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Macaque hated the sun. He hated how its heat sunk into his clothes and skin, clinging to him like a parasite. It didn’t help that his fur was black either, he was practically a magnet to heat. He remembers back to his younger days on Flower Fruit Mountain when he would lay in the river of the waterfall, trying to cool down to no avail.
He hates the sun, so why out of everything he could be doing, was he sitting on the beach of Flower Fruit Mountain? And next to his least favorite person no less. He blames MK for the whole ordeal. The kid had invited him to a victory party a few days after the defeat of Azure and the brotherhood. He was going to refuse, he really was, but how was he supposed to say no when MK looked at him with those sad puppy eyes. Or should he say sad monkey eyes? Well, either way he blamed the kid.
Anyways, that invitation is what led to Macaque, the warrior who claimed to hold a great disdain for the peach eating idiot beside him, to now be resting beside said idiot. He hadn’t planned on sitting next to Wukong at first, but that was before he saw who was at the party.
He knew DBK and Princess Iron Fan, but he had already seen the rest of the brotherhood a few days prior and he didn’t need the awkwardness of seeing him again after centuries apart. And he knew if he talked to the princess, he would have to interact with the bull king, so they were off the table.
There was MK and Mei, but those two were already having fun with Red Son, and he didn’t want to interrupt the trio’s time together. Then there was MK’s family: Pigsy, Tang, and Sandy. He knew Sandy wouldn’t mind him being around, the guy was nothing but positivity and acceptance. But he was also very protective of his friends, and it was obvious that Pigsy was still uncomfortable in Macaque’s presence. Tang was less awkward around him, but Pigsy would be watching him like a hawk if he talked to Tang.
So, that left none other than Wukong and the lonely chair beside him. He didn’t want to sit beside the king, definitely not, but he didn’t want to stand around with his umbrella looking like a weirdo. So he reluctantly made his way to where Wukong sat and placed himself there. The two exchanged a few words of banter and talk of what was to come, Macaque even called the king “cute” like the idiot he was, and now they sat in somewhat awkward silence.
Macaque watched Mei chase MK around in the water, Red Son standing closer to shore, unimpressed as his hair was drenched, and was that a fish? Macaque was kind of glad he didn’t go with the trio now, the thought of a fishy smell getting in his fur made him groan. He saw Wukong look at him from his peripheral, sending the warrior a raised brow before turning his gaze back to the ocean ahead.
Right, he was next to Wukong. It didn’t matter if the two were on better terms or not, he couldn’t let his guard down. Though he doubted that Wukong would do anything to him if MK was present, he couldn’t relax. He tried laying back on the chair earlier before the feeling of being so exposed entered his mind and he ultimately decided to sit up instead.
Macaque let out a small sigh, MK was excited for the ebony monkey to show up and interact with everyone, but how was he supposed to do that? Macaque snuck a quick glance at Wukong. The king looked perfectly relaxed, laid back in his chair and basking in what would be the sun had Macaque not placed an umbrella between the two. He looked at peace, even as he sat so close to Macaque. His stomach was exposed, revealing the “dad bod” that the king flaunted proudly. Macaque could also see the flame shaped top-scars adorning the king’s chest. He looked kind of… cute? What, no, Macaque didn’t think that.
“I can feel you staring at me, you know?” Wukong’s sudden voice made Macaque flinch a bit, but he quickly recovered and made his face into a small glare as he saw Wukong’s smirking face. “I know I’m eye-catching, but at least try to be discreet.” Ugh, Macaque hated that cocky smirk on the king’s stupid face.
Macaque scoffed, adorning a small smirk of his own as he turned his gaze back to the trio playing in the water, “More like eye sore.”
“Oh please, you’re just jealous that you don’t look this good in your old age.” Wukong sat up now, stretching his arms above his head and flexing, showing off his arm muscles. Macaque did think the king looked good, but he’d never in the next millenia say that to Wukong.
Macaque forced a smile down and made his face out to be unimpressed, raising a brow at the way Wukong so nonchalantly put himself on display, “You’re not that much older than me, you know?”
“And yet I still look better than you, oh mighty Macaque.” Wukong kept that cocky smile, and Macaque hated how it made his heart flutter. Wukong had always been so confident in how he looked, that was one of the things that drew Macaque to him, his confidence. Though now, Macaque wondered how much of that confidence was real.
The Wukong back when they were younger wore his unique features proudly, but now he found the king’s once ruby eyes to be striking gold, and some of his freckles were missing. But Wukong never commented on Macaque’s missing ears or scars, so he didn’t see a reason to call out Wukong’s own lack of features.
Macaque huffed and let a small smile form on his face, “Sure you do, bud. But as I recall, I was once the beauty of our troop.” Macaque could see Wukong’s eyes widen slightly, he obviously didn’t expect that to come up. It was a long time ago, but it was true. Macaque’s long black and white fur, violet eyes, and multi-colored six ears caused him to attract a lot of attention.
Wukong waved his hand dismissively, “That was then, this is now. I’ve taken your place, Six-Eared Macaque.”
Macaque hummed, “Enjoy it while it lasts, your majesty.”
The two continued to bicker and send halfhearted insults towards the other. Macaque hadn’t even noticed the time go by until Pigsy called for everyone to join for dinner. When Macaque looked away from Wukong’s honeyed gaze, he saw that the sun was beginning to set. Wasn’t it just high overhead? It seemed Wukong was surprised too as Macaque heard him whistle at the setting sun before standing and scratching the back of his neck awkwardly. Had they both really lost track of time from just talking to one another? But… that hadn’t happened since…
“Yo, Mackie! You just gonna sit there in the shade or are you gonna get some grub?” The dragon girl’s voice broke him from his train of thought. Wukong was already getting his food when Macaque looked towards the group. Half of them were looking at him expectantly, while the other half were smirking and snickering to themselves.
Macaque felt a small blush coat his cheeks, and he prayed to every god above that he could blame it on the sunset and get away with it. Macaque hated the sun. He hated how it clung to him, hated how it left an everlasting effect on him. He would forever hate the sun, no matter how much he shined in its presence.