Chapter Text
They had been fighting side by side for hours. When did they get separated? Macaque looked around throughout the ice covered battlefield until he saw Wukong doing the same. Then he saw it, the large icicle hand that was swinging around.
“WUKONG, MOVE!”
But he was too late. The ice-like claws wrapped around Wukong’s already bleeding body. Another claw hit Macaque back, not letting him get too close. The Lady Bone Demon gently lowered herself to the ground. She approached the pinned Monkey King with a smirk. Her piercing blue eyes looked down at him.
“I told you, Sun Wukong. Destiny cannot be ignored. You and your partner were always meant to die here.”
“Think again, bitch.” She was hit in the side of the head by Macaque's shadow staff. She was thrown into a wall, glowing cracks forming where she was hit. Her vessel was weakening.
Macaque hit the ice claw holding Wukong down. A few cracks formed, but not enough to free him. Wukong managed to choke out, despite the claw in his shoulder and hip.
“Mihou, you need to go-“
“Shut up. Don’t even try that shit right now.” Macaque inspected the claw. He found a weak point on his wrist, so he desperately began to hit it. Webbed cracks spread across it, but it wasn’t enough to shatter it. A spike of ice emerged from the ground, forcing Macaque to back up. The Lady Bone Demon approached calmly, despite the monkey's battle ready stance.
“Well done, simian. But your efforts are in vain.”
As he swung, she easily countered with shards of ice. Macaque was the best fighter Wukong has ever seen, and it’s like she was reading his mind. It was terrifying.
For a split second, Macaque managed to pin her down to the ground, a dagger to her throat. “You’re quite skilled. Too bad you’re wasting it on fighting for someone like Sun Wukong. Don’t you want to help me achieve my destiny? I can even tell you yours.”
“I’d rather die.” Macaque spat, blood spewing from his grit teeth. He swung the knife towards her throat.
“That can be arranged.” No one had time to react. The other claw belonging to the ice giant she controlled wrapped around Mac’s throat, throwing him to the ground.
“MAC!” Wukong screamed in worry.
The Lady Bone Demon stood, wiping the thin line of blood from her neck and looking down at the pinned down simians.
“I must say, how much you care for this lowly shadow demon used to baffle me. But I think I’ve realized the same thing you did, how useful he is.”
She approached the darker monkey with a smirk. A long dagger of ice formed from her palm. Wukong fought harder in the ice monster's grip as he realized what she was doing.
“But let’s both be honest, Sun Wukong. This marriage of yours is nothing but a weakness.”
“How did you-“
“I’m not blind, you brainless simian. And now that I have you both in my grasp, I’ve decided I’m not yet satisfied with your suffering, Monkey King.”
“No. Don’t you fucking dare-“ Wukong spat, voice full of hatred and desperation. The Lady Bone Demon sat next to the macaque, tracing her dagger along his ears.
“But the new question is, what to do first? I mean the obvious answer is to cut off those hideous ears.” Macaque tried to bite her, but she moved her hand away in time.
She giggled. “But that’s too easy. You know what’s worse than losing your namesake? The thought of never seeing your loved one again.”
Macaque’s eyes widened with horror from her words. Then he was filled with a burning pain as she brought the dagger down into his right eye. He screamed, voice filled with nothing but agony.
Macaque sat up with a gasp. He couldn’t breathe. He put a hand over his right eye. His ears were all ringing. He couldn’t breathe. He was dying. He couldn’t breathe-
Wukong woke to the panic of his mate. He quickly sat up, cupping the others face and speaking gently but firm enough to grab his attention.
“Mihou. Look at me. It’s ok. It was just a dream.” Wukong caught Macaque’s hands as they raised to push or hit him away.
“No- no- no- please no-“ Macaque was mumbling with panic, his breaths quick and shallow.
“It’s ok. I’m here. You’re in our home. In our bed. Just take a deep breath.”
Then their eyes finally met. Macaque’s was wide with terror, a look Wukong hated but knew nevertheless. But he smiled as warmly as he could at the shaky attempt of a deep breath Macaque made.
“Good. That’s good. Keep taking those deep breaths. You’re safe.” He gently kissed Macaque’s hands, holding them to his own face.
After Wukong guided Macaque through the breathing exercises, Macaque finally calmed down enough. Wukong gently cupped his cheek, wiping his tears.
“You’re safe.”
He nodded silently, closing his eyes in an attempt to ground himself.
“T-the kids-“
“Are safe. They’re at Pigsy’s, sleeping. Like you should be. We beat the Spider Queen. Everyone is safe. You did great.”
“The Lady Bone Demon-“
“I know. But we’ll handle that later. You need rest. Those webs took too much from you.”
His hands grew more aggressive as he felt the scar over his eye. “…it’s like I still feel her. Like she-“
“She’s not here. I promise you.” He gently pried Mac’s hands away, rubbing his thumb over the back of them with practiced ease, leaving peppered kisses across Macaque’s cheeks and head.
“I won’t let her hurt you again. You’re safe.” Wukong brushed the tears away from Macaque’s face. “I promise.”
Wukong's screams echoed across the land. “MIHOU!”
The Lady Bone Demon twisted the knife before yanking it out, watching the blood spill across his face and into his mouth before she stabbed the same eye again. And again. Until the whole half of his face had been torn open to reveal the empty socket. Macaque’s claws, once desperately scratching at her arms in an attempt to escape, had fallen to the ground, twitching uselessly.
Wukong could do nothing but scream.
She wiped the blood that had splattered on her cheek before giggling again. “Halfway there.” Before she could bring the knife down, a mountain of force crashed into her, throwing her far away. The knife clattered to the ground. Wukong was at Macaque’s side faster than dust could settle.
“Mihou, I’m right here- I’m right here- just stay awake-“ Wukong’s face was flooded with tears. He cradled his mate close to his chest.
“D-do you hear my heart? Just keep listening to it- to how much I love you-“ Macaque’s entire face was hidden under layers of blood. It had filled his throat and lungs. His breathing sounded like a man drowning.
“Please, just look at me-“ Wukong’s fingers desperately tried to wipe the blood off his remaining eye, but there was too much of it. He couldn’t open it.
“Wukong-“ blood flew from his mouth at his attempt to speak. His voice was quiet and shaky. The noise got clogged in his throat.
“Don’t speak. You’re gonna be ok…” Wukong grabbed Macaque's hand, holding it to his face gently. “I’m right here…I love you so much…”
Macaque tried to speak, but all that came out was a desperate gurgle before Wukong could hear the moment his lungs gave up. His body went slack. The glow in his six beautiful ears faded. He was gone.
Wukong screamed. His screams rattled the realms. It sounded as if his throat would split in two from grief. He didn’t care anymore about the fight. How was he supposed to save the world, if his world was dead in his arms.
He didn’t know how much time passed before the Lady Bone Demon came back. She approached silently, but with a smirk.
“Pathetic.”
“I’ll tear you to pieces, you bitch.” Wukong spat as he spoke. His voice full of pure hatred and sorrow.
She giggled. “Go ahead. But then you’ll have no one to save him.”
“What, like you would bring him back?”
“I could.”
Wukong stared at her in silence. “I don’t believe you.”
“Of course, I would have a few conditions.”
Wukong turned away from her, back to his limp mate. A silent dismissal.
“Don’t be like that, Sun Wukong. Don’t you at least want to here my terms before you give up? And here I thought you cared for him.”
“More than anything.”
“Then let me explain. If I bring him back, I expect to be let go from this battlefield. I need to find a new vessel in order to finish this. And in the future, I want help with achieving my mission if I shall ask.”
"That just sounds like a fancy way of selling my soul.”
“I didn’t say that.”
“But it’s what you meant.”
The Lady Bone Demon stared at him. She didn’t confirm or deny.
“But what other option do you have?”
Wukong’s eyes filled with tears again. He’d do anything for his moon. Even sell his own soul.
“Deal.”
“That’s what I hoped you’d say.” The Lady Bone Demon’s eyes glowed bright blue as she raised her arm to point at Macaque. Bluish- white chains came from her hand, going down into the ground.
Wukong stared at the chains in confusion before realizing she was looking for his soul. Which had been sent to Diyu. Wukong felt nauseous at the thought. He held Macaque’s body tighter.
The chains stopped, before beginning to retract. After a few seconds, parts of Macaque's skull began to heal. The cracks vanished, his brain no longer mixed in with the damage to his eye. The injury remaining was the empty eye socket.
There was silence when her eyes stopped glowing. She lowered her hand.
Then a breath.
Wukong heard breathing. And wheezing. But breathing nonetheless. “Mac?- Mihou?-“ tears flooded his eyes. He tore his cape off and held it over the still bleeding eye socket.
Macaque’s fingers twitched. His hand weakly grabbed at Wukong’s sleeve, searching for comfort. Macaque coughed, spitting the amount of blood left in his throat.
“Sun-“
Wukong let out a choked sob of relief. “I’m here. You’re ok.”
“Can’t see-“
“I know, just give me a minute-“ Wukong gently tried to wipe the large amount of blood that had spilled onto Mac’s other eye, away. Once enough of it was gone, he whispered. “See? Try to open your eye.”
The eye took a minute before he managed to pry it open enough to look at his mate. Wukong was sobbing. But now, it was of relief.
Macaque’s eye filled with tears of pain and confusion when Wukong held him tighter.
“You’re ok.” He kissed Macaque's forehead before glancing up at the demon still standing before him. “I need to handle something real quick. Then, we’re gonna get you home. And it’s all gonna be ok. Alright?”
Macaque let out a small noise of acknowledgement as Wukong gently laid him down.
The Lady Bone Demon smirked. “Now that I’ve fulfilled my end of the deal, I suggest-“ Wukong grabbed her by the throat.
“You’re not leaving alive.”
“But our deal-“
<“Said I would let you leave the battlefield. Not that I would let you live.”
“No- you can’t-“
Wukong squeezed her throat tighter, ignoring the glowing cracks of her vessel weakening. He began dragging her away from the clearing. Once he reached the forest, he immediately swung her down into the ground, forming a crater. He repeated his action until the vessel finally snapped.
The bright light of the lady bone demon’s soul tried to fly away and escape, but she was quickly locked into a box, where Wukong vowed she would stay for eternity.
As long as she was gone, there was no need for Macaque to know of the deal, right?
“You are safe. Can you say it?”
Macaque hated having to repeat messages like this, but Wukong knew it helped Macaque process information when his six ears heard it for themselves.
Macaque whispered, the sleepiness melting back into his voice. “I am safe.”
Wukong leaned back into the pillows, guiding Macaque to do the same. “I love you.” He pressed a gentle kiss to his head, whispering, “Try and go back to sleep.” Once they finally settled into the embrace, he began to run his hands through the other’s hair, listening to the soft coos of his mate. Wukong nuzzled his face into his hair, gently purring in response as they both fell asleep.