Chapter Text
The arrival of the Monkey King was not heralded by any texts, calls, or even letters.
Sun Wukong simply showed up, smiled, and walked inside, nearly tripping over Mac, who lay in his favorite patch of sunlight.
Mac- understandably not thrilled at being accidentally kicked- clawed his way up the Monkey King’s leg, then sprung onto the back of the couch to hiss at him.
“Mac? What’s-“ Sandy poked his head into the room. “Oh! Mr. King! What happened to your legs?”
Wukong mentally cursed his luck, glaring at Mac, who was glaring right back at him.
“New cat?” He asked.
Sandy smiled and nodded. “Yeah, he’s a bit flighty, but he’s really sweet when you get to know him.”
“Tell that to my legs.” Wukong muttered, trying to keep pressure on the scratches.
Mac ran to Sandy and climbed up to his shoulder, fur on edge and teeth bared.
Wukong almost responded in kind, but resisted, not wanting to offend his host.
“So, how long has Ma- uh, the cat- been here?” He sat gingerly on the couch, startling two other cats who had been napping there.
“Well, it’s been twenty-seven days since he first showed up.” Sandy smiled and offered his hand to Mac, who dutifully sniffed it before gently smacking it away.
“If he makes it to thirty days without running off, then I’m gonna get him some wet food to celebrate.”
Mac’s ears pricked up, and Wukong grimaced. “Doesn’t that kind of cat not eat cat food?”
Mac’s tail twitched, but Sandy laughed it off. “No, he eats cat food. He steals my food too.”
Wukong glared at Mac, then shrugged.
“Alright, if you say so.”
Sandy ducked back into the kitchen, and Wukong bent down to speak to the cat.
“Liu Er Mihou, you are such a little bastard.” he hissed.
The cat purred and licked one paw, eyes gleaming.
Wukong scowled. “I ought to kick you off this boat so Sandy can get some peace. He doesn’t deserve to get played like this, and you know it.”
Mac paused, looked at Wukong, and grinned.
Then he started yowling at the top of his lungs.
Sandy all but teleported back into the room, eyes blazing and hands already balled into fists.
“What did you do?” He growled.
Wukong stood up, then bowed politely. “With respect, Sandy, I don’t think your ‘cat’ likes me. I will take my leave.”
Once he was out of the door, Sandy reached down and scooped Mac up. “Buddy, you shouldn’t scare me like that.” He scolded, keeping his tone as gentle as he could.
Mac stared up at him, wide-eyed at the sudden contact.
Sandy sighed and glanced after the Monkey King. “I get that you have a bad history with the Monkey King, but you gotta play nice in the house, ok?”
Mac’s eyes widened even more.
“You knew?!” He transformed back with a puff of smoke, leaving Sandy holding the Six-eared Macaque like a baby.
“Yeah, I’ve known since the end of the first week.” Sandy admitted.
Macaque’s eyes narrowed.
“Why didn’t you say anything?”
Sandy smiled, which only infuriated Macaque more. “I wanted to let you get comfortable.”
“Put me down.” Macaque growled. Sandy obliged, still smiling as his temporary guest vanished into the shadows.
“Come back any time!” He called.