Chapter Text
Well, Lady Bone Demon was finally gone. Finally.
It was a rough battle. Macaque got beaten down to the ground multiple times, sustaining some pretty rough injuries for a while. He got some nasty cuts all over his fur that, even after a few months, have barely gone away.
He looked down at the one left on his wrist as he carried a bag of noodles. “Guess that’s gonna scar…” He muttered to himself. He looked up and gave a small wave to Pigsy, who was busy working behind the counter. He was only met with a small grunt of recognition. Macaque chuckled slightly before pushing the door open with his shoulder.
It was still kind of weird to be on “okay” terms with everyone. He had been so used to being the villain of their story that even simply working on their side was unfamiliar to him during the battle. It wasn’t bad, per say, just odd. Something to get used to. And it wasn’t like it was going to be easy, either. Being on their side meant seeing Wukong more often than usual, which was already something he found himself annoyed with.
Well, at least it was better than being alone.
He gave a small smile, looking down at the bag of noodles again. He had ordered these for Bai He, the little girl who Lady Bone Demon was sick enough to possess. After the battle, the gang had kind of taken a liking to her. She was about ten years old, so she was the youngest of the group. She was pretty excitable, kind of like a younger girl version of MK, Macaque had noticed. She really, really liked cats, so when she would visit the shop, Sandy would be sure to bring Mo with him.
But, oddly enough, the person that she had seemed most interested in was Macaque. At first, he was confused, and honestly a bit tense about it. The idea of getting that close to somebody was, and still is, a bit scary to him. He also didn’t really know how to talk to little kids, either. Even still, Bai insisted on getting to know him better and following him around where he went. After a bit, Macaque had gotten used to it, in a way. He at least learned how to talk to her a little better. He would enthuse with her about cats, and let her make flower crowns for him. Sometimes, because he really didn’t have much to say, he would just sit and let her talk. It was still taking some time to get used to it, but he was doing okay. He actually enjoyed her company, thoroughly, despite struggling to show it to her.
He finally decided that it was time to show her some appreciation. Sure, it was just a thing of noodles from Pigsy’s shop, but it was still something she enjoyed, and he knew she would enjoy the gesture, anyways.
Well, he hoped she would.
Macaque looked up at one of the street signs, making sure he was going the right way. He nodded firmly, making a turn as he walked down the street. The town was about as busy as usual, and while he could just slither his way around in the shadows, he figured that it was a nice day. Besides, it might mean a bit more to her that he took the time to walk it all the way to her. That, and he really didn’t want to risk spilling the noodles on his scarf.
He looked across the road at a park. His tail wagged slightly at the sight, in spite of himself. He watched as the kids ran around, playing chase with each other. He saw people feeding the ducks, walking with their partners, and having picnics. He looked one way down the road, then the other. He had always liked being around nature, and this was the one place in the city it seemed where there was a flux of trees and plants. There was even a pond, which, while he knew he couldn’t dive in (sounds like something Wukong would do…), was refreshing just to look at.
“Well, a detour wouldn’t hurt…” He thought, aloud. He hurried across the street. “Besides, as far as the kid knows, this is a shortcut.”
Adjusting his grip on the noodles, he started his walk down the path. He looked up, watching as the colorful leaves fell from their respective trees and onto the sidewalk. He breathed in deeply, taking in the scent of the cool, fall air. Fall was, truly, his favorite time of year. There was something about it that made him happy. While he was cold natured, it was a perfect mix of warm and cold, with just enough bite from the cool air to make the air refreshing. It also allowed him to wear his cold weather clothes more often, which he honestly preferred over more summer-appropriate attire.
He sighed, happily, looking over towards the pond. Wearing a small smile, he watched as ducks floated across the water. Kids were running in front of the pond, playfully threatening to push each other into the water. Heck, even Shì Zhǎng was relaxing on one of the park benches.
…
Wait.
“Shì Zhǎng?!” Macaque shouted, dropping the noodles on the ground.
The gray haired man blinked, looking away from seemingly nothing to meet Macaque’s gaze.
Seeing Zhǎng here was a bit… odd. Especially considering his change of personality. Even his occupation had changed since seeing each other last. Zhǎng now simply went as “The Mayor”, as far as Macaque was aware. He had been the Lady Bone Demon’s servant, even sporting insane, white-out eyes and a grayish-blue streak in his hair. Even now, he wore the same black and gray striped suit as he did during the fight with Lady Bone Demon. The odd thing about it, though, was the fact that it was just as tattered as when they had previously seen each other last. It HAD been a few months, so it was a bit odd to Macaque that he was still in the same beaten up clothes he had before. His hair was even as messy as it was, and he could’ve sworn he saw the same cuts and dirt littering his cheeks and arms.
Despite also being known for being, well, insane, as of recent, he seemed relatively… tired. Instead of having the disposition of a reanimated circus clown, he seemed very similar to how he was when Macaque had initially met him. Though, he didn’t want to take any chances.
“Oh, hello Liù–”
“Save it, Mayor!” Macaque shouted, pulling his spiked staff from out of the shadows. He pointed it towards Zhǎng’s face with a growl. “What are you doing here? And what reason do I have NOT to whack you into next Tuesday?”
Zhǎng raised his hands up in surrender. “Liù, I can explain–”
“Don’t waste your silver tongue on me…” Macaque warned, pointing the staff closer.
Zhǎng just sighed, putting his hands down on his lap, shaking his head. “You’re just as stubborn as you were all those years ago…”
Macaque lowered his staff. “Wait…” His tail waved itself cautiously behind him. “...you remember me…?”
“How could I not, simian?” The gray-haired man chuckled, tiredly.
The black furred monkey stared at him for a moment. Every time that they’ve come across each other since… well, after Macaque was first revived… Zhǎng hadn’t even recognized him. He was just… stuck in his crazy demeanor, wanting nothing but to bring him down simply because he tested his master. But now…?
Well, it felt eerily familiar, that’s for sure.
“How… how do I know you’re not tricking me?” Macaque asked, raising his staff once again. “How do I know that Lady Bone Demon didn’t just return your memories so you could manipulate me?”
“My lady is dead, Liù.” Zhǎng stated, blankly.
Macaque paused.
“I mean, you should know that by now, shouldn’t you…?” Zhǎng asked, looking down at the ground. His weak smile turned to a frown. “She’s… she’s gone, Liù. You don’t have to worry about her anymore…” He grimaced. “You don’t.”
The simian sighed, letting his staff dissipate into the air. “Well… yeah, I guess… I was there… but–”
“She really, truly, is dead.” Zhǎng looked back up at Macaque. He pointed to his eyes. “See?”
Macaque squinted, moving just a bit closer to get a better look. Well, Zhǎng’s eyes weren’t a pitch white anymore. In fact, they had returned to their familiar, blueish-gray color.
Well, he did make a good argument that way, didn’t he?
“Alright… fine…” Macaque said with a sigh. He sat down beside Zhǎng, watching as the gray-haired man returned his gaze down to the ground. “...but… why do you still call her your ‘lady’...?”
Zhǎng sighed. “Well, despite me returning to my… previous state,” He began. “I still… feel… oddly…” He looked out towards the sky. “...quite… empty, as it were…”
The monkey blinked for a moment. He looked away. “Y…yeah… I… I can get that, honestly…” He said, quietly.
Zhǎng shook his head. “You know nothing of this, simian.” He stated, quietly.
Macaque looked at him. He felt himself go to argue, something of a rage trying to build up inside of him. Then, he just stopped, taking in a deep breath.
“Alright, fair enough.” He said, holding his hands up in a sign of surrender. “But… like… where do you even live, you know…? Don’t you have a house, or…”
“Not anymore.” Zhǎng replied, bluntly. “I was too depressed to pay any of the taxes and bills, and I was kicked out.” He chuckled, darkly, shaking his head. “So I just… let myself do that. And since then I’ve just been simply… roaming.” He ran his hands through his hair. “No money to my name… nothing. All because…” He took a deep breath, leaning his head back to rest on the bench. “...of her…”
They both sat there for only a moment, surrounded by an uncomfortable silence.
“Well, I suppose there’s no use in blaming her, now is there?” He reasoned, turning his head over to meet Macaque’s gaze. “Not… not now that she’s dead…”
“No, no.” Macaque shook his head. “I get it…”
This was certainly… odd. While Macaque was definitely still skeptical, he found himself sympathizing with the man. He understood what it was like to devote your life to someone like that until…
He stopped thinking about that.
After all, that’s unhelpful right now.
“Well, I mean,” He started, getting up. “I WAS gonna go visit Bai He–”
“The girl?” Zhǎng asked, looking up at him. He straightened up. “How… How is she…? Is she alright…? Recovering…?”
Macaque nodded. “Yeah, pretty well, actually.” He said. He chuckled. “You almost couldn’t tell the girl was even possessed, honestly. She honestly acts so much like MK, to me…”
Zhǎng looked down, seeming relieved. “That’s nice to hear.”
“Do you wanna go see her?” Macaque asked.
The gray haired man looked up at him. “Are you sure…? I mean… I just…”
The monkey shook his head. “Don’t worry about it, okay? I’m sure she’ll understand, and she’ll be happy to see you.”
Macaque really didn’t know if this was a good idea. As much as he kept assuring the man, he almost wondered if seeing him again might invoke some… uncomfortable memories for Bai He. I mean, she WAS possessed by his master, and even if SHE reacted normally, would he?
He looked as the man was pondering this decision long and hard. Well, he guessed that it was a bit too late to take back the offer. Besides, Bai He was a very understanding individual. She loved Macaque to death, after all (to his surprise, even still).
“Alright.” Zhǎng said, finally, getting up from his seat. “I suppose a visit will be… alright.” He looked down at his attire and huffed. “Though I wish I could’ve replaced my clothing after all of this time…”
Macaque chuckled, awkwardly patting the mayor on the back. “Don’t worry. You look great!” He gave an equally awkward thumbs up.
Zhǎng looked towards him for a moment, a bit irritated. He then looked to the ground, noticing the pile of noodles that had spilled. “What was that you had there…?” He asked, pointing at it.
Macaque looked towards the pile awkwardly, then back at him. He grimaced, sucking in air through his teeth. “Ah… those were, uh… for Bai He…” He cleared his throat, attempting to hide the grimace with a smile. He wasn’t sure that it completely worked… “...but I’m sure she won’t mind, right…?”
The man didn’t look convinced, but he nodded. “I… suppose…” He cleared his throat. “Shall we get going, then?”
“Uh, yeah, yeah…”
With that, the two began their walk towards Bai He’s house. The walk was… quite awkward. Both of them were stiff as a board, not really making any conversation as they continued on their journey. Of course, it was a bit awkward to try and make conversation with an old friend, who, the last time you saw them, tried to kill you…
Despite it all, they arrived. Macaque stepped forward, ringing the doorbell to the house. He then stepped back, rocking back and forth on his heels, twirling his hair, while his companion tried his best to dust the dirt from his ripped clothing.
Soon enough, the door opened. They were met with a woman with short, curly black hair and glasses, wearing a simple t-shirt and pants. She had an apron over her outfit, and seemed to be around fifty years old. She greeted the two with a smile, which Macaque returned, stiffly.
“Oh! Macaque!” The woman greeted. “It's wonderful to see you! How are you, dear?”
“Just fine, ma’am.” Macaque replied, fixing his hair slightly. He gestured towards Zhǎng, who stiffened slightly at the action. “This is my…” He grimaced. “...friend… We’re here to visit your daughter, if that’s alright.”
Bai He’s mother nodded. “Of course, of course! I told you, dear, you’re welcome to come whenever you’d like!” She looked towards the man, narrowing her eyes slightly. “Hmm… you look… familiar… Do I know you from somewhere…?”
Zhǎng cleared his throat. “I… er, was previously the… mayor… of the city…” He replied, bluntly, not looking her in the eyes.
“Ohhhh!” She replied, clasping her hands together. “Well, it’s an honor to have you here, Mr. Mayor! Make yourselves at home!” She moved out of the way, allowing the two to enter.
Macaque had always found Bai He’s home to be very comfortable. He smiled as he entered, the warmth of a familiar environment enveloping him. He hasn’t been here all that much, but he had been there enough to remember most of it quite well. It had a very cozy atmosphere, and as he breathed in, he could smell a warm, home cooked meal. It truly felt what a home should feel like, as far as he could imagine.
The two slipped their shoes off and set them on the rack near the door. Macaque looked over at Zhǎng, who was admiring their home, quietly.
“You have a lovely home, ma’am.” Zhǎng said, taking the place in completely.
The mother smiled, walking towards the kitchen. “Why, thank you! It’s not much, but it’s fairly comfortable for me and He-He, here…” She jumped as the oven dinged. “Oh! Excuse me.” She rushed over towards it, opening its door. “She’s in her room near the back of the house. You remember where it is, don’t you, dear?”
Macaque nodded. “Yep! Thank you. We’ll get out of your hair now…” He replied.
Leading the way, Macaque walked through the narrow hallway, looking behind him to make sure that Zhǎng was still there. It wasn’t a long walk, and before they knew it, they were at her door. The door was covered in drawings, mostly of Bai He and the gang. There was even a drawing of her and Macaque, holding hands. He smiled, a warm feeling filling him. He knocked on the door, gently.
“Coming!” A voice from the other side shouted. They could hear faint rustling as they waited. Macaque’s ear twitched, wincing as he heard something fall and crash, followed by a quiet “oop!”.
“I’m okay!” The voice said, giggling.
With that, the door opened. Bai He was on the other side, smiling brightly. She wore her usual attire, with her pink jacket set on her bed. Her eyes lit up as she saw Macaque, bouncing up and down.
“Mr. Macaque!” She squealed, rushing over to hug him.
Macaque tensed, still not used to the action quite yet. He chuckled, nervously, trying to ease up as he wrapped his arms around her.
“H…hey, kiddo…” He smiled, starting to ease, hugging her a bit tighter and with more purpose. “How ya been?”
Bai He giggled, looking up at him. Her eyes sparkled. “I’ve been great! And so has my cat! You remember him, right? He loves you!”
Her eyes left Macaque’s and moved behind him. She raised an eyebrow, curiously, backing away from Macaque.
“Um…”
Macaque swallowed hard. “Oh, uh… B-Bai He…? This is uh… th…the mayor… uh…” He rubbed the back of his neck. “You remember him, r…right…? With the uh…” He winced. “Lady… uh… Bone Demon…?”
Zhǎng looked just as nervous, staring down at the girl. He barely even mustered a smile. He only raised his hand up ever so slightly, giving a small, subtle wave.
‘Oh God,’ Macaque thought, gritting his teeth. ‘What have I done?’
Then, Bai He ran up to Zhǎng, tackling him into a tight hug. “Mr. Mayor!” She shouted, bouncing up and down.
Zhǎng tensed, Macaque following suit. The two looked at each other, both equally confused. Macaque just shrugged and motioned for him to hug her.
In an awkward motion, Zhǎng stiffly moved one arm around her, giving it a slight pat.
Macaque groaned.
“Are you okay?” Bai He asked, looking up at him. “You look like you’re hurt…”
Zhǎng shook his head. “Don’t worry about me, alright…?” He replied, stiffly. “I’m quite alright…” He cleared his throat. “How have you been? Good, I hope…”
Bai He nodded. “Really good!” She blinked, as if she suddenly remembered something. She looked at Macaque, excitedly. “Oh! It’s good that you’re here! We have something to ask you!”
Macaque cocked his head to the side. “Hm?”
Taking his hand, Bai He led Macaque through the hallway, Zhǎng following close behind. She led them to the kitchen, pulling away from Macaque so that she could pull out chairs for the two to sit at. She beamed at them, motioning for the two to sit. They did as they were told, and Bai He sat right beside Macaque.
Her mother looked at them, giving a warm smile. “Oh, good!” She said. She grabbed some bowls of noodles, placing them in front of each person at the table. “You’re just in time for dinner!” She then took her seat beside Zhǎng, grabbing a pair of chopsticks.
Well, maybe it was good that the noodles Macaque had bought spilled.
“Mama!” Bai He called, excitedly, grabbing a pink pair of chopsticks. “Do you want to tell Mr. Macaque what you told me?”
Her mother nodded. “Yes, that’s a good idea, He-He!” She looked towards the monkey. “I hope you don’t mind, but we actually have a favor to ask of you. It’s actually very lucky that you dropped by! We had no way of contacting you!” She chuckled.
Macaque blinked. “Umm… yeah, sure. What’s up?”
“He-He’s father and I are actually going off on a business trip for a little while. Unfortunately, we’ll be gone for about a month, and it’d be difficult for us to watch He-He.” Her mother explained, eating the noodles in between sentences. “We couldn’t set up a sitter in time, and we also need someone we trust to watch the house and her cat.” She looked up towards Macaque. “That’s where you come in!”
“M…me…?” Macaque asked.
Bai He nodded. “Yep! I told Mama all about what you did for me, remember?” She said, excitedly. “So we know that we can trust you!”
Macaque shook his head. “Uhh, I dunno if you guys wanna trust ME on this…” He replied, uncomfortably. He rocked back and forth slightly in his seat. “I’m not the… best person in the world…”
Bai He’s mother shook her head. “Nonsense! You helped save the world! You even went out of your way to save my He-He! And the few times that you’ve come over, you’ve been very polite and helpful!”
“I…I still don’t know about this, ma’am… I just–”
“Do you not wanna do it alone, Mr. Macaque?” Bai He asked.
Macaque looked down at her. “N…no! It’s not that, it’s just–”
“Oh, well if that’s the case, dear, maybe the mayor would like to help us out.” She looked towards Zhǎng. “Would that be an issue for you, Mr. Mayor?”
Zhǎng looked back at her, clearing his throat. “I… suppose not, ma’am. If you trust me enough.”
Macaque whipped his head towards Zhǎng. “DUDE!” He whisper-shouted, angrily.
“Then it’s settled, then!” Her mother said, happily, clapping her hands together. “We’ll give you both a spare key before you leave here. And don’t worry, we’ll leave thorough instructions for what we need you to do. Besides, He-He can help you with anything you need, and we’ll give you our number.”
“Yay!!” Bai He squealed, jumping in her seat. “I’m so excited!! It’ll be like a sleepover, and you’re my dads!!”
“‘Dads’?!” Zhǎng and Macaque looked at each other, giving uncomfortable looks.
Bai He’s mother giggled. “Don’t worry, you two. She’s not that much of a handful. She’s actually quite helpful!” She picked her chopsticks back up. “Now, finish your dinner before it gets cold, okay? I would hate for you to eat cold noodles…”
Macaque gave one last uncomfortable look to Zhǎng before picking his chopsticks up. He groaned, quietly, the sound of Bai He’s ramblings fading into the background. His thoughts came into the forefront.
What if he wasn’t good enough? What if he hurt her? What if someone tried to hurt them? What if he couldn’t do what he was supposed to and break something? What if Zhǎng ended up returning to his weird, Mayor personality again?
He looked up across the table at Zhǎng, who was eating his noodles, quietly. He watched as the man listened respectfully to the mother, while adding in his own comments.
He grimaced. It felt fake. It didn’t seem fake, per say, and Macaque had really no reason at that moment to think it was fake, but…
He had seen what he was like. This isn’t the Mayor. This is Shì Zhǎng, a man he hasn’t seen in years. Not since the Tang dynasty itself.
This couldn’t be right, and he refused to believe that he was truly back to normal like this. He remembered vividly when he put him in a chokehold, when he forgot who Macaque was. When he really and truly had no one, not even the silent war general that he had made reluctant friends with.
He didn’t trust him. There was no reason to, and that was that.
After a blurry evening at Bai He’s house, Macaque and Zhǎng were both given spare keys to the house. They were instructed to come back on that coming Monday, and to stay until they had returned from their trip.
With that, they were alone again.
“Well, that was certainly a bit different than I was expecting it to go…” Zhǎng said, adjusting his tie slightly. He looked at Macaque. “I suppose this means we’ll be working together to make sure Bai He is safe under our care, yes?”
Macaque stared at the ground, holding the key tightly in his fist. “Yeah.”
Zhǎng went quiet for a moment, shuffling his feet, awkwardly. “I suppose this is farewell until then.” He held out his hand in front of the simian, seemingly for him to shake.
Macaque stared blankly at his arms.
“Look, simian,” Zhǎng began, heaving a frustrated breath. “I know that you’re about as reluctant as me to work together again, but we have to be mature. We are adults. We cannot be acting like children, especially when we are tasked with what we have to keep Bai He sa–”
“To keep her SAFE?” Macaque replied, looking up at the other figure, finally. He growled. “Funny that YOU’RE the one out of all people to talk about keeping people safe.”
“Liù–”
“DON’T CALL ME THAT!” Macaque shouted, smacking Zhǎng’s hand away from him. “You and I BOTH know that this is a facade. I don’t trust you for a MINUTE and GOD KNOWS I’m not letting YOU touch her again!”
“I told you, I’m not possessed anymore!” Zhǎng retorted. “I specifically have evidence to prove it. Do you really, truly think that if I were possessed, that I would’ve gone THIS long without showing a HINT of possession? Considering how showy my old self was? Do you really think that?”
Macaque huffed. “I still just don’t think you’re someone to trust. You still call her your lady.”
“We already discussed this, she’s DEAD, Liù–”
“DO NOT CALL ME THAT!” Macaque repeated.
“FINE!” Zhǎng shouted, raising his hands up. “Macaque!” He sighed, shaking his head. “The girl is excited to see us BOTH. You and I also know that, do we not?”
Macaque stayed silent.
“And the fact of the matter is we are stuck in this situation, and they are expecting US to do a job and do it well.” He paused. “And I know that you care about that girl, and I know that you wouldn’t leave her by herself. Even if I promised to be here whether I had the key or not, so I can do my job, you would still be here.”
Macaque remained silent.
“Am I wrong, Macaque?”
“No… no you’re not…” Macaque replied, quietly.
Zhǎng sighed. “Okay, then.” He turned away. “I suppose, then, I’ll see you on Monday.”
“Whatever.” Macaque growled. With a swift motion, he dived into the shadows.
He stayed in one place for a minute, floating around the dark space, aimlessly. He cradled himself into a fetal position, letting himself close his eyes and feel the cold shadow envelop him.
“It could be worse…” He reasoned, letting his voice echo out into the unknown.
“And maybe he’s right…” He slowly let his body unravel from the position.
“But…” He opened his eyes, watching as the world around him moved ever so slightly in the dark, warpy environment. “But I just don’t know if I can do this…”
He chuckled, weakly. “I dunno if I can do anything at all, really…”
“I’m no hero… I’m no dad…”
“I’m no one worth anything, you know…?”
He paused, as if he were waiting for a reply. He was greeted with nothing.
“Maybe I’ve been a child this whole time…” He let his eyes close again.
“I think I’ll stay in here just a little longer.”