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Macaque hated the cold and everything that came with it. Snow, cold water, strong wind and ice were his greatest enemies, to which he swore hatred towards the grave board. This was quite ironic considering that his aversion to the previously mentioned ones was caused by his death. The monkey demon still felt phantom icy chains holding him in place, freezing him with the force of a thousand winters whenever he tried to move. Destiny rescued him from this prison, or at least that's what Lady Bone Demon thought, as she wanted to have such a powerful pawn in her party who would be indebted to her for life. Macaque was no Monkie King, but he was one of the few people in the world who could keep up with him for a while, plus he had a desire for revenge on Wukong, which made him the best candidate for LBD. Despite his apparent freedom, Macaque still felt the cold blast of death on his back, fueled by his master's threats. The last thing that led to his hatred of cold and its accompanying phenomena was his possession by LBD, when every cell of his body was frozen with real ice flowing through his veins, slowly turning him into an ice sculpture, with only one goal - to serve his queen.
Fortunately, the Samadhi fire was strong enough to rid both the demon's presence from his head and the cursed ice from his body. Unfortunately, the monkey no longer had a normal body temperature since then, as the possession and LBD ice had permanently messed with his system, causing him to feel cold most of the time, something he despised with all his heart. The ray of his hope was his former friend, enemy and now again friend, Sun Wukong, whose body was as warm as a small stove, something Macaque was slowly no longer ashamed to use.
The first time he realized that Wukong radiated a pleasant warmth was when they were watching a movie together in the king's house. Something that Mk recommended, but Macaque couldn't concentrate for a long part of the movie, feeling the icy cold contrasting with the heat of the other demon. Slowly, piece by piece, at a speed slower than a snail, the demon moved towards the king, to whom he was almost cuddled at the end of the film. Wukong didn't seem to notice because he didn't do anything other than a slight flinch, and Macaque proudly adjusted himself more comfortably. Then he was surprised by Wukong's warm arms that wrapped around him, pulling him closer.
Macaque was shocked and his first instinct was to freeze, wanting to immediately teleport to his apartment, hide in his nest and never come out. Only after some time did he relax enough to fully enjoy the king's company and warmth. From then on, the demon increasingly looked for reasons to be close to his former enemy, which never seemed to bother the other. Somewhere between spontaneous sessions of cuddling and spending time together, the two decided to try to rebuild their damaged relationship and to build it on trust, the importance of which Sandy, their supportive friend and somewhat therapist, had been repeating throughout their therapy. Since both monkeys refused to open up to a stranger, and they already knew the blue giant well enough to give him this small loan of trust, he became their private therapist. One day, as an exercise in their session, Sandy asked them to describe how they saw their partner through senses other than sight.
"What do you mean?" Wukong asked confused.
“Tell me if there is a smell that makes you immediately think of Mr. Macaque, or a material that brings back positive memories when touched, or a sound that makes you think of him.” He tried to calmly explain their task the river demon, asking the black demon to start the exercise as he seemed to understand the task better.
At first Macaque was silent, not knowing what he should say. He had no idea what Sandy meant and huffed in irritation, swinging his tail aggressively. Six-Eared reluctantly closed his eye, trying to imagine what the blue giant was saying. The demon knew Wukong's scent by heart and was able to sniff it out in the memory scroll before landing on the correct memory. Hearing? The warm laughter of the monkey king, his firm and rhythmic heartbeat were the sounds that made Macaque feel like getting up in the morning. Wukong's fur was no longer as smooth and silky as it had been in their youth, but it was still quite pleasant to the touch as the black monkey searched it for insects and dirt. The demon decided not to share what flavor he associated with Wukong, at least not in the company of a friendly giant. The warrior, full of uncertainty, opened his eye, organizing his thoughts and planning what he wanted to say.
“Wukong... always reminded me of the sun that illuminated everything in its reach. He is also always pleasantly warm, like sitting by a burning fireplace, warming the body and soul. Wukong is warmth, the smell of juicy fruit, especially peaches, and the smell of grass mown at the beginning of summer. His heartbeat is the most sophisticated melody for me, which even in the most difficult moments sounds with great strength, giving hope and motivation." Macaque confessed thoughtfully, choosing his words carefully and avoiding looking directly at his partner.
"Excellent! Mr. Monkie King, now it's your turn.” Sandy said after praising the monkey demon while the golden monkey remained shocked by his partner's statement.
“For me it's completely different. I associate Macaque with a cool wind from the sea at night and a cold breeze on a hot day. This makes him the best for cuddling, I never feel too warm. He smells of jasmine and the first flowers growing in spring, and he uses such washing powders very often, so later I can smell his scent on my clothes, even those he didn't wear. I love his voice, especially when he starts telling a story and starts to get into it, I love hearing the joy and contentment, excitement and thoughtfulness in his voice and no matter what he's talking about, I just like hearing it. I love how we lie snuggled together and Macaque is completely relaxed, dozing off in my arms.” even though Wukong had to think longer than his partner, he decided to answer just as honestly.
"Excellent. It's obvious that you have different feelings, because each of you looks at this relationship differently, putting no less feelings and work into it. Your reference to temperatures is also a perfect example of how you can complement each other even unconsciously, allowing your relationship to develop. I also see great progress in communication between you two.” the smiling giant announced as Macaque petted Mo and Wukong waited for his peach tea to cool completely.
“I can't stand the cold, so I'm curious why you think it's a positive thing?” the black demon asked his partner.
“The Samadhi fire is one of the few things in this world that can harm me. Every heat or fire reminds me of it and how many mistakes I made then, those that could have led to the end of the world or the death of my friends. The fire and heat also remind me of Laozi's furnace.” the monkey king explained reluctantly, finally tasting the brew prepared by their blue friend who was silently sipping his own tea.
Macaque almost immediately understood what Wukong was talking about and what the high temperature meant to him. The golden monkey's reasons were similar in their own way to his own reluctance, and yet remained completely different.
“The coldness reminds me of LBD and death.” Macaque said quietly, gaining Wukong's attention, who immediately wrapped his arms around his partner.
“Hey, as long as I'm here you don't have to worry about the cold.” Monkie King promised, nuzzling his face against his neck.
“And you about the heat.” the black demon added, curling their tails together, feeling the familiar warmth of his lover and ignoring the soft 'aww' coming from Sandy.
Together they could overcome all difficulties, even ice and fire.