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Macaque had never been one to fully enjoy autumn before. Now, don’t get him wrong–it was by far one of the most bearable seasons. He didn’t overheat, but he equally did not shiver. It was an equilibrium, an absolute neutral where his fur did its job and kept him nice and warm, not needing to combat the sun. This being said, he was always busiest in autumn. It was something to do with how his productivity levels were at their peak, nothing getting in the way but his own mood swings and fatigue. Autumn was where he thrived, and as such, he rarely took breaks. Particularly after being brought back to the surface–he didn’t have time to do anything.
Now, though, autumn has rolled around once more. The leaves have changed their colours, crinkling at the tips and falling to the ground–ripe for him to step on, crunching loudly under his feet. The hues of the sky shifted slightly to the left, and nights came faster, staying longer. Unlike before, though–he had time on his hands. Perhaps too much time. There were no battles to be fought, not currently. There were no lives he was rushing to save, there were no relationships he was frantic to repair–he was just alive. This, on its own, was extraordinary. He didn’t think he’d be alive again, not now, not anytime soon–but here he was, encapsulated by autumn air and cooled by the fall chill. He felt it in every inch of his living body, a certain mixture of freedom–equally, though, a sense of loss.
Freedom, as lovely as it was, left him feeling adrift. There wasn’t much for him to do aside from train, eat, sleep, train, eat, sleep, tease, tease, tease, train, advise, argue, train, sleep, sleep–you get it. It was a constant loop, and he was nowhere near the point where he could simply ask for company. He was still out of the circle, god forbid, but at least he could come over for dinner sometimes. On a good night, he’d crash on Wukong’s couch. It wasn’t a bad way to live by any means, but he still spent a majority of his time alone.
Well, unless he interfered.
This was what Macaque had noticed. The others left him alone perfectly fine. Not even Wukong was desperate for his company, the two of them spending time together often by happenstance and nothing more. However, despite this (seemingly) mutual agreement to let Macaque visit as he wished–there was one person who didn’t stand by this. One boy.
MK never seemed to relent.
And Macaque didn’t mean this negatively, but it was noticeable. MK would trail him, purposefully walk by his side–and, even worse, he somehow discovered where Macaque chose to spend most of his days. So, on days like today–where Macaque was taking a walk down a forested path, enjoying the crunch of leaves and their echo through the emptiness, MK somehow found himself there.
When Macaque spotted him, he was standing a distance down the path, hands in his pockets and ears already touched with the pink hues of cold. He grinned as soon as Macaque raised an eyebrow, and he came running his way without a second's delay.
“Macaque! I was wondering if you’d come walking today.” MK sounded pleased, and that was foreign enough already. Macaque tilted his head to look up at him, not smiling back, but not annoyed.
“And if I hadn't come? Would you have just waited here all day?” the boy shrugged, smile staying steady.
“Maybe! I don’t have anything on my schedule, so really, it would have been easy.” he spoke like he was thrilled with the concept, and Macaque scoffed halfheartedly. MK had always been foolish–his willingness to spend the day waiting for Macaque, a man infamous for not showing, was certainly par for the course.
“What, and freeze? You don’t seem ready for the weather.”
“No! I’m totally ready! I’m layered up and everything. Tang even made me pack gloves!” he grinned like he was a genius, and Macaque cut a glance toward MK’s hands. Even from their place in his pockets, Macaque could see they were bare.
“And those gloves are… where, exactly?” Macaque let his lips flick up in a smile as MK blanched, hands leaving his pockets as he peeked at his own fingers, turning bashful in an instant.
“I, uh, might have left them behind when tying my shoes. Hard to do with gloves, you know…?” His laugh was awkward as he shoved his hands back into his pockets, shrugging again. “Seriously, though! I’ll stay nice and warm. It’s only my ears and nose that are cold, and I can have some warm noodles when I get back home! It’ll work out.” his face brightened, and Macaque could envision the lightbulb over his head perfectly. MK leaned down, bumping his shoulder with Macaque’s. “You could come too! Pigsy would be happy to make you a meal. Maybe not on the house, but… I can pay!”
Macaque huffed. “You? Pay? No thanks. I can handle it.” Probably, but hey, a warm meal did sound pleasant. He could afford to chalk over some cash–especially if, well, sharing another meal with the Monkie Gang didn’t sound too bad either.
“If you’re sure!” MK’s tone was vibrant as he walked ahead, skipping on one foot and hopping on the other, movements disjointed but joyful. With his back facing Macaque, Macaque let himself smile, tucking his own hands in his pockets as they walked. They lapsed into pleasant quietness, MK humming to himself as he jumped from leaf to leaf, casting distraught looks Macaque’s way if a leaf didn’t crunch the way he expected it too. Each time, Macaque returned the look with an expression of mock sympathy–MK would stick out his tongue and return jumping, and Macaque would smile once more.
It was nice. As it usually was, with just the two of them.
Eventually, though, something else was bound to capture MK’s attention. As they rounded a corner, MK’s entire body shook with barely contained excitement–sending him jumping into the air with it–and as he started to run down the path, Macaque could only wonder what made him shout like that. It didn’t take long for him to spot it–a pile of leaves collected underneath a large tree, more than likely pushed off the trail for easier access. It was ridiculously tall for a pile of (probably) wet leaves, and while he didn’t quite understand MK’s enthusiasm–it drew in his interest. MK was ecstatic, hands out of his pockets as he waved them in front of himself, smiling over at Macaque brilliantly.
“It’s a leaf pile!! A massive, massive leaf pile!” his glee was near uncontained, seeping through his voice in the form of tremors in his words.
“That it is. What about it?” Macaque asked, genuinely curious. MK was quick to answer, unbothered by Macaque’s (usual) lack of knowledge concerning all things fun and whimsical.
“They’re perfect to jump in! I swear it! It’s one of my favourite fall activities!!” and Macaque could clearly see that, with the way MK seemingly couldn’t resist waving his hands around once more as he took several steps back. “Like, it’s seriously so much fun!!” Macaque opened his mouth to comment, but MK shook his head. “Just watch!! Watch, watch, watch, Macaque!!”
And, well, he sounded so excited–Macaque could do nothing but give in. He took his hand out of his pocket to gesture, telling MK to get on with it . MK laughed, and in an instant, he was running forward. Then, with great energy, he jumped into the air–flipping so he could crash land with his back into the plush leaves. He did so with a laugh, the plants erupting around him as he disappeared in the flurry, browns and rare greens flying into the air. Macaque wasn’t sure he understood, but from where he stood–the swirl of them felt entrancing.
He blinked
It did look… fun.
MK was still laughing, hands now lifted as he tried to catch the leaves that fell nearby–fingers seeking and curling around stems and blades, his grin so large it made Macaque’s own face hurt. Macaque paused, then smiled–even though MK could see it.
“Enjoying yourself?” Macaque asked–pointedly ignoring the stab of something in his chest. Maybe it was jealousy. Maybe it was longing. He wasn’t sure–but something about the freedom in MK’s smile made Macaque want to experience it too.
“Absolutely!! Macaque, it’s so much fun. Seriously .” and, as if he was reading Macaque’s mind, he scrambled to his feet–shoving the pile back together with determination. “You should try it too! I think you’d like it. Just let me fix this up…” he took a couple of seconds to do just that, then, when satisfied, he fell back to the side, gesturing for Macaque to follow him.
“A running start is the best way to do it! Especially with a pile this big. It makes it so much better,” he led a hesitant Macaque a few feet away, nearly buzzing with excitement. It confused Macaque–MK wasn’t even the one jumping this time–but he didn’t comment. He just nodded. “You can jump in however you’d like! I don’t like doing face first though, it scares me, and I don’t want to like, break my nose or something. You won’t though! I promise! Do it however you want.” MK rested a hand on Macaque’s shoulder, shaking him lightly before stepping away. “Just go for it!”
Just go for it.
Macaque had always been more on the analytical side of things–but clearly, there wasn’t much thinking that could be done here–but still, what if he did it wrong? What if he jumped wrong? What if the leaves didn’t swirl like they did for MK? What if the leaves knew, as well as anyone, that Macaque was not as purehearted as MK? What if, somehow, they could tell he didn’t deserve it? Anxieties bubbled, and uncertainty settled in. He glanced to the side, catching MK’s eye. MK paused, just for a moment–then smiled. This wasn’t the overeager grin from before–this one was softer, more tender, and it pulled at the dimples dented in his cheeks.
“It’s gonna be fun, Macaque. Trust me.”
Trust him.
Well, Macaque had been doing that a lot lately–why not keep it going? He flashed a sharp smile, and MK pumped a fist in the air. Macaque shot forward, jumping in the air a breath earlier than MK had–taking the extra air time to spin and fling his arms out.
Then, he went crashing into the leaves.
Not only did they fly for him, they felt endless.
It was like a tornado–or perhaps an explosion–some disaster in the form of fluttering leaves and covered vision. All above him, the sky was decorated with browns, greens, and reds–oranges here and there, a glimpse of yellow. The colours spread and twirled, caught in the air as if it were a dance. His heart danced with them, eyes opening wide as the flowers began to descend–and, just as MK had, he reached upwards–his hands found leaf after leaf, careful not to crush them as he caught another, and another, and another.
He didn’t laugh, but the sharp exhale that ricocheted through his chest was close enough to it. It felt something like a dream–the brush of leaves against his cheeks, settling in his fur, smelling of damp earth and crunching like a new season. It was what he envisioned as a ‘perfect autumn afternoon’.
When he crawled out of the pile, MK gave him a knowing smile.
“Wanna go again?”
He didn’t have to answer.
They kept their game up for the next hour or so–taking turns until nearly all of the leaves were crushed–MK laughing each time, Macaque’s own smile irresistible and sweet. When MK jumped and landed with a yelp, they knew it was time to call it quits.
They kept walking together, though.
They spent the entire rest of the day together, MK continuing his journey from leaf to leaf, letting the ones along the trail crunch under his weight. Macaque simply watched, walking idly.
They went to the restaurant together, too. Pigsy served them both, and somehow, MK managed to pay without Macaque realising. Macaque only went on his way home later into the night, having been dragged into movie night and popcorn making. It was nice. Lovely, even, but Macaque’s mind was still caught in the moment from hours before.
The pile, the jump, the trust.
Trust me.
And Macaque had.
He held the leaf tucked in his pocket a little tighter.
………
Meanwhile, in MK’s room, he sat with a bombastic grin on his face. It was so big it hurt, but he knew he wouldn’t be able to quiet it down if he tried. He was smiling at his phone. In his photo library, sitting as the most recent addition–was a photo of Macaque.
Macaque, sitting in the pile of leaves after his first jump. His eyes wide and wondering, his smile soft–but there–and MK could see the way it pulled at the corners of his eyes. He had looked so at peace. The anxiety that was once there was torn away.
He was just happy.
And MK was happy too.
He fell asleep that night with his phone still open, the picture of Macaque glowing in the darkness.
He fell asleep that night with a smile on his face.