong rolled his eyes. “Relaxxx, Sugar Plumb… The moment we utter the Lady Bone Demon’s NAME, he’ll be on board.”
Something told Macaque it wasn’t gonna be that easy…
“Whatever you say… Peaches…” Macaque muttered, trying desperately and failing miserably at hiding the smile. Wukong let out a chuckle, noticing Macaque’s fluster, before pulling him into a side hug, suddenly.
“Well, bud. We’ll be back as SOON as we CAN. Okay?” He chirped with an encouraging smile.
That’s all he could promise, wasn’t it…
MK hesitated, before giving a short nod.
“...Okay…”
The kid’s response was quiet. He was clearly nervous, losing his two mentors. Macaque couldn’t help but give a sympathetic glance, before Wukong broke the hug and turned into an Eagle, taking off. Macaque joined in suit.
And they were off…
MK stood where he was, unmoving as he watched the two birds fly off with speed.
And now…
MK was alone…
…
Again…
He let out a sigh before he began to walk back to work. It was still the weekend, so Pigsy wouldn’t let MK deliver any noodles today, but maybe there’d be something to do there.
MK’s heart lit up suddenly, as he didn’t even try to fight the smile that formed. Maybe Mei’s there!
With that, he said ‘screw patience!’ and turned into a small bird form, zooming through the sky, looking down below as he passed building after building.
And there it was, Pigsy’s Noodles.
MK smoothly turned into his kid form again, sticking the landing perfectly, just as Monkey King had, before.
He opened the door with a smile, and sure enough, all his friends and family were there. Pigsy, making up a bowl for some reason-? Tang, sitting back and reading. Sandy, petting Mo, and- Mei! Mk walked inside and waved hello.
The others in the shop waved back with smiles, but it was Mei who rushed up to MK with a snicker, pulling him into a hug and ruffling his hair. “Meiiii nooo!” MK chirped with mock offense, before snickering.
“Ya silly goober! Where’ve you been??” She asked, letting out her own chuckle, before finally letting MK go. He rolled his eyes playfully as he attempted to salvage his messy hair. “Eh. Did training with Monkey King.
We uh… I showed him how to play Uno,” MK chirped with a chuckle. “The ‘Great Sage’ who’s been livin for centuries has NEVER played UNO???” Pigsy muttered, raising an eyebrow. He added some soy sauce to his bowl, before-
Handing it to Tang.
Whaaaat?
Pigsy NEVER gave Tang noodles, willingly!
MK was about to commentate on it, with skeptical narrowed eyes, before suddenly, he pulled back.
“Where’s the monkey man, now?” Mei asked innocently.
MK’s mind wandered back to Monkey King, and it only took a few seconds to remember where he and Macaque were headed. MK couldn’t help but dim, as memories began to flood back…
It wasn’t Mei’s fault. She didn’t-
“Heyyy, buddy… You okay?” She attempted with a soft tone, putting a hand on MK’s shoulder. He involuntarily leaned into her, his eyes glued on the ground. He heard her let out a nervous sigh, as she rubbed at his shoulder.
It didn’t do much to ease the tension, sadly…
MK heard words echoing in his mind.
‘Hey… Are we actually gonna be able to talk about this?’
Monkey King’s words… MK furrowed a brow in thought. Mei was his BEST friend… And… MK had a feeling this whole thing would eventually involve his friends, anyway…
“Mei, can I pull you to the side, for a sec?” MK whispered over to her. She raised an eyebrow in surprise but nodded. The two walked off, waving goodbye to the others as they exited Pigsy’s Noodles.
Mk took in a shaky breath, before looking at Mei.
“This… Is gonna sound stupid…”
Monkey King gazed down at the buildings, furrowing a brow. He let out a sigh, before swooping down and landing on the roof of one of the many restaurants in the area. He looked up to see Macaque cock his head to the side, clearly confused but landed nonetheless.
Monkey King turned back into- well, himself.
“Macaque, this isn’t working. We’re just flying around aimlessly!” Monkey King muttered, rolling his eyes. Macaque turned from his eagle form to himself as well, before shrugging. “I never SAID this was a GOOD idea. I just went with whatever you were doing…”
Monkey King gave a mildly irked tail flick, before huffing. “Gee, good plan, Mack…” The shadow monkey rolled his eyes, before sitting on the ledge wall of the roof, holding his face up with his fists. “So…?”
Monkey King paced.
“Where the HELL would Ne Zha be NOW? With the world no longer ending, it’s not like he’s gonna be prowling around…” Macaque nodded. “A point.” Monkey King looked up, his brows furrowed in frustration. “O-Okay well. Maybe he’s… Guarding that map, again??”
Macaque shrugged with a smirk. “Also, a point.” Okay, now Macaque was getting frustrating. Monkey King glared slightly, as he muttered; “Yes… I KNOW…”
There was a distinct silence.
“Okay, are you gonna keep fucking around?”
“Who’s fucking around? I’M not fucking around…” Macaque churred with that stupid smirk of his.
Monkey King rolled his eyes, before staring down Macaque with a pout. “You keep saying ‘A pOiNt’, as if that’s even HELPFUL.” Macaque’s tail swished with amusement. Oh, goodie! Monkey King sure was GLAD he could amuse his friend by yapping about how HARD this mission was, while said friend did NOTHING to help…
Macaque stared with that smile for a while, before hopping up and letting out a chuckle.
“Maybe we split up, hm? Cover more ground?”
Oh finally. A GOOD idea…
Monkey King tried his best to muster a polite nod as he suddenly turned into an eagle form and flew off towards the place where Ne Zha guarded the map.
His temple.
Either way, Ne Zha going back to his temple seemed like the most likely place for the prince.
Probably doing something boring…
Like meditating…
Monkey King didn’t bother to turn around to see where Macaque flew off to. He didn’t care. Because the more he thought about it, the more he was PRETTY SURE this was where Ne Zha had to be…
“So uh… You know how I uh… Have been acting weird?” MK started with a nervous smile. Mei narrowed her eyes slightly. “Uhhh… Yeah?” MK suddenly pulled her close, whispering with a forced grin; “I haven’t gotten sleep in the past week because of trauma-related nightmares…”
Mei was silent for a long time, her eyes wide.
“Ohhhhh… THAT. Thaaaat explains the eyebags…” She mumbled nervously, pointing at MK’s eyes sheepishly. MK blanked. “T-There are eyebags??” He whisper-yelped suddenly, but before he could do anything, Mei grabbed MK’s wrists. “Man, trust me. They are BAD…”
MK couldn’t fight back the shudder.
How long had the others noticed?
They didn’t say anything.
Were they just trying to be nice??
“MK? Hey…” Mei mumbled, worry present in her tone and expression. MK shook his head, breaking himself out of his thoughts, as he looked over. Mei hesitated, before letting out a slightly frustrated sigh.
“Please breathe.”
MK glanced down suddenly, a hand moving to his heart, which raced like… Well, like a little mouse’s heart. “S-Sorry…” He stammered, letting out a held breath. Mei silently pulled him into a hug, one he leaned into, as he began to focus on his breathing again…
“It’s okay, dude… Just… Just SUPER concerned, not gonna lie…” Mei admitted. The two remained silent for a moment, MK finally getting himself to breathe as Mei scratched his back in a comforting sort of way.
Mei suddenly paused, raising an eyebrow. “Hey, Mk?” She asked, looking over. MK met her eyes, turning his head slightly. “Would you be up for a sleepover?” She offered, a small smile appearing. A sleepover? Just like… Like when they were kids… That DID sound nice, actually…
Might be a nice way to pass the time until Monkey King and Macaque get back. It could take a whole day in the worst-case scenario, anyway.
“Hey, only if you wanna. No pressure,” She cut in with a sheepish grin. Mk shook his head. “No, no. Mei, that sounds fun, actually…” MK chirped with a small smile. Mei let out a sigh, before suddenly ruffling his hair with a mischievous smirk. “Heyyy! Mei!” MK yapped, snickering.
“Come on, goober! We’ve got some hours to waste,” She chirped, breaking the hug and pulling MK behind, by the wrist. He couldn’t help but laugh, matching her speed so they walked beside each other.
Monkey King flew on for what felt like hours. He had forgotten how frustrating it could be to navigate his way to the Celestial Realm, but finally, he made it.
He let out a sigh of relief as he saw the elegant realm of the sky, before his eyes darted around, landing on a flowy pink temple. Ne Zha’s temple. Monkey King swooped down, soaring with speed, before landing.
He turned back into his monkey form, gazing up at the temple, as he gave a confident scoff, approaching the doors. THIS? This was gonna be a piece of cake! A walk in the park! Monkey King felt it.
Monkey King entered the temple and…
Oh no…
Monkey King looked around, frantically.
First issue, the map wasn’t here. The Celestial Court was smart FOR ONCE and ACTUALLY hid the map well. Not a big issue right now, since Monkey King didn’t need it at the moment, but still. How dare they??
Second issue, where was Ne Zha??
Sure enough, Monkey King looked around, rushing to the center of the temple and letting out an annoyed huff.
Could things NEVER just be EASY for once???
“Sun Wukong…”
Monkey King froze in place upon hearing a very bitter-sounding call from behind. He turned around to see THE prince in question, a glare set on his face.
“What did you do this time?”
Chapter 8: The Sleepover
Summary:
Monkey King and Ne Zha share some words. Some much needed shared words...
Meanwhile, Mei and MK have a sleepover at MK's place, and the two are ready to have some LIGHTHEARTED fun! The dude CLEARLY NEEDED this, and Mei was honestly quite excited!
Nothing could ruin this!
...Right...?
Notes:
Just a wholesome sleepover, don't worryyyyy bout it~
Just a casual search for the lotus prince! DON'T WORRYYYYY BOUT IT~~~~~
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
After maybe one or two hours of various activities, whether it be playing games at the arcade, drinkin Cheese Teas at their favorite cafe, or even heading to the mall for a bit of window shopping, Mei and MK both knew the sun would be setting soon.
Mei honestly couldn’t wait!
It had been SO LONG since she and MK had done a sleepover before, and honestly, yeahhhh… Monkey Man needed it, clearly… Mei couldn’t believe the poor guy hadn’t gotten even a wink of sleep.
Even for nightmares?
They must have been TERRIBLE nightmares…
Mei let out a sigh as the pair began to walk back towards Pigsy’s Noodles. They both agreed that the sleepover would be at MK’s house. Mei stopped short, though, her eyes widening slightly in realization.
MK stopped too, turning back, confused.
“Wait, MK. Are we good on snacks?” Mei asked, rubbing her chin in thought. “Oh! That? Yeah, we’re covered. Don’t worry about it,” MK chirped with a casual shrug. Mei couldn’t help but let out a light scoff. Of COURSE he had snacks, ready. Looking back, it felt like a silly question.
This was MK they were talking about!
Eventually Mei let out a hum, nodding, as the two started walking again. This would be a fun night.
“S-So… Uhhh… Ne Zhaaaa! Buddy of mine!” Monkey King stammered with a sheepish chuckle. “We are not ‘buddies’,” Ne Zha muttered, glaring. “Whatcha been up to lately??” Monkey King responded, pulling Ne Zha into a forced side hug and ignoring Ne Zha’s quick cut in.
Ne Zha growled slightly, before quickly and easily pushing Monkey King away, and barking; “SUN WUKONG. I WILL NOT LET YOU STEAL FROM ME AGAIN.”
Monkey King let out a dramatic gasp. “WhAAAT?? STEAL from you??? Oh NO, you are mistaken, fair prince!” Monkey King chirped with a smirk, taking a teasing bow. Ne Zha rolled his eyes, not dropping the glare. “And for reference, it was a very good thing that I stole that map, and you KNOW it…” Monkey King added, narrowing his eyes. He quickly shut up when Ne Zha flared, though…
“A-Anywaysss…” Monkey King interjected, hoping to divert Ne Zha’s attention. “Right, so. We need your help-”
“I am NOT helping you with a typical monkey SCHEME-”
“It’s Lady Bone Demon-” Monkey King blurted in a panic. This… This did in fact silence Ne Zha, who went wide-eyed and took a nervous step back.
“Wukong… She’s… She’s dead-”
“Yes. She is…” Monkey King answered, growing serious.
“Then why…”
“Fragments… We need your help to banish whatever’s left of her from this world… She’s… Been stirring up trouble…” Ne Zha’s expression dropped, that angry fire diminishing rather quickly. That was one good thing about Ne Zha. If he felt a situation was to be taken seriously, he WILL take it seriously… They were making progress.
“I can help you, but… Searching for fragments of a demon is not an easy task… And you HAVE to banish the fragment when it is actively possessing someone…” Ne Zha noted carefully, darkening.
Monkey King gave a nod.
“Yes, we know. These fragments have been going after MK, lately…” Ne Zha’s expression fell, a rare moment of concern slipping through suddenly. Monkey King couldn’t help but feel taken aback by it, but recovered silently.
“How lately?” He asked instead, trying to keep his expression unreadable. “The entire week…” Monkey King answered, letting out a nervous sigh. His tail drooped, ever so slightly. He hoped the kid was okay…
Ne Zha gave a thoughtful hum.
“Well. I assume we should get moving, yes?” He wondered casually, no longer looking so defensive, as he began to walk towards the entrance of the temple. Monkey King raised an eyebrow. This was… Going surprisingly well.
He rushed up so that he could walk beside Ne Zha, as the two exited the temple together.
“And Macaque?” Ne Zha wondered. Monkey King looked over, but Ne Zha was still mostly unreadable. Monkey King hesitated, before answering; “He was looking for you in a different direction… Why?” Monkey King’s heart skipped a beat when Ne Zha suddenly grabbed him by the shoulders, forcibly turning him, with a glare.
“Wukong. We need to find him…”
Monkey King’s tail gave an involuntary anxious swish. “W-Why…?” He stammered in response. Ne Zha sighed. “You said the fragments were going after MK, yes? Well… You KNOW the Lady liked messing with him…
You know who else was her favorite?”
…
Macaque…
The two nervously glanced at the sky.
“We NEED to find him…” Ne Zha reiterated. Monkey King gave a stern nod and a determined hum, as the two turned to leave. Monkey King whistled, summoning his cloud, and Ne Zha activated his fire wheels, allowing him to fly at quick speeds alongside Monkey King.
All they could hope for, is that they weren’t too late…
Mk and Mei walked into his apartment room and-
Oh god… Why was it so messy???
MK mentally withered inside, realizing he did NOT clean up the place before they decided to do this sleepover. That little voice in his head had been hounding him to do it for ages, but actually getting it done felt like it took the same amount of energy as an entire work shift…
MK nervously glanced over, but Mei seemed entirely unbothered- Oh. Right. It was Mei. She didn’t care about that kinda stuff. MK had to suppress a chuckle, knowing he’d have to explain his sudden insecurity if Mei heard it, but trying to focus on something else, MK looked around.
“Snacks first?” Mei offered, picking up on MK’s indecisiveness. He perked up with a nod. “Yes. That.” The two walked over to the kitchen area of the room, opening up the pantry and thinking.
“WOAHHH! SO MANY YUM YUMS!” Mei chirped, her eyes sparkling at MK’s well packed food closet.
He didn’t really have the heart to admit that comfort food WAS his therapy, but he let out a sheepish chuckle, nonetheless. Mei suddenly narrowed her eyes slightly in suspicion. “No wait, seriously… How do you even afford this??” She muttered, slowly turning to face MK.
MK, who broke into a silent nervous sweat, letting out a cough which did NOT cover up his anxiety as much as he had hoped. “E-Eh, you know… I take double shifts-”
“For the snacks? Why you need so many options?” She asked with a single raised brow, pointing to the stash.
MK rubbed at his arm with a sheepish smile.
“Uhhh… C-Comfort food…?” He attempted.
Mei looked back at the pantry, with what (to MK’s dread) appeared like slight concern. “Uh… Huh… Okay…”
She let out a short sigh.
“What should we grab?” Mei asked instead, changing the topic. MK had to fight off a relieved sigh.
“Hmm… A VERY good question…” He tapped his foot in thought, focusing his mind on the snacks again. “How aboutttt… Something sweet, something salty, and a drink?” He asked, mentally thinking through his inventory. Mei nodded. “A balance. Sounds perfect!” She chirped.
A few minutes later, Mei and MK had grabbed two soda cans, a bowl of buttery popcorn, and a family size bag of sour gummy worms. It was perfect!
“Ugh! Where the hell IS HE??” Monkey King muttered, as he and Ne Zha finally landed on one of the rocks floating on the lava ring around Flower Fruit Mountain.
“Did you two not set a meeting place for when you found me?” Ne Zha criticized with a raised eyebrow. Monkey King turned around, letting out a huff. “Listen here, you little-...” Ne Zha scoffed. “Go on…”
Monkey King growled slightly, but straightened up as he sighed. “Yeah, I have no idea where he is. We didn’t think that far, so sue me…” Only half a second later, Monkey King was suddenly tackled to the ground by someone, and he couldn’t help but yelp, struggling fruitlessly.
“Sun Wukong!” Ne Zha called out in a rare moment of panic. Monkey King somehow managed to roll onto his back, now able to look up at his foe. And that’s exactly what he did, until he went rigid, almost immediately.
It was Macaque…
But his eyes… They glowed teal, and he growled, his expression dark and dangerous…
This… This was not good…
Monkey King sent a golden slash across the sky, wiping out the demon hoard in one clean swoop!
Mei and MK cheered. “Ugh! Monkey King: The Animated Series is the BEST!!” MK chirped, flopping down on the ground with a content sigh. Mei chuckled lightly.
“Yeahhh! It IS pretty cool,” She admitted with a smile. She let out a sigh. This was nice. It felt so chill.
So fun. Mei had missed hanging out with her bestie. It felt like with all the noodle deliveries and training, which came after all of the MANY world-ending crises, that she and MK just didn’t get the time to hang out anymore…
But here they were, watching tv, with a bowl of popcorn and bag of gummy worms nearby, laughing and cheering on Monkey King’s jokes and rescues.
MK sat up suddenly, a smile on his face as his eyes wandered back to the screen. Gosh, for the first time in MONTHS, he actually looked to be enjoying himself again. Mei felt herself relax as her eyes moved back to the tv as well, taking in the scenes.
Wow, it really WAS great animation.
The animators clearly raised this show with love and care, even if it WAS just made to promote toys.
But just as Mei and MK were getting lost in Monkey King’s theatrics (wow, he really DID act a lot like how he does in real life…), they saw an animated Macaque walk up, looking significantly less impressed.
“Alright, gang! Let’s move out!” Monkey King chirped with a cheeky blep. Macaque, standing behind him, huffs.
“Sun Wukong!” He barks, causing Monkey King to freeze suddenly, before whipping around with a nervous smile. “H-hey, bud! What’s-”
“You cannot keep running! Eventually the shadows will catch up with you…” Macaque criticized without hesitation. But then… He darkened… “I’d know…” He continued in a whisper, looking hurt. His eyes were glued to the ground.
Monkey King took a nervous step forward.
“M-Macaque… I’m not trying to escape this- I just… I just need to put it off until I’m ready to face it…”
Suddenly, Macaque snapped; “WHEN WILL YOU SEE THAT YOU WILL NEVER BE READY?!”
MK and Mei were both silent, at the edge of their seats.
The scene was tense, but it was so well written…
Monkey King turned back to Macaque, looking serious, but maybe a little hurt, too…
Mei glanced over subtly, but wait… Did MK just shiver?
Actually, yeah, he seemed a little nervous. Though, considering how heavy this conversation was…
Though the way his eyes were glued on the screen like his life depended on it… The way his hands clenched.
He mouthed Monkey King’s words as he said it, apparently knowing the line by heart…
Monkey King released a shaky breath, as he said…
“I know I won’t… I’m just pretending I will…”
Macaque… Faltered…
Mei… Faltered…
Mei’s eyes glanced back at the screen.
Macaque let out a breath of his own, before walking up to Monkey King, and…
Pulling him into a hug…
Mei looked over to see MK shivering slightly.
The way his gaze stayed locked on the screen…
Mei closed her eyes, also letting out a breath, before scooting closer, and pulling MK into a hug.
He was clearly stunned for a moment, but only a second later, he hugged her back, before another second went by, with him snuggling into embrace.
He didn’t cry loudly, but Mei could feel the tears and hear the quiet sniffles… MK needed this…
Mei was willing to provide it…
Notes:
Nyehehe I'm evil and am cutting it off early >:333
Also cause I feel like I write a lot, but I guess it's just google docs cause that last doc did NOT feel like a long chapter upon posting ;W;
But eh, I've got GREAT plans for the next chapter. Things are gonna rev up REAL quick >:DD
Chapter 9: Problems.
Summary:
Bad things happen while Monkey King and Ne Zha are looking for Macaque-
Of course... The shadow monkey is uh,,, well... Pretty possessed-
Though maybe the fragments are feeling antsy.
Would be rather inconvenient if they realized they can play mind hopscotch.
Notes:
I should apologize for being gone for so long-
and also for releasing the most bullshitiest shortest chapter ever lol
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Macaque growled low, deep in his throat…
Animalistic…
Things began to sink in-
Macaque was fighting, sure, but…
How long could he-
“Sun Wukong! Don’t just stand there! We need to restrain him!” He heard… Who was that, Ne Zha? Monkey King lagged, turning his head to look over at the panicked prince, yet he somehow kept that serious expression of his, even with the furrowed brow.
But there was no mistaking it…
The prince was just as nervous as Monkey King was beginning to feel-
Maybe that’s not true…
The king’s mind began to fuzz-
What would happen if Lady Bone Demon took over-
Macaque sounded pained- was she hurting him?
What was-
“What?” He finally asked to the prince, though it was mumbled, his mind fogging over as his vision began to blur- what? Why did he feel trembly? The king looked up at his former friend, who met- no, locked, eyes with him. Icy blue eyes, pupils narrowed to slits-
He wasn’t there-
Macaque wasn’t there-
Before Monkey King knew what was happening, the shadow lept for him, pinning him down the the ground again- in the distance, Monkey King heard someone call his name… It sounded muffled. There was a ringing, Monkey King’s head hurt- his skull hurt. It was pained as he heard echoes of the ringing, paired with an uncanny laugh.
He was gonna die-
His oldest friend, his first friend-
Was about to be the death of him-
“What are you doing, idiot! Don’t let him KILL YOU!” A voice called suddenly, before Monkey King felt his vision spinning- someone had thrown his enemy off of him, but a bit roughly- too roughly-
“W-Wukong…?”
“Sun Wukong-
It’s going to be okay- but- I… I need your help, please-”
Voices- Why did it sound like there was more than one voice? Monkey King attempted to shake himself from these confusing thoughts-
“H-Hey! Stay back! I don’t want to hurt you, Macaque. You know that-” In the corner of his eye, Monkey King saw Ne Zha raising his weapon, across the field stood Macaque but- he wasn’t blue-eyed anymore, bending over panting- gasping for air.
He looked up. He looked… Traumatized-
He looked between Ne Zha and Monkey King-
Where did Lady Bone-
Suddenly, Monkey King let out a pained cry as the throbbing suddenly felt like a piercing sensation, like someone had stabbed him in the skull, before he knew what was happening- “Wukong!” He heard two voices cry out- flickers of blue, a flash of gold as Monkey King instinctively activated his gold vision-
Blue fumes of smoke, ghostly smoke-
Coming from his hands…
There was a creeping panic- his voice dropped to a whisper… “No…” He looked up at Ne Zha and Macaque in realization- the prince didn’t get it, but Macaque…
Monkey King’s shadow… He did… Looking just as panicked-
“W-Where did… Did she…?”
Monkey King felt light headed-
Until he didn’t-
When he looked up at his friends-
And instead…
He saw targets.
“Macaque- is he-”
“Lady Bone Demon… She- the fragments- they can…”
Jump targets.
Macaque’s mind worked better than his tongue did in these situations. So when Wukong sprang forward for the kill, icy eyes and piercing constricted pupils, Macaque quickly dodged. Macaque couldn’t help but wince when his friend predictably landed pretty bad against the ground, scratching himself up slightly-
But before he knew it, the King was back on his feet-
The lady’s shattered soul had made it so…
If… If that monster even HAD a soul anymore…
Macaque felt a shiver at her horrible laugh. “Aw… Come on now, Shadow… Don’t tell me you’re afraid of drawing a bit of blood…”
“What’s the plan, Prince?” Macaque asked quickly and shortly, not daring to take his eyes off of Wukong-
Which was apparently a good decision as not a second later, the sun monkey sprang again, teeth bared. Macaque took in a sharp breath, just barely moving out of the way in time. He quickly looked back at the prince, glaring slightly. “Uh- well-”
“Plan, Ne Zha! What’s the damn PLAN?!”
“I-If we can keep him restrained- Oh no-” The prince jumped up suddenly, dodging Wukong’s dagger claw swipes, the savage monkey absolutely shredding a tree behind the prince, who took nervous steps back.
The king turned around, eyes wide. He straightened up showing his sharper-than-they-realized teeth.
He took a step forward. They both wearily took a step back. “Restrain? THAT was your genius plan…?” Macaque couldn’t help but snap. “We were going to do it to you- till she… Changed her mind…” Yeah, literally. Macaque failed to suppress an eyeroll.
“You SERIOUSLY thought you’d be able to restrain me with Lady BONE DEMON possessing me?”
“If we could have kept you still, I could banish the fragment-” Macaque suddenly dashed forward. “Wait- what are you-” Macaque summoned a giant shadow monkey vessel and lept up inside of it. “RESTRAINING!” He called back, before swinging an arm at the sky and testing the control-
This could technically work.
Hopefully-
Wukong let out a growl, before leaping into the sky, and turning into an eagle. He swooped down, talons outstretched- he was going for the eyes.
Macaque quickly snatched him before he could make the strike, a giant hand holding the birds’ wings against his sides. Macaque pushed him into the ground, praying he wasn’t hurting the Eagle, who continued to fight and scratch- it almost hurt-
Wait. No. It DID hurt.
Macaque fought the urge to open his palm, but something felt hot and burn-y there-
He didn’t want to think about it-
“NE ZHA!” He called instead, his impatience beginning to get the better of him. The prince suddenly jumped, before nodding. “R-Right- sorry- Uh…” The Prince grabbed his staff and rushed forward, jumping onto the back of the shadow vessel’s hand and looking down at Monkey king, who spit and snapped and hissed like a wild animal.
“He’s not taking this very well,” Macaque noted, a nervousness more detectable in his tone than he would have liked. Ne Zha closed his eyes, beginning to mumble something Macaque couldn’t hear as he slowly moved a hand close to Wukong’s face.
“He didn’t take it well when he saw you possessed,” Ne Zha answered finally as a big blue glowing circle began to form on the ground, around Macaque’s vessel hand.
Wukong continued to fight, despite it being supposedly fruitless- Macaque let out a hiss, finally forced to acknowledge the pain. “You almost done, Lotus Prince?!” Macaque snarked, his grip faltering slightly.
Ne Zha looked down at the ground, weary. “A-Almost! Just hold him a little longer!” There was a symbol, that did almost touch the ring of the seal-
A sharp pain, sharper than any other- before Macaque could stop himself, he let out a cry, opening his hand as it dripped with blood, a large gash- the vessel flickered, before Macaque knew what was happening, he was falling-
Fast- he was falling fast-
He saw it now.
One of Wukong’s sharpest eagle talons, covered in blood-
Macaque looked back at his open palm-
Thaaaat was a lot of blood-
“Macaque-” A delayed call he only just now registered.
He WAS falling, wasn’t he?
Turn back.
A flash of purple, and then…
Wait- no- still a monkey-
“Macaque! You need to turn ba-Ack- Wukong no-!” Macaque’s eyes scanned the battlefield- Wukong was tackling down the Prince- who hardly hesitated to give a nasty kick to Wukong’s stomach, sending the enraged (now) Monkey back a few feet. He snapped, before rushing again-
Thud.
Was Macaque’s body-
Super Monkeys like Wukong and Macaque were used to nasty blows- but that one hurt… His body felt heavy. He managed to look up- Wukong and Ne Zha stared, one terrified, one… One…
One unreadable…
What did… That mean?
Wukong took a step, emotionless.
Wide eyes.
Constricted pupils. Ne Zha, in the panic of the moment reached to grab Wukong’s wrist, he whirled around and pulled back before the prince could grab him. He turned around, back to Macaque- movements so sharp-
Unhumanlike-
UnANYTHINGlike…
Suddenly he was rushing forward-
“Wait-”
That didn’t stop him. The two monkeys rolled against the grass, before Macaque realized, he was on his back- a hand was pushing his head into the grass- ow ow ow-
Wukong raised a hand, which quickly unsheathed with claws. “N-No- wait wait wait-” Macaque was suddenly panicking, his heart racing, he struggled- Wukong was putting his full strength on Macaque- he almost never did that- but this wasn’t him, it was Lady Bone Demon-
Macaque tried to pull his leg free from under Wukong, but it was failing. He grabbed at the wrist that was pushing the back of his head into the ground, he couldn’t get the force to move-
Wukong faltered on the swipe, his hand- outstretched claws still, not still- trembling, his whole body was trembling- Wait-
“Ne Zha-”
Suddenly the prince rushed up behind Wukong, trying to pull him off Macaque. “It won’t be enough time. trust me. He’ll slit your throat before I banish those fragments- Ugh. Sun Wukong, SNAP OUT OF IT!” The prince snapped, pulling the Monkey back by his waist- or trying to, but barely budging him. Macaque tried pulling his leg back.
Wait… Why WAS Wukong hesitating-
Macaque glanced up, one of Wukong’s eyes flickered, blue, gold, blue, gold, he… He WAS fighting-
It looked painful though, his face was coated in sweat. What Macaque had mistaken for an evil murderous grin was a much more pained smile than he had realized, the corners strained- Macaque had almost forgotten how painful it was to fight back-
It was horrible- there were screams of anger as the demon tried to ‘convince’ you to do her bidding… She screaming and growled and her voice was like daggers- like knives stabbing you in the gut, and in the heart, and in the skull. If Wukong was only just now able to fight back, only when he was on the verge of killing Macaque- “Fuck the banishing then! How do we help him?!”
“Help-” The Prince stammered, faltering in his pullback as he glanced over at Wukong. The eye that was flickering, its pupil moving to look at the Prince to the best of his ability, it was like a cry for help, his body rigid-
He looked back at Macaque, letting out a pained whimper muffled through-the-teeth whimper, before suddenly charging forward, the eye turning blue again, “Wukong! No!” Both yelped out in panic as Ne Zha tried to pull him back and Macaque flattened against the grass-
Eyes snapped shut, praying-
Shit shit shit shit shit-
There was a thud to Macaque’s left, causing the shadow to open an eye. Ne Zha threw Wukong, who rolled, till jumping to his feet, growling-
“Ugh… This is BORING! You two dimwits are making this BORING! We could be doing better things…” Wukong muttered- no… It wasn’t him… It was Lady Bone Demon.
He looked off for a second, eyes narrowing as if the demon within him was pondering.
“We’ve got better things to do… Better victims to use…” She muttered, before looking back at Macaque and Ne Zha, who were… Honestly, very stunned silent.
“It was fun, I think… Until it wasn’t…” She continued, using Wukong’s voice, before- suddenly he broke into a coughing fit, falling to his knees and holding himself up with one hand. Ne Zha and Macaque instinctively rushed forward- Wukong’s eyes flickered as he let out another cry. “Hey- hey. It’s okay- just, try to breath, okay?”
Macaque pulled Wukong close when the flickering began to stop, leaving golden eyes, very weakened, very tired golden eyes. “M-Mac- I’m- I’m sorry…” He stammered through choked breaths. “Wukong. Enough,” Macaque snapped back, and Wukong listened, going quiet.
“Ne Zha-”
“Gone… I think… Which is… Both good and bad.”
“How could that possibly be a good thing?” Wukong couldn’t help but mutter. “Well, we were having our asses handed to us, thanks to you…” Macaque couldn’t help but chirp. The smile was pained.
“I… I’m sorry really I-”
“Wukong. I said enough. It wasn’t you.”
Wukong went silent again. He blinked, his eyes glowing gold as he activated… “Gold vision? Should you really be using your powers after all of that?” Ne Zha couldn’t help but wonder, furrowing a brow of… Concern. How sweet.
“I- I’ll be fine- wait. I see smoke-”
“Blue smoke?” Macaque cut in, a brow raised. Wukong gave a nod. Macaque felt his stomach twisting. “Where?”
“Well it was coming from me but… It’s trailing off somewhere…” The three looked off towards the city.
“Can… Can I ask again, where?” Macaque attempted with a nervous grin- because truthfully, he couldn’t fake a real smile after all of the shit that’s been-
“Towards Pigsy’s Noodles-”
“The kid’s place…”
Oh.
…
No… That’s…
Ne Zha finished Macaque’s thought.
“Not good…”
Notes:
So anyway, I've been having horrible crippling mental health, the only reason I'm alive rn is cause I'm chronically terrified of pain and death lolol
Also I was listening to Flies Swarming My Skull-
Also also, I decided to randomly lengthen this chapter, so it's no longer CRIMINALLY short, just judgementally so, and also full of drama and spookiness and edgyness so I sorry
Anyway have a nice day! I'll see you in 30 months :DDD
BIOH4zarD on Chapter 1 Fri 23 Aug 2024 04:17AM UTC
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Piper (critter_core) on Chapter 1 Fri 23 Aug 2024 01:33PM UTC
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Piper (critter_core) on Chapter 1 Fri 23 Aug 2024 03:23PM UTC
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Boboloweegie on Chapter 1 Tue 27 Aug 2024 03:23AM UTC
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Piper (critter_core) on Chapter 1 Thu 05 Sep 2024 02:22AM UTC
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Im_just_here_watching000098 on Chapter 2 Sun 25 Aug 2024 06:56PM UTC
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Piper (critter_core) on Chapter 2 Mon 26 Aug 2024 12:28PM UTC
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Boboloweegie on Chapter 2 Tue 27 Aug 2024 03:34AM UTC
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loser_dummy on Chapter 7 Wed 04 Sep 2024 03:38PM UTC
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Piper (critter_core) on Chapter 7 Wed 04 Sep 2024 11:31PM UTC
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Im_just_here_watching000098 on Chapter 7 Wed 04 Sep 2024 09:01PM UTC
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Piper (critter_core) on Chapter 7 Wed 04 Sep 2024 11:30PM UTC
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Im_just_here_watching000098 on Chapter 8 Wed 04 Sep 2024 11:55PM UTC
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Piper (critter_core) on Chapter 8 Thu 05 Sep 2024 02:21AM UTC
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Mikesterangelo on Chapter 8 Tue 21 Jan 2025 02:18AM UTC
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Piper (critter_core) on Chapter 9 Sun 23 Feb 2025 01:35AM UTC
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