Chapter Text
MK is making his way back into Pigsy’s after a long night with Mei, the moon shining down on him as he pulls his keys out. He’s about to climb the stairs to his apartment when he hears a clatter in the alley next to the restaurant. He peers into the darkness, pulling out his phone and turning on the flashlight. Slowly, he creeps into the alley, waving his phone up and down searching for the source of the noise. It’s an empty alleyway, except for a couple of trash cans. One’s been knocked over, spilling garbage all over the damp concrete.
There’s a crash behind him and MK spins around, his flashlight landing on the source of the noise. MK was expecting to see a stray cat, or maybe a bird that accidentally ran into the side of the building. He wasn’t expecting to see Macaque bleeding and beat up, leaning heavily on the wall like he is about to pass out.
“Oh, my- Macaque!” MK exclaims, dropping to his knees in front of Macaque as the demon slides down the stone wall. MK helps him onto the ground carefully. He looks to be in rough shape, with several cuts and bruises visible through his torn-up clothing. The only piece of fabric that looks decent is his red cape, but even that is frayed at the ends.
“MK? What the hell are you doing here?” Macaque asks, his eyes clouded in confusion. His head bobs from side to side like he’s to keep it upright. MK knows the start of a concussion when he sees one.
“What am I doing here? You’re right outside my apartment, what are you doing here?” MK asks, his hands hovering over the many wounds all over Macaque. He can’t tell where most of the blood is coming from, or if the blood covering Macaque is his or someone else’s. He’s confident that some is Macaque’s based on the parts of his clothing that are torn and stuck to his fur. How much of it is what he needs to determine, sooner rather than later. “What happened to you?”
“Another demon…tried to attack me,” he says through gritted teeth. Macaque leans his weight onto one of his hands, trying to push himself up. He slips on the slick concrete and almost slams his head on the ground. MK catches him, jumping back when Macaque growls at him.
“That doesn’t explain how you ended up here,” MK says, standing back hesitantly.
“I don’t know, I was trying to get home, but…” Macaque’s voice trails off, his eyes glazing over for a moment.
MK scoffs. “You’re serious? You’re bleeding out in the alley next to where I live! Do you think I’ll honestly be able to go upstairs and sleep knowing you’re out here?” Macaque doesn’t answer, choosing to instead glower at MK. The young man sighs, running a hand through his hair. He doesn’t want to leave Macaque out here with open wounds. The alley isn’t the cleanest part of the city and there’s a nagging voice in the back of MK’s mind that says if he doesn’t help Macaque now, the demon is going to spend the night on the ground. “Look, if you’ll just let me help you up, I can take you upstairs and-”
“I don’t need your help!” Macaque shouts, standing himself up against the wall again. His eyes are filled with malice, and something else MK can’t quite place. “Spare me your pity, and leave me alone. I can take care of myself.”
MK feels frustration bubble up in his throat. Did Macaque seriously expect him to leave him here? Did he really seem like the type of person to do that to someone? He takes a deep breath and turns his back to Macaque.
“Fine. You can take care of yourself?” MK summons his staff, twirling it in his hands. Quickly, he turns around, holding the staff in front of him. He points it towards Macaque, holding it in front of the demon’s face. He stares Macaque down over the curve of the gold bands, watching as Macaque’s eyes shift from his face to the end of the staff. “Prove it.”
“What…what are you doing?” Macaque asks.
“Prove to me you can take care of yourself, and I’ll leave you alone.” Macaque squints his eyes. MK smirks devilishly, tilting his head to the side. “Come on, the real Six-Eared Macaque wouldn’t hesitate to prove me wrong,” he says, inching a little closer to Macaque.
Honestly, MK doesn’t want to fight Macaque. What he wants is to help him, even though he figures that getting the demon to accept his help would be a lot harder than fighting him. They stand there, eyes locked while they wait for someone to make the first move. The invitation is clear for Macaque. Either he leaves by himself or forfeits his pride for the night and lets MK help him.
Macaque shifts, and for a moment, MK thinks that Macaque is going to try and fight him. Either that, or he’ll phase into the portal in the wall and teleport away. MK waits for the portal to appear, and for Macaque to disappear, leaving him wondering if he’ll live or die. He’s sure that the demon has more than enough sheer willpower to keep himself alive. But MK is a hero, and heroes help people in need, even if they usually don’t need help. Macaque sighs, and he leans back against the wall, raising one of his hands in defeat.
“You win kid,” he says, and MK instantly pulls the staff away, letting it go back to its place in his ear. MK goes to Macaque and grabs him gently around the waist. Macaque rests his arm around MK’s shoulder, leaning heavily against the young man. “That was incredibly underhanded. I’m impressed.”
“I have a decent teacher,” MK replies, his eyes shining with amusement. Macaque chuckles, wincing in pain as his muscles contract.
As the two of them slowly creep up to MK’s apartment, wary of waking Pigsy or Tang, MK thinks about the many ways that this could go wrong. This could all be a ruse to get into his bedroom, give him a false sense of security and then kidnap him! What if Macaque is just trying to get his power again, and here he was, lending him a helping hand? MK slides his eyes over to Macaque’s face, looking for any sign of ill intent, but he can only see pain and shame. MK thinks about how hard it must be for Macaque to admit, or rather give in to needing help. He’s probably been on his own for hundreds, if not thousands of years.
So for now, MK sets asides his doubts and continues to help Macaque to his apartment. Besides, there are easier ways to try and get the Monkie Kid’s power. This is definitely a good idea.