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“Rise and shine, Mac!”
Macaque's eyes shot open at the noise and yelped in surprise. They scrambled out of their bed and leaned against the bedpost like a cat ready to pounce.
“Holy… what the hell?!” Macaque yelled at the only person who would be annoying and stupid enough to barge into their house uninvited at… whatever time it was.
“Jeez, Macaque, I knew you liked to sleep in but this is ridiculous!” Wukong smiled his little bitch smile and narrowed his eyes.
“What time is it?” Macaque climbed out of their bed, reapplying their glamours that started to clear from the night before.
“Almost noon! How late were you up last night?”
Huh. Almost eight hours. Not bad.
“What do you care?” Macaque groaned and massaged their forehead before trying to comb the bed head out of their hair with their fingers.
“You wound me, Mac!” Wukong gasped in mock offense.
Macaque rolled their eyes. They started to walk towards the bathroom to get changed and blush profusely when they see Wukong follow them.
“Wukong!!” Macaque glared, their face a deep scarlet. They ran bare-footed into their bathroom, slamming the door and being sure to lock it behind them.
Macaque hurriedly got changed into their usual attire, then proceeded to comb out their messy hair and splash some water on their face. They quickly use the mirror to touch up any glamours they might have missed (a small scar on their cheek had become visible again), massaged their temples, and walked back out the door. Wukong’s sudden energy in the morning was leaving them with a splitting headache.
The door swung open to reveal Sun Wukong, who was hurriedly blinking gold light from his eyes.
“What the fuck is wrong with you?!” Macaque threw a soap bottle from the sink aimed for Wukong’s face. “Get out of my house!!”
“Macaque, don’t worry, I didn’t- OW!” Wukong grasped his nose. “I didn’t see anything, I swear!”
“Like hell you didn’t!” Macaque crossed their arms. “The door is over there!”
Wukong put his hands up but stayed put. “Hey, hey, I’m only here to remind you that the kid invited us to the noodle shop today! It’s his friend’s birthday, I think.”
“The dragon girl?” Macaque let down some of his aggressive demeanor.
“Yeah, I guess so! Anyway, it would be super awkward if you were the only one who didn’t show up.”
“Who’s coming?”
“Everyone! All of their friends, including Bai He and Red Boy!”
“Bai He’s coming? Why didn’t she tell me?” Macaque snapped.
“Uh, she did!” Wukong raised an eyebrow. “Several times.”
“Whatever. When is it?”
“Technically, it was twenty minutes ago.” Wukong leaned on his tail. “We’re pretty late.”
Macaque groaned and wordlessly sank into the ground. Wukong looked at the puddle of shadow on the floor for a moment before flying out of the door towards Pigsy’s Noodles.
—
This was a terrible idea.
The noodle shop was small, way too small to be housing all of these people. Macaque gritted their teeth and covered their ears. Their headache was getting worse.
Bai He waved from her seated position at an overcrowded bar stool and invited Macaque to sit with her. He obliged, still holding his ears with his hands.
“Are you doing ok?” Macaque squinted at Bai He’s moving lips.
“What?” They said, carefully removing their hands from their position on the sides of his head. The noise overwhelmed their senses.
“Are you ok?”
“Yeah, kid, don’t worry about me.” Macaque rubbed their temples. “Just a little… ugh.”
“Loud?” Bai He asked sympathetically.
“Mm.” Macaque buried their face in their hands.
Bai He put a small hand on Macaque’s back and rubbed it in an attempt to calm them down. Macaque smiled slightly
“Macaque! You made it!”
Macaque’s hands returned to their ears.
“I was wondering when you and Monkey King would show up! Hey, do you want anything to eat? I can get Pigsy to fix you something up. Or if you’re just in the mood for some cake-” MK jabbered excitedly.
“Hey, MK?” Bai He shot him a look, gesturing to Macaque, who had their head resting on the counter. “Maybe… give them a few minutes? They’re not feeling so well.”
Macaque gave Bai He a look that said with a remarkable loudness “ thank you .”
Bai He nodded and smiled.
“Oh, yeah, yeah, sorry! Just… got excited.” MK backed up. “Let me know if you change your mind?”
“Sure, kiddo.” Macaque sighed into their scarf. With that, MK walked over to Red Son and Mei, both nursing bowls of remarkably spicy noodles.
“Pff, you look like such a loner, Macaque! Come sit with the crowd, why don’t you?” Wukong strolled through the door, bell ringing over the door frame.
Bai He looked at him and quickly darted her eyes from Macaque to back at Wukong. He didn’t take the hint.
“Come on, bud! Go get some noodles, hang out!” Wukong shook one of Macaque’s shoulders.
“Do you mind?” Macaque gritted their teeth in a snarl. “I have a headache.”
“ Ooh, you have a headache? ” Wukong mocked. “Sure. You were just fine when I saw you this morning!”
“That’s because my house was quiet. ” Macaque muttered. “Until you broke in.”
“Until he what?!” Bai He yelped. Macaque jumped and winced and Bai He quickly apologized.
“Pff, you would have slept through this thing if I hadn’t.”
“God, I wish I did.” Macaque groaned.
“Quit moping!! It’s Mai’s birthday, come on, let’s celebrate!”
“Mei.”
“Whatever.” Wukong tugged at Macaque’s hand and dragged them over to the overcrowded table. Bai He trailed behind them and frowned.
“Hi Macaque!” Mei waved and smiled. Macaque pursed their lips behind a forced smile and nodded.
Red Son looked at them and waved without smiling or uttering a word. Macaque silently appreciated her quiet greeting.
“Watch out, everybody!” Sandy cradled a large white and green cake with a couple dozen green candles. He grinned behind his beard as Tang flipped the lights off.
Oh god, no.
“ Happy birthday to you!! ”
Macaque’s head was splitting in half.
“ Happy birthday to you!! ”
Macaque’s top teeth were grinding on his bottom set. They shook in pain.
“ Happy birthday dear Mei!! ”
“Macaque, are you okay?” Bai He yelled over the noise. Macaque didn’t answer. The world was starting to spin.
“ Happy birthday to youu!!”
The song was over.
Macaque breathed a sigh of relief.
Mei leaned forward and tried to blow out the candles, instead igniting them with green fire. She tried a few more times and the fire went out.
And everyone cheered.
The room was moving in circles. Macaque felt tunnel vision cloud their senses as their chair tilted backwards and hit the floor. Macaque’s ears were ringing so badly they didn’t hear the impact.
“Holy shit!” Mei jumped from her chair.
Wukong sputtered and laughed.
“Monkey King!” MK scolded, hopping off of their chair and coming to Macaque’s side. “I think they’re hurt! Macaque? Can you hear me?”
MK was just a silhouette, a producer of deafening white noise.
“Hey, stay with us!” Small sparks shot from Red Son’s snapping fingers.
“Guys, don’t crowd them!” Bai He whisper-shouted and shushed everyone around Macaque. She walked over to them and grabbed one of their hands with both of hers. “Macaque, can you hear me?” She rested a hand on Macaque’s forehead. “God, you’re burning up.”
Macaque couldn’t move their body more than a hazy blink and a twitch of the tail. Inwardly, their heart and mind raced. What was happening to them?!
“Someone call a hospital!” Bai He ordered.
“I’m trying!” MK frantically pressed buttons on his phone.
“Are you sure this is a mortal concern?” Red Son narrowed her eyes. “This could be… you know… something magical.”
“Monkey King?” Tang glanced at Wukong, who was the only one still seated. “Do you know what’s happening?”
Wukong sat there.
You idiot! Get your lazy ass down here and help me! Macaque tried to yell. Of course, all that happened was a low rumble in his throat that they choked on. They couldn’t even cough, making a pathetic little wheeze.
“Monkey King!” Bai He’s level demeanor is gone, quickly turning to panic. “What’s happening to Macaque?!”
Wukong still fucking sat there.
“Monkey King!” MK yelled. Macaque’s nerves buzzed.
Wukong still said nothing. Macaque watched through half-lidded eyes Wukong’s chest rise and fall rapidly. He was gripping the table’s edge so tight his knuckles paled.
Macaque’s eyes fluttered and their breath shallowed.
“You’ve got to stay awake!” Bai He desperately shook Macaque’s shoulder.
They couldn’t resist it anymore.
Their eyes closed.
—
Macaque groaned, trying to lift a hand to massage their head. They could, but the tenseness in their muscles screamed in protest. They opened their eyes.
They rested in a soft bed in a large, sunlit room. Through one of the many windows Macaque could see the sun set. They sat up, but were greeted with only dizziness and instantly fell back into the pillows.
“No, still no change. Yes, they’re still breathing. I don’t know if they’re getting better. They… yeah. Yeah, I’m checking in on them, I’ll tell you if anything changes.” A voice carried out from the other side of the closed bedroom door that got louder as it creaked open. Macaque stayed still and silent as Wukong stepped inside, holding a wet washcloth and thermometer.
Macaque closed their eyes quickly and pretended to be asleep as Wukong placed a gentle hand on their forehead that seemed to turn to fire on impact, smoothing out their hair and placing the washcloth where his hand was. Macaque felt the thermometer slide under their tongue and heard Wukong’s anxious breathing and swishing of his tail. The thermometer was removed and Macaque remained still, expectant.
A hand returned to their face. Their cheek. A warm drop of salty water landed on their nose.
Huh. The compress was leaking.
The other hand smoothed out Macaque’s fur, gently grooming it. Macaque smiled slightly. The hand quickly left and Macaque opened their eyes again.
“Holy shit, you’re…!!” Wukong yelled before catching his mistake, quieting down. “You’re awake!” He whispered.
Macaque slowly blinked. Their mouth and throat were so dry. They opened their mouth to try to say a witty comeback but all that came out was a hoarse squeak.
Damn it.
“N-no, shh, Mac, you should be asleep.”
“I thought you wanted me to stay awake.” Macaque rasped, coughing on his words.
“I wanted you to… I want you to stay alive!!” Wukong quietly snapped. “When you collapsed, I…” He took a shaky breath. “I couldn’t watch… I couldn’t let you leave me again.”
Macaque narrowed their eyes. “You were watching. Your sorry ass did nothing but watch.”
Wukong frowned. “What do you think I’ve been doing?!”
“Sitting around?” Macaque grinned slyly.
“I’ve been saving your damn life!!”
“Ok, ok, fine.” Macaque conceded, dissolving into a coughing fit.
“Shush! Stop talking!” Wukong poked Macaque in the shoulder. “Go back to sleep.”
“Pff, I’m tough. I’ll be fine.” Macaque tried again to sit up. The blood rushed to their head and they fell back.
“Stop! Stay still and rest!” Wukong demanded. He trembled slightly. “Do you even know how sick you were?”
Macaque said nothing.
“You go from groggy and irritable to fainting in a matter of hours! You’ve been unconscious for over 30 hours, you haven’t been at a temperature less than 102 since yesterday morning, and look at you! You can barely speak, you can’t sit up without passing out! When you collapsed I…” Wukong sniffled. Macaque’s eyes widened. “I couldn’t stop myself from thinking about… about what I did.” Wukong brushed a stray hair from Macaque’s sweaty face. “We have a second chance. I’m not about to throw it away.”
Macaque didn’t say anything. They looked away from Wukong. Inwardly, they wanted to be held, to be soothed, to be loved. They wanted Wukong to kiss Macaque’s forehead, to press up against them when the fever reduced them to chills. They wanted there to not be this separation, only addressed as “that day” or “what he did''. They wanted to not be afraid anymore.
“Mihou…” Wukong parts Macaque’s hair. “…is there something wrong with your magic?”
Macaque feels dread sink into his chest.
“What are you talking about?”
Wukong gently lifts Macaque’s face so they stare into each other’s eyes. Wukong wordlessly touched Macaque's ear. He ran his finger down and it hit two more before touching their shoulder.
Shit.
Oh shit.
Macaque felt their chest rise and fall with quick, shallow breaths. Their head rushed, threatening to make them lose consciousness again.
“Shh, shh, calm down.” Wukong wrapped his arms around them and stroked their hair, which Macaque could now see had swirls of white and blue on their right side. “You need to stay calm.” He pulled away and Macaque sank into the pillows, slowly trying to take as deep breaths as their fucked-up lungs would allow.
“Stay calm. Stay calm.”
“I am calm,” Macaque looked over at Wukong, whose eyes were wide and fists gripping the bedclothes.
“Stay calm!” Wukong whimpers.
Macaque started to shake. If Wukong was this afraid…
“Wukong?”
Wukong looked at Macaque’s small form curled on the bed.
“Tell me it's gonna be ok.”
Wukong sat on the bed, scooting over to Macaque and giving him a long and gentle hug.
He didn’t say a word.
—
Macaque stirred, realizing they must have fallen asleep.
In Wukong’s arms.
They blushed at the thought.
The door creaked open, revealing a nervous Bai He, escorted by Wukong. He looked relieved to see Macaque awake.
Bai He was obviously working her hardest to contain her anxiety, clenching and unclenching her fists at her sides as she walked over to Macaque.
She threw her arms around Macaque’s shoulders and gave them a long hug. Macaque croaked from the receiving end.
“Not so tight, kiddo, not so tight…!” Macaque sputtered weakly. Their voice wouldn’t go past a loud whisper.
Bai He pulled away, staring into Macaque’s eyes. No, not eyes. Eye.
“Hey, kid, how is everyone?”
Bai He didn’t say anything, instead looking down at the floor. Her eyes brimmed with tears.
“Wukong, did you tell her about…” Macaque felt tired and defeated.
Wukong nodded.
Bai He sniffled. Macaque forced their hand to shift, wrapping their fingers around hers and giving them a squeeze.
“It’s alright, kiddo. It’s gonna be okay.”
“Are you going to be okay?” Bai looked somewhere past Macaque’s face, staring deep into their soul. They couldn’t lie to her.
“I don’t know.”
Bai He’s breath staggered. She took a few hurried sniffs. “I’m sorry.”
“Hey. Hey, look at me,” Macaque whispered. Bai He looked up at them, tears running from her eyes like a leaking faucet. “None of this is your fault, okay?”
“I could have done something, though, I shouldn’t have just stood there…”
“You didn’t, kid, you didn’t. You did a great job.” Macaque smoothed out her hair. “There’s nothing you could have done.”
Bai He bit her lip, giving Macaque a much softer hug. She dug into her pocket and got out a card and small collection of flowers. “Oh, yeah, these are from MK. He says…” she sniffled. “…he says to get well soon.”
Wukong rested a hand on Bai He’s shoulder. “I’ve got a couple vases in the den, would you mind picking one up really quickly?”
Bai He wiped her face and nodded, walking out of the room.
“Did you tell everyone what’s wrong?” Macaque asked once she left.
“Yeah.”
Macaque glared.
“Mihou, they deserve to know!!”
“I know.” Macaque looked at the door. “I just…”
“I know.” Wukong ran his fingers through Macaque’s hair.
“Wukong…” Macaque licked their lips anxiously. “What… what aren’t you telling me? What do you know?”
Wukong bit his lip and looked away.
“You can tell me now or you can tell me when Bai He gets back.”
“You’re not getting better. Without the Bone Demon’s magic, you don’t have a steady life force.”
Macaque felt the last hope, their last lifeline, slowly sink away.
“How long.”
Wukong stayed silent.
“How long do I have, Wukong?” Macaque tried to yell, coming out with a sandpaper whisper.
“I don’t know.”
Macaque said what Wukong could not. “Not long?”
Wukong trembled slightly before shaking his head.
Macaque propped themself up slightly in a pile of pillows. For the first time in this whole ordeal they felt tears prick at their eye and their body shuddered from something different than a fever. They watch the salty droplets drip from their chin and land on the blankets.
Wukong climbed onto the bed and held Macaque close. He ran his hands through their hair.
“I’m scared…” Macaque breathed the sweet smell of Wukong’s auburn fur and trembled as the waves of tears overtake them.
“Me too,” Wukong whispered in their ear. Tears slipped from his eyes. “I’m scared too.”
Bai He knocked on the door and creaked it open. Wukong quickly wiped his and Macaque’s face and turned around. Bai He held a painted glass vase in her hand.
“Perfect,” Wukong stood up and took it from her hand, sticking the flowers in the vase. “It looks great.” Wukong looked over at Macaque. “I need to take Bai He back to the city and check in with the others but I’ll be right back, okay? Try to get some rest.”
Macaque smiled, lifting their wrist to wave good-bye to Bai He. She looked at him and forced a smile through fresh tears, turning away and leaving with Wukong. They gave way to temptation and let their eye close.
—
Wukong was right. They weren’t getting better.
Two days passed in two years for Macaque, getting flashes of lucidity before the fever dreams took hold. Every time they were awake, Wukong was there. Every time, there would be a new collection of flowers in the vase or another get-well card. But each flash got shorter and shorter.
Four days after Mei’s birthday, Macaque’s eyes fluttered open. They couldn’t move or speak at all now, just breathing was a task just a little too much to ask of their body.
Wukong stood there at Macaque’s bedside, looking disheveled and worn. His glamours hadn’t been fixed in days, leaving his eyes a hot pink and his hair flecked with white. He hadn’t bothered with checking Macaque’s surely boiling temperature anymore, instead making sure they were comfortable.
Macaque saw through heavy lids Wukong looking down at them, holding their hand. Gently caressing it.
Macaque’s eye slowly looked into Wukong’s, a small smile passing between them. The stroking of Macaque’s hand gave way to the caving of consciousness.
But this time, they didn’t phase back in.
“Liu Er?” Wukong stopped the rhythmic rubbing of their hand. His finger migrated to their wrist. Their still pulse.
“Macaque!” Wukong nudged at Macaque’s shoulder desperately. “Macaque, wake up, please wake up!”
Tears fell from Wukong’s irritated eyes, soaking Macaque’s messy fur. “Please open your eyes, I can’t lose you again!”
Macaque lied still.
Wukong’s breathing became fast and shallow. He placed his hands on Macaque's heart and began performing CPR.
Macaque didn’t respond.
Wukong formed a tight seal around Macaque’s mouth and began breathing into their lungs.
The warm breath flowed down into Macaque’s chest. There was so much life in it. So much…
Magic.
Macaque felt their lungs heave into a series of coughs. Their eye flew open and they saw gold puffs fly from their mouth.
Wukong pulled away I’m a flash, blushing a violent pink. “Eww, your breath stinks so ba- Mihou?!”
“You’re one to talk, you’ve got peach breath.” Macaque grinned. Their voice was still hoarse but no longer a whisper.
“Oh my god, Mihou!!” Wukong laughed and tackled Macaque into the bedpost.
“Oof! Ow, Peaches, I hit my head on the wall!” Macaque stuck out their tongue but smiled ear to ear.
“Sorry, sorry, I just…!” Wukong sniffed. He squeezed Macaque in a tight hug. “I’m so happy you’re ok.”
“Am I…? I don’t have a magic source anymore,” Macaque muttered.
“Well, as long as you’re careful,” Wukong pressed a strong kiss on Macaque’s lips, breathing a little bit of life into their lungs. “I think I’ve got that covered.”
Macaque swayed slightly, redder than they were when they were sick. Wukong looked at their stunned expression and snickered.
“That in mind, you’re probably gonna be sore for a while, and tired, so make sure you keep resting!” Wukong wagged a finger at Macaque and grinned.
“Yes, your majesty.” Macaque rolled their eyes and laughed.
“Oh, and one more thing?”
Macaque stopped laughing, looking up at Wukong, who was haloed by the light outside.
“Once you feel up for it, Mei’s been waiting on that cake for almost a week.”
Macaque snorted. “I just died, I think she can wait a second longer.”
“Whatever you say.” Wukong poked Macaque gently on the forehead. “Get some rest, all right? Just call if you need anything.”
“Sure, sure.” Macaque leaned into the pillows and closed their eyes.
They couldn’t wait to wake up.