Chapter Text
After the defeat of Lady Bone Demon, things started to fall into place once again. The hero's life wasn't the only thing damaged and being restored, the city worked similar to a mirror to how everyone felt.
Some streets were completely gone, others covered with the scars of the villain that ruled over them for some time while others stood surprisingly in place. It's was just the city they new but different, their citizens were more than happy that everything turned fine in the end, making it easy for them to turn the left cheek to the damage and be happy to build it up again.
It was an example of a new beginning.
This also implied to some of them, MK's relationship with the Monkey King was strange , not exactly the dream like version he had while he fantasized about knowing his idol. Monkey King had done many things that he didn't agree on and left him out on all the others but even so he never lost faith in him. Which left the circumstances of his possession all the more heartbreaking and traumatic.
Wukong wasn't a perfect man- in fact he isn't any man at all. But he knew he meant well and after everything that happened he tried to do better, little by little. He didn't go missing out of the blue again and instead came to him to say he was going to lay low for a while , an "actual vacation" this time, no lies or secrets.
Sure he didn't say where he was going or for how long, but baby steps.
He wouldn't stop him, in fact he wanted to go on a vacation himself but needed to help the city.
All of them would appreciate some break after everything.
Red Son was now on their side as well, even if he didn't like to admit it. They didn't fight anymore, more for the fun of it now. He and Mei seemed closer too, having bonded on her crisis. It was nice to see them banter and not worry that Red actually meant it, when he treatens to burn her alive.
That only left one person on his mind. Well, again not a person, just like Wukong and that was...
Macaque
Since the end of the fight, they had lost signal of him, as he dissapeared. And MK was ashamed to say he was worried about him, even though he shouldn't. The celestial monkey could take care of himself way better than he could.
He was a hero after all. And he couldn't leave Macaque now on this gray area of being a villain or not, and after his last cooperation the faith he definitely wasn't entirely evil, had been very strong on his mind.
He in fact would not know what to do if Macaque choose to be their enemy again and that lack of answer was eating him.
Leaving all the labels aside MK truly was worried of him being... lonely.
He didn't know why, all he could picture the other was someone alone in a corner of shadows. Macaque didn't seem to have any friends, even among other villains and he and Wukong were a volatile combination, at best.
MK was someone that couldn't stand being alone, it would cut through him too fast. So him being surrounded by friends all the time was a necessity to him. He couldn't imagine not having that. Macaque wasn't all bad, the monkey didn't deserve to be alone. And he wanted to do something about it.
Which lead him towards a certain theater. He knew very little of Macaque as a person, but the only thing he did know was that the Shadow Monkey used to make shows on a theater, and that already helped him start his search. Deciding to head there, in hopes for an encounter.
The street had taken some damage, with many buildings being unstable while some were unlucky enough to be destroyed. The theater itself was a mixture of both, some parts of it had collapsed and it looked not fully stable because of it, but it was standing to the hero's joy.
As he got closer he could see someone at it's entrance, and even if the individual had his back towards him from far away, he could still recognize who it was very easily. His intuition being right, as the dark celestial monkey turned around and their eyes met.
They stared at each other, both not sure how to proceed. Macaque was doing a solo job of picking up bolders on a desert street- clear that he didn't want anyone to see him- Though he didn't seem unsure or even surprised at MK's arrival, as if he was aware of him from the beginning.
Before he could say anything, the celestial monkey jumped into the nearby shadows, dissapearing from sight, much to MK's despair. Had he already messed up?
The young hero had on his mind to only make sure the Macaque was okay, and tell him he could be with them if he wanted, he needed to treat this lightly to not scare him away- funny enough. Macaque was very strong but he was easy to upset, and it took less for the monkey to just dissapear.
He was someone that would just come and go, and would only appear if he wanted to- maybe that was a Celestial Monkey thing. Something to ask Monkey King later.
While lost in thought, he felt a dark mass pass under him, catching his attention. Guiding his eyes upwards to a light post as the black shape made it's way up the pole.
"Hey kiddo" came a familiar voice, as the dark mass transformed into mane and body, taking shape of a familiar monkey.
"Macaque !" He couldn't help his enthusiasm, as the chances of him not even being on the city anymore were very high. And being so glad the other didn't just leave.
"In the flesh" He walked over the edge of the post, falling in front of him and landing on one leg graciously. Eyeing his smile with a smirk of his own as he leaned against the metal pipe "Were you lookin' for me ?"
MK bit his lip to control his smile, he needed to treat this lightly. He couldn't just blur out "Oh hey Macaque soo... you helped us fight LBD and this makes you officially our buddy in my book. Please say you're our friend now cause I don't know what to do if you say no. Also I feel like you are lonely and you could totally be a part of our group, we give lots of hugs. Yay or Nay ? "
Yeah definitely not.
"I didn't know if you were still on the city" He said sheepish, as an excuse. "I just wanted to make sure you're okay" Macaque only huffed a laugh at that statement.
"Not dead yet " He said, walking a few feet past him, looking at the remains of the building in front of them "I don't stay on cities that much but I did spend some time on this theater. Just wanted to see the damage"
"Are you going to fix it ?" MK stopped beside him, studying his face. It was pensative while staring at the place, the hero didn't know if he was looking at the building itself or the damadged put to it. Macaque broke that expression by smiling nonchalant before he shrugged.
"Don't think I can. Was just planning on dusting it a little bit. For ol' times sake " He sighed, putting his hands on his pockets "Not that's going to help much"
MK looked at him, his smile was the ones he always gave when greeting people. But he knew they weren't always real, and this feeling was present here too.
"Want some help ? " He leaned so the other could see his genuine smile. Macaque's eyes widened a bit, looking like he was going to say something before whatever puppy eyes MK gave him did the trick. He could that made him be less tense even if imperceptible
Macaque put his acting skill to good use, rolling his eyes and faking a sigh " Well, if you insist " Before walking ahead and picked some bolders out of the way. MK laughed and started helping right away.
They fell into a silent motion, both working quick in taking away the rocks that covered the entrance, wiping the dirt and picking up what they could find, broken or not. Sadly none of them knew how to actually reconstruct the building, as it was missing pieces here and there, not enough to compromise the structure but still be one that needed serious patching.They were done cleaning the entrance in no time.
Macaque dusted off his hands and turned to look at the building, stared at it for a few minutes before turning back towards him.
"Wanna get inside ?" He asked
"Sure ! " MK only put some rocks together, out of the path before he made his way to the stairs of the place where Macaque still stood, not having moved
"How is inside ?" MK asked
" 'Dunno. Haven't checked " Macaque said, not taking his eyes off the entrance. He leaned against one of the pillars and he sighed " I just stood outside looking at it, thinking if it's even worth it "
"Do you want to make yout theater act again?"
Macaque laughed. "That's a plan "
"If you want to do it. Then that's already worth it" Macaque's eyes turned to him, MK holding it with a small smile trying to be reassuring " I'll be glad to help. Just call me up" his smile grew bigger and Macaque matched with his own.
"And who am I to refuse free labor ? " He straighten up and gestured at the door in a slight bow "After you ~ "
MK gave him the tongue at the silly action but got in anyway " I think the people of the city would appreciate a theater show " The corridor looked only dusted, having some posters on the walls, showing the entertainment that were schedule to the main room, the one they were walking towards " And you got a fresh new hero story now to tell !"
" I think it's still too early for that, kid ", He gave him a sour smile. He's probably right, it would be better to at least wait until the city were back on its tracks, to then start reminding everyone of the crazy lady that destroyed it in the first place.
Unfortunately the inside of the theater hadn't been spared as much as MK hoped, it looked like a hurricane had passed through it. Chairs and stage materials broken and left on the ground, the walls had holes in them and the curtain that used to be hanged up were now on the floor, ripped and dusted.
" That bone head sure knows how to make a ruckus, huh ?" His mouth twisted into a sour look.
"Nothing we can't fix " MK encouraged the monkey, patting softly at his shoulder. He plucked a piece of his hair and transforming it into a broom going straight to clean the floor, not waiting for Macaque and hoping this would help his hesitation.
When he heard the clank of a chair being put up again, he looked behind him to see Macaque helping, even if slowly compared to him.
The room wasn't in the same state as the street outside, so there wasn't much to clean up. The few things in the room weren't even worthy repairing instead of replacing.
"Thanks, MK" Macaque said with a calm voice. Not looking at him but at the curtains, he kneeled down and picked up. Feeling the material between his fingers.
The human looked unsure. "What are you going to do now ?" He asked after a moment of silence.
They were done and he was afraid that once they said their goodbyes he wouldn't see the other monkey again. Macaque looked at him from the corner of his eye, but didn't respond.
"Are you going back to do evil stuff? " He asked in a small voice, he didn't know how to proceed if the other said yes.
Macaque remained watching him, they stared at each other in silent, MK hoped his worry wasn't so on the nose. The monkey was the first one to break away, when he turned his head towards the now ripped courtains, no doubt recalling some events tied to it. After a few more moments of silence Mk heard him say " I don't know", a voice a little above a whisper
That wasn't a yes, which was a relief but it too, wasn't a no.
"Y-You could stay with us... for a while. " Mk said fast, he understood the other monkey may need reasons to not go back to what he used to do, but now what MK needed the most was for him to stay, so he could make sure he wasn't going to fall under again. To give him at chance of thinking of something for him. He still remembered how the other had helped him against possessed Wukong. He was terrified and heartbroken by seeing his master as his enemy, if it wasn't for Macaque he knew he was doomed for.
" My friends would be happy to have you with them !" , he tried to contain his eagerness at the idea but he couldn't help but let the faith he had of the Shadow Monkey finally joining the heroes escape in his voice.
" If you want to, of course " He quickly corrected himself, taking a few steps back as he didn't even realize he had been walking close to the other in his previous enthusiasm. The silence grew and MK started to fidget with his hands, Macaque still didn't give him a glance " Please ?"
Upon hearing the defeated tone that had just left the small hero, Macaque gave out a sigh that turned into a laugh by the end. Finally looking at him above his shoulder "You know Kid. I don't think I am capable of doing good ...." His smile was a self depreciating one, which MK hated.
Without thinking twice MK made his way to the Monkey and shouted " But you did !" Macaque's eyes widened in surprised of his sudden volume. He opened his mouth to retort but MK beat him to it "You helped us, when everything seemed like it was going the Lady Bone Demon's way you switched sides ! When she got control over Monkey King.... " He hated how his voice became weak by talking about it " You even fought him when he was possessed !"
Macaque let out a laugh "HA! Don't remind me" He shook his head, then gave him a bored look. " Y'know I was also one of the targets right? LBD also wanted me gone. I didn't do it for you"
" Then why didn't you ran away. You wouldn't have to fight"
"A warrior doesn't ran away" He said staring into his eyes. He was calling back to the word he used to convince Macaque of fighting with them. He smiled at that.
"And you fought with us!" MK persistent
"I just did what I had to" Macaque shrugged his shoulders, but you could tell that subject bothered him. " It just happened that, it included helping you guys"
"But that's something!" MK said, his voice raising in volume. "See! I- I really appreciate your help back then. No - I really needed yout help."
The celestial monkey saying he only did what he had to do was a lie, and maybe both of them knew it. He was just afraid to say it, and MK wouldn't bring it up. Again, he would treat this lightly.
But he couldn't help but remember one of fhe things that debuted that lie entirely.
And it was when Macaque consoled him when they were running from a possessed Wukong.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
They made their way into the nearest shelter they could find, it was an abandoned cabin whose state was in terrible condition, but it was the best hidden place available. They wouldn't stay there for long, Monkey King still hadn't catch up to them- yet.
Macaque let his body fall against the wall, breathing heavily to the point his lungs ached, he closed his eyes as he let the adrenaline in his blood slow down.
It had been thousands of years since Wukong had actually fought him, so he was rusted when it came to dealing with him like that. Normally he would run away through the shadows, escaping the king for months or years until the other got tired or distracted by something. Running away from Wukong wasn't a good situation to be in, but fighting him was never ever a good idea.
They had this little moment of relief after almost getting caught, God's knows if they would get another chance.
It was a terrible situation all together, and to make matters worse, he wasn't alone this time.
He opened his eyes and turned to look to his side. The young human was curled into a ball, his breathing still erratic and his hand was grabbing the front of his shirt as if he wanted to rip his heart form his chest. MK looked terrible, with a few cuts on his face and clothes dirty by their close call just minutes prior, his expression was of horror and fear.
Macaque knew exactly what was going on.
MK was obviously shaken by being the target of his hero's anger, to be the source of his aggression. Being an opponent in a real fight against Monkey King was not something he had ever experienced.
One thing was training, where Wukong even when teaching, always made sure to keep his powers in check. His tutor was always careful, now he was hunting to kill.
Macaque knew what that was like, he knew how it was to be defeated by Wukong- even worst, killed by him.
It hurted so much.
It still hurted in all ways imaginable.
He turned towards the human, " Hey Kid? " He called, MK didn't event seem to be registering his presence anymore. His breathing was still fast and Macaque worried he would work himself into a panic attack. "MK!" He said more loudly, grabbing him by the shoulders and shaking.
MK's flinched and his eyes ran up towards his. He looked so scared, and there were tears in his eyes.
"It's okay " Macaque reassured him. Smiling felt weird right now. It was also bringing memories of his past self, of being beyond scared and hurt, of crying with only one eye left.
"It's okay..." He said, hoping to convey what he meant as he knew he couldn't with words. I know what you're feeling, I've been there " Just know that if he wasn't possessed, he would never want to hurt you. "
That was a reassuring thought he wanted to have as well.
That seemed to work, as MK demeanor changed, no longer on the verge of an episode. His lips then began trembling and he sniffed, turning to hide under his chin.
" I'm so scared " He said in a small voice. " I never seen him like this. He's like a monster " He sounded so broken that Macaque couldn't help but put his arms around him, hugging him as the human cried in his shoulder.
"If we win this, you'll never see him like that again" Macaque said. He leaned away from MK, who were drying his eyes with his sleeve.
"I want this all to be over..."
"You and me both, bud " Macaque answered with a very weak chuckle. They stayed like that for what felt like minutes, with Macaque softly patting the human's back as his crying diminished. "Now, let's get ready to leave again. Okay ?"
"Okay " MK responded, either a very small smile. "Thanks Mac"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
" You didn't have to console me. " MK said, and that was true. That's why the hero appreciated so much that he did, no villain would ever do that for him. "You should stop looking down on yourself like that" MK looked up and his eyes locked with Macaque's, both staring at each other in silence. MK hoped that even if Macaque didn't believe his words he would see he meant it with his eyes.
That turned out to be too much for him to handle, turning his head to the side with a hiss- the conversation bothering him " Centuries old habits can't be broken that easily " He said darkly, which made MK heart clench.
He knew this. He may be young but since receiving the staff he had grown a great deal, he was aware some feelings and beliefs stuck into you like gum and were nasty to get rid off. Even with all his adventures and victories, the belief that he wasn't good enough was always there. He bit his lips, not knowing how to approach this before an idea came into his head
"Only me then !" He exclaimed, pointing at himself. Macaque turned to look at him, a little surprised when he started to march his way towards him without hesitation." You won't need to speak with anyone else if you don't want to. I won't even tell anybody that's you're here if that's what you want- Just you and me. You can come to me whenever you want and we can just hang out. Go to the arcade or..." He began trailling off, thinking of what new things he could say to win the monkey demon over.
A sound of laughter made him raise his head, seeing Macaque snickering at him " What is all this for? Do you really want to see me that much?"
"Yeah... " MK shrugged his shoulders, feeling a bit small.
Whatever answer Macaque was expecting wasn't that, as the ape froze for a second, laughter dying down before he picked up his grin again " I mean I'm flattered and all. But I don't think your little mentor would like this very much"
"Oh, Monkey King isn't here !" the hero answered before he could stop himself, Macaque frowned in question " He said he was going to an "actual vacation" this time " he used his fingers to insinuate the " " just like Wukong had done.
The dark monkey groaned out loud, rolling his eyes "How typical" He crossed his arms in annoyance. "Let me guess, he didn't say when he was coming back "
" Not really... " MK gave him a sheepish smile on behalf of his master's antics by instinct.
The older monkey actually had experience with this, as Wukong would suddenly dissapear for months or even years on end without even a good bye to then come back as if nothing had happened. Most of the time he came back with new powers or new enemies- sometimes both. His kingdom was destroyed more than once from him pulling this.
Macaque sighed looking up at the ceiling as if he could see the sky beyond it, his hand going through his mane before he said.
"Okay, fine"
The young human jumped at that, not sure he understood " What ?"
" Since Wukong will be gone for Gods knows how long and I don't have nothing better to do " He shrugged. It was also a very long time since someone actually wanted to spend time with him, just because of his company " I'll stay with you for a while "
MK smile grew wide, having the confirmation he wanted his body trembled with excitement. He could nothing but jump in joy causing the ape to chuckle in amusement
"Stop being so cute ", He joked as he huffed his hair.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"So!" The human asked, jumping to the monkey's side as they walked down the stairs. "What do you like to do ?"
Macaque had initially been skeptical, if not caught completely off guard by MK's sudden interest in hanging out with him. It's not like he suspected the human of anything, he had just not expected it. But now, he was finding it quite funny.
" Hmmm... " He carried the sound as they walked down the stairs, leaving the theather " I wonder..."
MK pouted, seeing right through his ploy. "C'mon Mac, give me something so I can be prepared "
Macaque smirked, " Weren't you the one that wanted to hang out with me so badly ?" He twisted his tail in the air, hand on his hips as he leaned towards him "Surprise me "
"I know nothing about you. It's gonna be hard "
"I am a challange " He said in a mocking tone, raising his nose up, before MK hit him in the shoulder.
There was a small crowd a few feet away from them, a group of civilians that weren't there when they had gone inside. There was a very small person in front, who was currently raising her cane while speaking. Macaque watched them before turning towards MK again
"Okay, I'll give you something " He said, putting his arm around the human right shoulder. " See that old lady over there? She's the one that owns this theater I had shows on" He said pointing behind him, and nodded towards the two people.
"She looks angry" MK said, watching the small old lady gesticulate like crazy as she talked to a man, who seemed also taken aback by her mannerisms.
"Oh, yeah. Mrs.Ping is a business woman. And I may or may not be owning her 5 months of rent" Macaque said. " But I bet she doesn't remembers that. She's gray already. " He laughed.
That wasn't exactly the information MK was looking for, it was more like what type of series or games the other liked. But this was better than nothing, he supposed.
Mrs. Ping upon seeing them came trotting it's way over to where they were, she was walking quite fast but her whole body trembled with every step as if she could fall at any moment, which left the person beside her to help her with a scared look on his face. He looked like a inspector of sorts by the uniform, if she owned the theather maybe she was there to see the damage done to her property.
" Hey you delinquents, what are you doing to a fragile old lady's property!" She screeched in a very muffled voice, you could tell she wanted to be loud but her old voice detained her. MK flinched by the sudden angry woman.
"Hello Mrs. Ping ~" Macaque simply answered her in a charming tone, completely ignoring her accusation. "Remember me ?"
The woman scrunched her eyes at him, before batting her hand away. Her hand trembling in her cane " I've never met you before "
" I used to make have a shadow puppet show in your theather for many years " He said.
"Nonsense ! There was never such a thing here !"
"I missed you too." Macaque said, winking at her.
Her companion suddenly then spoke up, recognizing MK. " Oh are you the Monkey Kid ? Thank you so much for saving the city " He grabbed his hand and shook it many times. Way too many times.
"Hehe that was nothing !" MK said, a little shy. The inspector then began to talk to him about many things, mostly asking about what the fight looked like but before he went even longer on that, he was interrupted.
"H-hey young lad, aren't you here to evaluate a sweet old lady's theater to see how much my insurance is ?" The old lady said, trembling in her position. "I wish to see my grandkids today "
The man then jumped, turned to her with a smile, clearly embarassed. " O-oh ! Yes, yes Mrs. Ping. Right away !" He said, he turned towards MK and Macaque as he went up the stairs quickly. " It was very good seeing you ! Thanks again !"
MK waved back as they watched the inspector trip on a step as he waved, before getting inside the building. Macaque chuckled at his side.
"Well, that's was that " said Mrs. Ping. She stood up properly, no longer curved and her voice even sounded different and more smooth. MK eye's widened at the sudden change. She turned towards Macaque and said "Give me the 5 months rent you own me! "
"I knew you remembered me !"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Before they left they exchanged a conversation with Mrs. Ping. Since Mac was being difficult and not wanting to give him any hints of his interests, the old lady was his next best option.
Apperantly Mac and her would get tea together sometimes, whenever she came to the theater. The monkey prefered tea over coffe as the old woman pointed.
He didn't know which flavour he liked- did tea even had flavours ? MK was more of an energy drink kind of guy, but always accepted a cup when offered to be polite and they sometimes tasted different.
Tang, knows all about tea. He could definitely help me.
It didn't take long for the inspector to come out again, calling Mr. Ping inside. She then again started her act of a old lady falling to pieces.
He and Mac stablished their terms. The monkey agreed on spending time with him, but he didn't want anyone to know about him for now. MK felt a little sad at this, he felt like the other was still unsure about getting close to people. But if this was the price to pay to keep Macaque from becoming a villain again, he accepted it.
MK also didn't disclose again, that that was his plan. He had an inkling that would make Macaque be more on guard around him, and not let himself have fun, which was MK intention. He wanted them to be friends.
"So how do we get in touch ?" He asked, grabbing his phone from his pocket. Looking down on it and prepared to just give his number to Mac. Maybe the monkey would use a street phone to call him?
To his own surprise Mac pulled up a cellphone, as well. MK didn't really thought he had one. Since Monkey King was barely starting on flip phones now and still didn't like them, but Mac seemed to be a different case.
"You have a phone ?" He asked surprised
Macaque lifted his head to give him a deadpanned look. "I am not geriatric. I can use technology " He said, looking offended.
MK chuckled, as they began getting each other's numbers.
Macs phone was even similar to his, but an older version. MK tried to pry and see if he could find anything to hint of the monkey's interest, his own cellphone case made it obvious he was a Monkey King Stan.
But unfortunately the other only used a very simple purple case, he didn't really have any other decorations like a keychain.
Oh! A Keychain. He already found something to give him. He would have to talk to Mei, since she was the one with a huge collection.
"There you go, you got my number " Macaque grinned at him, pulling phone away. " Use it with responsibility " He joked, winking at him.
" Sure will." MK said, grinning at the monkey "By sending you memes at 3am"
" How great " Macaque said, faking sounding exasperated. He really was a theater kid by his antics. "Do you have any plans to our next date ?" He asked, clearly taking a jab at him, by how eager MK seemed to want them to hang out.
The humans didn't feel any shame, he got what he wanted. Just like a extrovert kidnapping an introvert in a social setting, he had gotten his cake. MK hummed, " Is tomorrow good ? "
"I'm free in the afternoon"
"Awesome !" MK said enthusiastic.
Macaque only eyed his happiness with amusement, before he started walking away slowly. He turned towards the human again as he got beside a big shadow to leave. "You better knock my socks off. To convince me of this"
"You don't ever wear socks !" MK turned to him confused
"See you soon MK ~" Macaque simply said while laughing, ignoring him as he left.
MK made his way to his apartment in jumps, eager to sit and plan what he could do with Macaque, wanting to impress the celestial monkey.
They already knew each other but weren't friends, so that was something he wanted to achieve. Sure they started on the wrong foot but he hoped this time would be different. As they say.
Second time is a charm!