Chapter Text
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Megalopolis was noisy. The streets were bathed in nitescent billboards that drowned every breathing beings in artifical light, and crowed of men with piercing laughter passing through narrow streets.
Who would be foolish enough to willingly live in such a hell?
Macaque wondered, for a moment, if he was in the Diyu, perhaps in a hidden floor that nobody has ever seen. Maybe the youths draped in hideous furs with neon T-shirts were man-skinned demons, and the watch-eyed officials were lonely souls tortured for karmic retribution. Honestly, his theory seemed more plausible than the existence of such a city.
Or maybe Macaque was simply a hypersensitive diva who hadn't set foot in a civilized city in over 600 years.
Of course, Macaque quickly brushed aside his second theory, he wasn't exaggerating, thank you very much, humanity was simply becoming the bane of his exsitence.
The warrior entered his building with other theories, each more far-fetched than the last, to explain human decadence (like the scheming scoundrel he was). His apartment was simple, a cramped thing that he had paid out of his own pocket with ancient gold coins that were certainly no longer known. He had a hard time understanding the existence of leases, but fortunately the landlady had been very understanding, and had taken the time to explain the modern wonders invented by human folly. Unfortunately, the macaque had been more intrigued by the red ribbon nicely tied on her head. But could he be blamed? The ribbon swayed in the air like the tail of a serpent, and he couldn't resist. Yes, he'd played with it every time the landlady's back was turned, and, yes, he'd almost stolen it, but, the landlady hadn't noticed, so everything was fine.
As long as he wasn't caught red-handed, he could do whatever he wanted.
The apartment was filled with strange machines that defied the natural order of things. There was a huge metal box with a frozen mouth (he had put his head in it, out of pure curiosity, and had almost locked himself in the icy coffin). White marble basins, and iron snakes vomiting water (Oh how much fun he had changing the temperature of the water, the one who had invented that was a genius!). Strange squares that controlled the lights of the rooms (had men turned into sorcerers? He'd seen posters with children draped in black capes, and long pointed hats, maybe he was in a magical city ruled by magicians…As long as he wasn't forced to wear a pointed hat, this city could even be ruled by magical snails, he wouldn't complain ).
There were quite a few other strange objects, but the monkey wasn't there to satisfy his curiosity (no, no, believe him, he had a very serious reason for coming here).
He came here to get back what was stolen from him.
The monkey sat on the ground and created a portal of shadows with a flick of his hand. He took out an old map which he had acquired before all this unfortunate affair and created a slew of clones with the slippery shadows hidding in the deeper corners of the appatement, and ordered them to comb the city.
" Look in every crack, every crevice! But keep a low profile. I don't want a repeat of last time, yes, I'm looking at you shadow 13" (shadow 13 rolled his eyes and stuck his tongue, why did he have such disobedient clones?)
The clones dived into the dark corners and slipped quietly into the city. They were behind every light panel, under every resident's bed, and in every somber alley coated in pure darkness .
It would only be a matter of time before he would get his property back and leave this damned city.
A month later, he was still there. Macaque was a patient monkey, but if he heard another steel carriage makes this horrible piercing noise, he was going to commit a murder. He was starting to deplete his reserves, living by stealing from convenience stores and discreetly depositing gold coins on the counter was starting to have its limits. He was already hearing rumors about "the ghost of the convenience store." And while the monicker was flattering, he feared the sudden increase in paranormal activity seekers. Every time he saw one, he passed by with his hands in his pockets (nothing suspicious here, just a little innocent monkey crossing the street).
One of his shadows (Shadow 13 to his astonishment) had indeed brought him rumors of a fight between the hero of the city and the Spider Queen (queen apparently in cahoots with a little girl carrying a scent that resembled that of his thief, a scent of ice and wraiths). But otherwise, nothing out of the ordinary.
So he'd spent the whole month researching this famous hero, Monkie Kid. The successor of the Monkey King. Of course, he knew the Great Sage Equal of Heaven (you had to be deaf to have never heard of such a legend, ah, deaf, as if he who had six ears would ever be deaf, he was hilarious !) but he had never met the Great Sage, and MK seemed to be constantly busy these days, impossible to reach.
While he was brooding over his miserable situation, his apartment was seized with violent starts. The macaque stood up in surprise and staggered to a window. He never had time to even reach a wall, a red stick pierced his apartment and a kid dressed in vibrant sun like colors fell into his arms.
Well, it was a way to solve his problems.
"Gods, I'm so sorry! I was so engrossed in the fight, I didn't pay attention! Ah, Monkey King was right, I lack focus!" Stammered the boy.
Macaque set him down and peered into his ruined apartment. The landlady will not be happy about this, he hoped she had one of those "insurances" to repair the damaged place, he secretly sent a clone to warn her about the incident.
"It's okay (it wasn't, but hush) I'm not injured."
"I'm so sorry- the boy finally looked at him, Monkey King?"
"Oh, I get that a lot. No, my name is Macaque, the Six-eared Macaque is..you know.. my full name. Ahem... Monkie Kid, right?"
"How did you know? "
"Not everyone can wield that thing."
The macaque turned to his ruined room.
"I guess I have to clean up. It's going to be quite long, ha, ha, and it's going to be quite hard. And I don't know anyone here... "
MK almost seemed to be boiling under the force of his emotions, he suddenly burst out, and proposed in a guilty tone :
"You can come to my house! "
Macaque turned, deftly hid his sly smile, and put an arm over the boy's shoulders.
"That's really nice. You're saving me, you know."
"yes, this only right considering I ruined your house... I'm just a little scared of Pigsy's reaction."
"Don't worry, bud. You're just helping an unfortunate soul, this Pigsy will surely be okay with that."
"Hmm... Yes maybe. I don't want to make someone homeless afterall. "
"Yes, homeless" (whatever that meant).
He had to admit, the little restaurant owned by this Pigsy was rather charming. A shop filled with delicious smells, adorned with a few sofas and perfectly set tables, lovingly silent ( a paradise for his sensible ears ), and, above all, rather shaded. Macaque followed MK to the counter, he was already cataloging all the dark corners of the place, all the shadows that could come to his aid if he had to fight.
MK called the pig behind the counter in a falsely cheerful voice, Macaque sat down a few seats away from a bespectacle man with an elegant ease, but he was secretly panicking inside, he hadn't had any social interactions in ages.
"Hey, my favorite pig, the best chef in town. "
"What did you do?" The chef retorted with a raised eyebrow.
"What, me, nothing at all- ok, ok, I maybe, unintentionally, destroyed Macaque's house "
"That will be me."
"And I offered to host him?"
"WHAT? MK, you don't even know him! "
"I know, I know, but he doesn't know anyone here! He was going to be on the street!"
Macaque soon lost interest in the conversation, he let MK plead his case and gave the chef a few innocent glances from time to time to arouse his pity. He turned to the bespectacled man, who was hungrily bending over his noodles, and put a claw on his chin. Could he steal that noodle dish without the four-eyes noticing ? Certainly, if he called on a discreet shade (i.e. not number 13) he could gorge himself on noodles for free.
The bespectacled man looked at him for a moment, then moved frantically closer and asked:
"Macaque, right? Like the Six-eared Macaque !?"
"Hmm... The one and only?" The warrior replied nervously.
"Oh my Gods!! MK has brought back a living legend! I have so many questions. To begin with, how were you born? Do you know the Monkey King!? What are your powers? Do you know the other celestial primates!? "
"Tang! Let the guy breathe!" Interrupted the chef, his savior. "He can stay, but it's your responsibility, MK."
"Yes!" The young hero replied cheerfully.
"Here, to apologize for the kid messin' with your home." The chef placed a dish of noodles in front of him.
"Aww Pigsy."
"It will be taken out of your salary, MK."
"Ah."
And as the pig glanced suspiciously at the warrior, Macaque dove into his noodles and decided, in his heart, that from now on the chef deserved all his respect.
These noodles were the salvation of humanity.
After this divine meal, MK dragged the macaque to his room. A rather narrow room lined with posters of the Monkey King, or at least what the macaque assumed to be the Monkey King.
"Uh, voila! Make yourself at home, I suppose."
Macaque rummaged around the room, almots knocking off figurines several times (they were on the edge of the shelf, who could resist? He was just following his instincts) and landed on the bed.
"You love the Monkey King from what I see. "
"Oh yes yes. He's super cool! I love the series! "
"What is a series? "Macaque asked innocently.
MK looked at him as if he were a poor soul who had never tasted joy in his entire life.
"Don't worry, young man, I'll show you the way of the series."
They spent the rest of the day watching a long marathon of Monkey King: The Animated Series. And if Macaque didn't really understand all the jokes, and all the key elements of the script, MK had enough enthusiasm for the both of them. The young hero eventually fell asleep, snuggled up to the monkey, and Macaque panicked slightly. It must have been an eternity since he'd hugged someone.
Over the next few days, Macaque met the hero's other friends. Of course, he was always on the lookout for the slightest information, and asked MK discreet questions about his recent opponents. But he couldn't yet grasp the image of his thief (fickle little bastard).
Mei was... energetic. Macaque may have been mischievous, but he wasn't up to the girl's level. She possessed an incredible cunning, and a vivacity that startled him every time she greeted him. And there, as he watched her fix her bike (as she had named the steel horses after he asked), she still had that little sneaky look on her face.
"So, Mac attack, are you impressed by the strength of this baby?"
He wasn't really enjoying the nicknames.
"I'm just bored, MK has gone to make his deliveries."
"Well, I'm done fixing it, do you want a ride?"
"Why not..."
The monkey rode up behind the girl, curious as to the speed of these iron horses, and put on the helmet generously given. He didn't like the feeling of it, he felt like he was locked in, and even though the intention was cute, he was a mystical monkey, a little fall wouldn't do much to him. But since he was a polite monkey, he wore the helmet without fuss.
Mei made the horse purr, and they sped off along the shining roads of Megalopolis. Macaque screamed and clung violently to the girl (he would ever deny ever having let out such a scream). Mei burst out laughing, and he pinched her hips out of sheer spitefulness. He then finally got over his fright, and looked up. The speed was addictive, the wind flowed through his ebony fur and swept away his worries. Megalopolis became a blurred image, carried away by the whistling breezes that glided over his body.
They returned to the restaurant after an hour or so, when he took off his helmet, Macaque felt his fur fluffing up.
"Ha! You've got a sea urchin head! " She took a picture, "blackmail material" she said with a smile if he dared ask (she had a complete file of his most embarrassing moments, she had confessed to him, once, that she had named it "Macat moments").
"If I teach you how to make an undetectable poison, can you erase it?" The monkey muttered, as he struggled to brush off his flyaways.
"Deal." The dragon girl replied, like the walking menace she was.
And if Macaque saw, in the next few days, the guy who had shamefully shoved the girl, a few weeks prior, having stomach aches, he kept silent.
Sandy, on the other hand, was a soft-hearted demon. And if his tall stature had initially intimidated the macaque, his kindness had quickly reassured him. The monkey hadn't had much interaction with him, but he remembered their conversation in the woods. MK had a particularly devastating hiccup, that day, and the gentle giant had volunteered to go in search of a healing flower. And as the group had begun to worry about the giant's long ride, Macaque had nonchalantly offered to go and get him, since he could go through the shadows, he would be the fastest.
MK had thanked him, something that few people had deigned to do to him (the "thank you" sometimes still floated in his mind).
Sandy had seemed quite... tired. Macaque didn't know exactly what the giant had been through, but he looked exhausted. So, for he was a polite monkey, he had guided him out of the woods.
"Thank you for picking me up, Mr. Makwaque."
"It's Macaque. And you're welcome, the kid was worried."
"You seem to care about MK."
"Nothing special. He's giving me a place to stay, and I have to reciprocate. "
"MK once told me about the times when you carry him to his bed when he falls asleep in front of his TV. "
"I'm a good roommate, that's all. "
"I think MK cares about you. "
"… I don't know."
"Oh, you want some tea? I think I still have some left."
The macaque had taken a sip of the drink, the floral air had immediately soothed his capricious throat. They had spent the rest of the walk talking about tea, and, astonishingly enough, the monkey had not been bored.
Pigsy and Tang were a peculiar couple. The macaque had of course noticed the romantic tension that floated with each of their interactions, and he didn't understand why no one deigned to talk about it. Were they all blind? Or did they just leave the two lovebirds alone because they didn't want to tire themselves with their romantic life ?
Macaque still hadn't given up on his plan to steal Tang's noodles, even though he could ask for his own noodles, he found the idea of the flight more amusing ( And the noodles would be more delicious if they weren't his). But the scholar did not let this happen, even when distracted by his stories, he kept his hand steady on his bowl. He looked like a dragon protecting his hoard, ready to bite if the monkey approached.
Pigsy was harder to approach. The pig didn't trust him yet, even if he seemed to have softened after he replaced MK at his job one day when the hero was busy fighting yet another enemy. The monkey rarely spoke to him, but he didn't ignore him either when the pig needed help. After all, as you already know, he was a polite monkey.
Macaque certainly had more social interactions these two months than in his entire life. He had always been very solitary, constantly travelling between kingdoms and distant lands, without ever becoming attached. And he had to admit, he was slightly terrified by the growing affection that florished in him every time he spoke to the young hero. MK was a sweet boy, sometimes strange, but he was very accommodating, a ray of sunshine. Macaque sometimes felt caught up in his goodness, almost burned by the vibrancy of his soul.
So when the young boy collapsed in bed after a hard day's work ( Completely drained by his strange adventure, the macaque should surely have listened instead of laughing at the tribulations of Pigsy, who, that day, was being judged by Tang ), The warrior offered him some awkward comfort.
"Hey, how's it going? "It was probably the worst way to start a discussion, he blamed it on his lack of social interactions.
"I am... tired.
The Macaque landed on the edge of the bed and played with the tips of his claws, before murmuring:
"Do you want to talk about it? "
"… "
"Come on, you know you can tell your best roommate anything."
The boy laughed, straightened up and turned to the monkey.
" I feel like I'm not good enough, I'm just a noodle delivery guy. "
"Hey, don't be so hard on yourself. "
"But, if she ever-... If a powerful enemy ever appears, I'll never be up to the task."
"Did you talk with the Monkey King about that?
"He's not here and I don't want to disturb him."
"Hmm... If you ask me, I think you're already a good hero. "
"You're saying this to make me smile. "
"No, I assure you. You're still young, and it's amazing how much you can already do. I think you'll do great things in the future, and you're already saving a lot of people. You saved this unfortunate monkey from sleeping in the street." The macaque added, playfully, as he pressed himself against the boy's shoulder.
MK laughed and squeezed the warrior back.
"Even though I was the one who almost threw you out on the street."
"Details, details, it's all about perspective."
"Thank you, Macaque."
The boy rested his head on the monkey's shoulder, Macaque tensed for a moment, before relaxing.
"You're welcome, big boy."
It is true that, perhaps the macaque had slightly forgotten his original goal. All these encounters, and these tender moments, had somewhat overshadowed his purpose.
So the day when, after deciding to decline the group's invitation (they were going to train in the desert bordering the city), he felt violent tremors shake Megalopolis, he was particularly surprised. Something had appeared in the desert, something big, and threatening.
"Oh, oh, so it was you, the rat hanging around my Lady."
He recognized that insufferable voice, the thief. The macaque turned furiously to face the glassy-eyed man.
"Where is my lantern, you thief!"
"You should be honored, my Lady had given your old lantern a much more noble purpose."
"Spare me your chatter. I'm here for my lantern, nothing more. If I have to fight, I will do so."
"Give it a try if you can."
Macaque threw himself at the thief. He was furious, overwhelmed by the desesperation of getting his belongin back. Oh, this man would regret underestimating him, no one sang his legend, but he wasn't weak. He crept into the shadows, elusive, and struck with the force of a storm. He easily predicted the onslaught of his enemies, listening carefully to the way they moved, and always aimed at the most sensitive spots.
The thief gave him a few painful blows, but he was much more battered than the macaque. The warrior was smiling, his fangs painted with drops of scarlet, the very same that were gliding over the man's skin. But just as he was about to deliver the fatal blow, he heard a distant whisper "please no, don't do this".
He'd never heard MK so desperate, on the verge of tears. The macaque froze, torn between two distinct desires, before growling ferociously at the thief and leaving to join his, no, the kid.
He saw a gigantic machine rise in the desert, and at its top a little girl with the aura of a witch. An icy smell assailed his nostrils, this woman must have been the thief's "lady", she had the same pugent scent as him, surely the strategist behind the robbery. And even though he wanted to fight her (she who had dared to steal from him), he had to admit that her power was... intimidating, and he was usually one to avoid such violent confrontation, preferring the coldness of shadows over the warmth of blood.
He quenched his urging desire to search for his lantern ( and maybe order the wraith to give it back ), and slipped onto the ship flying away from the machine.
Pigsy, Tang, Mei and Sandy were on board, tired and quite panicked. Macaque quickly looked around, but he didn't see MK.
He heard the hiss of a cloud pierce the air, and stretched out his arms without even realizing it.
MK and a monkey (presumably the Monkey King) fell into the crook of his arms. He offered the boy a slight smile, before turning to the Great Sage.
Sun Wukong looked at him, eyes wide, mouth gaping and cheeks flushed. He looked completely disoriented.
Macaque sneered for a moment, and then whispered:
"Are you okay, big boy?"