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“You cannot change fate, Wukong!”
Macaque stared icily at the display in front of him. Lady Bone Demon had done quick work taking over as much as she could to prepare for Wukong’s inevitable return, but it had come sooner than expected. The sudden ambush had caught her off guard, leaving her in a fray as she lashed out wildly, blue chains slicing through the air like whips before crackling with sparks when they hit the ground. Her power was truly a sight to behold, but so was Wukong and his little team’s power. Oddly enough, even without powers, Wukong was still able to hold his own fairly well. Maneuvering was an easy task, and since the kid had managed to get a few of his own powers back, he did most of the damage.
Macaque’s ears twitched as he slowly looked to the left, folding his arms to stare at the other fight. The mayor had been taken on by the rest of the group, and it was safe to say he wouldn’t last much longer. He was already beaten down, his clothes ragged and torn. The girl with her dragon was no easy match, but he had expected more. He scoffed, looking back at Wukong and MK. Wukong leapt away from a chain as it launched itself into the ground, pulling into a tight line as Lady Bone Demon attempted to pull it out. Her hair whipped behind her, her lips pulled back into a devilish snarl as her eyes gleamed a brilliant red glare. MK leapt onto the chain, running up it. With a poof of air, he changed into a falcon that swiftly dove into Lady Bone Demon, knocking her backwards.
“Nice hit, kid!” Wukong praised, using his tail to spring himself away from another chain that blindly lashed out. MK shouted something back, but it was lost among the drilling sound of the dragon from Macaque’s left. His tail twitched as his gaze switched back-and-forth between the two battles, eyes half-lidded; uninterested. These battles were not his own. He would only move in if one side seemed extremely weakened. Then, he could take the finishing blow. The corners of his mouth tugged upwards into a smile at that idea. He would either be a hero, a villain, or nothing. Most likely one of the first two options.
“Traitor!” Lady Bone Demon shrieked, catching his attention. Macaque’s eyes widened as a chain struck out at him. He just barely managed to dive to the side to avoid the attack. The cold whoosh of air gliding down his back sent chills coiling down his spine as he tumbled to the ground. If he hadn’t reached as fast as he had, he would’ve been hit by that. He pushed himself upright, baring his teeth. “I didn’t do a damn thing!” He snarled, scrambling to his feet. Lady Bone Demon didn’t respond, rather opting to send an onslaught of attacks at both Macaque, MK, and Wukong. Startled cries filled the air from the other two, Wukong sounding more worried than alarmed, while Macaque flipped backwards, pushing himself around the attacks.
“Listen, lady,” Macaque huffed out between a dodge, eyes narrowing. “You didn’t give me much of a choice in if I listened to you or not, and I’m kind of holding a little grudge against you for that.” He latched onto a nearby chain, using it to swing himself out of the area where the chains were attacking. Her attacks had slowed now, however, and he could make out Wukong hovering anxiously over MK while staring at him owlishly. Macaque’s face contorted into a sneer before into a face of shock as a chain wrapped itself around his wrist, tugging him to the ground. He wheezed as the air was ripped from his lungs, tail lashing as he clawed at the ground. “This is where your story ends!” Lady Bone Demon hissed, a small ball of energy forming between her hands.
A growl sounded in the back of Macaque’s throat as he glared back at her defiantly, still tugging on the chain. He could form a few clones and let them slow the blow so that it would do less damage, but it still wouldn’t be pretty. He had no chance of getting out of it without sustaining some sort of injury. Even if he did somehow miraculously manage to pull his wrist free, that didn’t mean more chains wouldn’t grab his ankles. So he simply glared for a moment more before closing his eyes. So be it.
“Monkey King! No-”
The sound of the orb hitting flesh sent a jolt of shock through Macaque. Not because it had hit him, but because it hadn’t. He snapped his eyes open, squinting against a cloud of dust that clouded itself around him. The chain slowly slipped away, melting back into the ground. She thought it had hit him. A grin formed on his lips as he chuckled, but the noise died in his throat as the dust cleared. He saw who had taken the blow now. He saw the figure standing with his back towards Lady Bone Demon, arms outstretched and back arched, eyes widened with shock and pain. He took one unsteady step forward, eye-lids fluttering, before his body spasmed. Macaque could only watch in horror as Wukong crumbled to the ground.
“...Wukong?” He breathed. The other did not respond. He heard a guttural cry from MK, but it was blocked out by the sudden static in his ears. He took a hesitant step forward, dropping down onto his knees next to Wukong. “Wukong.” He repeated, carefully grabbing one of his shoulders. He did his best to not look at the ugly mess of red, pink, and white that his back was. Instead, he gently shook Wukong, his throat tightening. “Wukong. Get up.” He hissed. The world flashed around him, a brilliant gold flare, before returning to normal. He could just barely hear Lady Bone Demon’s shrieks over the sound of the static.
“You need to get up.” His words sounded muffled. He carefully, oh so carefully, rolled Wukong onto his side. No response. The other’s head lolled lifelessly against the ground, mouth slightly ajar to let a thin trail of crimson red dribble out. A roar split the air, a shadow crossed overhead, and green lit the area up. Gold followed, then green again, and more gold. He hunched over a little, shaking Wukong more. “Wukong. It’s time to get up.” He hissed out. Footsteps approached, but he didn’t glance up. He blinked dazedly, his gaze drifting back to the blurred massacre that was Wukong’s back. Ugly reds and pinks. Ugly whites and blacks. He blinked again. His eyes stung, he vaguely registered, but he was focused on Wukong’s lax face. “Wukong.” He continued.
The ground shook, a combination of gold and green flaring up the world around him. Other figures appeared by Wukong’s side. He saw blue, pink, white, and red. He shook Wukong again, leaning forward. “Get up, Wukong.” He hissed. The static was too loud now. Everything was too loud. “The kid needs you- I need you.” He grabbed the collar of Wukong’s shirt, jerking him upright. “Why won’t you get up?!” He shrieked. Hands grabbed at his wrists, and he reeled away violently with a hysterical sound. His tail lashed behind him as he stared at Wukong hollowly. The sides of his face were warm. Tears, maybe. “Wukong…” The sound was a low, mournful noise. Why did he do that? Why why why why-
“Monkey King!”
Macaque saw the kid race forward. His stomach churned, an ill feeling washing over him. The kid didn’t want to see that. The pink figure spoke up, tone hushed. “MK don’t look-” He warned, but judging by the sharp inhale, he already had. Macaque backed up further, head spinning. Wukong was invincible. Why wasn’t he getting up? He shook his head, pressing his palms into the ground to keep himself from falling. Suddenly, hands grabbed his shoulders, and he was shoved down. He barely had time to roll onto his back before a foot was suddenly pressing into his chest, pinning him. The dragon girl.
“What did you do to him!” She demanded. Macaque’s tail curled in on itself, his ears flattening. The words were distorted by the static. Had she even said anything? Her eyes flared and she shoved her face into his, lips curled. “Did you do that to him? You monster!” Anger rose in his chest. He bared his teeth back at her, tail lashing. “He put himself between me and a blast! I didn’t do anything!” He snapped. She reeled backwards, scoffing. “As if! You probably shoved him to save yourself! That sounds like something you’d do!”
“Mei! Calm down!” MK cried, grabbing his friend and pulling her back. Mei was her name. Macaque sat upright a little more, rubbing his chest gently where she had roughly pressed her foot into. MK waved her down, eyes wild. “He’s telling the truth! Monkey King put himself between the Lady Bone Demon’s attack and him!” He explained, a hint of guilt seeping into his tone at the end. Mei narrowed her eyes icily at Macaque, but the fire in her gaze slowly died away. Macaque began to stand, but MK turned to face him. He let himself slump back down to the ground, inhaling and exhaling sharply.
“Why did he do that?” MK asked softly, his voice starting to lose its strength. Macaque could hear the wobble in his voice now. He swallowed, shaking his head with a scoff. He hoped the kid hadn’t seen him hunch over Wukong and act how he did. “I don’t know… we aren’t really friends anymore.” He played it off with a wave of his hand, guilt biting at him. MK frowned and furrowed his eyebrows. “You and him had a history. You told me that… why would he suddenly save you now?” He asked again, and Macaque faltered. He didn’t know that. His tail twitched as he stared at the ground, trying to think of an excuse.
“I couldn’t let him die.Yeah no this actually hurts a lot.” He breathed out tightly, squeezing his eyes shut. “We have it taken care of, Monkey King!” MK reassured. “You don’t need to worry about Lady Bone Demon!” He added. Wukong tilted his head downwards, blinking lopsidedly at MK with an awkward smile. “Really? Well… uh that’s…”
Macaque lurched forward on instinct when he slumped, only stopping when the others grabbed him to support him. He faltered, tail twitching nervously from left-to-right. He slowly looked around, his gaze lingering in an area where the ground had a crater formed into it. That must’ve been where they hit the final blow. He noted to himself. He glanced back at the others, watching as they carefully lifted Wukong up onto the blue figure’s back. He stared for a moment longer before looking away again, flexing his hand. It was over.
“Come with us.” MK startled him out of his daze. He looked back at him, smiling lazily. “Tch. Yeah… I think I’ll pass.” He shook his head, finally standing up. MK’s eyes flashed with an unreadable emotion as he stepped forward. “Monkey King would want you to be there. I’m sure he’ll want to make sure the guy he saved is okay.” He pointed out. Macaque groaned, rubbing the back of his neck. “Alright, yeesh, fine.. And you realize his name is Wukong, right? Not Monkey King? That’s just his fancy little title.”
“I know.” MK responded curtly.
___
Macaque slowly became accustomed to the other’s slowly. They had all gone back to the noodle shop the pink figure - Pigsy - owned. He learned that the names of the other two, the blue figure and the one with glasses, were Sandy and Tang. Their appearances were all oddly unsettling in a way that made him feel deja vu. But he didn’t spend much time talking with them. He spent most of his days sitting beside the bed Wukong had been put in to recover. Ever since he had fallen unconscious, he hadn’t woken up. It’d been two weeks.
The city had covered the whole thing shortly after they wrapped it up. Of course it was all put under the perspective that Wukong did all the work, but he personally didn’t mind. He doubted MK or any of the others had the type of energy or willpower to do interviews and talk about all that they had gone through. Speaking of, MK frequented the room quite often. MK was in there almost as much as he was, pulling up a stool or chair to sit besides the bed with Macaque. The first few times had been long, awkward stretches of silence where the two silently waited, uttering a few words here and there.
As time passed, however, they began to talk more and more. MK would explain things to Wukong as if the other was actually listening, and Macaque let himself in playfully to make a tease or a jab. They talked about all sorts of things. Apparently, the crater had been left there as a landmark of sorts. The areas around it, however, had all been cleaned. Construction was already starting around the battle-scorched land. It was unsettling, in a way. But he didn’t care too much for it. He just wanted Wukong to wake up, but that didn’t seem like it would happen anytime soon. The only signs he ever got that got his hopes up involved his tail twitching or his fingers curling, but his eyes never opened.
He must’ve dozed off from when he had last entered, because when he came back into awareness, his eyes were closed and there was muffled talking. His tail twitched, but he gave no other sign he was listening. Rather, he let himself listen. He could make out MK’s voice, seeing as the kid was rambling at a fast rate. “...-nd then we just came back here and got you patched up! Don’t touch the bandages, by the way. Also, have you ever been injured that much before? I don’t think I’ve ever seen you like that. It was kind of scary- but nevermind that!”
You patched up? …Wukong? Macaque opened his eyes slowly, not moving from where he was positioned. He was still on the chair by the side of the bed, judging by how he could tell he was sitting on it. But he had also pitched forward to a point where his arms had folded on the cushion to hold his head, which was now resting between them. His tail twitched sharply, and he did his best to hide the way his breath suddenly hitched. The bed shifted a little besides his head, and he let himself breathe out slowly before inhaling slowly. Slow, even breaths was how someone breathed when they were asleep.
“And he’s okay?” Wukong’s voice confirmed Macaque’s theory that the other was awake. He grimaced at the raw scratchiness that sounded like gravel in his throat, one of his ears twitching. He processed what Wukong had asked a moment before MK gave a noise. “Yeah! He’s been watching over you with me, but he’s definitely in here more.” He explained. Macaque held his breath for a moment before remembering to exhale, his tail swishing from left-to-right across the floor. Wukong hummed thoughtfully, and then there was a pause… and then there was a hand on his head.
Macaque jerked away on instinct, his eyes snapping open as his fur bristled. “You know I don’t like it when-” He broke off, deflating when Wukong gave a sharp cackle at the terrified look on MK’s face. The boy let out a shaky breath, holding a hand against his chest. “Oh my god- you were awake?! Why did you react so violently!” He cried out, and Wukong only laughed harder, kicking his legs while he threw his head back. Macaque scrunched his face up and gave a sniff, folding his arms over his chest. “Because he knows I don’t like it.” He muttered crossly, glaring daggers at Wukong.
Wukong sputtered a few more times, heaving out a few dry coughs before the laughter died down. Macaque could see the light filling his eyes again, a more relaxed posture taking over his body. He felt relaxed, too. He leaned back into the chair he was on, propping his feet up on the edge of the bed. “So how are you feeling?” He mused, mocking a caring tone in his voice as he blinked sweetly at Wukong. In response, Wukong shoved his feet off the bed, arching his back in a stretch. “Sore. Can’t feel my legs yet.” He shrugged, and Macaque froze for a moment.
“...repeat that last part?” He muttered, flashing MK a wide-eyed glance. He was sharing the same expression, a dread building up behind his eyes. After a painfully long moment of silence, Wukong puffed out a snort through his teeth, flapping his hands. “I’m just playing with you! Feels like I got pins and needles everywhere.” He patted his leg, only to grimace from what Macaque assumed to be the pins and needles. “Can’t you just… make yourself better? You have your powers back, right?” MK tilted his head. Macaque answered for Wukong, holding up a hand.
“Yeah- I was looking into that, actually, and Lady Bone Demon’s magic kind of seems to have created a little magic block? It’ll go away eventually, of course, but he’s kind of stuck without all his snazzy powers until then.” He waved his hands to make jazz hands. Wukong held up a hand, the corners of his mouth twitching as he desperately tried to hide a smile. “Macaque here is sort of a smart guy. You can tell by the way he leapt to explain the whole thing and brushed it all off with a joking action.”
“Shut up.”
___
Recovering, Macaque learned, was slow.
Wukong was still reeling from the injuries he had sustained during his time away and after the blow he had taken. He had been put on bed rest for days, despite how much he talked and acted as if nothing was wrong. When Macaque decided to be nice and let him stand up, he had to practically dive onto the ground to act as a pillow when Wukong’s legs failed to hold him up. It was awkward for Macaque, but Wukong laughed it off as he got up.
Walking still seemed difficult for him even after he was finally able to leave the bed. He used the walls or any other firm object to help himself stay upright. Sometimes that included using MK, Macaque, or the other residents as support beams while he stood with a toothy smile. Macaque never pointed out the way his legs trembled when he talked about how well he was doing. Nor did he note the very faint wobble in his voice that even Wukong probably didn’t hear.
As for the back injury, little to no progress had been made there. Macaque and Pigsy were usually the ones that took care of that part. Unwrapping and reapplying bandages became a normalcy for the two, and Macaque found that he actually enjoyed Pigsy’s company… even if he had threatened to hit him with a frying pan the first night over. Macaque was thriving, seeing as he wasn’t holding a severe burn and injury on his back.
Wukong’s skin was still painted an ugly color, the edges of the injury a throbbing red. His back was a bumpy, solid mess of scabs that sometimes were interrupted by a blister or two. Macaque had noted with a shiver that this probably could’ve killed him if it had hit him head first like it was going to. Wukong didn’t seem particularly bothered by the injury aside from when they poked at it. He’d arch away from their touches, snapping at them to be gentler before slowly slouching back down again.
It was difficult. The back injury wasn’t getting better and neither was his magic recovery. There was something about the look in Wukong’s eyes that told Macaque he wasn’t entirely okay. The faintest little trembles that wracked his body were seen by only him. The way his breath hitched as he moved, body tensing with pain that he hid so well… only for Macaque to see right through it. It was bothering him. Not only was he not getting better, but he was bottling everything up. Maybe it was the fact that he was not actually okay. Maybe the fact that he had actually been hurt this time, and that was what did this to Wukong.
Macaque didn’t pester about it. He silently watched on the sidelines, eyeing him as he interacted with the others. He watched his movements, his breathing, and the way his tail would go from a gentle sway to an irritated lash. He watched how he would curl and uncurl his hands, flexing his fingers while his fur bristled just slightly. He saw the way Wukong bit back tired retorts when the others made teasing jabs, smiling while he playfully punched them in the shoulder. Macaque didn’t say or do anything until it got to be too much.
He didn’t see it this time. He didn’t see the decline until Wukong hit the bottom. He had woken up from a dream about something he couldn’t remember with an odd feeling of unease prickling at him. His fur bristled as he walked out of the room he had been temporarily given, swinging his head from left-to-right to look down the hallway. Nobody was in sight. Nothing was in sight. Maybe it was just a bad dream? If that was the case, it was a good thing he didn’t remember the dream. Or, well, nightmare in that case.
That theory was shattered by the sound of a crash. Macaque jumped, startling at the sound. It had come from the kitchen. He narrowed his eyes as he began to creep down the hallway, keeping his back pressed to the wall. Maybe it was a burglar? The thought made him huff out a soft laugh. He shook his head, weaving around a corner before quietly speeding down the steps. If it was, then Pigsy owed him big time for what he was about to do. He swung around the corner into the kitchen, tail lashing and eyes gleaming, ready for a battle-
“Wukong?”
The broken shell of the former monkey king lay on the ground, clawing pitifully at his back that was arched in a contorted way. Macaque’s stance fell and he dropped down next to him, grabbing his wrists. “Hey, hey- calm down.” He breathed out. Wukong shook his head furiously, eyes glistening with tears ready to spill over at any moment. He was trying not to cry. He sucked in a shaky breath, blinking a few times. “It hurts.” He croaked out in a whisper, his body twisting as if he was trying to get into a certain position to make it better.
The guttural groan of pain from Wukong sent chills down Macaque’s spine. He let go of his wrists, waving his hands in a motion for the other to calm down. “Just breathe, Wukong.” He whispered, but the other didn’t seem to hear him. He had gone back to fruitlessly clawing at his back, head thrown backwards and craned as possibly far over his shoulder as he could get it. Macaque grabbed his shoulders, pulling him towards him. “Wukong you need to calm down-” He began, reeling away as Wukong threw his head forward, letting it hang pitifully.
“It hurts god it fucking hurts-” Wukong whispered out in a broken cry, his body trembling. His shoulders bobbed as he let out a hoarse cry, a wheeze rattling in his lungs as he wrapped his arms around himself in an attempt to hug. Macaque hesitated for a moment, unsure of what to do. He wasn’t the best in these situations, after all. And the last time he had seen Wukong this emotionally vulnerable… it had been a long, long time ago. But I had an idea of what to do.
“How about we go somewhere?” He asked in a gentle voice, tilting his head. “Somewhere only we know?” He added after a moment. Wukong nodded his head without hesitation, so Macaque let himself wrap around the other. In a blur of shadows, they were gone from the kitchen. When the shadows dissolved away, it left them on top of a small hill, seemingly in the middle of nowhere. Flowers surrounded the hill, a stretch of grass crawling away from the slope before trailing off into a forest of dark, looming trees.
Wukong’s breath hitched, his body tensing. “Just let it out.” Macaque breathed after a moment, and Wukong did. He let out a hoarse cry of pain, folding onto the ground with a choked wheeze. The most Macaque could do for the other was whisper reassurances, after all. He had already taken some medicine for the pain, and if he took anymore at this point, it could be dangerous. So he held Wukong, carefully rubbing circles on his back above the injury. “Just breathe, Wukong, breathe…”
“Why does it hurt so much?” Wukong choked out between a broken gasp and a sob. The tears that had gathered in his eyes flowed freely now, trailing down his cheeks onto the ground. Macaque paused for a moment before continuing, looking down at him sympathetically. “It’s pain. It’s what grounds us.” He shrugged. That was the best excuse he could come up with. He wasn’t exactly the poetic type, after all, and clearly not the most motherly seeing how he was handling the situation. He was awkward and stiff, despite how calm his tone was.
Wukong curled in on himself, his tail drawing around his body. “It sucks.” He whispered out, wincing at what Macaque assumed was a stab of pain. Macaque let his gaze drift upwards towards the stars overhead, a smile ghosting his lips. “Yeah… it does… Do you remember when we used to come here all the time?” Maybe changing the subject would help? Wukong let out a broken laugh, raising a shaking hand to his eyes to wipe away some tears. “Yeah… How could I forget?” He glanced back up at Macaque for a moment. “We used to spar here all the time…” He added, trailing off.
“Do you remember when you broke my wrist that one time?” Macaque looked down, tilting his head. Wukong’s eyes flashed in alarm, his lips pressing together into a tight line. “I thought you forgot about that…” He whispered, and Macaque laughed. “How could I forget about you doing that? Anyways… you remember how distraught I was? …screaming my head off and all that.” He laughed awkwardly at the end. Wukong nodded in acknowledgement, so Macaque continued. “Maybe what you’re feeling now is kind of similar to what I felt… it might be more painful, but it… it keeps you grounded. Makes you stronger, y’know? …god I feel old now.”
Wukong laughed again, his eyes regaining more light. “I remember that. You sat on the ground holding your wrist until someone came to check on it.” He nodded his head, slowly shifting upright, wincing with pain. “And then you stopped crying because I made fun of you.” He added with a snort, shifting his body slowly to rest on Macaque’s lap. Macaque tilted his head upward, rolling his eyes away from him. “What? Do you want me to insult you, princess?” He scoffed, and Wukong laughed at him. “No, no… I was just thinking about how quickly you recovered.”
“Yeah?” Macaque looked down at Wukong who stared back up at him. “I think I’ll be okay.” Wukong murmured after a moment, letting his head rest against Macaque’s chest. Macaque let himself look back up at the stars, leaning back on his tail. They hadn’t gotten along in a long time. This little moment was… nice. He let himself slowly relax, his eyes growing half-lidded. Things had changed between the two a lot in the past hundred years. He wasn’t sure if it was for the better or for the worse just yet. With that thought in mind, he let himself close his eyes.
And if MK woke up in the morning to the two intertwined with each other making soft chirping noises in their sleep, he didn’t tell them. Nor did he tell them he took multiple videos and pictures.
___
Recovery was still slow. Wukong was getting better, however. He seemed to be in less pain, and the injury on his back was beginning to ever so slightly fade into a scar. Macaque only noticed it when he went to change the bandages, muttering about new scar tissue. Wukong had practically leapt out of the spot he was sitting in with an excited shout, pumping a fist into the air. It was nice to see that he had gotten some of his energy back. In fact, he was moving around quite a lot more than he used to.
He began to use his tail to hold himself up in the air, letting it sway around and grab things. He was more flexible now and wasn’t as stiff when he moved. The treatments on his back had helped him improve a lot, and Macaque would be lying if he said he wasn’t proud of Wukong. Of course, there were still bumps every now and then. The pain would sometimes flare to the point where Wukong could lay on the ground and writhe, muffling his noises of pain by clenching his jaw together so tightly that Macaque feared he’d chip his teeth.
What still concerned him, and the others, was the fact that none of his powers had yet returned. Macaque knew that there was a magical block set there by Demon Bone Lady, but he hadn’t expected it to last this long. Three months after her defeat, Wukong still wasn’t able to produce a single ounce of magic. He couldn’t even use (as Macaque called them) his fancy yellow eyes. It was starting to get on Macaque’s nerves, and it was clearly bothering Wukong as well.
MK stopped using the powers around him. He’d muttered to Macaque that he didn’t want to make Wukong jealous or upset him, and he stayed true to his word. The only time he ever seemed to use them was when Macaque trained him (seeing as Wukong was temporarily out of commission) or when there was a small-scale bad guy attack. It was a relief to not have to worry about it, but Macaque knew that Wukong was restless. He could see it in the ways his eyes darted around feverishly, looking for something new to do in the house he’d spent three months in. He had begged multiple times to be part of MK’s training, but both MK and Macaque had denied that. He spent most of the days trying, and failing, to get his powers to work.
It had gotten to a point where MK had even tried to help Wukong relearn it, as embarrassing as that was. Wukong didn’t seem upset about it, but he did seem a bit frustrated that his powers just wouldn’t come back. Despite how well he was recovering, his powers still hadn’t returned. He was still vulnerable to every little small thing that could hurt him, and it put him on edge. The amount of time he had jumped when a noise rang out or how he jolted away from touch was alarming, but he always told the truth. Nothing more than the fact that he was nervous… which probably did need some attention, but Macaque hoped it would get better on its own.
Watching Wukong struggle wasn’t easy, however. Even now, watching him and MK spar made him grimace. Wukong still had his reflexes and battle skills in hand to hand combat, but he kept making mistakes. It wasn’t anything like a stumble or a clumsy hit. All his movements were precise and hit their marks as intended. It was the fact that he would sometimes jump into the air and lean back, as if expecting a cloud to catch him. Or he would blink his entire face as if trying to use his eyes. Macaque and MK made no comments, of course, but they could see it was getting on his nerves.
Wukong grunted as he leapt away from the staff as MK swung, his tail wrapping around the weapon to tug MK around him. The kid stumbled after the staff, falling down after he couldn’t keep up only to be pulled across the ground. Wukong balanced on his wrists, rotating the lower half of his body into the air before letting his tail lash one way, sending the staff, and MK, with it. His body folded backwards and he stood upright, panting. “Use your powers.” He huffed out as MK stood up, brushing dirt off his clothes. “Holding back isn’t doing much to help you improve.”
“But what if I hurt you?” MK asked innocently, and Wukong’s eyes flashed with some unreadable emotion. Macaque’s fur stood upright, bristling. “You won’t.” Wukong muttered, shifting into a defensive stance. MK glanced hesitantly at Macaque, who gave a gentle nod. If Wukong wanted MK to actually try to win, there wasn’t any talking him out of it. Not to mention the fact that it would help him improve more. Even if Wukong didn’t have his powers, he was still a formidable enemy. He held his own fairly well against Lady Bone Demon… that being said, he didn’t have a huge injury on his back during that fight.
MK burst forward with surprising speed, but Wukong was ready for it. He dodged out of the way, using his tail to keep balance. One of his legs shot out to kick at MK, but he dodged it by a hair. Wukong narrowed his eyes, moving to attack again. His tail moved to wrap around MK’s wrist, but MK was prepared. He slammed the end of his staff downward in front of his foot, letting Wukong’s tail wrap around it. Before Wukong could react, MK had lifted the staff and swung it. On instinct, Wukong let go. He went flying for a moment before he landed on his feet, stumbling while waving his arms to keep balance.
“You okay?” MK tilted his head like a bird, and Wukong nodded. “Yeah. Keep going.” With that, the two continued. Macaque watched on with unease prickling at his skin. Something was wrong. Something in the way Wukong moved. Something in the way he attacked. He was speeding up, hardly giving any time for MK to register what was happening. But then he got a lucky hit. MK’s staff swung, and the blur that was Wukong stopped to a halt with a jerk. The end of the staff had collided with his stomach, causing his body to fold around the staff while his eyes widened.
And suddenly, the world lit up with a brilliant gold color.
Macaque reeled away, bringing his hands up to shield his eyes. He heard a shout that got muffled by the sound of wind before he felt the rush of said wind. He braced himself against the current, rotating his wrists and bringing his forearms up to shield his face. “Wukong!” He shouted over the roaring wind, keeping his eyes squeezed shut. Even though his eyes were closed, he could still see the bright gleam of gold. “MK!” Was the kid okay? What happened?
And then it stopped so suddenly that Macaque stumbled forward. His arms dropped to his sides and he blinked a few times, dazedly swaying for a moment. He stood upright so fast that his back ached from the speed. “Wukong!” He gasped out, his worry faltering… when he saw Wukong standing there with his arms hovering protectively around MK. His eyebrows furrowed at the sight of Wukong glaring around feverishly while MK spewed out nonsense gibberish, flailing his arms around rapidly.
“Wukong!” He grunted out, jogging over. Wukong’s gaze snapped towards him, the look in his eyes fading. He pulled his arms back to himself, flashing MK a look that made the kid tone it down. Macaque stopped in front of the two, shaking his head. “What just happened?” He breathed out. MK gave a shrug and Wukong snapped his fingers, forming a finger gun before resting his chin on his pointer finger. “I happened.” He drew out, grinning. Macaque and MK deadpanned, fixing him with confused looks. Wukong sighed, rolling his eyes. “Just- hold on.” He shook his head, leaning backwards onto nothing. Macaque reached out on instinct, only stopping when a cloud formed beneath him. It scooped Wukong up, hovering overhead while he stared down with child-like joy in his eyes. “Pretty cool, huh?”
“My teaching worked!” MK shouted, throwing his hands up into the air. Wukong leaned over the cloud, pointing a finger at him. “Rephrase that into you hitting me with the staff worked, kiddo!” The cloud began to lower, and Macaque only frowned. “Uh, yeah… no, no, it’s good you got your powers back, but I’m not… really seeing how.” He narrowed his eyes at Wukong, pausing for a moment. The magic block was gone, but something was still there. He just couldn’t place his finger on it.
“Don’t know, don’t care!” Wukong grabbed the loose bit of Macaque’s scarf, tugging him upwards. Macaque churned his legs helplessly for a moment before he was pulled up onto the cloud alongside Wukong. He received a harsh pat on the back before Wukong looked back at MK, tilting his head. “How does another spar sound?” The ear-to-ear smile that spread over MK’s face was enough to answer that question. But Macaque still felt… wrong. This wasn’t right. He looked over at Wukong, gaze solemn. He hoped it was all okay.
___
“Macaque!”
“What?”
“I did not say you could do that!”
Macaque weaved between the trees that lined the river he was running beside. Behind him, Wukong sped after on his cloud, tail lashing in the wind. “Using a tree to delay you isn’t against the rules! That’s how you play tag!” Macaque shouted back, grabbing onto a tree to use it to propel him to take a sharp left. “Besides, the kid is probably wondering where we are! Just give up and go after him!”
Air rushed by him as Wukong sped by, missing Macaque by an inch. He ducked away, weaving right under an uprooted branch before heading back towards the river side. “He’s patient!” Wukong responded, leaping off his cloud to chase after Macaque on foot. Macaque leapt onto the side of a tree, gripping onto it for a moment before boosting himself up onto a branch. Wukong followed after, slowly gaining ground on him. The two bounced between branches, shouting at each other the whole time. The scene looked odd, but Macaque hadn’t had this much fun in… years.
“Heads up!” Wukong called. Macaque took a leap forward before rotating midair to pull the upper half of his body backwards. Wukong leapt past him, his hand swiping at Macaque’s face. Macaque landec back on the ground with a grunt while Wukong let out a sound of distress from overhead. “You really shouldn’t call out where you’re moving!” Macaque called over his shoulder, scrambling past a dense bush back towards the river side. He took one more step before his world suddenly blurred, and a flash of orange blinded him.
He hit the ground with a wet slap, rolling for a moment. He instinctively latched onto Wukong as the two rolled in a twisting heap of flailing arms and lashing tails. He heard Wukong’s screech as they rolled into the shallow area of the water before the desperate splashing as he tried to free himself, but Macaque did not let go. “You brought this upon yours- oh it got in my mouth!” He spat as a splash of water landed in his mouth, letting go of Wukong to sit upright. The rush of cold water against his clothes was refreshing. He shook himself, bushing his fur out as he watched Wukong shake him on the shore. The two were drenched, covered in streaks of mud and dirt.
Wukong caught his eyes, blinking owlishly for a moment before he began to laugh. The noise was contagious, as Macaque soon found himself laughing alongside the other, slowly getting out of the river. “You are such a dork.” Macaque huffed out, grabbing the end of his scarf to squeeze the water out of it. Wukong shook his head, snickering softly as he did the same. “That was a horrible idea.” He muttered, and Macaque shrugged. “It was a good idea, you just aimed the wrong direction.”
Between now and since he had gotten injured, Wukong and Macaque had spent plenty of time together. Between Macaque taking care of his injuries and helping to train MK, they got along quite well. It was reminiscent of the old days. Macaque brushed some mud off his sleeve, his tail swaying low to the ground. He startled at the feeling of something wrapping around it, blinking a few times to see… Wukong had intertwined his tail with his. But he hadn’t seemed to notice that. Macaque held his breath, freezing for a moment before deciding it was better to just not tell him.
And when MK pointed it out when the two returned, still soaking and muddy, he did his best to act flustered. Even if he had enjoyed it.
It was common for that to happen. Wukong would unknowingly intertwine his tail with Macaque’s, but the darker-furred of the two never complained. He would fix Wukong with a look that could only be described as admiration before wiping it off his face so that it wouldn’t be seen. He enjoyed Wukong’s company. Even if they still bicker from time to time. Wukong had gotten enough of his power and strength back to actually fight Macaque off when he tried to change his bandages.
It was amusing. MK had walked in on the two wrestling multiple times, fingers intertwined as one pinned the other. It wasn’t uncommon to watch them bicker in the kitchen either. Macaque had taken a liking to baking, and Wukong seemed intent on helping him whenever he could. That being said, Wukong wasn’t the best at cooking. It often ended in the other with a minor burn, dropping something, or getting batter everywhere. Macaque had put some frosting on his face one time, and had got frosting on his own face in return. He honestly didn’t think much of it. They were friends, and they got along. Which is why Mei’s question caught him off guard.
“So are you two, like, a thing now?”
Macaque had to physically restrain himself from lurching forward, since Wukong was currently curled up on his lap. It had been a movie night, and Wukong had taken a quick dive into sleep barely into the movie. Mei must’ve been waiting for it, seeing how her eyes gleamed with undying curiosity. “You guys have been awful lovey dovey with each other is what I mean.” She added. Macaque shrunk into the couch, feeling the eyes of the others rest on him. “We just get along-” He began, only to be cut off by MK’s gasp.
“He doesn’t even realize!” He cried out, only to fall silent as Macaque shushed him. His gaze darted down to Wukong’s undisturbed figure, a hand hesitantly moving to hold him more carefully as he began to shift. Pigsy snorted to his left, rolling his eyes. “I wouldn’t really expect him to realize that. They’ve been friends for a while… right? I mean, you knew Wukong before everything?” He waved one of his hands, and Macaque nodded. “I’ve known him for a long… long time.” Not long enough. His tail wrapped around himself and Wukong as he shuffled in place, bringing the scarf up around his ears.
That question made him think. He knew Wukong. Wukong didn’t have relationships. He had close friends and family. He had people he considered family, like MK and Pigsy and them. He had people he considered close friends, like… he trailed off at that thought. Those faces were long gone, now. There was no need to look back at them. He exhaled softly, looking down at Wukong. Maybe he was overthinking it. Wukong was playful. He messed around with everyone, after all. This was probably just his own way of showing affection.
But it still had him thinking days after. They were back at that spot again. That hill with the flowers. The stars overhead twinkled down at him, taunting him with their laughter. He pursed his lips, glancing at Wukong. The two were leaned up against each other, tails once again intertwined. His nerves felt fried. His entire body felt tense, as if there was ice in his veins. He could ask, and he could stop having to think about it.
No… that would just make him uneasy. Wukong would think it was odd, wouldn’t he? He looked down, his gaze drifting to his hand that had clenched around his scarf tightly. He blinked slowly, inhaling and exhaling before looking back up. “Hey Wukong?” He asked after a moment, and Wukong hummed. “Yeah?” Macaque held his breath for a moment, his tail stilling before swaying alongside Wukong’s again. “Can I ask you something?” He breathed out, keeping his gaze locked on the stars overhead.
“Sure.” Wukong shrugged against him. Macaque fell silent. His chest was burning. Why was it burning? He blinked a few times as the burn spread to his eyes, his gaze drifting downward. Just ask. He willed himself. He could feel it building in his eyes. That horrible wetness. He breathed again, a thin trail of smoke leaving the corners of his mouth. He blinked again. He overflowed. Ask. He pleaded again, but his mouth would not move. Wukong must not have noticed it yet, because he laughed. “Cat got your tongue?” He teased, leaning away and off of Macaque. The sudden sharp inhale gave Macaque all the information he needed to know that he saw.
Two hands cupped his cheeks, directing his gaze to Wukong’s face. Genuine worry had glazed over his mesmerizing eyes, gleaming brightly in the dark. “Macaque? What is it?” He whispered softly, and Macaque gently raised his hands up to cover Wukong’s. He leaned into the touch, closing his eyes as he let out a shaky exhale. “It’s stupid.” He croaked out, blinking his eyes open slowly again. Wukong tilted his head, leaning forward. “It isn’t stupid if it has you like this.” Wukong murmured, and God the words ripped his heart out.
“The- the kids brought up this question and I-” His throat tightened and he blinked his eyes furiously, bowing his head in shame. Wukong let out a small hum of encouragement as he leaned forward, resting his forehead against Macaque’s forehead. Macaque breathed, letting out a hoarse laugh. “They uh… Wukong… are- are we something?” He asked after a moment, and the world around him fell silent.
Static.
The noise was building in his ears again. He inhaled and exhaled sharply. Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale. Regret lanced through him, sharp and painful. He shook his head, moving to pull his head away. He regretted it so, so much. But Wukong had a tight, but at the same time gentle, hold on his face. He lifted Macaque’s gaze, stared at him with a look that Macaque could only describe as relief. And when he pulled Macaque’s face close to his, Macaque didn’t understand what he was doing until their lips pressed together. The shock made him freeze for a moment, eyes widening as more tears fell down the side of his face. And then, he closed his eyes, and allowed himself to sink into it.
The static faded just as quickly as it had come on. Macaque’s hands slid away from Wukong’s, moving to cup the other’s cheeks as well. The world around him faded out into a dull buzz as he caressed Wukong’s face, leaning into the kiss. And for a moment, it felt like it would last forever. But eventually, Wukong pulled away. Macaque opened his eyes, breathing out a shaky exhale somewhere between a gasp and a laugh. Wukong let out a shaky laugh as well, rubbing circles on Macaque’s face with his thumbs. The two sat there for a moment, laughing as tears came cascading down both of their faces.
“I was so nervous…” Macaque finally whispered, closing his eyes and relishing in Wukong’s gentle touch. Wukong blinked the glistening tears out of his eyes as he let out another shaky laugh, bringing Macaque’s forehead close to his own. “I’m glad I wasn’t the only one.” He murmured softly, closing his eyes as well. And for a long time, the two sat there, chirping softly to one another while they held each other so, so gently. It was only when Wukong yawned did Macaque open his eyes and pull away, head tilting. “I think it’s time we head back… hm?” He murmured. Wukong looked up at him, eyes still bright despite the tired look they held. “That would be nice…”
The next few moments were a blur for Macaque. Between magic whisking them away back to Pigsy’s place and collapsing on a bed together, intertwined with the other, all he felt was pure bliss. He burrowed up against Wukong, who did the same. The soft cooing noises that filled the room were unheard by anyone but the two as they held each other once again, relishing in the warmth they offered one another. And when the cooing died down as sleep claimed them, neither stirred.
Not even when one opened their eyes to reveal a gleaming blue glow.