Chapter Text
Their lips part and Macaque opens his eyes to once more meet with the other's
After a few short seconds of silence, it hits the shadow first, his eyes widen red decorating his cheeks, the hue paralleling that of his butterfly mark, spreading to his ears
He tries to speak, but nothing comes out
His voice is weak
Seeing this snaps Wukong out of his trance becoming a blushing, stuttering, flustered mess
Macaque tries to portal away to wallow in his shame and embarrassment for being a complete idiot and pulling such a risky stunt, before he can leave Wukong,
in his state of shock grabs him by the wrist and pulls him back
"Woah! You can't just do that and- and dip!"
"I don't even know what exactly I did!"
"You- You kissed me!" Wukong yells pointing to his lips "Why?!"
"I don't know!! I'm sorry!" The other yells almost about to cry
"Don't cry!"
"Im sorry!"
Macaque buries himself in his arms, ashamed
"Mac please!" He pulls him into a hug.
Macaque's always been the sensitive type. Wukong has to make sure not to say anything that implies anything negative. It will only make it worse
"I- crap– I.. I didn't exactly... hate it" Wukong mumbles "but uh... maybe warn me.. next time?"
Macaque shoots up, their eyes meet "Next time?"
Wukong blanks out and once again. He needs to start thinking about his words thoroughly.
"No, I mean– Well, I guess? No! If you- if you want! This– whatever *this* even is"
He then lets out a long, groan slumping in defeats, burying his face in the crook of Macaque's neck "I don't knooow, okaayy?" He grumbles, his voice resigned
Macaque relaxes at this and shifts to gently pat Wukong on the head
Wukong partially lifts his to seek out his comforting hand and lean into it once more.
"Im sorry" Macaque once again whispers under his breath, remorseful.
He blames himself for this entire mess
"Noo, stoop" Wukong scolds in a rather lighthearted manner "Don't be sorry, its fine, I forgive you. You're killin the damn mood"
Macaque gives a warm laughter in response " Yeah, no. I killed the mood waaayyy before this" feigning coyness, as an attempt to bury his act "I didn't know what I was thinking, really... I acted out ,heat of the moment kinda stuff, you know? We can just forget about it and move on,"
The arms around him tighten
And in the crook of his neck he can only decipher "but I don't want to..."
"Wha- What?" He asks perplexed
"I said, I don't waannnaaaa!!" He whines like the entitled brat he is
"Huh? That was embarrassing as shit, don't hold it against me" Macaque drags his hand down his face, stopping to cover his lips.
"I didn't hate it..." he mumbles
'i liked it, actually'
"I don't just want to forget something like that‐ At least give me a damn reason!" he chides still very flustered
"I told you! I acted out, thats it!" He scolds in the same tone
That can't be it, then that means that kiss would've been for nothing, so like the stubborn brat Wukong is he continues to entertain this further
He breaks the hug but Macaque is still in his grasp. He frimly places both his hands on the other's shoulder; both as an act of intimidation and a safety measure for the flighty demon.
His gaze is intense, its pressuring.
"No, there's more!"
there has to be more
"I-I I don't–"
"Macaaaaqueee" wukong mewls repeating this like a mantra
"It just felt right, okay?!" He finally blurts "I just– I just felt like I had to... Agh! I'm just as confused as you are so stop asking!!"
Wukong lets out a disappointed grunt, pulling Macaque back in his embrace, leaning his head in over his shoulder
"Okay..." is all he can muster to say
It’s quiet for a few more minutes
The two basking in each other’s comfort
Will everything change now?
And will it be for better or for worse?
There’s a sense of melancholy in this situation these two imbeciles dug themselves in.
Wukong remains still in the crook of the other’s neck, sorta like its a pillow.
Macaque looks up into the sky to gaze upon the stars, hoping to find some calmness in the infinitely vast space. Tonight’s crescent moon catches his eye.
Strangely enough, he only noticed it now. He continues to gaze upon how the twinkling stars dance together with the moon during serene nights,
How even in the cold darkness they provide warmth and light,
How the moon may not shine as bright as the sun, but that only means people are able to see and enjoy its elegant beauty.
“You uh.. Really like stars don’t you?” a voice finally peeps from under his ears. Soft, sweet, and shy.
The great sage equal to heaven acting all nervous? It almost makes him giggle. Though, he had to admit, it was also pretty cute.
Macaque clears his throat “M-mhm, I think they're really pretty”
‘I think you’re prettier’
Wukong responds in his head
“Which one’s your favorite?”
Macaque thinks for a second, darting between the different stars to find the answer, then his eyes somehow land on Wukong.
Not thinking he says “the sun”
Wukong pries himself off of Macaque’s neck “Pshhh, Mac, the sun isn't a star!"
‘This dumbass’
“Yeah? How so?”
‘Well, its not here now, is it? How can it be a star?” Wukong announces so confidently
“Hmmm no, youre wrong”
“No! How can I be wrong? The sun is like suuuper bright, theres no way I can miss it”
“Nope, its here alright”
Macaque, feeling a sudden rush of confidence raises his finger
And boops Wukong’s nose
“You're right about the bright part though”
Wukong blushes
Maybe it was Wukong's absolute stupidity, or it was his, from pulling that dumb stunt a little while back. Doesn’t matter now, he’s gone in too deep, he might as well make a good performance. One worth remembering.
“My sun is the brightest star out here tonight."
Not in means of intelligence though
Hes stunned at first, but tries to act all coy
Its pretty obvious though with the heavy blush straining his sunkissed cheeks
“Hehe, heyy, when did you learn to talk smooth like this?”
“Can’t turn back now, can I?”
“Don’t make a habit outta this” Wukong scolds half jokingly
“I don’t know.. What if I want to?”
“Oh, haha”
Silence
Staring
“Oh- oh, youre serious? You cant be serious”
“What if I was?”
“Don’t be like that, mac. We’re just friends.”
“Do we have to be? I won’t push you if this makes you any more uncomfortable..”
“No! No! Don’t! Aghh Maaac.”
"You said you didn't hate it!"
“Isn’t this a bit sudden?”
“Does it bother you?”
Wukong looks at the ground “No…”
It's hard to look Macaque in the eyes. He knows he's looking at him in that way. The way the shadow looks at him when he wants something, the damn doe eyes.
“Then, maybe we can try?" He tilts his head, hopeful. Yet wukong refuses to look at him because he knows he'll instantly relent.
"What if I screw it up?" With uncharacteristic doubt
Macaque lifts his chin up with his hand, forcing the king to look him in the eyes.
"You? Great sage equal to heaven mess something up? How preposterous!"
Wukong lets up a small small that morphs into a quiet chuckle. "You're real great for my ego," he jokes.
Though Macaque is timid and does not usually act on his desires, this is a golden opportunity he can't miss. An opportunity he's been dreaming of
Macaque cups Wukong's cheeks tilting his head up. His hands are warm tonight.
Tender and soft
"Can we then?" Using his doe eyes trick again.
Oh, how unfair.
All Wukong could muster was a meek nod.
So he does have a weakness.
His moon is his newfound weakness.
“What about my fight with heaven?"
Ah right, that troublesome topic resurfaces.
“Could you just.. Not go?”
“I have to do this, Mac. You know that. The others are counting on me! Plus, this is for us after all"
Why do 'they' matter so much?
“What if we lose?”
“That can’t happen”
“But what i—”
“I’ll be fine, Mac.” Wukong smiles
How doubtful
“Will you really?"
“I will"
“You’re really stubborn, aren’t you?”
“Haha! You know me!”
Macaque softly smiles and sighs “Unfortunately, I do. I’ll be right there with you Wukong”
“Don’t worry Mac, when all this is over we’ll be back here eating fruit together for forever, just like I promised. I’ll be the sun to your moon”
Wukong links their foreheads together
"Yuck, corny corny" the shadow mocks
Thats it, the point of no return. He cant tell Wukong about his vision now. The best he can do is support him and wait
Simply just wait
“Whatever you say, Wukong”
Again, that anxious feeling won’t subside, so he settles for a compromise. He reluctantly pries Wukong off his chest. Who responds not so well, whining like a sad small pup. Macaque grabs the red scarf wrapped around his neck and takes it off. With care, he places his beloved scarf in Wukong's hands
“Wha? What’s this for?”
“A keepsake of me. Give it back thou–”
“Awww! Macaque, I love it, I love it!”
He hugs him tight
‘...Keep it” he resigns “but you have to promise to take care of it, alright?”
“Of course! Im the king. This task is far too easy for me.”
“That’s a stretch” Macaque sarcastically whispers underneath his breath “The king of recklessness, maybe”
Wukong tried to ignore this comment but couldn't help but roll his eyes at the other.
He takes the scarf on his chest and lifts it up to his face. Cradling himself in its comfort.
Macaque laughs at this. A soft, wholesome kind.
“Getting comfy?”
After all the events that happened tonight, Macaque was more than content with this humble life. He’s more than content with his sunshine.
If only Wukong was too.