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Wukong hated winter.
Almost to the point where he despised it.
No, no, it wasn’t the fact that it even made the Monkey King shiver, but also to the fact that everywhere he walked, he would feel his foot sink into the layers of snow before pulling it out again. Not to the mention the icicles that had started to form from the outside of his hut.
Wukong grumbled softly to himself, letting out a frosty breath escape from him as he headed back to his hut, where it was warm and safe, and wasn’t overflowed with annoying snowy-floor… thingies. Wow, he was so grumpy about this whole ordeal, that he couldn’t even think of a insult for snow.
It didn’t usually snow in Flower Fruit Mountain, since the paradisiacal mountain was mostly all sunshine and rainbows nearly everyday, but he guessed even Flower Fruit Mountain couldn’t fight again the cold season.
When he shut the door behind him, he heard an annoyed grunt from the kitchen. “You back now, Wukong?“
Wukong bit back a instinctual chirp of surprise. He didn’t think he would be so out of it that he forgot Macaque was here now.
Ever since the scroll incident, things have been… complicated between them to say the least. Wukong would never forget the way Macaque had silently smiled down at him in the scroll. A genuine smile. A smile that he hasn’t given Wukong in over a millennia.
A smile that said so many things at once, but only one simple thing: Forgiveness.
And back at the beach… Wukong had started to bicker with Macaque, but only to realize they weren’t doing that anymore when Macaque didn’t argue back. They didn’t have to be like that anymore. They could just be… them. Not over the false masks, pretending to hate each other to the rest of the world.
And now, under all those masks, they could just make things better than they were, living together.
Wukong cleared his throat awkwardly as he face-planted onto the couch. “Y-Yeah, I’m back. Can’t stand the cold.”
He could’ve sworn he heard Macaque let out an amused snort.
Wukong mumbled softly, grasping onto the pillow, clinging to the warmth while it still lasted.
”So let me get this straight,” Macaque said, a hint of a teasing tone, “The great Monkey King, Great Sage, Equal to Heaven, can’t handle a little shiver?”
Wukong scoffed, lifting his head up to meet the eyes of the ebony monkey, who was leaning against the wall. “Oh, like you’re so much bett—!”
He immediately stopped at the sight of Macaque.
Oh.
Now, Macaque was always the more thick-furred between the two of them, that much was obvious, but for some reason, the sight of Macaque’s fur now…
It fluffed up.
It was taking all of Wukong’s energy to not leap forward and tackle Macaque to cuddle him. No, no, no! Bad Wukong! They haven’t reached that stage yet in the healing process or… whatever! But… He couldn’t help but get a sense of de ja vu of when he first met Macaque when they were younger.
”What?“ Macaque’s annoyed grunt shook Wukong quickly out of his daze.
A moment of silence, and Wukong kept staring.
“Are you gonna keep staring at me or are you actually gonna—!”
“Why are you fluffy?”
Macaque nearly choked, taking a step back. “I beg your fucking pardon?!”
Wukong immediately took out a hair, quickly transforming it into a hand-held mirror to show it to Macaque.
Macaque stared a long moment at his reflection, his confusion evident, but hesitantly muttering, “…Huh.”
Wukong couldn’t help himself anymore, before pointing a claw at Macaque. “Cuddles. Now,” he demanded, speaking as if it was a command as the Monkey King.
But Macaque just stared at him as if he’d just sprouted wings. “Hell no.”
Annnddd that was when the chase pursued.
Macaque was sprinting, trying to avoid Wukong’s direction frantically.
”CUDDLES! NOW!”
”GO CUDDLE YOURSELF OR SOMETHING!”
When Macaque had reached a corner of the hut, he glanced behind him over at Wukong, wiggling his fingers like the menace he was.
Quickly, Macaque then dropped himself into a shadow portal, disappearing from Wukong’s signt.
Unfortunately for Wukong, though, he wasn’t fast enough and bonked his head into the wall, and rubbed his forehead with a groan.
Wukong tried to think as he stood up. Macaque wouldn’t just leave the hut just to avoid Wukong from cuddling him, he was sure. He wasn’t that petty. But then, where could he be? All Wukong wanted to do was touch his soft fur…
Wukong suddenly spotted some movement from his window, and could see a glimpse of Macaque running fast through the snow outside, even if slowed by the thick layers of snow.
Oh, that little—
On one hand, Wukong despised the snow and cold with a burning passion. But on the other… cuddles.
Wukong threw away any self-restraint he had and burst out the door, immediately flinching at the burst of the chilling air.
Without wasting any time, he rushed over, trying to go as fast as he could to Macaque, despite the thick layers of snow.
“Go find a blanket or something!” hissed Macaque, who seemed to have the same trouble with running through the snow.
“Why would I when you are right here?!” Wukong yelled after him.
Wukong couldn’t help but feel another heart-warming nostalgic sense of da ja vu, of where they were younger, and would sometimes play tag with each other.
The Monkey King spotted Macaque tried to dodge away, and they ran deeper and deeper into the snow-filled mountain, but Wukong wasn’t that easy to give up on his chase, and had to leap over a fallen log to avoid tripping.
Unluckily for him, though, that still seemed to be the case when he lost his footing in the snow and and fell, unfortunately crashing into Macaque.
And to make things worse, they were rolling down a hill.
The two monkeys couldn’t do anything but hold on tight to each other as they slid down the hill, snow ruffling up their pelts.
Despite Wukong being seven times immortal, Macaque unfortunately wasn’t as much as immortal as Wukong. Knowing this fact in his mind, couldn’t help but clutch tightly onto Macaque as they rolled over. Was Wukong being a bit protective of his best-friend-to-enemy-to-semi-friend again? Maybe. Would Macaque probably screech his ears off that he didn’t need protection? Most likely.
Hopefully Macaque wouldn’t notice so much when they had finally collapsed onto a snowy ground.
Seizing his chance, Wukong quickly playfully pinned down Macaque, and nuzzled his cheek against Macaque’s fluffy fur. And oh wow, it was like a pillow. Wukong was almost on the edge of casting a spell so he would forever be glued to Macaque. (Although, would be kinda hard when he had to train Mk.)
Macaque let out a groan, his nose scrunching in bewilderment, but, Wukong could of sworn he saw Macaque’s expression soften a bit at Wukong’s touch. “You’re impossible,” he muttered.
“And you’re soft,” Wukong retorted back, nuzzling his cheek as Wukong’s tail started to wag happily.
Okay, so maybe winter wasn’t all that bad.