Chapter Text
Metal spider limbs pierced the stone walls easily. Acid green eyes peering around the darkened hallway as the being laid in wait. Said being positioned in the upper corner, focusing on the opposite end. He’s played this game before. Patience is key. Prey always act irrationally, no matter how prepared they think they are. So he knew his prey would come down this way. It was the only direct line away from the attack.
Huntsman’s exoskin crawled. He hates waiting. He’d normally stalk his prey, it’s by far more enjoyable. More interesting. But his queen made it very clear how important this job was and how failure was not allowed. So waiting was his best option. Have the target come to him, their defenses lowered enough to think they’re alone and safe.
He perked up hearing someone approaching, a deep hum steadily growing louder. The glow of warm pink indicated it was the prince. Sure enough, Nezha quickly came into view. A deep blue sash tied across his chest, standing out from his usual attire. Normally flawless skin now marked with signs of a tough battle, his face betraying how worried he was. Not enough practice in battle to train his face to remain stoic no matter what.
Huntsman shrank further into the shadows as the prince came to a halt right before him. Panting heavily as he peered back down the passage. While not a sound was heard, Nezha knew the battle he’d left behind was still raging.
The prince was broken from his thoughts hearing a small whine coming from the pouch on his back. Nezha moved quickly, pulling the pouch to the front and peering inside.
A pair of eyes, one gold, one purple, looking up at the prince.
“Shh, you’re okay,” Nezha tried to comfort, “They won’t get you and you’ll be back with your parents in no time. But you need to be quiet.”
The prince smiled softly hearing a small chirp in reply. However, he tensed when he heard part of the wall crumble directly behind him. Nezha was thankful he was quick enough to block the oncoming attack. Holding back two metal limbs with his newly summoned weapon while he blocked the bundle as best he could.
“Hello there, little prince,” Huntsman hissed out, “You seem to be pretty far from the action. What has pulled you away from such an event?”
“That is none of your concern.” Nezha replied shortly.
“Ah, but I believe that it does.” Acid green eyes focused on the child curled into the prince’s chest. “Hello there child.”
The small form gave another whimper before hiding away.
Nezha growled darkly. “I don’t know why Spider Queen is after this child-”
“A being born from a demon and a God? Are you really that dense?”
“But whatever the reason is, I won’t allow you to take him.”
“Get off your winged horse. Do yourself a favor and just hand him over.”
The prince frowned and knocked the other away. Who in turn, bared his fangs with a glare. “What’s your plan? Going back will put full attention on you. However, I’m blocking your only path forward and you’re not looking a little banged up. Think you’ll be able to get past me?”
Without putting his weapon away, Nezha tied the sash back into its proper place. The child rested on his back once more. “I don’t need to beat you.”
“Oh, and what do you need?”
“To be faster.”
Huntsman clenched his fists before launching forward. Making sure a leg was either attacking or blocking the prince’s path. “Can’t be faster if you can’t leave!”
Knowing the child was secure allowed Nezha to focus on his enemy. He knew the spider demon had strength on his side. Waiting too long would not end well for the prince. However, if he could just find a-
Nezha’s eyes widened as an option finally presented itself. With Huntsman only balancing on two legs, an easy swipe to them sent the demon tumbling. Nezha didn’t waste a second, darting past and further down the hall.
Completely missing the smirk on Huntsman’s face.
Heart hammering, Nezha kept on hand on his weapon with the other on the sash. Moving as fast as he could. Knowing time was running out and if he could just-
Nezha let out a cry of surprise when his foot caught on something. Something sticky. Looking down, his stomach dropped seeing the web caught around his foot. Familiar clicking sounds alerting Nezha to the point they weren’t alone. Mini-spider drones lined the walls, red sensors glowing eerily in the shadows.
The fear of the situation grew when a small hiccup sounded. But not from Nezha’s back. The speed to sudden stop had allowed the child to slip from the sash. Now sitting among numerous strands of web was a small monkey child. Fur started jet black that faded to a golden yellow near the tips. Four ears, two on each side, twitched nervously at the numerous sounds that surrounded him. A small tail, black with a golden end, was swaying nervously. The multi-colored eyes darting around, tears flowing as the drones inched closer.
“Xiaotian!” Nezha called out. Attempting to get up, only to be instantly covered by thick layers of webs. Panicking as he attempted to break free.
A deep laugh announced Huntsman’s arrival. The spider demon moved slowly, seeing that the prince was now trapped to the floor. “How pitiful. I thought you were better than this.”
“If you harm him in any way-”
“You’re in no position to make demands. But don’t fret. Take comfort in knowing my queen wants this brat alive.”
The child’s attention snapped to the demon spider. Letting a small whimper out before crying.
“Come here child,” Huntsman leaned over, “We have an audience with the queen.”
“Xiaotian, you need to run!” Nezha called out, “Please! Get as far away from here as possible!”
But the child didn’t move. Eyes still trained on the slowly approaching demon.
Nezha’s next plea died when the child’s eyes suddenly glowed a brilliant white. The surrounding area began to shake. Huntsman staggered, leaning against the wall while the drones began to spark and fall. The same white light coming from the child’s eyes now surrounded the same being. Still trapped to the floor, Nezha could only watch as the light began to envelope the child and Huntsman. The shaking became so violent that the wall began to crack and crumble.
In a flash of light with a wash of cold wind, the area fell quiet. Nezha along with only broken spider drones littering the floor.
Whatever happened had allowed the webs to weaken, allowing the prince to finally break free. But it was clearly too late. He could only sit back with his eyes trained on the area where the child once was.
“Nezha!” A desperate voice called out, echoing in the empty hall. Sun Wukong, the God of the Sun, Monkey King himself, appeared. Stopping right behind the fallen prince. Covered in the scars of battle with royal garbs torn and tattered, glowing golden blood flowing from the open wounds. Amber eyes darting around the damaged hallway. Clearly desperately looking for someone.
It was only a few seconds before another arrived. Macaque, the Shadow Warrior and the Demon of the Moon stumbled out from the shadows. The being looked just as desperate as the God was. His panic grew to anger when he couldn’t find what he wanted. Stalking over to the fallen prince with his fangs bared.
Nezha shrunk under the Shadow Warrior’s piercing gaze. “Nezha…where is our son.”
“I…I don’t know.” Came the weak reply
That broke whatever fragile thread Wukong had left. Falling to his knees, punching a shallow crater in the ground while hiding his face, clearly trying to hide his tears. Macaque said nothing, did nothing. Just stared at nothing as the realization of what happened fully hit him.
Pigsy grumbled as he glared up at the darkened sky as rain poured down. Said sky giving a deep rumble in reply. Deliveries were the least favorite part of the job. Pigsy was a chef, his comfort zone was the kitchen. But if the end of the day was to deliver food to keep his shop running, so be it.
It was only a year out of culinary school and Pigsy was living his best life. Even with how much he was running around, how exhausted he was at the end of the day, he was honestly happy. His noodle shop, titled Pigsy’s Noodles , had flourished. While he was still small, he was able to provide what he needed. A wonderful apartment resting over his shop, always well fed, and able to get what he needed. Able to provide enough so his live-in-partner, Tang, only had to worry about his studies.
Pigsy jumped when thunder sounded, grumbling darkly. The soon-to-be scholar Tang was no doubt enjoying this weather. He was constantly saying this atmosphere was the best to read in. With a warm drink in hand and a clear view of the falling rain. The chef would just have to take his word for it because all Pigsy could think was rain equal wet. And being wet was uncomfortable.
Pigsy brought the small cart to a stop. Bundling himself and the noodles up as best he could before dashing to the door. Handing over said delivery with a wide smile and the call of ‘Pigsy’s Noodles!’ when the door opened. The smile grew at the generous tip that was handed over in exchange for the food. Clamoring back into the cart, Pigsy shot off a text to Tang, saying that he’d just finished up and would be heading home soon.
At least, that was the plan.
Pigsy had just started up the cart again when a sudden flash of light went off. At first, his panic thoughts came to the conclusion of ‘That lighting is really close!’, only to realize that this felt extremely different. It was brilliant white that seemed to shake the earth, not the sky, and sent out a wave of energy. Leaving Pigsy’s head ringing as it passed by. The chef rubbed his eyes in a desperate attempt to clear his head.
“What the heck?” The chef muttered out fearfully. Now, Pigsy was not the adventurous type. He was very much the follow-the-rules and hard work will benefit you. Get the job done and you’ll be fine, kind of guy. His first thought when everything settled back down was that the police could deal with whatever that was.
Only for a sinking feeling to enter the chef’s stomach. A warning. One that whispered that leaving this alone was not a good idea. Doing so would end badly. So, even with his other half screaming at him to just go home, Pigsy searched.
It took awhile to locate where the light emanated from. But eventually found the charred alleyway, his stomach sinking, wondering what could happen that caused this amount of damage in such a small space. Slowing to a stop, Pigsy peered in cautiously. The buildings that created said alleyway were charred, the foundation even cracked slightly. Anything that had been placed inside had to have been destroyed. Because Pigsy didn’t see a single thing inside of it. At least. That’s what he thought.
Until Pigsy saw something in the shadows move.
Heart hammering with worry and fear, the chef bundled up once more as he quickly exited the cart. Making sure to grab the small flashing resting on the dashboard. Peering into the alleyway, Pigsy slowly moved in as the beam of light swept over it. “Is someone in there? Hello? Are you okay?”
The response was that of a loud whimper. Loud enough to be heard over the storm. Pigsy paused when eyes of purple and gold peered out from the darkness. The chef eventually realizing a small monkey demon- God? The power radiating off of the small form was slightly intimidating. Ah, the monkey creature was cowering, curling around themselves and pressed against the wall as best they could. Covered in soot. Looking up at the chef with absolute terror.
“Whoa, hey little guy, it’s okay. You’re okay.” Pigsy knelt down. Moving slowly when the child flinched back in fear. “You’re okay. What are you doing all the way out here? Do you know where your parents are?”
The multi-colored eyes lifted up to the heavens. Pigsy turned, expecting to see someone standing behind him. Or maybe even on the roof of the nearby building with how high the child was looking. But no one was there.
“Okay… How about we get you out of the rain? Are you hungry? How about something to eat?”
The child let out a small hiccup before raising their hands slowly. Still moving carefully, Pigsy reached out and gently cradled the small form close. Placing the child within his raincoat, ignoring how quickly his clothing was becoming soaked. Sopping wet fur was not fun.
When he climbed back into the cart, Pigsy jumped hearing his phone go off. Hushing the child gently, who whimpered from the noise, before answering. “Hello?”
“Pigsy? Where are you, are you okay?” Tang’s voice came through. His tone caught between anger and worry.
“Uh…” Eyes darted down to the small form huddled against his chest, colorful eyes looking back. “...Something came up. I’m okay but… Look, Tang, I need you to listen to me. Get some clean towels and one of my old shirts, the smallest one you can find. I’ll explain when I get home.”
“...Okay, just get back home before the storm gets worse.”
Pigsy snorted, hanging up before muttering, “We might be a little past that.”
The chef was quiet and focused on the road. One hand on the wheel while the other was used to keep the child up and close to his chest. Only relaxing when his storefront came into view. Shuffling inside, locking the door behind him. Not fully prepared for someone to wrap their arms around him.
“Tang, careful! I’ve been out in the rain, you’re gonna get wet.”
“Shut it, I was worried!” Tang frowned as he pulled away, “I got the stuff you asked.”
“Good, get this little guy dried off.” Pigsy held back a groan as the human let out a noise of absolute joy upon seeing the small monkey. “Tang, please.”
“Look at this little guy. Where did Mr. Pigsy find you?” Tang cooed softly as he collected the child, making sure to wrap a towel around him.
“Found him in an alleyway. Saw a weird light, followed it to find this little guy.”
“And a little guy he truly is!” Tang beamed as he settled the child down on the counter.
Both parties fell quiet. Pigsy grabbed his sweats from behind the counter and one of the towels Tang had collected, eventually died and dressed. The wet garments being tossed into the restaurant's laundry room. Tang was focused on the child. Taking his time to make sure the fur was as dry as possible before placing Pigsy’s shirt, which was thankfully small enough to somewhat fit, over the child. Eyes traveling down to the tail that was swaying slowly.
“He has a tail…”
“I saw that.”
“A monkey demon? Uh, God? He’s a strange mix between the two, I think. I can’t really tell, the power is strange… I don’t think I’ve ever seen a monkey creature in this city. A new family?”
Pigsy sighed weakly. “I don’t know. I didn’t see the parents anywhere and the kid didn’t even argue when I picked him up.”
Tang hummed softly, easily lifting the child up. Who let out a small chirp, clinging to the human’s shirt. “What a curious little creature… What…was your plan here Pigsy?”
“I don’t know,” the chef replied, “I just… I had a really bad feeling about leaving him behind.”
“Well of course! Poor little guy, left all alone.”
Pigsy watched as Tang hummed some random lullaby as he gently swayed. He should have told the scholar about the damaged alleyway. How he had felt how powerful that light was. But he couldn’t. This was already too strange and they had enough to worry about. Plus, he had a hungry kid to focus on.
Going back behind the counter, Pigsy pulled out the fruit basket and grabbed a banana. Slicing it into small pieces and pushing it over to the human. Who saw this and walked over. Taking a seat at the counter and pulling the bowl closer, holding up a piece for the child to take. Who did eagerly with a happy chirp.
“Are we really ready for this step?” Tang asked.
“Well, only if you promise you’re staying here.” Pigsy flushed when a light kiss was placed on his cheek.
“You’re not getting rid of me any time soon.”
The chef huffed, trying to ignore the warm feeling blooming in his chest and the laugh from Tang. “Oh please. You’re only here because of my noodles.”
“Have more faith in me than that. The food is only part of the equation.” Both paused as the child let out a chirp. Eyes peering up at Tang with expectations. The human let out another laugh before grabbing another piece of fruit and held it out for the child to take. “...We’ll need to get a nursery.”
“We’ll just move my office down here and place the supplies in another closet. We’ve been meaning to clean the room out anyway.”
“Can we…afford-”
“You let me worry about the money.” Pigsy cut the other off.
To which Tang pouts at. “I can get a part time job. It won’t be that hard.”
“You have your studies to worry about.”
“When it was just the two of us, I was fine with this arrangement. But…” Tang looked down at the chirp. The food flow had stopped. Letting out a sigh, Tang pulled the bowl close enough for the child to just grab the food himself. Keeping an eye out so the monkey didn’t eat too quickly. “You can’t run the restaurant and keep an eye on this kid at the same time. I have classes, but I can still work at the school’s cafe. We’ll need a sitter, we’ll have to pay for more food and supplies. We need to make sure we can cover it.”
Pigsy frowned, tapping his fingers on the countertop. “Fine. But the moment your grades slip, you’ll quit.”
Tang gave a gentle smile as a reply. “Thank you. Glad you’re starting to see reason.”
“We need to baby proof this place.”
“Ugh, how? We have no idea what this kid is capable of. He’s also a monkey! These guys like to climb on everything.”
The conversation continued on for another hour. Ideas bouncing between the two. What needs to be bought, where items needed to be moved to, what job Tang would be able to get that would work well with his school schedule. Pigsy had cut up another banana for the child while he gave himself and Tang apple slices. It was decided it was time to turn in when the child let out a wide yawn and an exhausted chirp.
Pigsy’s eyes looked over to the clock, groaning as the time of 10:32PM stared back. “We need to turn in. I’m tired, you’re tired. We have a busy day tomorrow and we’re talking in circles.”
“That’s a good idea.” Tang finished his agreement with a yawn himself.
The adults shuffled upstairs, the child still clinging to Tang. With no crib or anything stable/safe enough for the child to sleep in, Pigsy made a small nest with fabric in the center of the bed. Tang passed over the sleepy child, who didn’t argue back as he was moved, before the human went to change. The chef was careful as he laid the child down. Who was given another wide yawn as a reply before falling asleep.
“We need to give him a name.” Tang whispered as he walked back into the bedroom.
“Yeah, I was thinking about that as well.”
“I had an idea.”
“Yeah?”
“MK.”
Pigsy paused at that and looked over to Tang, who was ‘attempting’ to hide a smirk. “MK? Why MK?”
“It stands for Monkey Kid.”
“...Tang, I swear.”
“What? It works.” Tang snickers at Pigsy’s exasperated sigh.
“I guess it does, but that’s a little too on the nose.”
The adults settled down on the bed. Tang rolls on his side to keep an eye on the child, now named MK, reaching out to grab one of the small hands. Smiling weakly feeling the gentle grip back. Pigsy yawned while he scrolled through his phone, reading over what’s needed for a child as they grow up. He’s about to make a comment to Tang. Only to realize the human had fallen asleep, glasses askew.
Giving a loving huff, Pigsy reached over and pulled the glasses off. Settling them on his bedside table before turning off the light and laying down. Reaching over to gently take Tang’s hand as he slowly drifted off.
Unknown to them, they were currently being watched. Familiar acid green eyes narrowing as the building finally became dark. Huntsman jumping down from the nearby building. Keeping an extra eye out in case someone was looking out their window as he made his way to the door. Reaching out cautiously, Huntsman hissed when the entrance glowed gold with a strong shadowy frame and was eventually knocked away. Panting weakly as his arm smoked.
“I’m too late,” the spider demon hissed, “darn protective spells… No way back to the Celestial Realm either… Suppose it’s now a waiting game.”