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While sentient beings chose time a tool to navigate their world, Wukong the Monkey King relied on the changes his eyes perceived. You know variability as a blessing when you live long enough for earth to not look the same as when you first opened your eyes, for Wukong, the volatile nature of this planet along with its creatures was an enough indicator he too, along with everything else, was aging.
“Betcha Pigsy’s eating his nails right now, I never realized it was getting late”
“Don’t move, Kid”
The developing city it was, Megapolis was never short of unfinished buildings, there at one of these buildings’ ground floor were the two, MK was sat atop a pile of concrete blocks, his mentor knelt on the dusty floor. Simian hands cautiously held MK’s, its claws were pulled away to not injure the student’s skin any further.
Nothing but construction workers’ mess was around them, streetlight sneaked through the windowless walls streaking some of Wukong’s hair white, it fluttered softly with the monkey’s movements, and MK’s fucus fell on that.
Change meant the emergence of new, but never the erasure of what was before, even when Wukong’s life was full of new, he couldn’t escape what was already there. Lingering emotions and hidden memories would sometimes come to the surface, and at those times, Wukong fought to wipe them out.
He was never the kind of monkey who would process or give time to what his heart contained.
MK’s hand escaped his grasp the moment he applied an antibiotic, he avoided his mentor’s face knowing what he was going to say.
“So, falling from a building didn’t hurt, but a little of this ointment did?”
“You pressed on the wound too hard, that’s all.”
Wukong’s form faltered, his tail curled around itself, “I- uh I’m sorry”, rubbing his nape The Monkey King’s eyes dropped to the floor, MK’s dirty sneakers on sight, their shoelaces were loose, brown, and wet from Flower and Fruit Mountain’s waterfall.
Nothing was better in fighting his mind than physically engaging himself, it was easy before since Wukong only had battles to fight and enemies to supress, his life recognized war as a constant presence and he fully embraced it, for action was his way to cope.
“Don’t worry, you were doing well”
That day’s spar wasn’t for training, MK understood once he peeked at his mentor’s vacant eyes and took his powerful punches. With MK receiving and Wukong hitting, they kept it going till the sun fell down and people went to sleep, on top of the mountain and under trees, bouncing between rooftops and across Megapolis’ streets, while MK panted tiredly, cuts and bruises forming here and there on him, the Monkey King’s face didn’t ease one bit, his eyes were on MK but the young man knew the monkey wasn’t looking at him.
That day was for Wukong, not MK, so he didn’t complain or ask for the king to stop, he knew they would’ve continued for days if it wasn’t for his tired body losing its balance and falling from this building. Only then did he catch The Monkey King’s eyes coming back to life again and him frantically carrying him, going to a nearby pharmacy.
The relief MK saw when The Monkey King’s body fell on the ground at the news his kid was okay and only needed treatment for his wounds was enough for him to know his decision in indulging the king wasn’t wrong, because he wanted to care for his mentor as much as his mentor cared for him.
“I’m shoving his remedies down his throat if they didn’t work”
The monkey meant the pharmacist who gave them the proper supplies for wound treatment. MK wasn’t surprised at learning the king’s ignorance about modern medicine, he couldn’t recognise antibiotics and thought licking wounds would be a better idea than washing them with water, his panic about the difference between him and his successor was the only thing that led him to the pharmacy’s door, thinking it was a hospital. Little fang display and growling did the job and MK was forcefully examined there.
“Hahah, you don’t have to go this fa-“
“Really…”
A rat quietly ran between the cement bags. Wukong’s glazed eyes were fixed on the blood seeping from his kid’s cleaned cuts, his voice was hoarse as he tenderly held MK’s hand again. “I don’t know what I would’ve done if that fall killed you”.
Ah, The Monkie Kid realized, his fingers wrapped themselves around Wukong’s hand, he is angry at himself, not the pharmacist.
“I know what I would’ve done if I hadn’t fallen”
Hearing his kid’s faint voice, Wukong raised his head, micro-dust swam in the light rays illuminating MK’s face, at that moment with his kid’s eyes on him, the monkey felt seen.
“I would’ve continued our fight until you got satisfied” MK didn’t miss how the monkey flinched, he held his other hand not caring about his injuries, the young man was grateful his mentor was down on the ground, this allowed their eyes to be on the same level, “Monkey King, can you tell me what’s bothering you?”
“I-uh” Wukong’s wide eyes glistered, his hands fell limp, but MK’s grasp supported them, encouraging.
The night was long, and there alone in one of Megapolis’ unfinished buildings with his student, amongst the iron rods and the scattered screws, Wukong realized that things, once again, were changing.
But this time, it wasn’t the earth that got different, but Wukong’s life itself.
Reacting to the area getting quiet, night creatures took their chance to appear, bats swung their wings, geckos stepped on the ground, and rats felt comfortable to approach the two. MK’s eyes followed every interesting movement, his short attention span couldn’t keep up with his mentor’s long silence, yet he didn’t let go of his hands.
Wukong had aged long enough to have a kid.
“I- uhhh”, spreading the antibiotic ointment on the wound once again, The Monkey King tried, “I… can’t sleep”.
Only then did MK notice the black lines under his mentor’s eyes, “and do you know the cause?” MK was never good in these situations, besides him not being a good talker, he found difficulty in recognizing his friends’ weak moments or vulnerabilities. When he said Sun Wukong was his idol, it meant he never saw him as anything but invincible. That was why he needed his mentor to talk, or he would’ve remained oblivious.
Wukong wrapped his wound with gauze, his work wasn’t the most perfect, it was too tight and messy, and MK knew he needed to change it once he returned to Pigsy’s. But not now, now was his mentor’s time.
“Night’s too quiet” Wukong almost whispered, standing up he waited for his student to remove his jacket, the red stains urged him to check his shoulders, “and my head’s too loud”.
Maybe the reason The Monkie Kid couldn’t relate to insomniac people was that he couldn’t think too deep into things, when his head touched the pillow, it would immediately shut down. Whatever the reason was, he knew he couldn’t help The Monkey King. “I’m sorry” he said, feeling guilty about asking when he didn’t even know how to help.
The eyebags were enhanced by Wukong’s smile somehow, he put some water on clean clothes and wiped his successor’s scraped skin, the white fabric turned red absorbing blood, yet MK held it in and tried not to wince. “It’s alright, kid”, The Monkey King sat beside him on the blocks, getting more access to MK’s back, “in fact, I should be the one apologizing for taking it on you”.
It shouldn’t have gone this way in the first place, Wukong tried to convince himself it was only a training session, yet as time progressed and his fucus shifted from the faults of his students’ form to the ways he could take him down, The Monkey King lost himself and succumbed to his desire for the thoughts to go away.
His body never needed sleep, but without it Wukong would be too aware of his surroundings, his past actions, and himself. When that happened, he would seek anything to stop it.
That was okay in the past, because The Monkey King only had people to fight against before.
Looking at his kid’s small, injured back, he realized how quiet he had gotten, and knew MK was giving him time to talk.
“I know everything’s been peaceful and calm lately, I don’t know what had gotten into me, I just needed a distraction and-“
“Don’t worry, Monkey King”, turning his body to where his mentor was, MK’s expression carried awkwardness, his eyes were lost, he scratched his cheek, trying not to look at the monkey, “it’s not that I need an explanation to what you did, I-“ MK took a long pause to collect his thoughts before continuing, “I mean, I’m okay if you wanted someone to listen, I’d be happy to!”.
He tentatively held Wukong’s hand into his again, “what I’m trying to say is, you don’t have to apologize for something I chose to do myself”.
Wukong only raised an eyebrow at his student’s statement, his red facial markings wrinkled with the expression “if I’m remembering correctly, I’m the one who asked for a training session on your day off”.
“And I’m the one who accepted, I knew it was something you needed”
“Hurting you?”
“No!”, a rat jumped at MK’s exasperated voice, it went right under a stack of wood, “fighting me! You needed someone to fight with, I know that because you were practically itching for us to start!”.
An empty plastic bag flew into the building through the holes of its walls, it passed their heads before softly landing on the floor. Wukong’s tail rested on his lap, he silently put the ointment on his hand. “Me needing this doesn’t mean it’s right”. His voice carried a touch of firmness MK only heard once or twice, at serious battles.
If there was anything the new difference in Wukong’s life brought, it was his sense of responsibility. Engaging in battle whenever and with whomever was okay because heads flying off and limbs falling was the least of his concerns, but when it came to his kid, things were not the same, a scratch on MK’s skin was equal to a tear in the monkey’s heart.
“You are always helping me, Monkey King”, the monkey spread the cold medicine on the wound, his ears twitched receiving his kid’s words, “shouldn’t I be given the chance to help you?”.
MK didn’t know how to talk nicely, nor was he able to relate to people’s troubles, so when he saw the chance he could be of help, even in an unusual way, he desperately tried to take it.
“Monkey King?” the young man tried again, but his master only took a new roll of gauze and started covering his shoulder with it. “Monkey King!” His voice was laden with frustration, but the only thing the monkey did was to look for another wound to treat.
Again, the mighty Sun Wukong did not know how to dress wounds properly, the young man’s armpit felt stuffy with the many times the gauze rolled around his joint, the floor was soon filled with numerous wet and dirty clothes used to clean the wounds, plastic coverings were carried with the night breeze that occasionally visited the place, antibiotic bottles were emptied one after the other and MK didn’t dare to tell his master he only needed to spread a thin layer, not the whole thing.
A can fell from the second floor, metallic colliding echoed all over the building, but MK’s attention wasn’t taken this time, it remained fixated on his mentors’ focused face throughout the hours it took for him to finish treating everything. Through that time, the king was dedicated and made sure he didn’t forget anything, his tail gently swayed as he moved all around his student, catching any trace of blood to treat, even normal scratches were covered in thick bandages.
“Ok, I won’t fight you” MK finally said.
“Of course you won’t, I wouldn’t allow this to happen again”
“Listen!”, the young man stood up and grabbed his mentor’s hoodie, “I meant I won’t ask you to fight me again”, stopping himself from summoning his cloud, Wukong was met with The Monkie Kid’s hopeful face, “but at least let me try helping in my own way”.
Sighing, The Monkey King’s tail circled around his student’s hand, he pulled his hood over his head and stuffed his hands in his pockets, “you don’t have to worry yourself, kid, it was my mistake telling you this, I don’t need help”.
Hearing this was MK’s biggest fear, because even when many of his friends confided in him, none of them came out of it with a solution or relief, the young man wasn’t an empath nor a problem solver, he didn’t even know how to pretend to listen. Tensing up at the possibility of the night ending with both of them going their own ways, he held the monkey’s hard tail, “No! It wasn’t a mistake. I can do this!”
“Kid-“
“Sit down, Monkey King!”
And the monkey king was pulled down with his kid, their butts hit the floor too hard, grey dust flew around, Wukong wasn’t given anytime to process what happened because two furless hands pressed on his chest, slamming his back onto the concrete blocks pile, “now lay back!”
The monkey had to raise his head to look at his student’s small frame atop his body, the kid’s angry expression was enhanced with the storming dust particles around him, tufts of brown hair dangled from his head, and the streetlight’s rays behind him casted a dark shadow on the ground as it clashed with his back.
“And close your eyes!” the monkey’s sight was blocked by both of his kid’s hands covering his eyes, and when he tried to voice his protest MK loudly exclaimed, “if you tried to get up, I’m gonna use the staff on you!”.
“But the floor is dirt-“
“Deal with it!”
With his sight blocked, Wukong’s ears caught his student’s irritated breathing pattern, and his chest could feel the trembling from the young man’s knee pressed on it. Why was he upset?
“You said you couldn’t sleep”
Wukong’s tail that was going to wrap itself around MK’s waist paused.
“I will make you sleep!”
In his tiredness, Wukong found his student adorable. He crossed his arms and grinned, his fangs were too noticeable with his eyes covered, “and how are you supposed to do that? My brain needs to shut up”. Maybe it would’ve been possible if Wukong was able to die, he considered.
Frowning, MK noticed how the tension in his master’s body slipped away, and his struggles ceased. He knew he was being indulged and couldn’t help but clench his teeth in frustration. This wasn’t what he wanted, he wanted to appear reliable.
“If your brain is loud “, The Monkie Kid took a deep breath, “I can be louder”.
“Huh?”
“Five little monkeys jumping on the bed!”
Wukong laughed, not because it was funny but because it was unbelievable, “seriously?”.
“One fell off and bumped his head”
“So mama called the doctor and the doctor said”
“No more monkeys jumping on the bed!”
Wukong wasn’t even able to call it a lullaby, MK sang so loud and harsh the monkey felt his own throat hurt. As time passed MK’s body grew weak, and he soon was sprawled on top of his mentor, the king’s chest was used as pillow, but the kid never stopped singing and his hand didn’t leave The Monkey King’s eyes.
“Five little monkeys jumping on the bed!”
“This is the hundredth time, MK”
“One fell off and bumped his head!”
Enough time passed for the bats to return to sleep.
“Five little monkeys jumping on the bed!”
“At least change the song…”
“One fell off” MK pressed his fingers on Wukong’s face harder, his cheek too heavy on his chest, “and bumped his head”.
Stroking his kid’s hair, Wukong tiredly glanced at the window, noticing the brightening surrounding.
The flapping of birds’ wings replaced the rats’ squeaks, mornings were always cold, so he tried to cover his students’ sleeping body with his arms, he was thankful for the hoodie being baggy and warm.
Wukong knew that no matter what he did, he was bound to open up one day, to himself and to the world around him, escaping from his mind through fights wasn’t the solution, not anymore when he had the duty to take care of his kid.
Lowering his head, Wukong’s exhausted face was covered with the sleeping MK’s hair.
Variability of life was truly a blessing, for without it, he wouldn’t have met his kid. If there was anything he got from living this long, then it would be MK.
Wukong’s tail sluggishly surrounded the two of them.
The hands covering his eyes grew weak a long time ago, but he knew he didn’t need them now. Tightening his hold on his kid, Wukong’s eyes grew heavy, he could only hear MK’s singing voice screaming the song time after time in his head, and with it the world swung in front of his eyes, the dirty floor filled with dust and bloody fabric felt so appealing to him, he abandoned the idea of going back to Flower and Fruit, MK’s quiet breathing was so hypnotizing his own lungs followed the rhythm.
Sun Wukong, The Monkey King, finally fell asleep.
The End.