Chapter Text
Azure roars as he launches himself again towards the defenseless monk, trying to snag a small bite of him to finally gain the immortality needed to take down the jade emperor and rebuild the world anew. Unfortunately he was met with a swift strike to the face which flung him towards a Rocky Mountain, the hit so hard he left an outline of his form ingrained into the wall.
Tripitaka almost falls back from the sheer force of the wind Wukong produced when he flung the enemy “MONKEY BE CAREFUL!” He shouts as he tries to stabilize himself from the wind shock of the blow. Wukong rolls his eyes, decides that later he’s going to say something about his master’s usual ungrateful behavior on protecting him because he’s sorta busy now, and leaves the monk gasping again as he rushes towards the lion who was already on his feet leaving a small dent from where he stood.
Tripitaka really tries to be more patient but even he couldn’t help but roll his eyes at Wukong. Still, he retreats back to a more safe distance from the vigorous fighting going on. Sha Wujing was keeping at bay golden yellow tusk and Bajie and Ao Lie were fighting Peng, avoiding the many attacks the bird threw and countering them with their own attacks.
He sits down near a tree and merely watches as Azure and Wukong battled it out. Wukong was always a strong fighter but sometimes he has a tendency to not take a fight too seriously. This was starting to become one of those times as Wukong playfully zips around Azure’s larger frame at speeds that were almost impossible to see with the naked eye “just stay still you backstabbing chimp!!” Azure says as his large sword swings but keeps missing by a hair.
Wukong laughs loudly as he does a flip and smacks Azure on his head sharply, making the lion see black for a second as his vision blurs from the pain. He recovers quickly again and goes to stab right through the monkey, who of course, manages to dodge him and smacks his sword out of his hands with ease. The sword lands far away from the two and Azure could feel his panic rise even more as Wukong’s eyes start glowing golden, shining bright out of his sockets.
The elephant notices this as well, even being held back by Wujing and shouts to Peng who managed to knock down Bajie and Ao Lie, “brother!! We have to retreat!!” Golden tusk shouts as he pushes away the sea ogre.
Azure growls wanting to keep fighting but knew at this point it was a losing battle. Peng rolls their eyes but does comply with retreating as they take to the skies, far away enough so the dragon can’t follow their trail. Golden tusk and Azure also manage to slip away, running off and disappearing in a flash of light. Wukong would have tailed after them if not for his master calling him, “Wukong leave them be! They’ve retreated so there’s no reason to antagonize them further.” The monk says as he walks towards his fellow pilgrims with not a single scratch from the fight.
The same could not be said for the others as small cuts and bruises littered their skin but it was nothing they couldn’t handle. Wukong groans as he throws his staff over his shoulder and eyes Tripitaka “why even let them go master? They’re just gonna come back and try even harder to eat you.”
The monk shakes his head “well then next time we’ll just try harder to subdue them-“
“Think you mean me. No offense master but you’re not exactly fighting off super powered demons left and right are you?” Wukong scoffs, his annoyance brimming but soon dissipates as his master flinches and looks downcast, “y-yes. But the point is, you all shouldn’t resort to mindless violence against your opponents. If there’s a peaceful alternative, for instance instead of killing them you should instead subdue them by tying them up or taking away their weapons so they will be at a disadvantage, then you should take that route instead!”
Ao Lie and Wujing obediently nod their heads, more than content with not killing their opponents at all. Zhu Bajie scratches the back of his head and gives a side eye to the still annoyed monkey, “Maybe you should be telling that more to Wukong, master. He’s usually the one who goes too far-“
“You shut it piglet!” Wukong shouts as he grabs a fistful of Pigsy’s shirt and menacingly lifts up a fist.
“Ahhhh! Brother you shouldn’t be so violent!”
“Enough!” The monk shouts over the two squabbling brothers. Tripitaka quickly breathes in and out to gain a sense of control over himself. He can usually keep a cool head but even he can have his limits with patience, especially during small petty fights his disciples have, “knock it off. There’s no reason to argue, the fight is over and we can continue our journey. Let’s grab our things and move on.”
Wujing, Ao Lie and Bajie made their way to a tree where they hid their gear for the fight. The prince transforms into his horse form so they can put the monk’s luggage on him. Meanwhile, Tripitaka notices Wukong was still seething, his fists clenched and his eyes narrowed at the ground.
Suddenly he flinched as he felt a warm hand underneath his chin, delicate fingers tilting his head upward slightly and making eye contact with deep rich brown eyes, “Wukong? Are you alright?”
Ignoring the small flips his heart is doing now, he turns away mumbling “I’m not hurt master.”
However the other shakes his head “no you aren’t but you’re clearly upset. Did you want to talk about it?” He knew what the problem was but hearing it from the monkey himself would cement if that was the issue.
Wukong gnashes his teeth and swivels his head back to him, “master I just think it would be more beneficial to you, if we put down the brotherhood for good. They’re obviously going to come back and try again to eat you, I know them!” Past demons before them were usually easier to handle since they wouldn’t try again to eat Tripitaka since they were so frightened of Wukong and the others, or because of the rare chance that Wukong could kill them but his old brothers were strong, and even worse stubborn, so this would not be the last time they saw them. While he was more than capable of handling Azure, the other two would be a hassle to deal with should they decide to attack Wukong as well.
“Be that as it may, we shouldn’t resort to violence so callously my disciple. Perhaps the next time they come we can ask Guan Yin to help restrain them? In fact I’ll do it the next time I meditate!” He says, his eyes gaining a spark of determination.
Wukong sighs, realizing that there is nothing he can do to change his mind. Flicking his tail in defeat he slumps a bit, “fine…maybe she can help. I just-I-“
He quickly shuts himself up, almost spilling the beans on how worried he was on Tripitaka’s behalf. Despite how they started off on this journey, bickering almost every step of the way and being wary of each other, they’ve grown closer throughout their trip. They banter, laugh and talk with one another as if they’ve known one another since forever. However something strange happened along the way to the monkey king. Throughout the trials and tribulations he faced whenever his master had gotten kidnapped, he felt this surge of more panic than usual. An urgency coursing through his veins that made him get tunnel vision and only wanting to focus on finding Tripitaka no matter the cost. The feeling of relief he gets whenever his master is returned safe and sound with no injury is indescribable…
But due to his pride he doesn’t say any of that. Instead he shakes his head and closes his eyes, ridding the mushy thoughts, “never mind master.”
The monk could tell something was amiss with him but knew when not to push. He gently smiles and closes the gap between himself and Wukong, so now he stood more closer in front of him and gently strokes his cheek with his hand that wasn’t holding his staff “I know there is something else on your mind but I won’t inquire you further since I don’t want to cause you any discomfort. But please let me know if you ever want to tell me something. Okay?”
There it is again, that damn thumping his heart does whenever his master, well, exists and does things that cause his face to feel warm and his head fuzzy! Usually his master wasn’t the most fond of touch but lately he’s been a bit more open! It’s actually criminal to Wukong how fast his annoyance faded into nothing, replaced with butterflies in his stomach. His tail wagged a little, something Tripitaka noticed and giggled at how cute he was.
“Ahem!” A cough makes the two jump back from each other. Both turn to see it was from Zhu Bajie who was holding Ao Lie’s reins in a hand and held it out for Tripitaka to take “everything is ready master!” He says, a playful teasing smirk directed at his older brother, Wukong, made the monkey’s fur bristle as he knew he was in for a world of teasing as soon as the monk was out of earshot.
Tripitaka nods, “oh thank you Bajie! Let us continue our journey.”
And sure enough as Wujing and Tripitaka walked on ahead, Bajie stayed behind walking alongside the king who lazily drifted on his cloud “sooooooo-“ Wukong could already feel his head throb and not from the headband currently sitting on his head, “-you and our master huh?” His tone was very teasing and knowing as Wukong huffs.
“I have no idea what you’re referring to Pigsy. All we were doing was talking about, ya know, what happened.” Wukong says as he sits crossed legged on his cloud to regard the chubby pig demon.
Pigsy laughs at him, unable to help himself with getting back at Wukong for all the times he bullied him, “oh c'mon now brother you really expect me to believe that pile of rubbish? You two looked as though you were about to lock lips!” The pig says as his belly jiggles from how much he was laughing.
Wukong grits his teeth and reaches over to grab Pigsy’s shoulder, making the swine wince and squeal from the tight grip “shut it piglet! Or else I’m going to turn you into a pork chop for Ao Lie to eat!”
Pigsy’s tantrum was so loud it caught the other’s attention. Tripitaka stops the dragon horse, “Wukong!? Put down your brother, don't be mean to him!”
Wukong scowls, “but master he started it!”
Tripitaka wags a finger at him like a scolding mother “now I don’t want to hear it, just please put him down okay Wukong?” And he really couldn’t deny his master because-
- He’s the disciple so he has to.
- That stern but soft voice really mellowed him out.
He pushes Pigsy away, letting the demon fall onto the ground with another squeak “fine whatever.”
Tripitaka smiles serenely “thank you.” And swiftly clicks his reins so Ao Lie can keep moving forward with a neigh. Pigsy, despite almost crying from terror, still manages a cocky smile even if he is currently flat on his back, “ooooooo!” He says cheekily “you’ve got it bad!”
“Piglet I swear I’m going to-“
“Wukong! Bajie! Hurry along you guys, it's almost sundown!” Wujing shouts to them. The monkey rolls his eyes and jumps down from his cloud to help his brother up. Pigsy takes his hand and smiles ruefully at him. Wukong silences him with a single glare that would have disintegrated Pigsy if he had the ability to.
Pigsy gulps, realizing that maybe he should stop his teasing now, ‘ message received .’
The two catch up with the others and the group continue their route with no more attacks, which was a blessing considering how tired they were from the battle that lasted hours. However it was obvious that they would have to reside outdoors tonight as there seem to be no signs of any inns or villages that could take them in, so they decided to set up camp near a river. Wujing and Wukong get to work setting up their tents as their master meditates and Ao burns up firewood. Wukong sighs as he dusts off his clothes from debris and his eyes catch sight of his pig companion, snoring away underneath a tree right near Tripitaka who was currently meditating.
Wukong guffaws and stomps over to the pig, being careful to not interrupt his master and pushes him off his restful position against the tree. Bajie coughs in surprise and looks up at the frowning monkey “hey! What’s the big idea brother!?”
“Why are you doing nothing!? Me, Ao Lie and Wujing are working our butts off and you’re here lazing around!”
Pigsy shakes his head “actually I am doing something brother! I am currently trying to stand guard for our dear master!” He says as he gestures to the monk.
“Hah that’s a load of crap! You just want an excuse to get some sleep!”
“Well brother I-!”
“Will you two be quiet please? I am trying to meditate.” Tripitaka says as he peeks an eye open to glance at them. Wukong growls and points at Pigsy “master he’s not doing any work! Me and the others are setting up but he’s not putting in any effort!”
The monk sighs exasperated and opens both eyes “he said he would be standing guard to protect me-“
“Standing guard while sleeping!? Master it’s so obvious he’s just making up excuses to sleep and you’re letting him!” Wukong snaps back at the monk.
“Please calm down monkey-“
“Master, how am I supposed to be calm when you’re letting him get away with things!?”
Bajie gulps as Wukong glares at him, red peeking through and making him look more demonic.
Tripitaka puts a hand on his shoulder but Wukong shrugs it off “master it’s true! How come I’m punished when I try to protect you, but Pigsy here can harass women, laze about like a lug and complain about how tired he is and you don’t even bat an eye!?”
By this point the other pilgrims awkwardly look away from them, unsure whether or not they should intervene with this spat.
Tripitaka rubs his forehead, “Wukong, Pigsy hasn’t necessarily murdered anyone in our midst. I can't exactly put being lazy and murder in the same category.” He says sternly but Wukong still hasn't finished “okay but you’re telling me being a pervert towards women isn’t at least deserving of punishment!?” He shouts, stepping right in front of Tripitaka so he can be face to face with him.
Well since he was slightly taller it was more like he was leering down at him. Tripitaka returns his energy however by getting close to his face as well, “I do reprimand him afterwards! Bajie is also reprimanded by those same women so I see no reason to punish him further!”
To Wukong it still wasn’t a good reason “a measly slap on the wrist isn’t enough! He’s still going to try it again if he isn’t punished more!”
Pigsy oinks loudly “I’ve gotten better haven’t I!?”
“Hah hardly! You still complain and whine every time you have to do something of work!! I swear if my master wasn’t here I’d have turned you into a gourmet meal by now!”
“Wukong, Bajie please, that's enough!”
At their master's raised voice that seemed to echo around the woods, both demons snapped their mouths shut, “you both have been making great strides in improving yourselves and I understand that perhaps we are not in a right state of mind because of recent dangers, so I cannot fault you for feeling…overwhelmed. Yet even so, Bajie hasn’t murdered and his acts of degeneracy-“
“Hey!”
“Have been met with retribution from those same women thus far, so I do not think more punishment is needed. Besides he does have a point, he has gotten better, to a degree. The same as you.”
“He’s still lazy!”
Tripitaka knew this would only be a repeated cycle if this continues but he does know what could soothe his dearest disciple. Turning to Bajie with a soft smile he says “very well then, why don’t you go forage for food to take with us on our journey? Our food supply is running low so some fresh fruits and vegetables will be very useful.”
Wukong, while still very irritated with Bajie and to a degree his master as well, could feel a teeny bit satisfied with putting Bajie to do something.
The piglet however whines which of course grated Wukong’s ears “b-but master! I-I am still feeling a bit tired from the battle-“
“So are we!”
“Bajie please-“ Tripitaka says this in a more tired and exhausted tone, obvious that his patience was wearing a tad thin from today “we need supplies and I do see that everyone else is pitching in for something and I know you are technically doing your part in guarding me-“ Wukong groans loudly but the monk ignore him for now “but because of your insatiable appetite we run low on food quickly. So please could you go search for more?”
Bajie sighs as he scratches the back of his head and realizes that maybe he has been a little lazy…besides he does get peckish during the journey so it does seem fair he goes to look for more.
But only a little.
“Okay master I’ll get to it.”
Tripitaka nods “thank you. Now I shall get back to meditating okay?”
Wukong watches Pigsy’s figure disappear in the tall trees that surrounded them, still not buying that the pig was actually going to do something useful. So with that he clears his throat and signals for Ao Lie to come closer.
The dragon horse walks over “what’s up?” He asks that still dopey smile on his face.
Wukong gestures to the woods “just gonna go help Bajie okay? That pig still seems like he’s going to go off and just get sleepy again.”
Ao Lie wanted to defend his brother pig but knew it would probably backfire so he merely says “okay got it!” And mock salutes him.
Wukong smiles at him and immediately gives chase, following behind Bajie who was none the wiser. Much to his surprise his pig brother was actually gathering a good amount of food. Fruits and vegetables were being stored away into his pack for later. Just as he predicted however, Bajie couldn’t help himself and at some point instead of saving the food he starts to scarf down the ones he’s picking. Wukong pops out of his hiding place “BAJIE!” He shouts.
“Gahhhh!!! B- Wukong!?”
“I knew it! Your gluttonous self couldn’t just not eat right!?”
“I’m sorry brother-! I just get so hungry looking at all the food I packed I unintentionally started eating!”
“Ugh why do you do this Bajie!?” Wukong says. Usually he’d be more calm, more reserved ever since he’s been under Tripitaka’s control but he’s more upset and angry now with being unable to get rid of the brotherhood and Pigsy’s laziness. Even though he’s much better at not resorting to violence even he gets a tad high strung and eager to bash a head or two in with his staff.
Bajie is tempting him with doing just that. Wukong grins at the pig “heya Bajie-“ he winks as Pigsy gulps “think fast!” And with some restraint (hey even though his brother annoys him he’s still his friend…somewhat) he bonks him on the head. Instantly he clutches his head and begins to have tears sprout at the corner of his eyes “owww!! That hurt!!”
Wukong could feel his rage grow a bit subdued at the sad state of his pig brother. Gaining a sense of mercy really made him a tad softer “please I didn’t even hit ya that hard Bajie.”
Bajie points accusingly at him “yes you did! Now my head is hurting!”
Wukong grabs the lapels of his shirt and brings him close to snarl in his face “listen Bajie, I’ve been as patient as I can be with you during our journey. But man oh man…you really wear a guy down. I really need to take out some anger too…so how about this? After dark when everyone is sleeping- you and I have a little one on one? After all, gotta keep those fighting techniques sharp right?”
Pigsy visibly pales as he recalls past duels and sparring matches against Wukong. While he and the other are strong contenders they clearly aren’t going to beat Wukong any time soon, which did please Wukong as he can boast his strength (though did learn to tone it down via his master’s request)
Bajie whined again “noooo c’mon Wukong we both know you’re gonna win anyway!” Which, while did annoy Bajie that he can’t win against the eldest, he would rather keep the bruises to a minimum at least!
“True, true…but! You keep whining like a little piglet and taking out some aggression sounds fine to me! Besides! It’s more like training!”
He could technically tell on Wukong but decided that maybe that could be a bad idea with how angry the monkey might get if he gets in even more trouble with his very obvious crush.
Bajie held back his tears and merely said “okay…”
Wukong grins in satisfaction and jumps up to quickly grab himself a peach. Taking a bite from it he looks around “so how about I help you so you don’t eat our supplies okay?”
The two then as quickly as possible gather the rest of the food the team would need, even gathering extra for Bajie. Once done they make their way back to the campsite where Wujing was just about to start cooking up some supper “heya guys! Dinner will be served soon! Tonight we’re having some good ol’ vegetarian stew!”
Wukong gives a small purr of delight as he and Bajie put down the now full bags of fruit on the ground “perfect. Thank you brother.” While he was still a tad angry and nervous he can at least take solace in the fact that the second eldest was at least competent at cooking.
Wujing nods and shouts for their master and Ao Lie to join them. Tripitaka thanks them for their bountiful supplies and they all settle down in a small circle to have some of the old fruit in their packs to make room for the fresher ones. Wukong croons at how close the monk was sitting next to him, their thighs pressed against each other.
Tripitaka turns to him, smiling at the rather cute noise “I had no idea you could make a sound like that.”
Wukong snaps out of it but doesn’t respond and instead crosses his arms in annoyance as his master laughs at his antics. While there was some tension in the air with the threat of the brotherhood looming over them, they still carried pleasant conversation as they waited and snacked. Wukong telling his stories from his mountain days, Ao Lie chiming in with his princely duties he has to maintain, Wujing talking about his ocean life and Bajie telling tall tales of wooing women of all kinds (Which Wukong debunked and laughed at.)
That is until the dragon horse prince clears his throat and turns to Tripitaka “hey master?” A soft hum from the monk makes him continue “I have a…a question I need to ask of you. I need some advice on a problem I have.” Before he could answer, Ao Lie continued, “oh! It’s not really about my horse eating or my dragon soaking tendencies!” He gulps as he looks down, suddenly feeling nervous.
Tripitaka’s eyes widen but his shock is replaced with enthusiasm and he smiles gently at him, ready to tell him that he could tell him anything at all when Wukong huffs from his other side, “psh, you have problems?” He asks with a raised brow.
Ao Lie bashfully nods “ehhh yeah! I don’t really wanna say in front of you guys cause it’s kinda private but-“
Wukong laughs “you mean to tell me that the prince of the dragon sea has actual issues? What are they, your seat not soft enough or your food not warm enough for your liking?” He laughs more.
It was cruel to do this, especially to his youngest brother who hadn’t done anything but he really couldn’t imagine him of all the pilgrims to have any real problems. Ao Lie is very complacent and calm as well, never showing any signs of anything bothering him ever so it couldn’t be that bad? Unlike himself who had a whole ton of problems with his old brothers and his past in general, the dragon prince doesn’t seem like he’d have anything to write home about.
Ao Lie frowns and looks away, Wukong’s laughter slowly fading away as he takes in the sad look of his brother. He felt even worse when his master turned to look at him with clear frustration and anger “Wukong you should never be judgmental about other’s problems! We should always be open and be willing to listen and offer any help or guidance!” He shakes his head, very upset with his monkey disciple. Before Wukong could at least try to defend himself, Tripitaka huffs and walks away from the group.
Wujing shouts “master where are you going!?”
“Don’t worry I won’t be far! But please give me a moment of reprieve, I shall be meditating this off. Thank you.” His tone left no room for argument so the pilgrims watched as he made his way through the path surrounded by trees. They all had the urge to follow him but knew their master needed to calm down. There was still a bit of daylight at least so it was probably alright…
Wukong groans as he closes his eyes, angry with himself for causing another argument with the monk. He looks at Ao Lie who still doesn’t make eye contact with him “hey, I-“
The dragon horse sniffles lightly and Wujing shakes his head to the monkey king “hey Ao Lie wanna help me with putting in the ingredients for the stew?”
Ao Lie nods and goes to help Wujing. Wukong sighs as his tail flicks with irritation at the entire ordeal, his anger coming back. He slowly turns to the still silent pig and smiles “hey Bajie! How about we do that training now?”
Pigsy gulps as he sheepishly smiles “I-I mean lunch will o-out soon so maybe we can do it later?”
Of course seconds after saying that the mischievous monkey bares his fangs and pulls out his staff with an evil glint in his eye. Bajie gulps as while they weren’t that different in height, the few inches Wukong had over him were very much present now!
Bajie yelps as he practically flies and hits him square in the stomach with his staff, a bruise surely forming now, as he was flung away from the campsite. Bajie was yelling like a madman as he threw his arms into the air and ran for his life from Wukong who wasn’t far behind. The others who hear his cries assume that they were merely playing another one of Wukong’s games so they didn’t bother and they were, frankly, busy with their own things.
Bajie would have loved to fight back since this was a supposed training session but Wukong clearly wasn’t actually interested in a fair fight but rather just wanting to see how many times he can bonk him. Said pig is not interested in finding out as he keeps narrowly dodging his attacks with the grace of a flailing bag in the wind, uncaring of where he was going by now since his only direction was trying to get away.
In fact he doesn’t even notice when he and Wukong are nearby the monk who was currently cross legged and humming to himself, obviously still meditating. The other demons don’t see him because he was behind a tree they were currently facing. Bajie’s back was against it, catching his breath as Wukong rears back for another attack “W-Wukong time out!!”
“No time out Pigsy! Dodge this!” He shouts as he goes for a sharp hit. Bajie barely ducks down in time for the staff to cut through the tree effortlessly, his hands over his eyes as he goes down in fetal position, screaming.
Suddenly both jump as a cut off scream echoes through the forest. The two demons felt all traces of their skin crawl with trepidation, as that shout sounded suspiciously like-
“W-where’s master Bajie?” Wukong asks him, still looking at the fallen tree. Bajie stands up “he said he was meditating…” After looking at each other the two scramble to the other side of the tree and what they saw confirmed their fears.
Their master/friend wedged underneath the tree, only an arm managing to stick out. Bajie gasps and turns to run “Ao Lie !! Wujing!!”
The monkey king bends down and lifts the tree off of him with no effort and tosses it aside, exposing the unconscious human underneath. He didn’t seem to be badly injured somehow, only having been bruised up a bit from the tree. Still he wasn’t moving and Wukong was panicking now-
“Master! No, no, no!” He says hurriedly as he kneels down next to him and gently cradles him in his arms. He immediately goes to check his heart, relieved that there was still a pulse there and tries to wake up the monk again “master? Master?! C'mon you gotta wake up!”
Soon the other pilgrims joined him, gasping as they took in the unconscious form of the monk.
“What happened!?” Ao Lie asks looking at Wukong and Bajie for answers. Bajie stutters, unsure if he should say anything when a small moan catches their attention.
“Guys master is waking up!!” Wujing shouts as the three crowd around Wukong. Tripitaka’s eyes slowly blink open, all the while some pained noises emerge from him as well.
Wukong snarls at the others in annoyance as they keep crowding around him “back off will ya? Master needs some space.” He says, despite looking hypocritical as he is holding his master so close he could feel his breath on his cheek. Still the others do give them room as Tripitaka slowly sits up with the help of Wukong.
Tripitaka opens his eyes with some haziness to his vision, his head swirling around as he looks to his disciples. Wukong smiles at him, “master! You’re alright!”
However he wasn’t prepared for his master to suddenly smile widely at him and then lunge forward, “wha-!?”
Suddenly he was being embraced rather tightly. Tripitaka’s arms wound around his shoulders and his head nestled between his neck and shoulder as he cozied up. Wukong could feel his heart jump as his arms were awkwardly raised, unsure of what to do “master!?” He tries to ignore the small blush on his cheeks as he tries to look at the monk who was usually so shy and adverse to physical touch of this degree!
Tripitaka gives a wide smile as he pulls away from him, “Faming I’m awake now!”
“W-what? Master I-I-“ he shakes his head “whose Faming?”
He tilts his head to the side “what kind of question is that? You’re Faming!” He says with a pointed finger akin to how a child would. Wukong raises a brow “no I’m not! I’m Sun Wukong the great sage equal to heaven!”
Tripitaka puffs his cheeks out as he crosses his arms “is this a joke? And hey, why did you call me master?”
“Well because we’re your disciples master! It would be…rude to call you your name on this journey!”
Tripitaka tilts his head “I’m not sure I understand… why not just call me Jiang Liuer? Also why refer to me as the master when you’re my master? That makes no sense, I’m merely seven years old.” He says with a tilt of his head.
Wukong’s brain short circuits as he came to the conclusion rather quickly that “oh no I broke master!” He shouts as he puts his hands on his head. Wujing looks at Tripitaka “master what’s wrong-?”
Tripitaka shouts in alarm as he scrambles behind Wukong “w-who are they master!?”
Wukong didn’t know he could get headaches without the use of the circlet but this was proving to be the conundrum, “master these are- we’re the pilgrims! Why are you speaking nonsense!?”
Tripitaka, however, is confused “me? You’re the one who’s making no sense! Don’t you remember that you found me floating in a river and have taken me under your wing? You said when I come of age you’ll teach me the ways of Buddhism!”
This problem might be too much for them to handle…Wukong has no idea what to do about his master’s sudden amnesia and the others seem just about as clueless.
His thoughts are cut off as the monk comes close and hugs him again “who are they? Are they new students?”
And this close contact is definitely not helping with thinking!! He could feel his tail wagging with delight at his master's touch. While recently they have been more touchy, it wasn’t to this extent and it was sending his immortal heart into overdrive!
“Master, don't worry!” He shouts boldly to conceal his heartbeat “I’ll find some way to fix this! Even if it is kinda Bajie’s fault!” Said pig sputters but Wukong pays him no mind as he forces Tripitaka to let go “I’ll go and find Guan Yin! She’ll know what to do!” He hastily manifests a cloud and uses it to make way towards finding the goddess.
Tripitaka cries out for him, reaching a hand outward but it was no use as he was already far away. The other pilgrims, specifically Bajie and Wujing, were at a loss of what to do with the blubbering monk.
Ao Lie was the first one to come forward, trying to ease his worries by showcasing a toothy smile “heya… Jiang correct? It’s okay! Erm- Faming will be right back soon!”
‘Jiang’ stops crying and stares up at the dragon horse with wide eyes as he hiccups “really?”
“Yup! I know you don’t know us very well but we were just about to have some much needed dinner! Would you like to join us?”
He rubs his nose, “what is it?”
“Don’t worry, it's vegetarian soup! Only good ol veggies and broth!” Tripitaka slowly nods and both Bajie and Wujing glance at one another, “we should head back to our camp then and see how the soup is coming along.”
With that said the four quickly lead him back. Wujing and Bajie quickly get to the pot so they can stir it and see how it’s coming along as Ao Lie sits with Tripitaka “food will be done soon so let’s just rest up okay?”
The monk nods and stays silent, still unsure of how to feel being around the demons.
He purses his lips in thought before asking “ummm…what is your name? I’m terribly sorry for not asking that was rude of me.”
He almost slaps himself “ah! No it’s okay! I’m Ao Lie! And that’s Wujing and Bajie over there with the stew.”
He nods and smiles “it’s nice to meet you. Pardon me for my reaction before I didn’t know Faming had guests…?”
Ao waved his hand flippantly “it’s no big deal, I get we look kinda off putting at first!”
He smiles but it disappears just a quickly “I’m still confused however…is Faming upset with me? He is never usually so dismissive with me?”
Ao quickly shakes his head “no no! He’s just kinda busy, it has nothing to do with you!” Even though it quite literally has everything to do with him.
Of course this doesn’t ease his worries, the feeling of doing something wrong deep in his bones was something he couldn’t ignore.
“I-I think I have upset him in some way…and I don’t want Faming to be mad at me…he’s the closest thing I have to a father.”
The dragon’s smile dissolved as he spoke and he gently placed a hand on his shoulder “don’t worry. He can never be upset with you m- Jiang. He cares about you.” ‘ He cares about you a lot more than you can imagine, master .’
He purses his lips “even so, I feel as if I have to make…this situation correct? He seemed stressed when he left, so maybe I can help with that? Do you have any ideas on what I can do to help him?”
He freezes at the question, his mind stumped. He sadly looks down “I…I’m not sure.”
Despite seemingly having the mind of a child now, Tripitaka knew there was something wrong, “…I’m sorry did I offend?”
“Ah no! No- you didn’t! It’s just…well I don’t really know how to help with your problem when I’m kind of having the same issue with my father.”
The monk gasps “you do?”
Ao Lie nods with a humorless laugh “yeah… it’s a problem I’ve been dealing with for a little.”
The pilgrims were so wrapped up in their small duties they didn't notice Wukong already back, hopping off his golden cloud with a soundless thud. He was about to tell them the good news of the sudden amnesia their master has. Turns out this problem can only go away with time, specifically lasting a few days, so they have no choice but to play along with their master's child-like behavior. However before he could emerge to tell them he overhears Ao Lie’s claim of having issues. Due to his curious nature, he stands back from their view, transforming himself into a fly and buzzing his way near them so he can listen better.
He perches himself next to Ao Lie who was none the wiser as he continues talking, “I’ve been meaning to talk with my own master about this. I’ve been having some trouble with my family... You see, my cousin, Jei Jei, had kidnapped a teacher of mine. He had planned to share the flesh with my parents and siblings. He had no desire to eat the flesh himself.” He neglects to tell him that the flesh they wanted to eat was his since he wasn’t in the right state of mind.
“Anyway we saved him of course…but they didn’t seem so happy to see me. Kinda makes sense why I mean I did something… unforgivable.”
“What did you do?” A curious tilt prompts him to continue.
“I was accused by my father of burning down his castle and his pearls. He was more upset about his pearls than his castle since pearls are precious to dragon folk and even worse a Pearl was a gift from the Jade Emperor himself so he really wasn’t happy with me. He even thinks I stole some…”
“Oh…you did those things on purpose?”
“I acted out of rage and jealousy towards my eldest brother. I felt as if I was the inferior sibling, felt much less loved than him. I-it hurt me to think that my own parents didn’t love me as much as they loved him, considering I love them a great deal. Unfortunately they don’t seem to think that.”
He shudders as he looks away, Wukong noticing unshed tears in his eyes “they sentenced me to be executed after destroying the pearls and father claimed I was also guilty of not loving him or mother. That I had no filial piety for the family. Which is untrue!!” His voice grew louder as the injustice he felt came bursting like a dam with overflowing water, “I love my family! Why can’t they see that?! I know I did terrible with stealing and burning the pearls and castle, but I was hurting!”
Ao Lie flinches as he feels his tears streaming down his cheeks like currents. He quickly tries to wipe them away but it was futile as more flow down. Tripitaka watches this with wide eyes as the dragon prince seems to be unraveling by the second. While he may not recognize this man, his empathetic personality was still present as he stands up and hugs Ao Lie. The other was shocked as he felt his masters warm embrace, and by that point he had given up on trying to dry his tears as he sadly plops his head on his shoulder and just lets them fall. Tripitaka could feel his tears soak through his robes but pays it no mind “it’s okay…it’s okay.” Is all he could say, not offering any wisdom in this state.
Ao Lie wished he could offer any of his advice but venting his pain was the only option at the moment. He does feel a bit better however so it wasn’t all bad. He sniffles onto his shoulder, “will they ever forgive me…master?”
Tripitaka furrows his brow “forgive me for prying but who is your master you keep mentioning? Do I look like them?”
Ao Lie sighs but smiles tiredly “yeah…you do. Me, the others and master have been on this journey you see to deliver some sacred texts…I’m hoping that somehow on this journey I will gain enough merit for my family to take me back, accept me again you know? I’d like to think so…”
The childlike monk says nothing but Ao Lie is alright with that for the moment. He knew he could retell his plight down the road, and to be frank, he felt better just telling him. He just wished Wukong would have understood his problem…
Fortunately for the dragon prince, he now did. Wukong flew behind a tree a far enough distance to transform back into his regular form and let the new information simmer. He really had no clue how troubled Ao Lie’s home life was. The dragon horse always seemed so carefree and happy that it sounded so odd to hear he actually had problems that weren’t about his rich life! Wukong now knew why he wanted to tell master about it. Despite not having any parents himself to relate to, he still knows how important a parents' love is just by watching his own subjects with their children and on this journey with humans and their familial relationships.
A feeling of guilt pools in his stomach at how he treated his youngest brother, laughing and poking fun at him for no other reason other than feeling annoyed. He sighs to himself as he leans against the tree. He really wants to make things right with him but considers the situation and how Ao Lie might not be okay to talk with him right now after venting.
So he’ll just hang back for now, still watching over his group with a keen eye for any danger but not engaging with them. He transforms back into a fly and positions himself near them once more. Lie now looked more relaxed, engaging in conversation with the monk who was still sad about upsetting Faming in some way.
Ao Lie thought about what to do and then promptly asks “maybe he was just a little hungry? There are some bushes filled with berries of all kinds to eat, maybe we can grab him some?”
A distraction was much needed after that so after informing the other two that they will be back, they head off to find some bush berries. In almost no time they found some with blueberries and raspberries, the fruits looking succulent and juicy as they plucked them from their home. After minutes of mindlessly searching and picking, Ao Lie seemed to be in much higher spirits than before, his eyes no longer puffy and red.
So that’s when Wukong transforms back again into a monkey and makes himself known “heya guys.” He says with a wave. Tripitaka waves with a wide smile at who he thinks is Faming before quickly getting back to collecting more berries. He needs the perfect amount to show to him-!
Wukong sighs in exasperation as he watches his usually clean master running around and dirtying his robes as he grabs more fruits. He already misses his serene smiles…
(But even if his master is covered in dirt and twigs, he still looks as radiant as ever in Wukong’s eyes.)
He turns to Ao Lie who offers him that same dopey smile. However, the monkey could tell that it was slightly strained. He smiles back “hey Ao Lie, how’s it going?”
He shrugs “as well it could be with our master's amnesia. He thinks you’re his old master/father figure so a heads up brother. He’s going to be more touchy.”
Wukong purses his lips. On one hand it means he gets more hugs but on the other it means he has to pretend to be his father figure…
He could feel himself cringe as he thought about it, but that’s a problem for later. He puts his hands on his hips as he looks at him again “hey, about what I said before- regarding your problem and what not-“ he kicks some dirt away in irritation ‘ why is this so hard ?’
“I just wanted to apologize for how brashly and disrespectful I acted towards you. I truly didn’t think you of all demons would have issues worth talking about…but that doesn’t give me the right to be mean spirited towards you. Your problems have as much merit as any of the others or mine… so please forgive me on my behavior.” He says as he curls his tail around his own leg in slight embarrassment. He also bows his head down for good measure as he closes his eyes.
The white haired dragon’s eyes widened at the sorry display. Sun Wukong doesn’t apologize often but when he does, it always feels genuine and sincere. After all he’s the monkey king, he never should have to apologize!
Ao Lie smiles more warmly towards him and lifts a hand to put on his fuzzy head to pet him. Wukong blinks as Ao Lie says “I forgive you. I understand you were also stressed out about our recent battle against your old brothers and with Bajie’s laziness. You’re our power player protecting master and I get that job is no easy feat.”
Wukong groans loudly “tell me about it-“
Ao Lie giggles “but you’d protect our master a thousand times over wouldn’t you? I see how scared you get whenever he’s in danger, Wukong.~” he teases with a clever smirk as the monkey’s face reddens with embarrassment. He opens and closes his mouth as he sputters out excuses of “w-well I-I can’t just leave him!”
He laughs more louder as he flippantly says “sure, sure whatever helps you sleep at night! But it’s so obvious you likeeeee himmm!”
Wukong shushes him as he wildly looks at Tripitaka who was still occupied with berry picking “shushush!! Or else master will hear you!”
“Don’t worry, he still has his childlike innocence! Ah! What did Guanyin say about his condition? Will he be alright?”
“Oh right! Yeah he’ll be fine, just for a couple days he’ll be thinking he’s a child so we just have to play along with the charade.” He shrugs.
“Huh okay. I’ve been doing that already so I’m prepared! As long as we keep an eye on him I think we’ll be fine! Looks like you’re going to be playing father for a bit huh?”
“Faming!!” Both jump at the sudden shout from the monk who was running up full speed at them until he skids to a stop with an armful of berries. A glance at Ao and the dragon understood what he wanted “ah! I should get some more berries too! We all know how Bajie can be right?” He says as he turns away with an all knowing cat-like smile.
The monk mentally thanked the dragon and turned to Wukong “Hello teacher, welcome back from your errand.” He says enthusiastically.
Wukong felt a tad flustered by the title, “a-ah yeah thanks…? Erm- sorry for running away like that, I was in a hurry.”
Tripitaka felt a flood of relief so large he lunges himself at Wukong just like before and wraps a delicate arm around his waist, since the other was occupied with berry holding, and snuggles onto his chest “no worries Faming! I’m also sorry for anything I must have done to offend you! It’s never my intention to do so.” He says proudly.
Wukong felt his tail start wagging again and he mentally cursed himself. It was just so sudden and he was never prepared for such a cute attack-!
Then Tripitaka pulls away and Wukong felt like he can breathe again (his body tingled from the hug however as he silently wanted more-)
“Here Faming! I brought you some food in case you were hungry once you returned!” He says as he presents the bundle to Wukong. He smiles and grabs a handful to dutifully pluck them in his mouth, enjoying the rich juices that sprung from them “they’re delicious m- Jiang! Thank you…”
It will take some time to get accustomed to addressing him like that but he’ll manage. Tripitaka suddenly jolts as if struck by lightning. Before Wukong could ask if something was wrong he says “Faming could I ask you a question?”
A bit weirded out he says “yes of course what is it?” And chomps on more berries absentmindedly.
His eyes seem to bore into his soul as he says “considering I’m now fourteen years of age teacher-“ ‘ huh looks like the age is speeding up at least, ’ “-could you guide me on love and physical attraction? And how to avoid them?”
Wukong almost choked on the berries and spits them out as he coughed into the palm of his hand “w-what!?”
Tripitaka still looks as calm as ever and just repeats “well since I’m of age, I want to learn about love and sexual intimacy so I can avoid them at all costs. If I want to be one of the best monks, I have to forgo intimacy correct?”
Wukong gulps loudly, his blush returning tenfold and so bright he resembled a tomato rather than a monkey! He chuckles awkwardly and begins to slowly shimmy away “w-well I- I think you c-can afford to wait a little while longer no?”
Tripitaka tilts his head “but I would rather overcome this now rather than later.”
“Well I mean-! Oh look what’sthatoverthereI’llberightbackbye !!!!” He says in one puff of breath as he quickly runs off back to the campsite where the others were as Tripitaka shouts for him to come back. Ao Lie quietly giggles into his sleeves.
After a few more minutes of lazily eating some berries, he and Ao Lie finally decide to head back to the campsite where the stew was finally done and being served into wooden bowls. Ao Lie guides Jiang to sit down next to him as Bajie hands his a bowl “thank you.” He says with a smile.
Bajie grins at him, “no problem!”
Wukong sighs as he sits next to Tripitaka, muttering to himself “finally the day is over.”
Tripitaka shuffles closer to him, putting his head on his shoulder “teacher when will you be able to tell me about love and sexual attraction?” And Wukong of course takes this chance to gently push him off so can stand up “ah another time! I’m quite tired from the day sooo I think I’ll just head to sleep!”
Ao Lie watches him go inside his tent, “huh he didn’t even have dinner.”
Tripitaka huffs as he leaves to his tent “I wonder why he won’t explain it to me…”
Bajie laughs loudly as he takes a seat next to him “You won’t get anything out of him! He blushes like a silly child with their first love! Now if you want some good advice, you should ask me! I’m quite the heartthrob with the ladies myself so I know a trick or two on how to get them to leave you alone.” He then thinks for a moment before adding, “well I can tell you tomorrow! It’s getting to be quite late and I’m still very tired from the battle we had before.” He says smugly with a self satisfied smirk.
Both Ao Lie and Wujing laugh at him “oh brother, what a good joke!” Ao says.
Wujing slaps his knee “hah! He is right about having advice on how to have any lady ignore him! He scares off any lady he wants, M-Jiang!” He stutters while still laughing.
Bajie huffs angrily “w-well that’s not always true!”
“You’re right sometimes you just flat out annoy them!” The two cackle as Tripitaka seems to be lost in thought with the conversation, mulling over the pig’s words.
‘ Since my master seems to be quite busy, perhaps it will do me good to ask…Bajie for any advice !’ He clutches his bowl tightly before digging in, mind made up to ask Bajie what he knows about love and physical attraction.
Bajie rolls his eyes, annoyed with everyone at this point. He oinks at them and leaves to his tent “whatever! I’m going to bed!”
Tripitaka watches him leave and excuses himself as well. Ao Lie blinks “ah! Do you know where you’re sleeping?”
“Oh! Please tell me I can sleep next to my master?”
“Ah- yes actually!” He smiles “well then have a good night m-Jiang!”
After bidding them a good night back he hurries over to the tent where Wukong presided. Taking off his head piece and the jangly gold staff and placing it aside, he snuggled under the covers and wrapped himself around Wukong tightly, who doesn’t even stir, but instead does wrap an arm around him as well protectively.
The two fall asleep with a new day tomorrow.