Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Macaque looked out over the city. The way his apartment stood was just perfect to survey the area—the bustling streets, adults carrying out their daily duties, and children playing.

His apartment lay on the outskirts of town, it was quiet around there, and he thoroughly enjoyed it. He could still pick up the noises from the heart of the city, but it was nothing a simple seal or a dampening spell couldn’t fix. His apartment itself was covered in them.

He leaned over the railing on the roof of his apartment complex, debating if he should take out the good booze he’d stored a while ago. He’d grabbed it when they celebrated surviving the pillar and hadn’t opened it.

Oh, what the hell? LBD was long dead, as was Azure, he hadn’t had an episode in weeks, and the kid fixed the pillar. What would it hurt if he had a little solo celebration?

He hummed excitedly to himself as he reached into a small shadow portal. He pulled out a crystal bottle still nearly full of a dark red liquid. He carefully opened the bottle and took a swig of it. The booze trickled down his throat, leaving an ethereal aftertaste. He nearly forgot how good immoral wine was.

He continued to look out over the city, taking small drinks of the liquid as the breeze brushed through his hair. The blue sky was nearly cloudless, yet the sun’s heat wasn’t oppressive. It was peaceful, just how he liked it.

The episodes… had gotten better. It was after the pillar that life really caught up with him. His death, his resurrection, his entrapment. The coldest, darkest memories seeped in and left him feeling like a shell of himself. Either his heart picks up and he has a full-blown panic attack, spiraling deeper into his thoughts, regrets… his memories, or he just can’t feel.

But the kid hasn’t asked much of him, and he hasn’t seen much of the king, so the memories haven’t had a good reason to resurface.

He took another swig of the booze and wiped his lips. The clouds moved by slowly as a light breeze caused his ears to flutter. He sighed and slipped the still mostly full bottle of booze back into the shadow portal.

His ears flicked as the breeze brought a sound he knew all too well.

Seconds later, Mk crash-landed his cloud onto the roof of his apartment complex. The kid quickly scrambled to his feet as Macaque turned around to face his visitor. “Macaque!” Mk was greeted with a smile.

“Hey, bud,” Macaque replied with a chuckle. “Still working on that cloud?”

“Yeah… I’m getting better though!” The boy stated confidently.

Macaque huffed and rolled his eyes with a small smile on his lips. “Alright.” He sighed and leaned back on the railing. “So why’d you come all the way here?”

“There’s a slight demon problem. It’s not really a huge issue, but Monkey King’s busy, and I need a little help.” The boy chuckled awkwardly.

Macaque shrugged. “Sure, I don’t have much going on.”

“Ok then, come on!” Mk got ready to resummon his cloud. “LE’ GO!” He burst off into the distance. Macaque rubbed his ears and quickly transformed into a hawk and followed.

He followed the boy to the complete other side of the city, where they landed on the top of an office building. Macaque detransformed, and Mk attempted to safely land his cloud but ultimately failed.

“Alright kiddo, who’re we looking for?” Macaque asked, scanning the street below them. There was no sign of a demon rampage, everyone on the street was walking around like it was any other day.

“I…” Mk joined Macaque at the edge of the roof. The boy stared at the street with a mix of confusion and disbelief. “I don’t know… They were right down there.”

Macaque took a deep breath and listened, taking in all the surrounding noises and filtering through them. His tail twitched. His ears flicked.

Got ‘em.

“I think I know what happened.” Macaque smirked, “I’ll take care of this.” He stated, sinking into a shadow portal.

“Wait! Macaque!” Mk’s shouts got cut off by the portal closing and Macaque emerging below the city in an old mining cavern.

Macaque looked around, noticing a soft glow up ahead. He slowly walked toward the light while keeping an ear out for any movement. He entered a slightly smaller part of the cavern and found a lantern hanging from the ceiling.

The macaque's tail bristled. “Come out.” He hissed. “I know you’re here.” Suddenly the lantern blew out, and he was surrounded by darkness. Macaque took a defensive position, the dark didn’t bother him, but it would make things a little harder.

A high-pitched laugh rang out, echoing off the cavern walls. “Well, if it isn’t the six-eared Macaque.” Macaque glanced around in the dark, he couldn’t pinpoint where the voice was coming from.

“So you’ve heard of me? I’m flattered.” Macaque replied smugly.

“Yes, well, a demon escaping the Diyu is quite the tale.” The voice was soft and sickly sweet. “But I couldn’t help but wonder how such a strong demon such as yourself ended up there.”

The dark-furred simian glanced down and saw it. A long, scaly tail.

Before he could react, the tail wrapped around his ankles and yanked him to the ground. He attempted to make a shadow portal, but nothing.

Shit. It was too dark.

The tail pulled him up and slammed him into the rocky wall. Macaque hissed in pain as the tail released him and he fell to the floor with a thud. His back ached, and he lay there. He clenched his teeth and forced himself to his feet, taking a defensive stance.

“Oh? What’s the matter? You’re not as strong as you used to be, it seems.” The girlish voice snickered.

“I know what you are.” Macaque smirked. “You’re a Yaogaui.”

The tail grabbed him by the waist and pulled him upward. He struggled against it, but its grip tightened, squeezing his lungs.

“Well, aren’t you smart?” The lantern relit, and he was face-to-face with a woman. She wore a torn hanfu and messy black hair. From the waist down was a long, scaly snake tail. “I gotta say, I didn’t think it’d be this easy to subdue you. But I guess a poorly remade body has restraints.”

“What do you want?” Macaque growled.

“I just wanted some treasure from above, but that little boy ruined it.” She glared back with a pout. “However…” She slowly approached Macaque, reeling him in with her tail. “I think I got a better treasure.”

“You think kidnapping me is gonna work out?” Macaque remarked, trying not to show the pain of the tail squeezing his ribs. “Besides, Yaogaui like you don’t collect material treasure.”

“No… we don’t…" she smirked, pulling Macaque down closer to her. Macaque continued to struggle; she brought a finger to her lips as the tail squeezed tighter. Macaque winced in pain, and his struggles ceased before the scaly tail loosened slightly.

“I’ve heard of your many challenges, monkey. How your poor soul was left to wander the Diyu alone, remind me again who put you there.”

Macaque stayed quiet, not bothering to glance up at her.

She hummed thoughtfully. “Wasn’t it Sun Wukong? Yes, I feel so sorry for you.” Her voice softened. “It must’ve been so lonely down there, in the cold… dark...” Macaque gritted his teeth, feeling emotions bubbling up that he’d prefer to keep down. The snake woman reached up for the simian and ran a gentle hand down his face, directing his gaze at her. “I can see how much you’re truly hurting.”

Macaque glanced up and locked eyes with her. To his shock there was no malice or wickedness in her face, she smiled softly. “I can see how much pain you still harbor. From the icy chains of the Lady Bone Demon and even that child.”

Macaque’s eyes widened, and his gaze fell. The tail clenched, choking out the last of the air in his lungs and cracking a rib. He let out a choked gasp and fell limp in her grip.

“You feel regret for everything you’ve done to that poor boy, too. Don’t you? I truly do pity you.” Her hand moved to his chin and pulled his dim gaze back up to look at her. Her soft expression morphed. Her small smile grew more wicked, and large fangs formed as she moved in closer. “This will only hurt a little.”

Macaque wanted to fight back, but his body couldn’t move. “No… wait…” Her large fangs sank into his neck. He cried out in pain as he tried to twist out of her grasp but couldn’t.

The teeth left his neck, and she giggled to herself. The tail let go of him, and he sank to the floor. His ribs ached as he curled into a fetal position and gasped for air. “I truly do pity you.” She said with a grin.

As his vision faded to black, all he could see was the light from the lantern getting further away.

—

“Don’t make me do this, bud.” His eyes were uncharacteristically dark. His hand clutched his staff, the golden cuffs shining even in the pouring rain.

“What’re you gonna do?” Macaque challenged with a smirk. “Yell at me again? Leave without a word?” Macaque barked a laugh as Wukong entered an offensive stance.

They stood there for a moment in tense silence. Rain pattered on the ground, dripping down the stones of the cliff they stood on. Lightning flashed and thunder cracked in the distance.

Macaque clenched his teeth as Wukong didn’t say a word, standing ahead of him with his golden staff at the ready. “Come on, Wukong, you can’t be serious.”

Wukong stalked forward, his tail whipping behind him. Macaque flinched when he glared up at him with blood-red eyes.

Macaque dodged Wukong’s staff as it plunged into the rock behind him, sending rubble flying into the air. Macaque quickly summoned his cudgel from the shadows and blocked Wukong’s next swing.

Their weapons clashed as they continued to fight. Macaque parried Wukong’s attacks, but Wukong was relentless. Macaque may have been fast, but speed only worked for so long against someone as immortal as Wukong.

Wukong’s fist jabbed Macaque in the stomach. Macaque let out a choked wince, and he felt his ribs break from the hit. He was sent flying into the nearby mountain range, crashing through rocks. He spat out blood and wiped his mouth as he slowly stood up.

He looked up and saw a gold light gleam in the distance. He scurried away as Wukong’s staff slammed into the ground where he once stood.

“Don’t you see what they’re turning you into!” Macaque had yelled, holding his stomach. Wukong flew to his staff and pulled it from the ground. His fillet glowing gold in the rain.

Macaque clenched his fists, panting slightly. He couldn’t keep this fight up much longer, and his movements were growing sloppier by the minute. “Please, Wukong, I’m only trying to help!”

“By hurting my master?” His voice was dark, and his face was shadowed except for his glowing red eyes, glaring up at the shadow monkey.

Macaque backed away. “I did what I had to. Your joke of a master was hurting you!” Macaque's fist clenched tighter. “And what about me?! You just leave me alone on that mountain for centuries!” The rain poured as lightning struck in the distance.

Wukong paused for a moment, Macaque's fists trembled with fury. Grip around his cudgel tightening and tail lashing behind him.

“Some king you are.”

Wukong swung his staff into Macaque’s stomach before he could deflect it. He crashed into the side of the mountain and plummeted into the jagged rocks below. His ribs were definitely broken at this point, he spat out the blood pooling in his mouth.

He tried to get up but felt pain shoot through his arm. The shadow monkey glanced over his shoulder and saw it impaled by a long, jagged rock.

Adrenaline rushed through his body as he tried to yank himself free, but Wukong was already on top of him. The king raised his golden staff above his head, emanating with anger.

Macaque stared up terrified, Wukong’s red eyes were locked on him like he was prey. Thunder cracked and the wind roared as Macaque froze.

Staring death in the eye.

“Wukong, please!” His heart raced, he kept trying to yank his arm off the rocks to no avail. “I’m sorry, I’ll leave! Please…” Wukong stood above him, the staff looming over his head.

He continued to plead for his life, but the words didn’t seem to register. The golden staff trembled above his eye.

“Wukong… please… I’M SOR-“

—

“STOP!” Macaque sat up abruptly in a cold sweat. His heart was racing and his ears were ringing. He panted, trying to breathe. Where was he? His vision was a blurry blob of color. He put a hand to his right eye and the other to his stomach. Nothing.

He continued to glance around erratically, trying to get his eyes to focus.

“Macaque!?”

Was someone calling his name? The ringing in his ear was slowly quieting, and his vision finally began to focus.

“Macaque!”

Macaque’s breathing had slowed a little, but his heart still pounded. “Mk?”

The boy was staring at him with wide eyes and face creased with worry. “Are you okay?”

Macaque’s heartbeat began to slow back to its regular rhythm as he could finally take in his surroundings. He was in his apartment, the late afternoon light shone through the blinds.

Macaque turned back to the boy and waved him off. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

“Are you sure?” Mk pressed. “We found you in this dark cavern passed out, mumbling.”

Macaque rubbed his head. “Oh yeah, that…” The demon had gotten away… He didn’t beat it. “It was a Yaogaui.”

“What kind?” A new voice inquired.

Macaque froze, his stomach dropping with an overwhelming sense of dread. He felt his tail bristle under the sheets as he looked behind Mk.

There, at the edge of the bed, stood Wukong. The very demon that plunged the staff into his eye and killed him.

“It’s you…” Macaque muttered. Pain shot through his right eye. He let out a choked cry and clutched it, squeezing his eyes closed.

Mk was back at his side, placing a gentle hand on his back. “Macaque!? What’s wrong?”

Macaque glared up at Wukong, who was staring at him with concern. “Get- AGH!” He moved his hand back from his eye, black liquid oozed into his hand.

“What…?” He glanced up at Mk, the boy flinched at the jagged scar running through a milky white eye. The black liquid ran down his face and dripped onto the sheets.

“Macaque, what’s going on?” Wukong approached slowly, reaching a hand toward him.

“No…” Macaque’s eye widened, he tried to back away but toppled off the bed. He fell to the floor with a thud and curled up on the ground, hiding behind the bed. He felt the room twist around him.

“Go… away.” He muttered. His breaths were shallow, and his heart pounded in his chest. He needs to get out. He needs them out.

“Macaque…” Mk hesitated.

Get out…

“Are you okay…?” Mk rounded the bed and knelt down beside the trembling simian.

Get out.

Wukong moved behind the boy. “Macaque, what happened?”

“GET OUT!” Macaque shouted.

The shadows opened under Mk and Wukong’s feet. “Macaque!” Mk’s shouts were cut short again as he fell into the dark abyss. The shadows closed behind them, leaving him alone.

Macaque pushed himself shakily to his feet and rushed to the bathroom, holding his eye that still oozed with the black liquid. He bent down over the toilet and watched the black liquid drain from his eye and into the toilet.

His vision spotted as his heart pounded in his chest and ear. He grabbed his chest and felt tears well in his eyes as the black liquid dripped into the porcelain bowl. He gagged, feeling something rise into the back of his throat.

He wretched over the toilet and squeezed his eyes shut as he heaved more black liquid out of his mouth.

A wave of exhaustion washed over him, he pushed himself away from the black-stained toilet. He wiped his mouth with his sleeve and slumped back against the wall, panting. His heart was still pounding in his ears as he stared at the ceiling, not having the energy to get up and move.

The room felt like it was spinning, like if he stood up, he’d be back hunched over the toilet. He closed his eyes, trying to catch his breath, and ran a hand through his hair, hoping it would soothe his aching head.

“What did that demon do to me…?” He muttered.

He felt his consciousness slipping away as his heart slowed. His hand dropped to the ground, and everything went black.

Chapter Text

Mk and Wukong shot out of the portal outside of his apartment building. Mk stumbled and nearly fell, but Wukong caught him.

He pushed himself away from his mentor, his eyes wide in shock. “We have to go back.” Mk turned around to the entrance, but Wukong stopped him.

Mk snapped around to Wukong with pleading eyes. But Wukong’s face was scrunched with an emotion Mk couldn’t place. “No, bud, we shouldn’t.”

Mk stared back at his mentor in disbelief. “But Monkey King, you saw that! Something’s really, really wrong. We can’t just let him deal with that alone!”

“I know something’s wrong…” Wukong glanced away from the boy. “Let’s just give him some space for now…”

Mk glanced at the door and then back to Wukong helplessly. “But…”

Wukong stayed silent for a moment, trying to think of what to say. It was obvious whatever happened back there was triggered by him. And that scar…

Wukong took a deep breath and put a hand on Mk’s shoulder. “Macaque is strong; I’m sure whatever is going on, he can handle it for now.”

“But you saw him back there!” Mk pushed his mentor's hand off of him. “He was scared!”

Wukong sighed. “Look, you can come back tomorrow… I’m gonna go try and find the Yaogaui that caused this.” He turned away from his mentor. “Cya later, bud.”

With that he summoned his nimbus cloud and zoomed away. Mk glanced back to the apartment one last time. “I’ll come back, Macaque, I promise.” He transformed into an eagle and flew away.

—

When Macaque came to, he was still on the cold, hard floor of the bathroom. The walls twisted around him as the fluorescent light on the ceiling flickered. His head felt like his brain was pounding against his skull, and his body was weak. His memory of what happened before passing out was a messy blur of black.

Macaque pushed himself to stand and hunched over the sink. He glanced over at the toilet next to him, the inside was completely black with the odd liquid. He grimaced at the sight.

He took a deep breath and looked up at the mirror, wincing at his reflection. His right eye was milky white with a dark, jagged scar running down his face. There was still a stain from the black liquid under his eye and mouth. His hair was a mess, strands poking out of random places, pinned by sweat.

He turned on the faucet and grabbed a nearby cloth, running it under the water and wiping his eye and mouth. When most of the black was off, he tossed the wet cloth to the side and stared up at himself.

What was that?

Did that demon cause this?

He felt his thoughts and questions spiral in his head. He took a deep breath and ran his hand through his hair to ground himself. He’ll worry about that after he takes care of his exposed scar.

He brought his hand over his marred eye and closed his other eye, reapplying the glamor that had been there. He opened the eye that still worked, and...

What?

He stared at the still milky white eye with the jagged scar…. Why wasn’t it working?

He leaned closer to the mirror and examined the eye. Out of the corner of his vision, he saw something in the reflection. Macaque’s breath hitched as he slowly turned his gaze toward it and froze.

There, in the corner, stood… her.

Standing there with pale skin, her face shadowed, her white hair a mess.

Macaque felt his heart drop to his stomach as his breaths took in less air. His hands trembled, gripping on to the sink as he felt the hairs on his neck and tail bristle. All he could do was stare at her as she glanced up at him with a crooked smile. Her eyes were an abyss of black, sunken into the sockets.

My champion.

He whipped around with his back against the sink…

nothing.

He stood there, feet planted on the ground, legs trembling, staring where she was in the reflection…

What the hell?

His heart slowed little by little, and his breathing steadied. He sank to the floor and curled into himself, tucking his tail around his legs.

Why him…?

He felt like shit and looked even worse, the bathroom only reflected that. He sat there in silence, nothing but the soft ambiance of his apartment filling the void of void. Eventually, he took a deep breath and got up from his spot on the ground, leaving the bathroom and closing the door behind him. He decided to worry about the toilet mess later.

Macaque lingered at the door for a moment, deciding his next move. It was dark and quiet, the curtains were drawn to block outside light, with the only sound being the quiet hum of the refrigerator and the occasional tick of the clock.

He glanced at the kitchen, and, as if on command, his stomach let out a low grumble. He supposed he hadn’t eaten for a day, so he might as well gorge on whatever’s in the fridge.

And after… whatever that was… he thought he somewhat deserved it.

Macaque entered the small kitchenette and bent down in front of the fridge. The luminescent light flicked on as he opened it, but he was greeted by nothing. The shelves were empty, containing only a spill of who knows what. He winced, he still hasn’t gotten around to getting groceries in weeks…

The simian glanced down at the dirty, sweat-soaked clothes he was wearing. He needed food, but he couldn’t go out looking like this. He sighed, closing the door of the fridge, his stomach grumbling louder, as if begging him for something to eat.

“Fine.” He muttered.

He went back to his room and pulled out an old black hoodie and sweatpants. He slipped them on and pulled the hood up over his face to shadow his marred eye. He wore his red scarf around his neck, draping down behind him.

“Quick in and out.” He reminded himself before he dropped through a portal.

—

Macaque emerged in the heart of the city, people filled the side walls, and cars honked on the street. The sun shone overhead, barely a cloud in the sky, and a soft breeze blew. As much as he hated the noise, here he was less likely to be noticed.

He pulled down his hood further and started down the street toward a nearby farmers market. Each stall was brimming with vibrant fruits and vegetables, a few selling flowers as well.

“Hello, sir!” One of the stall owners hollered to Macaque. The shadow monkey glanced at the arrangement of the stall before hesitantly walking up to it. It had a wide array of colorful fruits: dragon fruit, pomegranates, apples, plums, and…

“Can I interest you in one of our freshly grown peaches?” The farmer held out the fruit with a warm smile.

Macaque stared at the fruit for a moment, he hesitated before taking it from the man. The farmer went on about how they were grown, but Macaque didn’t listen, entranced by the fruit in his hands. It brought him back… how could it not?

The sunny days on the beach, eating fruit and watching the waves roll onto the shore. Laughing with…

WUKONG, I'M SOR-

Black veins burst across the skin of the peach from his hand. Rotten juices oozed from its pores, releasing a putrid smell. He stumbled back in shock and dropped to the ground. Mold consumed the peach as the smell grew stronger. The farmer stared speechless as a few passersby glanced over at the scene.

There were some gasps and gags from the newly formed audience. Macaque kept his eyes down, blankly staring at the rotten fruit the hand that once held it trembling.

“How did you…” The farmer trailed off with a mix of astonishment and horror. The crowd grew bigger, forming around the scene and murmuring to each other.

Macaque cautiously took a step back in the crowd. “I…” he mumbled. He felt his heart pound in his chest as the murmurs around him grew louder, invading his ears. He kept his eye on the ground and stumbled further back. “I’m sorry.”

He whipped around and disappeared into the crowd. The farmer yelled something, but Macaque couldn’t hear it over the murmurs. He had to leave. He ran through the people and ducked into an alleyway.

The alley was empty and bathed in shadows, trash littered the ground, and rats squeaked from corners. Traffic still sounded in the street, and people passed by, but it was much quieter.

Macaque stumbled to the wall of a building and leaned against it. His breath hitched; no matter how hard he breathed, he couldn’t get enough air. He reached up for his scarf and yanked it off his neck, like it was strangling him.

The red cloth fell onto the ground with a muffled thud, his knees buckled, and he slid down the wall. He clawed at his hoodie, gasping for air, tearing into the fabric.

The walls of the alley twisted around him, and the ground pulsed under his feet. Whispers hissed in his ears, whispers he knew all too well. He clamped his hands around the sensitive appendages and squeezed his eyes shut.

“She’s dead.” He mumbled.

“She’s gone.”

The whispers in his ears slowly ceased, and the pounding in his head dulled but didn’t fade. The alley was still silent except for the noises from the main street. His mouth was dry, and his nausea lingered as he leaned back, sitting against the wall.

He looked up, panting, staring into the sliver of sky he could see. He brought a hand up to his hair, a faint smell of rot clung to his hand.

“I’m losing it… aren’t I?” He huffed a sad laugh. He curled into himself, hiding his face in his knees. “Gods, why me?”

He sat in the alley for a moment, waiting for the dizziness to stop. Clouds passed overhead, and the sun dipped below the buildings. When the nausea eventually dulled, a portal opened behind him, and he fell back into his apartment, leaving the scarf in the alley.

He stared up at the ceiling, mind blank, head hurting, and exhausted. The hum of traffic quieted, and the soft light of the evening filtered through the curtains, casting pale shadows across the wall.

“I wasn’t that hungry anyway…”

—

Mk landed his cloud carefully by the farmers market. Mei had called him because some sort of crowd had formed, and she thought it’d be a good idea to check it out.

There was still a small crowd of people formed around a stall as he approached. Mk squeezed through the crowd and found Mei at the front talking to the stall owner.

“Mei!” He hollered to his friend.

Mei glanced back and waved to come over to her. Mk nodded and quickly walked up beside her. “Alright.” She turned to the farmer. “Tell him what you told me.”

“There was an odd demon that walked in front of my stall,” he began. “I noticed him inspecting my fruits, so I tried to interest him in one of my specially grown peaches, but when he touched it…” the farmer hesitated. “It just rotted in his hands.”

Mk and Mei exchanged confused looks and thought for a moment. “What did the demon look like?” Mk asked.

“I couldn’t see his face all that well, but he was wearing a black hoodie with the hood over his eyes and a red scarf.” The farmer scratched his chin in thought. “I’m pretty sure he had a scar, but again, I couldn’t see his face much.” The farmer shrugged.

Mk's expression dropped, and his eyes widened in realization. “The demon wasn’t a monkey demon, was he?”

The farmer paused and then nodded. “Yes, he was.” Mk’s gaze snapped to Mei, but she looked at him confused. He turned back to the farmer. “Which way did he go?”

The farmer pointed to the direction the mysterious demon had run off. Mk nodded and grabbed Mei’s wrist and pulled her with him as he ran into the crowd. She squeaked in response as they weaved through the people surrounding the stall.

He pulled her into a shadowed alleyway; it was desolate and empty. “Mk, what’s going on?” Mei asked, concerned.

Mk looked around the alley for any sign of the demon monkey. “Yesterday during that demon attack, I went to get Macaque for help.” Mk began. “But when we got back, everything was back to normal. He went after the demon, and when I found him, he was passed out in this weird cavern.”

Mei listened intently as she watched Mk’s eyes glow gold and scan the ground. “I called Monkey King over, and when he woke up he flipped out, and his eyes were oozing with the weird black stuff.”

“So you think Macaque caused all of that out there?”

Mk turned to her and shrugged. “Mysterious demon monkey with a red scarf checks all the boxes.”

Mei glanced up at the sky in thought. “If you’re asking me, this all seems odd. Concerning… but odd.” She turned back to Mk. “You should talk to Tangy about this. He knows more about ancient demons than anyone else.”

Mk nodded. “Yeah, I was planning on doing that before you called me out here.” He turned around, his eyes flickering gold. He gasped and rushed to the other side of the alley, Mei quickly followed behind.

Mk bent down and picked up a tattered red scarf. The two teens gazes flickered between the scarf and each other.

“Mei… something’s wrong.” Mk’s grip on the scarf tightened. “Really wrong.”

Chapter Text

Macaque had fallen asleep on the couch that night, not bothering to change or go into his room and flop on the bed. He didn’t have the energy.

When he woke up he didn’t move, he just stared up at the ceiling. His mind was blank, etching patterns into the popcorn texture to fill the void in his head. He preferred it this way. Just feeling empty was better than feeling everything at once.

Eventually he sat up, glancing around. The toilet was probably still a black mess, and his clothes were tattered and torn. With a sigh he turned and dangled his legs off the side of the couch. Pausing for a moment before pushing himself to his feet. He’d been putting off cleaning up for a day, and he’s got nothing better to do.

Macaque moved lazily toward the bathroom door, the hinges creaked as the door swung open. He eyed the toilet with disgust, the pristine white smeared in a black tar-like substance.

The simian hoped it was his body expelling the venom, but he didn’t know for sure. And honestly, he doubted it. He approached it and pulled down the handle. The black substance twirled in the bowl before sinking away to the sewers. Though the liquid itself was gone, the bowl was stained black.

But Macaque didn’t care much either way.

He pulled off the tattered hood and cast it aside on the floor. He glanced over to the mirror, feeling a shiver run down his spine. He hesitantly approached the glass and stood in front of it, watching his reflection.

The marred eye was still milky white, gleaming in the fluorescent light of the bathroom.

He hated it.

He hid it for a reason.

He reached up and traced the edge of the jagged scar. Macaque knew he and Wukong were a lost cause. Their relationship had long since ended, and his eye only acted as a grim reminder.

His hate for Wukong had dulled after he met Mk, after he helped the boy save the world three times.

He still thought about the moments before he met the kid, the moments where his hate kept him moving.

Yet looking back, all he felt was guilt—guilt he dragged an innocent child into this. Guilt that he tried to kill him. Guilt that he hurt him.

Guilt for hurting the monk.

He was broken out of his trance by a laugh. A childlike giggle rang out in his ears. He clamped his hands over the appendages, whipping around.

But he was alone.

He took a deep breath and looked back at the mirror. But the person that stared back at him…

Wasn’t him…

Well, it was, but… His eyes were pitch black and sunken in like the wraith’s. The right side of his body was engulfed in ice, stretching across his face. He stumbled, his back hitting the wall, but his reflection remained motionless.

It stared into his soul, its face a void of expression. Whispers emanated from the mirror, singing a sickly sweet chorus in his ears.

So much wasted potential…

Macaque’s teeth clenched, he reeled his fist back and slammed it into the mirror. The glass shattered from the impact, sending shards and blood flying.

Macaque winced in pain and pulled back his fist. Blood dripped down his hand, leaving a stain on the broken mirror. He stared down at his bloody fist, bits of glass had cut large gashes into his skin, staining his fur red.

Macaque watched the blood trickle down his arm and drip onto the floor. The red splattered on the white tile, slowly pooling under him.

He turned to the door and stepped out, avoiding the many shards of glass scattered on the floor. He made his way to the kitchen holding his arm, leaving a trail of dripping blood. He rushed to the sink, turned on the faucet, and began to pull the shards out one by one.

He hissed in pain, feeling the glass leave his skin. More blood streamed from the cuts running along his arm. Once he felt like he got most of them, he ran his arm in the water.

He bit his cheek to stop the cry of pain in his throat as the cold water cleaned out his injury. His arm trembled as the red water poured down the drain.

Macaque stood there for a moment, staring down the drain. The fridge hummed in the silence, and traffic sounded in the distance as life was moving without him. Light seeped through the faded curtains, casting the room in a cold, desolate light.

The tiles were uncomfortably cold beneath his feet, his mind was in an empty fog. Even now, staring at his marred hand, he felt nothing.

He stepped back against the bar counter and sat down, letting his injured arm hang at his side. He sighed and looked back at the sink.

At least his reflection won’t bother him anymore.

—

“Mr. Tang!” Mk called stepping into the noodle shop. Tang sat at the bar holding a book probably thousands of years older than Mk with an empty bowl in front of him.

He glanced up from his book and smiled. “Hey Mk!” The scholar greeted. “What’s up?”

Mk paused for a moment before taking a seat next to Tang and glancing away nervously. “Something’s really wrong with Macaque.”

Tang stayed silent for a moment before clearing his throat and adjusting his glasses. “I... I see. What happened?”

Mk hesitated but explained the events of the days before: him getting Macaque, coming back to the demon suddenly vanished, Macaque going after the demon, Mk and Wukong finding him passed out, and… the black tears.

“And then yesterday me and Mei found his scarf in an alley! We think it might’ve been him that made a peach rot at the farmers market.” Mk explained, and he hunched back over in his chair. “I know something’s wrong, but I don’t know what, and it’s all just so… confusing.”

Tang saw the concern in the boy's face and sighed. “What type of demon did he go after?”

Mk thought for a moment. “I think he said it was a Yaogaui.”

Tang slowly nodded. “And what type?”

“Monkey King asked that too, but Macaque freaked out.” Mk sighed. “So do you have any idea what happened?”

Tang closed his book and set it on the counter, turning toward the boy. “Yaogaui come in many shapes and sizes, most possessing different abilities. It’s hard to pinpoint exactly what kind with such limited information.”

“I’ve got an idea.” Pigsy, who had been listening quietly from the kitchen, placed a bag of noodles on the counter. Mk glanced up at the bag and then at the pig. “Deliver this to ‘im, you can ask while you’re there.”

Mk’s eye lit up with hope, he smiled and grabbed the noodles. “Thanks, Pigsy.”

Pigsy huffed a laugh and patted the boy's shoulder. “No problem, kiddo, now get goin’.” Mk nodded and ran out the door.

He was going to get to the bottom of this.

Tang and Pigsy watched him leave in silence, Tang sighed and turned back to his book. “Are you sure that was a good idea?”

“No, but…” the pig hesitated. “I don’t think he’ll try anything; he’s got a soft spot for the kid.”

Tang glanced up at Pigsy before sighing again. “If you say so.”

—

The clock ticked on the wall of his barren apartment. Macaque sat curled up behind the counter of his kitchen. His arm stung from the deep cuts; there were probably just tiny shards stuck in his fur, but he couldn’t bring himself to pull them out.

He hid his face in his knees, his tail wrapped around his ankle. Time ticked by, the bleak light from the curtains had faded as hours passed. He didn’t know how long he had sat there in the desolate kitchen until he heard a soft knock at the door.

He flinched at the noise, sitting upright.

“Macaque?”

It was Mk.

Macaque's eyes widened as he glanced around his apartment. The trail of blood on the floor and the glass in the sink and in the bathroom.

Shit.

He can’t let the kid see this.

He can’t cause any more trouble for him.

Macaque rose to his feet and slowly approached the door, careful to avoid any glass shards. As he rounded the bar, his injured arm hit the corner of the counter, pain shot through his body. He hissed and stumbled back, cradling the red-stained arm.

“Macaque?! Are you okay?” There was worry in the boy's tone that made him wince.

“Uh… yeah. I’m okay, just stubbed my toe is all.” He uttered, approaching the door.

“Are you sure?” Mk asked, still concerned.

“Yeah…” Macaque leaned against the door, his arm felt like it was pulsing, the pain from hitting it fading. “What’s up?”

“Could… could I come in?” The boy hesitated. “I brought noodles.”

Macaque’s stomach grumbled, it was then he realized he hadn’t eaten in three days. “I, uh…” He took another glance at the murder scene that was his apartment. “You can’t.”

There was a beat of silence before Mk started again. “Macaque, please be honest… What’s going on?”

“Nothing… I’m fine.” Macaque replied.

“You don’t sound fine,” Mk shot back. “We’re worried about you.”

“No… You’re worried about me, the rest of your friends couldn’t care less.”

“What?” Mk stood in shock for a moment. “Of course not.”

“Look, Mk, I appreciate the thought, but I’m okay… really.”

“Wait, hold on—“

“You can leave the noodles at the door—”

“Let me in.” Mk cut in, his tone turning serious. “If you’re okay, then let me in.”

Macaque stood there in silence, not sure of what to say.

“I knew it…” Mk said in a bitter tone. “I know you’re going through something! I want to help you, Mac, but I can’t if you just hole yourself up in your apartment forever and deny it!”

“I heard about what happened at the market yesterday, and then your eyes the day before… Macaque, please just tell me what’s happening!” The macaque flinched as the boy shouted.

Macaque slid down to the floor and sighed. “The demon was a snake.” He began quietly. “What happened is kind of a blur, but she bit into my neck, and then I passed out… that’s all I remember.”

Mk listened closely and nodded. “I’ll fix this, Macaque, I promise.”

Macaque stayed silent for a moment and smiled softly at the determination in the kid's voice. “I appreciate it, bud.”

Soon after, he heard the kid exit the apartment complex. When he was long gone, Macaque cracked open the door and saw the bag of noodles sitting on top of his red scarf. The cloth was neatly folded on the welcome mat.

He grabbed the bag and scarf, bringing them into the apartment and placing the items on the counter. Though the more he stared at the meal, the more his appetite faltered. He glanced at the red scarf before grabbing it and creating a makeshift sling for his arm.

Macaque lazily approached the couch, dragging his feet on the slick tile. He sat back on the old leather and flicked on the TV. He turned the volume down and stared at the glowing screen.

Though he couldn’t tell you what was playing.

—

Mk landed his cloud in front of the small noodle shop, night had fallen, and not many people were out. The road was lit up by the street lamps lining the sidewalk, as well as colorful billboards flashing advertisements for restaurants and stores.

Mk sighed, walking up to the doorway of the place. He needed to talk to someone about what happened, maybe Mr. Tang or Pigsy would listen. He pushed open the curtain and walked inside. Pigsy and Tang chatted away at the bar, and Sandy sat nearby with a tray of tea set in front of him. They all glanced over to the boy in the doorway, silently staring at each other.

Sandy was the first to break the ice.

“Hey Mk! I heard you went to visit Mr. Macaquack. How was he?” The blue giant asked with a warm smile on his face.

Mk winced, rubbing his arm awkwardly. “Not great…”

Tang and Pigsy exchanged glances, but Sandy continued. “I see.” He nodded and handed Mk a cup of tea. Mk took a sip and sat down next to Sandy, staring into the green liquid swishing slightly in the cup. “What was wrong with him?”

“He…” Mk paused for a moment, trying to collect his thoughts. “He wouldn’t let me inside no matter how much I begged. And he sounded so… out of it. Like he was somewhere else.”

Sandy listened and nodded along as the boy spoke. Tang and Pigsy listened quietly, still exchanging looks here and there.

“I told him I would fix this, and I will, I just need to figure out how.” He looked over at Tang, who was looking down anxiously. “Also Mr. Tang,” the scholar flinched. “He said it was a snake.”

Tang shifted uncomfortably, glancing up at Pigsy, seemingly for help. Mk was quick to notice and frowned. What was going on? “Mr. Tang?”

“Look, um… Mk…” Tang looked away, not daring to meet Mk’s eyes. “I don’t think I’d be much help. I don’t know much about Mystic monkey stuff, and I think it’d be better if you went to the monkey king about this.” His words came out quick and jumbled, yet it felt like he had rehearsed this before.

Mk’s brow furrowed, and Pigsy and Sandy glanced from Tang to the boy expectantly. But all that followed was a thick, uncomfortable silence. Tang slowly glanced back at Mk, but he was just staring into his tea, thinking.

“No… You’re worried about me, the rest of your friends couldn’t care less.”

“You don’t want to help him. Do you?”

It’s suddenly made sense. Macaque may have been right after all, he ignored how nervous Tang was when he’d first asked. Just chalked it up to the fear of not knowing something. And thinking back to the interactions Macaque has had with the group before all of this demon stuff happened, Mei, Pigsy, and Tang were all wary around him. (Wukong too, but that was different.)

Even though he had changed, even though he’s helped them save the world. He thought he helped save Mk’s life. They still saw him for who he was back when LBD had covered the world in ice.

“W-what?! No! It’s… it’s not that I don’t wanna help him. It’s that I d-don’t think I can!” Tang quickly defended, nervous sweat beading on his forehead.

Mk stood up, fists clenched against the counter. “How many times do I have to try to convince you guys he’s changed!” Mk shouted.

“He tried to kill you!” Pigsy interrupted, raising his stern voice. “If Tang is uncomfortable getting involved with him, then he won’t.”

Mk looked up at Pigsy, eyes wide. “But Dad, something’s really wrong!”

“I’ve heard you, Mk, and yes, it’s odd. But Tang is not getting involved; that is final!” Pigsy smacked his fist on the counter with a loud bang. Tang winced and looked away, fists clenched around his stool.

Mk stood there, gaze shifting between the three at the bar. He felt helpless, for himself and for Macaque. What was he to do if the people he trusted the most weren’t willing to help him?

“But…” Mk murmured.

“Let’s all calm down.” Sandy said calmly. “Mk, if Tang isn’t comfortable with this, you shouldn’t force him to do anything.”

“But Macaque…” Sandy just slowly shook his head with a solemn expression.

“How about asking Mr. Monkey King tomorrow?” Sandy offered.

Pigsy and Tang were silent, looking anywhere but at the kid. Mk took a step back, his gaze fell to the floor.

“I’m going to my room.”

And silently, Mk approached the stairs and left.

Chapter Text

Wukong was stumped. For the past three days he’s been searching through records of the ancient monks temple, but “Yaogaui” and “black tears” aren’t related in any of the old scrolls.

He huffed in annoyance, sitting outside the steps of the temple. He didn’t want to risk getting near Macaque in case something like… that happening again. But he needed more information if he wanted to solve this mystery.

As he sat there thinking of his next move, his phone buzzed in his pocket. With a sigh, he pulled out the device and saw a message from Mk.

Mk: I talked to Macaque a little

Mk: He said the Yaogaui was a snake

Wukong stared at his phone for a moment, trying to think of what to reply with. Mk was being oddly short with his messages. Though this information was helpful, Wukong couldn’t help but feel a little concerned for Macaque.

Great Sage: was he all right?

Mk started typing but stopped, there was a pause before the little icon appeared again.

Mk : no

Great Sage: whay happemed?

Another pause.

Mk: He wouldn’t let me come in

Mk: He sounded

Mk: Idk

Mk : Disconnected?

Mk : Like he was out of it

‘Out of it?’ Wukong thought to himself, typed a quick “thanks,” and put down his phone. With the help from Mk, he should at least be able to find some kind of record that could be related. He got back on his feet and entered the temple once more.

Though he didn’t want to admit it, he was worried about Macaque. He knew the other was more than capable of taking care of himself, but the black tears, the glamour on his face failing, and now Mk’s interaction with him? It was… concerning, to say the least.

When Wukong saw how worried Mk was when they’d left that day, he knew he owed it to the kid to fix this. Or maybe he felt he owed it to the simian when he saw how the macaque had reacted to seeing him. How terrified the shadow monkey was when the black liquid streamed from his eyes.

And maybe he wanted to help him.

Either way, he was determined to find the demon.

And he was determined to make them pay.

As he read through a scroll on snake demons, a monkey came up to his leg and poked him gently. Wukong glanced down at his subject, who held up a couple of fruits in its tiny paws, offering one to Wukong. Wukong smiled softly and took one of the fruits.

“Thanks, little one.” Wukong cooed. The monkey chirped happily and took a bite of its fruit.

Wukong examined the fruit in his hand, a mango. As he scanned the orange fruit, he thought back to Macaque. He frowned and lowered the mango, glancing back at the scroll he’d been reading.

Maybe he should get a look at Macaque for himself. The monkey chirped confused at the serious look in its king's face, staring up at him with its black beady eyes.

Wukong huffed a laugh and patted its head. “Maybe I’ll bring him some fruit, too.” He thought out loud.

After a bit more searching and scanning through the temple archives, he found what he was looking for, a scroll he’d overlooked for the past day. He sighed and sat down at an old desk and unrolled the tattered scroll, beginning to read through it.

“Snake Yaogaui have an adverse effect depending on appearance. Some have the body of a human but a snake's tail; others have only the head of a human.

Most feed off emotions and magic by biting the victim and releasing their venom. The venom will slowly eat away at the victim till there’s nothing left.

Which could end in death.

Effects will vary depending on the victim, but a common effect is vomiting and/or crying a black liquid.

Cure unknown.”

Wukong huffed and put down the scroll. Why does it always have to be vague? He’ll have to get more information about this on his own.

Meaning he has to find the demon, and fast.

A chirp echoed off the walls in the library, he turned and saw a couple of monkeys holding up a basket of fruits. Wukong smiled softly at them. “I guess it wouldn’t hurt to see the effects it has on him.” The monkeys chirped in agreement.

He scribbled on a piece of paper and put it in the basket. “Thanks, little ones.” He transformed into an eagle, picked up the vibrant basket, and flew off to Macaque's apartment.

It was a cloudy day with a soft breeze blowing through his feathers. The city quickly came into view, Wukong glanced down to make sure nothing had fallen from the basket during the flight. Luckily everything stayed inside as he flew down to land on the windowsill of Macaques floor.

He carefully placed the basket and tapped on the window with his talon, transforming into a beetle before Macaque could come. He perched right behind the basket trying to peek inside, but the curtains were drawn.

He waited for what felt like an hour until Macaque finally peeked through the curtains. He looked pale, his eye was sunken in and glazed over with exhaustion, and dark lines were edged under the eye. The other eye was marred with a massive scar engulfing half of his face. Wukong flinched back, it somehow looked worse than what he remembered.

After a moment of glancing around, Macaque opened the window and examined the basket. Wukong shook away the grim memories and slipped past him into the apartment.

“A fruit basket?” Macaque hummed curiously. Wukong watched him from behind for a moment, noticing his right arm in a makeshift sling.

What? Wukong thought to himself. What happened to his arm?

Macaque picked up the little note in the basket. “‘Get better soon!!—Mk,’” he sighed and grabbed the basket with his left arm and brought it to the kitchen. Wukong followed closely behind.

On the counter was a bag of noodles from Pigsy’s, probably from when the kid stopped by the day before. But it was left untouched, the bag still neatly tied. Macaque put the colorful basket on the counter next to the noodles. “He’s really gotta stop doing this.” Macaque muttered.

Wukong watched Macaque leave the kitchen and go into the living room. He sat down on the couch and hugged his knees, pressing play on the remote. But the TV was playing static.

He flew up and examined the apartment, the entire place seemed to be unkempt. Like it has been left abandoned for weeks. He looked down at the ground, and his stomach dropped, drops of blood trailed from the bathroom to the sink in the kitchen. Wukong hovered in the air stunned. Blood? Why would there be blood?

He flew over and landed on the sink and looked in. Glass and blood pooled inside, the shards ranged from large to small, all splattered red.

His eyes widened in horror as he felt his heart rate pick up, he glanced up at Macaque, then back down to the bloody mess in the sink. He took flight again and followed the trail of blood to the bathroom. The door was wide open, the closer he got, the more blood there was.

Wukong peeked inside, glass shards littered the floor in a pool of red blood. The mirror was broken, glass still clung to the frame, and some shards were in the sink. The toilet was stained black both inside and out.

Wukong stared at the scene in disbelief. What the hell happened? He landed on the ground for a brief moment, trying to calm himself. He couldn’t get himself worked up, not here, not now.

He flew back to the kitchen, Macaque was still sitting on the couch watching static. The shadow monkey looked so… disconnected. His eyes were dull and glazed, staring into the static on the screen. Like he wasn’t actually there at all.

Wukong didn’t want to leave him. He wanted to shake him out of this, to wake him up, to save him this time, but… He just couldn’t…

His inner turmoil was interrupted by a cough. Wukong glanced back to Macaque. His hand covered his mouth as he hacked into it, his coughs grew more ragged until it sounded like something dislodged from his throat. Macaque removed his hand and looked down at it.

His eyes widened, black and red dripped from the hand onto his lap. He stared at his hand in disgust and stood up, walking to the kitchen. His breath hitched when he saw the glass in the sink, but he shook his head and washed his hand.

Wukong tore himself away from the scene and quickly flew to the front door, squeezing himself through the crack beneath it. Once he got to the stairwell, he detransformed and sat back on the stairs.

It was worse than he thought. He combed a hand through his hair and took a deep breath.

He can’t tell the kid, Mk would be even more worried about him. The only way he could fix this was to find the demon.

And he had to find them fast.

—

Mk sat on his bed with his legs crossed, staring at his phone in front of him. The sun was below the buildings, casting his room with a warm shadow. He stayed in his room all day, not daring to go down and face his dad, especially after yesterday. They've knocked a couple times, but he didn't answer.

Monkey King was doing his own digging into the demon, and Tang helping was a lost cause. He sighed and grabbed the phone, if his own parents won’t listen, then he’ll tell the only person who will.

He called Mei.

She picked up after the first ring.

“Sup, Mk, what’s going on?” She asked cheerfully.

He hesitated. “I need to talk to you about the Macaque thing.”

There was a beat of silence. “Mk… I don’t know—“

“Please, no one will listen to me.” Mk pleaded to her. “I tried to talk to Tang and Sandy and Pigsy, but no one will hear me out, and I’m really worried.”

Mei sighed on the other side. “Ok, I’ll be right over.” She hung up. Mk brought the phone away from his ear and stared at the screen. He glanced at his messy room and sighed, turning back to the window.

After a few minutes there was a knock at the door. Mk got up and answered it, Mei was waiting on the other side with a tray holding two bowls of hot noodles. “Pigsy said we could eat up here.” She gave a soft smile and walked past Mk, placing the tray on the bed.

Mk flashed her a small smile and closed the door, following Mei to the bed. “So what did you want to talk about?” Mei began, she glanced away as Mk sat next to her.

Mk grabbed his own noodles and stared down at them. “Ever since that demon thing, everything’s been weird. Monkey King's been keeping to himself, and then everything that happened last night.” Mk paused, keeping his gaze on the noodles in his lap. “I just don’t know what to do or who to go to anymore.”

Mei sighed and looked back down at her noodles. “I know how Mr. Tang and Pigsy feel.” She began, using her chopsticks to mix around the broth and noodles. “After everything that happened with the samadhi fire on the mountain…” She reached up and rubbed her neck.

“Same thing with him trying to kill us.” Mei looked up and met MK's eyes. “He slammed you into the ground, Mk; he attacked Tang. I can’t help but feel uneasy around him.”

Mk glanced away. “I know he’s done some pretty bad stuff, but he’s gotten better.”

“That doesn’t excuse what he’s done….” Mei muttered.

Mk sighed. “Yeah, you’re right…” There was a moment of silence before he began again. “But I mean it when I say there’s something seriously wrong with him. I’m scared for him, Mei.” Mei looked at her best friend, his face shadowed in concern. “I know he’s hurt all of us, but do you really want him to suffer?”

Mei looked away, thinking of what to say. “No… I don’t…”

“Then please…” Mk pleaded, grabbing one of her hands and locking eyes with her. “Help me figure this out.”

Mei stared at him for a moment thinking, before sighing and smiling at him softly. “Alright, I’ll help you.” She returned the hold on his hand. “Let’s fix this emo monkey.”

Mk jumped up in joy, but his bowl of noodles tumbled out of his lap and spilled on the floor. Mei laughed as Mk groaned in annoyance. “Come on, let’s go get some more.” Mei stood up. “Then we’ll figure out what to do about Macaque.”

Mk nodded back with a determined smile. His phone buzzed on the bed, he blinked and picked it up. It was Monkey King.

Great Sage: met me where we fond Mac

Mk’s brow furrowed, and Mei looked up at him in confusion. “What’s wrong?”

“It's Monkey King,” Mk muttered. “You said you want to help, right?”

Mei nodded.

“Ok, then follow me.” Mk walked out of the room, and Mei was quick to follow.

“Wait, what’s going on?” Mei called out.

Mk glanced back and smiled. “I think Monkey King has a lead.”

—

Wukong paced the entrance of the cavern, waiting for his successor. The spot was an old mining shaft on the outskirts of the city, in the complete opposite direction from Macaque's apartment. It went deep underground and all the way into the heart of the city.

This whole operation hinges on the hope that the demon came back and is still festering in the same area. And if Macaque couldn’t beat this demon on his own, he knew he needed some reinforcement.

Mk soon arrived with Mei in tow, Wukong looked at her questionably. “Don’t worry, she’s filled in on everything.” Mk reassured.

“So what’s the plan, Monkey King?” Mei asked, pulling out her sword.

Wukong cleared his throat. “The demon that started this is a type of snake Yaogaui. These types of demons mainly feed off two things: emotions and magic. As you should know, magic is the life form of a demon’s soul, so if we don’t deal with this demon now.”

“Macaque could die…” Mk finished, his face grim. He clutched his staff in his hands.

Mei put a comforting hand on his shoulder with a determined smile. “Then let’s go get ‘em.” Mk looked up at her and nodded.

Wukong smiled softly at the two before turning towards the cavern. It was pitch black at this hour, the cavern like an ominous void beckoning them inside. “Be careful and don’t let this demon get inside your head.”

The two behind him nodded with their weapons at the ready.

“Let’s go.”

Chapter Text

The cavern was nearly pitch black, and it was impossible to see anything. Mk shivered, this place was uncomfortably cold, and the ground felt wet. Wukong’s eyes lit up gold and scanned around, Mk noticed and did the same, looking around.

“Follow my eyes.” Wukong whispered back. Though he couldn’t see it, the young adults nodded in reply. They moved quietly through the caves' endless tunnel systems. Stalactites dripped, the eerie sound echoing off the walls.

Wukong stopped abruptly, staring straight ahead. Mk and Mei glanced where the monkey was staring; there was a small crack in the wall emitting a purple light. They approached the crack and listened for anything on the other side. There was a shifting noise, like something was dragging across the rocky ground.

Mk looked up at his mentor, shining the purple light. Wukong locked eyes with him before glancing at Mei. “Knock it down.” He commanded quietly. Mei smirked and nodded, pulling her sword out in front of her, green electricity crackled around it as she charged her attack. With a powerful thrust, the wall caved and crumbled, revealing a much more open space.

A lantern swung from the ceiling, illuminating the space with the same purple light. “What is that?” Mk stared up at the ominous lantern swaying above them.

“Stay close to me,” Wukong commanded, glancing back at them. Mk and Mei nodded and moved close behind Wukong, as they did, a menacing laugh rang out from the darkness.

“Sun Wukong, Mk the Monkie kid, and Mei the white dragon horse. To what do I owe such a pleasure this evening?” The voice was a woman’s, it was sickly sweet with a sinister undertone. This wasn’t Wukong’s first time dealing with a malicious demon like this.

“Like we would ever tell you that!” Mei shouted, swinging her sword around to intimidate the demon.

“Yeah!” Mk shouted in agreement, entering a defensive position.

The demon hummed in thought. “It’s about little six ears, isn’t it?” The voice came from right behind them. Mk and Mei whipped around, swinging their weapons, but no one was there. There was a soft giggle, and they snapped back around. In front of the lantern hung a woman upside down with long black hair, her skin was a pale green, and her eyes were slits. Her messy hair dragged on the floor like a pool of black tar.

She dropped to the ground right side up, her lower half a long, scaly tail. “Well, aren’t you perceptive?” Wukong remarked with a smirk.

“Hmmm,” her eerie gaze shifted between the three, almost like she was reading them. “I suppose you’re here to save him, aren’t you?”

“We know you’re eating away his magic!” Mk shouted, pointing his staff at the snake.

“Hmph,” the snake pouted, unamused. “Well, he wouldn’t be in danger if someone didn’t kill him.”

Wukong froze, and Mei and Mk exchanged confused glances and looked ahead to Wukong. “What’s she talking about?” Mk muttered.

“Oh ho-ho, you don’t know?” The demon laughed and slithered closer to Wukong. “Did your little mentor ever explain it to you?”

“I-“ Wukong started, but his throat constricted. He felt unwanted memories pulse in the back of his mind.

“Well then allow me.” The snake slithered next to Wukong and faced the two young adults behind him. “You see, magic is not the single component of a demon’s soul. Their body is also a big piece to the puzzle. For what is a soul without a body?” Wukong remained frozen in place, staring ahead, fists clenched so tight his knuckles were turning white.

“But after your master here killed Macaque, his body was left to rot in the ground. The Lady Bone Demon used magic to put the broken pieces of him back together.” Wukong's eyes flickered red, his chest rising unevenly. “And when my venom finishes its job…”

“His body will fall apart from the inside out.”

Wukong whirled around and landed a jab in the demon's back with a loud crack. The snake was sent flying into the cavern wall. “M-monkey King?” Mk looked up at his mentor with a mix of fear and concern. Wukong breathed heavily, his eyes flickering from blood red and back to gold.

“You do not know what happened that day.” Wukong growled low. He stalked towards the snake, who had pushed herself off of the wall and wiped rubble off of her sleeve.

“Struck a nerve, I see?” She mocked with a wicked grin.

“Monkey King, wait!” Mk moved in front of Wukong, standing between him and the snake. Wukong stopped in his tracks, eyes shifting between his mentee and the Yaogaui. “She’s doing something to you, I don’t know what, but you have to calm down.” Mk made his way closer to Wukong.

Wukong continued to breathe heavily as Mk approached. “Monkey King,” Mk put a comforting hand on his back. “Your eyes.”

Wukong froze, shitting his glamour. Wukong put his hands up over his eyes, covering them. “Shit. Kid... I’m sorry… I—I didn’t want you to see this.”

“It’s ok… I… I’ve read the stories.” Mk's expression shifted, and he turned back to the snake demon watching from the side. “You can manipulate emotions, right?”

The demon's smile widened. “So you noticed.”

“Ever since this started, there’s been something that’s always been off or just unexplainable.” Mk began to approach the demon as he spoke, staff in hand. “The day I asked Macaque to help, and we came back to the fight to find nothing wrong. You had caused a massive scene in the street.” Mk spun his staff around and thrust it into the ground.

And the sigil opened under the demon, and chains shot up from the ground. The snake gasped as the chains wrapped around her arms and neck, pulling her down on her chest. Mk loomed over the demon and glared down. “You fed off the people’s fear and left like nothing happened.”

The demon broke into a fit of laughter. “I didn’t take you for observant.” She scanned the boy up and down with a large smile on her face. “So what now? Will you kill me?”

“Tell me how to save Macaque.” Mk pulled his staff from the ground and pointed it at the demon's head. His body flickered gold, a tail and ears flickering with it.

“Intimidating, I’ll give you that. But I’m afraid killing me won’t help him.”

Mk faltered. “What?”

“My venom will continue to eat away at both his body and emotions, whether I’m alive to enjoy it or not.”

Mei stepped in front of Mk, pushing him aside. She grabbed the snake by her tattered hanfu and pulled her up to eye level. “You’re keeping something from us.”

“However,” the demon began again. “The venom can be expelled.”

“Really?” Wukong mumbled from behind, his eyes still glowing red.

The snake nodded. “I don’t know how, but it has happened before.” Mei dropped the demon to the ground, and the chains crumbled from her wrists. She rubbed her neck and stood up on her tail. “I’ll leave that for you to figure out.”

“Why are you telling us this?” Mk questioned.

“Well, I don’t particularly care if he lives or dies. I ate my fill, and I’m satisfied.”

Mk glanced to Mei, who just shrugged. “Maybe we can get Tang to do something with his powers.” Mei offered as they turned back to Wukong.

“I must warn you.” Mk and Mei looked back at the snake. “You may save him from death, but he could still be an empty shell of himself. By now the venom has probably taken most of his senses.”

Mk thought for a moment. “Are we just going to leave her?” He asked, looking to Wukong for an answer. “Monkey king?”

Wukong’s eyes glowed gold, looking straight up at the lantern above them. “Mk, give me the staff.”

“I, uh… ok?” Mk walked over and handed him the staff. Wukong took it and aimed directly up at the glowing light.

The demon let out a shriek and rushed towards him. Mei blocked her path with her sword. “Nuh uh!”

Wukong threw the staff up and shattered the lantern on impact. A purple light flashed in the cave, they shielded their eyes as the snake behind them screamed in terror. The light faded, leaving the cave in an abyss of darkness.

There was a thud and then complete silence, Wukong and MK’s eyes glowed gold as they scanned the cavern. The demon lay limp on the floor, Mei stood in front of her, looking around.

“Monkey King, what did you do?” Mk locked eyes with his mentor.

“That lantern was storing Macaques’ power.” Wukong glanced up where it once hung. “I thought if I destroyed it, the magic inside would… go back to him, y’know?”

“What about her?” Mei pointed to the demon on the floor. “Is she dead?”

“No, just passed out.” Wukong approached the limp demon. “Give me your sword for a second.” He didn’t wait for a reply and snatched it from her hands.

“Hey!”

“You two find Macaque and bring him to the noodle shop. I’ll meet you there.” Mei crossed her arms and huffed. “With the sword.”

“Alright, let’s go, Mei.” Mk grabbed her by the arm and pulled her toward the exit.

“What!? But my sword!” Mei refuted, but still let Mk pull her away.

Once the kids were long gone, the demon began to stir awake. Wukong glared down at it as it woke up and pushed itself off the floor. It looked up at Wukong, his eyes glowing a bright red.

“Stayed to finish the job, huh?” The demon barked a laugh. Wukong didn’t say a word, raising the sword over his head.

—

Mei held on to Mk as they flew over the city, stars twinkled in the sky. She looked up at the cloudless night, admiring the view over the city as they flew. “It’s really pretty tonight.” Mei mumbled.

Mk looked up as well. “Yeah, it is.” The cloud shook under them.

“Mk! Eyes ahead!” Mei shrieked, grabbing his head and directing it back to where they were going.

“Oh, sorry!” Mk laughed. Mei only huffed in response. The outskirts of the city came into view, and soon Macaque's apartment was as well. The cloud began to descend to the roof of the building, Mei hopped off as Mk carefully landed.

“Alright, let’s go!” Mei grabbed Mk’s arm and pulled him into the stairwell and down to Macaque’s floor. They approached the door, the air around the room was thick with the scent of rot. The two exchanged concerned looks.

“Mk, you should go in.” Mei stepped back, and Mk turned to her confused.

“What?”

“You’re closer to him.”

“Fine.” Mk stepped up to the door and hesitated before knocking. There was shifting on the other side, then a thud followed by silence. Mk looked back at Mei, who just shrugged. “Macaque?”

After a beat of silence, there was a reply. “Hey… kiddo.” Mk barely heard it through the door.

“Macaque, we need you to come with us to Pigsy’s.”

“I can’t right now.”

“Please, we can help you. We found the demon, we can fix this!” There was silence again until a heavy cough sounded from inside. “Macaque?” The coughing fit continued until it sounded more like retching, like his body was expelling something. “Ok, that’s it, we’re coming in.”

Mk burst open the door and rushed inside. “Macaque?” The apartment was a mess, a basket of fruit was rotting on the counter as well as the noodles he had brought him the other day. Drops of blood trailed from the bathroom with bits of glass. In the living room there was a small pool of blood in front of the couch.

And to the side of the door was Macaque. He was curled up on the floor coughing blood and black. Mk was immediately at his side, he helped the coughing monkey to his feet and into the kitchen.

Macaque bent over the sink and continued to heave red and black. He leaned his weight onto Mk as his legs trembled, threatening to give out under him. He looked so exhausted; his face was ghostly pale, his right eye marked with a jagged scar, his left arm wrapped in a sling, and his hair a mess.

The boy stayed silent; his mind was in a rush of thoughts and concerns. Why hadn’t he noticed sooner? No, he did, but he didn’t do anything. He should’ve help, he should’ve done something. Why did he drag Macaque into this mess to begin with?

Mei had walked into the apartment and looked around, she glanced in the bathroom and gagged at the mess.

“I’m… s-sorry…” Macaque muttered.

Mk looked down at the simian, who had rested his head on the boy's shoulder. “What?” Mk questioned softly.

“I’m so… sorry… f-for everything.” Tears fell from his eyes as he sniffled quietly into the boy's shoulder.

“Oh, Macaque…” Mk muttered under his breath. “Let’s get you to Pigsy’s. We’ll fix everything, promise.”

Mk threw Macaque's arm around his shoulder and let Macaque continue to lean his weight on him. Mei quickly came to his other side and carefully put her arm around his waist, avoiding the injured arm. “Alright.” Mei sighed. “Let’s go.”

They exited the apartment and barely made it out the door before Macaque started coughing again. Mk froze and looked up at Mei for help, but neither of them knew what to do. “Macaque, please. You have to make it to Pigsy’s.” Mk pleaded. He knew Macaque couldn’t help this, but they were so close.

There was a snap, and Macaque jerked out of Mk and Mei’s grasp, collapsing to the floor and using his arm to break his fall. “Macaque!” The young adults shouted, kneeling down to him. The macaque spat blood onto the floor and looked back up at them.

Cracks shot out through his entire body.

“I’m… sorry…”

Chapter Text

“Mk, wait.” Pigsy grabbed the boy's arm before he left the door. Mk and Mei stopped in their tracks and turned back. “You’re not just gonna run off and ignore me.”

Mk looked at him with a bitter expression and pulled his arm out of his grasp. “We’re going out.”

“Kid, the sun is almost set.”

“I don’t care! I’m going to help Macaque.” Mk snapped, turning back to the door.

“So it is about him.” Pigsy muttered. “I don’t care; it’s too late. You can go in the morning.”

Mk didn’t turn back, Mei awkwardly stared between them. “No.” Mk clenched his fists so hard they trembled. “He needs us, he needs me. And I’m going to help him. You can sit here with Tang and keep hating him, I don’t care. But I care about him. And I’m not gonna let him suffer alone anymore.”

Mk approached the doorway and stopped. “I will fix this, with or without your help.” And he left. Mei still stood there, glancing at Pigsy silently.

Pigsy sighed and turned to Mei. “Text me when you’re coming back.”

Mei nodded and went after Mk. Pigsy walked back behind the bar, Tang sat looking down at his book with an anxious expression.

“It’s gonna be a long night.”

—

Stars twinkled in the night sky, and a full moon illuminated the street in a soft light. The clock ticked on the wall rhythmically, the shop was shrouded in silence for hours. The pig impatiently glanced at the clock with a tight expression, every so often checking his phone for a message from Mei.

“Should I help?” Tang asked quietly, breaking the silence.

Pigsy huffed and leaned on the counter. “Depends, do you want to?”

“I… don’t know.” Tang stirred the tea bag in his cup. “I mean… the stuff he did was… bad. But we haven’t really given him much of a chance, have we?”

“No, but… we have our reasons…” Pigsy’s phone pinged, he quickly pulled the device out of his pocket and opened it.

Mei: its bad

Mei: we’re on our way to get Mac

Mei: He might die.

Pigsy stared at the messages with wide eyes, Tang turned and looked at him quizzically. “What’s wrong?”

“Mei said he might die.”

Tang's eyes widened, and he looked back down at his tea. “I… see.”

“You better make your choice then.” Pigsy put his phone down on the counter.

Tang grimaced and stayed silent. The clock continued to tick, and Tang tapped his finger nervously on his cup. “What would you do… if you were me?”

Pigsy thought for a moment, standing up off the bar. “You were right about what ya said earlier, about how we haven’t really given him a chance…” Pigsy crossed his arms and glanced at old photographs that hung on the wall. “I still don’t forgive ‘im, but… I don’t think he should die.”

Tang hummed, slowly taking a sip of his tea. He stared into the liquid, thinking. The curtain to the shop flung open, and Wukong walked in. Tang and Pigsy turned to look at him, Tang’s breath hitched upon seeing his appearance.

His eyes were red, blood splattered on his face and fur, and in his hand he held Mei’s blood-stained sword. He stiffly turned and looked at the pig standing behind the counter with shell-shocked eyes. “We found the demon.”

Tang gulped and looked away from the tattered monkey. Pigsy cleared his throat and stepped out from behind the bar. “Give that to me.” He held out his hand to Wukong, waiting for the simian to do as he was told. Wukong stared at the pig's hand for a moment, his mind somewhere else. “Wukong.”

The golden monkey blinked out of his trance and hesitantly handed the sword to the chef. “Now, go upstairs and get washed up.”

Wukong glanced over at the stairs before looking back at Pigsy. “Why?” He asked quietly.

“I…” Pigsy glanced back at Tang and sighed. “I don’t want the kid to see you like this.”

Wukong stood silently for a moment before nodding and moving to the stairs. “Thanks.” He mumbled behind him.

Once Wukong was gone, Pigsy brought the sword to the sink and began to wash the blood off. Tang only watched from his seat, unable to find the words. “At least...” he stumbled. “At least we know the demon won’t hurt anyone else.”

Pigsy nodded but said nothing. The sink squeaked as the two sat in silence. Pigsy gently wiped the sword and finished washing it, the blood-stained water drained, and he placed it on the counter near Tang, leaning against the counter. Shortly after Wukong came down the stairs, the blood was gone from his clothes and fur, and his eyes were back to their normal shade of gold.

“Your clothes?” Pigsy cocked an eyebrow.

“I threw them away and just made a copy.” Wukong muttered, sitting near Tang at the bar. He stared down at the sword lying in front of him. “Thanks.”

Pigsy nodded. “Don’t mention it.”

There was a loud crash from outside that made everyone in the restaurant jump. Wukong darted out the door before Tang or Pigsy could exchange a word. They quickly scrambled to follow the golden simian.

Outside, Mk stood holding a red bundle in his arms, it was small and wobbling around in the boy's grasp. He looked at his mentor with a scared look in his eyes, pleading for help. He clung to the moving red bundle for dear life. Mei was close behind him, vigorously typing on her phone, her face holding the same fear as Mk's.

“M-monkey king! We found him, and—and h-he—his apartment—there was lots of blood, and he—” Mk’s words came out jumbled and incoherent. His voice was shaking and breathy, taking sharp breaths in between words.

Wukong put a firm hand on his shoulder, Mk looked up at him with large eyes. “Where is he?”

Mk’s grip on the bundle loosened as he slowly looked down with tears nipping at the corner of his eyes. “Here.”

Wukong looked down at the red bundle, now realizing it was Macaque's scarf. Wukong carefully reached for the cloth and pulled it back slightly. Inside was an abyss of shadow, its form faltered and flared. There was a glowing eye and an X where the other eye should be.

Mk looked up at Wukong on the verge of tears. “I don’t know what happened.”

Wukong met the boy's eyes, carefully taking the bundle of shadows that was Macaque. “We’ll figure this out, bud. I promise.”

Tang watched the boy on the verge of breakdown stare at his mentor with a semblance of hope. He stepped out from behind Pigsy, slowly approaching the three. He placed a hand on Mk’s back and locked eyes with Wukong. “Let’s take this inside.” He glanced down at the red bundle in the monkey's arms. “Keep him out of the light.”

Wukong nodded and pulled the cloth back over the shadow. The group quickly moved back inside of the restaurant, Wukong still holding firmly onto the bundle of shadows. Mk stood close to him, watching the bundle as if the moment he looked elsewhere, the shadows would fade away.

Tang pulled out his priest's staff and cleared his throat, everyone in the room focused on the scholar. “What you’re holding is the shattered remains of his physical body and his soul. I don’t know how his body could’ve shattered, but if we don’t act fast, his soul could go back to the Diyu since there’s no physical form to hang on to.”

Wukong nodded. “The lady bone demon used magic to put his body back together, the venom must’ve finally broken it.”

“I could try to see the extent of his broken body, maybe then I could fix it.” Tang thought aloud. He approached Wukong, gesturing for the bundle. Wukong hesitantly handed it to him, which Tang quickly brought to the center of the room. He placed it on the floor and took a step back, holding out his staff.

“Everyone move back.” Everyone in the room moved out of the scholar's way. Tang took a deep breath and closed his eyes, concentrating on the task at hand. He raised the staff, it began to glow a warm gold as it sat suspended in the air. He opened his eyes and lightly tapped it against the floor.

A sigil expanded from the staff across the ground. After a brief moment the bundle began to glow, the red cloth unraveled, releasing a purple figure, and with it a strong wind picked up. Cracks decorated the figure like broken glass as it hung loosely in the air.

Mk stared at the broken figure in awe. “Is that…”

“Macaque…?” Mei finished.

“I can’t put his body back together, I don’t have that much power!” Tang shouted.

Wukong looked up at the broken figure, and Mk glanced at his mentor. His face was scrunched with an emotion Mk couldn’t quite place. Guilt, maybe?

“I have an idea.” Wukong yelled back. He reached behind him and pulled out a small pouch from his belt. He untied the ribbon, opening it, and pulled out a talisman. Wukong took a deep breath and entered the sigil, the wind tried to blow him back, but he stood strong against it.

He took another step with the talisman in hand, the others in the room watched him move closer to the broken Macaque. He leaped forward and slapped the talisman on the figure's back. There was a bright flash as the sigil broke and the room went silent.

The broken Macaque dropped to the floor, but Wukong quickly caught him before he hit the ground. He lay limp in the golden monkey's arms, cracks still visible across his body.

“What was that?” Mk asked hesitantly.

“My master… the monk gave me this for emergencies during the journey. These seals put souls in a dormant state, he gave it to me to encourage ending conflicts in a ‘peaceful manner.’” Wukong answered, turning to Mk. “Now tell me everything that happened when you left.”

They all gathered around the bar, Macaque was laid on a table wrapped in the red scarf. Mk took a deep breath, Mei sat beside him and put a comforting hand on his shoulder.

“When we got there he wouldn’t let us into the apartment, but he broke into a coughing fit, so we went inside and…” Mk paused, glancing to Mei for help.

Mei nodded and continued. “The entire place was trashed, there was blood everywhere. The whole place smelled like rot, like there was food rotting on the counter, which makes no sense because he only brought him the noodles a couple days ago.”

“It was like the apartment had been abandoned for weeks.” Mk agreed. “When we saw him, he was on the floor coughing blood and that weird black liquid. So I brought him to the sink, and he started apologizing to me for everything. And so we took him out of the apartment, and—and he just…”

“Fell apart…” Mei finished. “His body shattered, like cracks just spread throughout his entire body, and he collapsed. He turned into that blob of shadows, and when a little light hit him, he burned. So we wrapped him in the scarf and brought him back.”

Mk’s gaze dropped to the ground in shame, small sniffles escaping him. “If I had done something sooner, if I was more pushy then… then maybe it wouldn’t have gone this far.” His fist clenched. “It’s my fault, I shouldn’t have brought him into the fight to begin with. I just wanted to show you guys how far he’s come.”

“Mk…” Pigsy muttered.

Mei wrapped her arms around him, embracing him in a hug. Pigsy and Tang shared a glance before smiling softly and joining the hug. Wukong watched the wholesome scene with a small smile, glancing at the cracked Macaque on the table.

The group released the boy from the hug, Wukong put a hand on his shoulder, and Mk looked up, locking eyes with his mentor. “Bud, you’re one of the best things to happen to Macaque. Without you, he’d have never helped defeat the lady bone demon or helped save the world like he’s done.”

“No one knew it would go this far, I’m sure he didn’t either. He can tend to close himself off when he’s going through stuff, he doesn’t like when people worry about him. Don’t blame yourself, you had good intentions. He knows that.”

Mk gave a small smile with teary eyes. “Thanks, Monkey King.”

Wukong wrapped him in a hug. “Of course, kiddo. Anytime.”

The moment was interrupted by Mei’s ringtone playing an upbeat tune. She quickly pulled her phone out of her pocket and picked up. “Finally! What took you so long? I texted you like 20 minutes ago!”

“Well, I’m sorry it’s TWO IN THE MORNING AND I WAS ASLEEP!” Someone shouted on the other end. “What do you want, dragon horse girl?”

“I told you in the texts; go read them!” Mei shouted back.

“There’s over a hundred.”

“I don’t care, go read them.”

There was a loud, drawn-out sigh from the phone and then quiet grumbling as whoever it was went to read the messages.

“Uh, Mei, who is that?” Wukong asked, confused.

“Redson.” Mei huffed, annoyed. “I was texting him on the way back here for help because he’s good with magic smart stuff. And he might’ve been more willing to help than…” She glanced up at Tang.

“Fair enough.” Tang sighed.

“Okay.” Redson huffed from the phone. “Have you stabilized his soul?”

“Uh,” Mei glanced at Wukong, who nodded. “Yes.”

“We only have a temporary solution for holding his body together,” Wukong added.

“Can you help us?” Mei pleaded.

Redson sighed. “I would have to assess his condition. Did you expel the venom?”

There was a pause in the room. “Uh…” Mei looked up at Tang and Wukong. They exchanged an awkward glance and shook their heads. “No…”

Redson sighed a longer, more drawn-out sigh. “Come to my place, I’ll run some tests and see what I can do.”

“Thank you so much Redboy, you’re the best.”

“I know. Be quick.”

“Thanks, Redson… It means a lot.” Mk joined.

“Don’t patronize me, just get over here! Oh, and don’t wake my parents. I’d prefer if they didn’t know about this.”

“You got it, Redboy. We’re on our way!” Mei exclaimed, hanging up. “Alright Tangy, mind teleporting us over there?”

Tang paused, glancing at the limp monkey on the table. “I… I’m coming with.”

Wukong, Mk, and Mei blinked in surprise. “Are you sure…?” Mk asked carefully.

Tang nodded. “I may not totally forgive him for what he’s done, but…” He locked eyes with Pigsy, who gave him a small smile and nod. “But he doesn’t deserve to die like this.”

Mk jumped up and wrapped Tang in a tight hug. “Thank you so much, Tang.”

“Of course, Mk.”

“Then I’m coming with too.” Pigsy interjected. “I know I’ve been blunt with what I think of him, but I feel the same as Tang. If there’s anything I can do to help you, I’ll be here.”

Mk looked at his dad with a grateful smile and brought him into the hug. “Enough talk, we’ve gotta go!” Mei shouted. Wukong nodded and went back to Macaque, carefully cradling him in his arms.

“Alright, Mr. Tang.” Mk stood up. “Do your thing!”

Tang lifted his staff once more and lightly tapped the ground. The group was wrapped in a golden light and was carried off to the Demon Bull residence.

When the light faded, they stood in front of the large manor looming over them. The place was built from iron and stone, the entrance being a large wooden door twice the size of the Demon Bull King himself. Wukong secured his grip on Macaque, stepped in front of the group, and walked up to the door.

“Hold on, Monkey King.” Mei called from behind, holding out her phone. “He’s coming.”

After a brief moment of silence, the door creaked open, the large door opened wide, and Redson stood on the other side with his arms crossed and a grumpy look on his face. His hair hung down, flaring out at the ends, he wore a red robe and sweatpants.

“Well, come in. The faster we do this, the faster I can go back to bed.” He said in a sassy tone and gestured them inside, turning around and heading back into the manor. Mei and Mk quickly moved inside with Wukong close behind and Tang and Pigsy taking up the rear.

Redson stopped in the hallway of the manor, turning back to the group. “The priority right now is to remove the venom from his system, I’ll run some tests on his body in the morning.”

“Thank you so much, Redson.” Mk gave him a hopeful smile.

“No need for your thanks, noodle boy. I’m simply paying you back for releasing my parents from the scroll.” Redson’s expression faltered, but he quickly cleared his throat and continued. “Alright, follow me to—”

“Redson?” A woman’s voice called. The red-haired boy froze, slowly turning around. From around the corner Princess Iron Fan and DBK stepped out and faced the group. “What is the meaning of this—“ the woman paused, locking eyes with Wukong and scowling.

“You.”

Chapter Text

Wukong flashed an awkward smile. “Heh, hey PIF, DBK. Nice place, is it new?” 

“Why are you here?” Bull King growled low, glaring down at the monkey.

“M-mother, Father, I can explain.” Redson stepped in between the nervous sweat beading on his face.

“You better; it’s past two in the morning. You have quite the gall to enter our home at such an hour.” PIF scoffed. She wore a long, elegant robe, her hair draped down nearly to the floor. She glanced at what was in Wukong's arms. “And what is that?”

“Mrs. Iron Fan, that's the reason we’re here.” Mk stepped in front of Wukong. “Redson agreed to help us save Macaque, and if we don’t act now, he could die.” Mk dropped to his knees and bowed to her. “Please. Let us help Macaque. And then we’ll leave. I promise.”

PIF exchanged glances with her husband. The large demon stepped forward, crouching down in front of Wukong and examining the broken monkey in his arms. “The Six-Eared Macaque. I haven’t seen you in a long time.” Wukong looked up at him with pleading eyes, he huffed and turned back to his wife. “He was one of my older brothers.”

PIF nodded. “I see.” 

“You are welcome here, but once Macaque is taken care of, you must go.” DBK stood up and walked back down the hall. 

PIF bent down and put a gentle hand on the boy's head. “Rise, boy, there is no need to bow down to me.” Mk looked up at her with round eyes and rose to his feet. “You all may follow me. Give the macaque to Redson.”

“Actually, Mother, I need Sun Wukong and the one with glasses to come with me.” Redson interrupted.

PIF gave a small nod. “Alright, I’ll lead the rest of you to the guest rooms.” She turned around and began to walk away.

“Iron Fan.” Wukong called out. She stopped and turned back, giving the monkey a deadpan stare. “Thank you.” 

“You can thank my husband.” PIF replied and continued down the hall, with Mei and Pigsy beginning to follow. Mk stared back at Wukong and Redson, debating whether to go with PIF or stay with Macaque.

“Go ahead, bud, get some rest.” Wukong smiled softly at him.

“I promise this won’t take long, it will be easier if we don’t have an audience.” Redson added, with his hands on his hips.

“Ok.” Mk gave the three a small smile. “See you in the morning.” He turned around and caught up with Mei.

“Alright, you two, follow me. I don’t have all night.” Tang and Wukong nodded and walked with him down a separate corridor.

“Normally when curing a venom bite, you’re given an antidote or cure.” Redson explained as they traversed the massive halls of the manor. “But I’m guessing there wasn’t one if you haven’t tried it already.”

Wukong shook his head. “There wasn’t anything in the archives about one.”

“I assumed as much.” Redson sighs. “That leaves us with a second, riskier option. We can flush it out with magic, but it’s not always bound to work completely.”

“Then what did you need me for?” Tang asked, he’d been quietly following and listening, nervous to speak up. 

“You’re here to make sure it does work.” Redson continued down the hall and stopped at a door framed in stone. Inside was a lab, full of different blueprints and tools scattered on the counter and floor. There was a table in the center of the room full of random unfinished projects. The room was illuminated by a lamp above the table, hanging from the ceiling.

Redson approached the table and shoved all of the mechanical pieces onto the floor. “Put him on this and stand at his head.” Wukong nodded and did as he said, carefully laying Macaque on the table and standing by his head. 

“You, glasses, stand here at his feet.”

“I have a name, y’know.” Tang huffed quietly, standing on the other side of the table.

“Sun Wukong, place your hands on his head.” The golden monkey immediately did as instructed. “Allow your magic to move through your hands and into Macaque, focus on directing it correctly.” 

Wukong closed his eyes and took a deep breath, guiding his magic through his own body into his hands and letting it flow into Macaque. “You,” he pointed to Tang. “You use that priest staff to help guide the magic through Macaque’s body, since Macaque isn’t conscious to do it himself.”

“I can do that?” Tang questioned.

“Not normally, but it’s different when it comes to situations like these, especially when it’s Wukong’s magic.” Redson stepped closer and gestured to the monkeys in front of him. “His magic is easy to sense, especially when the other’s is as weak as it is.”

Tang took a deep breath and tapped his staff on the ground, his eyes lit up gold and focused on the scene ahead of him, determined. “Alright, let’s do this.”

—

Mk lay in the bed of the guest room, wide awake, staring up at the ceiling. Everyone had their own separate rooms. Mk had asked to stay in the same room as Mei, but it only had one bed, so Mei left to her own room, and Mk went to his.

So Mk sat up restless in the bed and looked down at his calloused hands. He should be happy, there was hope. Redson could help fix all of this. But guilt consumed all of that, he caused this. He set off the incident that led to all of this. He made the choice to get Macaque, he let Macaque hole himself into his apartment, and he let it get to this point. 

If he had cared more, they would’ve been here days ago. 

He couldn’t let go of that feeling. It ate at him, and he couldn’t stop it.

The door to the room swung open, and the candlelightfrom the hall gently lit the room with warm light. “Can I come in?” A gruff voice asked quietly. Mk looked up at the door; his dad, Pigsy, stood just a step inside the room. 

Mk’s gaze fell back down to his hands, and he gave a small, slow nod. Pigsy smiled softly and approached the small bed, closing the door behind him, the hinges creaking as it swung shut. 

The pig sat at the foot of the bed, the frame creaking under the added weight. Pigsy glanced at his son, his face shadowed as he looked down. There was a long silence, Pigsy tried to find the words as Mk anticipated them.

The room had a quiet stillness to it as neither attempted to speak before Pigsy finally took a deep breath and began softly. “Look, Mk, we might’ve not been… in agreement for the past week, but… I’m here.” Mk kept his eyes down, staring at his fists, Pigsy reached over and put a hand over Mk’s. “You’ve heard how we all’ve felt about what’s been goin on. But I want to listen to you, son… I want to know how you feel.”

Mk sniffled quietly. “Really?”

“Yeah.”

Mk’s hands trembled, but he quickly clenched his fists tighter, his voice shaky as he spoke. “Ever since… I met Macaque. I've always had this kind of… feeling about him. Like this… insincerity to him.”

Mk wiped his nose on his sleeve before continuing. “Even during everything with LBD, when he hurt us, that feeling was there. So when I asked him to help us—I did it because I knew deep down he wasn’t the bad person he wanted everyone to think he was.”

He clasped his hand around Pigsy’s, the dim candlelight flickering. “And then, after we killed LBD, I noticed this free feeling from him. He’s been more open, he talks to me. Sometimes I have noodles at his place, and he lets me ramble about how I feel and random stuff I like." Pigsy noticed the small smile tugging on the kid's lips as he reminisced.

"But when I told you guys there was this weird awkward feeling, so I stopped telling you." Mk paused, tears welled in his eyes, and he squeezed his dad’s hand. His lip quivered, and he squeezed Pigsy’s hand. “So… so when I saw the demon attacking the city… I—I thought that if he helped beat it, then maybe you wouldn’t hate him as much. But now… I regret it. I regret getting him to help. I wish I just handled it like every other demon. I wish I cared enough to fix this sooner, to save him sooner. And now he’s about to die, and I can’t do anything to help him. It’s all my fault, I should’ve cared. I should’ve—” 

Tears fell from his eyes uncontrollably; he wiped them with his sleeve, not daring to look up at his dad. “Oh, Mk.” Pigsy muttered. He leaned into the sobbing boy and wrapped his arms around him. Mk cried into his shoulder, held onto his dad, and squeezed.

Time ticked by, and Pigsy let Mk release all the emotions he had bottled up for so long. He let the kid cry until it slowed to small sniffles; his body trembled as he held his dad.

Pigsy slowly let go of the boy and sat him up to meet each other’s eyes. “If you only focus on the choices you’ve already made or what you could’ve done instead, you’re never gonna figure out how to learn and fix it.” He sighed, running a hand through the boy's messy hair. “Believe me, in all the years I’ve lived, there's things I regret, but it’s part’a life. You meant well, kiddo, I know that, and I’m sure Macaque knows that.” 

He held Mk’s hands in his. “I’m sorry I didn’t listen to you, kid. I’m sorry I didn’t think to try and understand…” He met Mk’s red puffy eyes, still glistening with tears. “When this is all over, I’ll make more of an effort. We all will.”

Mk smiled, his cheeks wet from the stream of tears down his face. He let out a small laugh and wiped his face, his throat dry and hoarse after all the crying. “You sound like Tang.” 

Pigsy huffed a laugh, he put an arm around Mk and brought him into a side hug. “Well, when you’re stuck with him all day every day, you pick up some stuff.” The plug remarked. “I’m also just really old.” Mk giggled and wrapped his dad in a full hug.

“Thanks, Dadsy.” They sat like that for a moment, in a quiet, warm embrace. Until Mk’s chest rose and fell in a steady rhythm and his grip on Pigsy loosened. Mk had fallen asleep. Pigsy breathed a sigh of relief and unwrapped the boy’s arms, letting him fall back on his pillow. 

Pigsy stood up off the bed; the frame creaked with relief. He pulled the blanket over him and walked back to the door. Before leaving, he glanced back at the sleeping Mk and smiled. “Rest up, kid.” With that he left and let Mk sleep. 

—

Mk awoke to an urgent knock on the door, he grumbled, still half asleep, and glanced at his phone on the small table next to the bed. 9:00 a.m. “Come on, noodle boy!” A voice Mk realized was Redson’s shouted from the hall. “It’s time for breakfast.”

Mk gave a loud, drawn-out groan and rubbed his eyes. “Stop acting like a child!” Redson huffed, and Mk heard footsteps from outside getting quieter. He must’ve walked away. 

Mk slowly sat up off the edge of the bed and sighed. He sat there for a moment, taking in the room, taking in the silence, before standing up and leaving the bedroom. He quickly caught up with Redson, Mei and the others had already been taken to the dining room.

Mk glanced at him as they walked, noticing dark circles under his eyes, as if he hadn’t slept at all the night before. “So… about last night…” Mk hesitated.

Redson grumbled quietly. “He’s fine for now. I’ll figure out his condition later.” His tone came out harsh; Mk snapped his mouth shut and nodded. They walked in silence down the large winding hallways until finally reaching an open room with a long table.

At the head was DBK, his wife sat on the other end, Tang and Pigsy sat together on one side, and Mei and Wukong sat on the other with an empty seat between them. Mk sat in the empty spot, and Redson sat next to his mother. 

Bull clones came out with trays with a variety of breakfast items, Mei and Mk were practically drooling at the sight. Pancakes and waffles drizzled with syrup and butter, eggs cooked in ways Mk had never even known were possible. The food was set on the table, and the two kids dug in, immediately filling their plates. Pigsy and Tang were much calmer, slowly picking the stuff they liked, Wukong’s plate remained empty. 

“So, uh…” Mk began with a full mouth. “How did it go last night?” 

Wukong and Tang looked up and locked eyes, Redson cleared his throat and stood up from his chair. “I present to you…” He reached into his pocket. “The venom!” He pulled out a small vial with black liquid inside. 

Mk and Mei ooed and awed. “Wait, so what now? Is he good?” Mei asked, stabbing her waffle with her fork.

“No, of course not.” Redson slipped the venom back into his pocket and sat back down. “But I should be able to make a cure that will fix any effects of the poison.”

Mk and Mei looked at each other with hopeful smiles. “Will the cure fix his body?” Wukong asked, staring down at his empty plate.

Redson glanced at him, slowly bringing food to his plate. “No, but I’m not worried about that. I have you and the monk’s reincarnation; it’ll be as easy as last night.”

“Kay,” Wukong stood up. “I have to take care of something.” He left the dining room, Mk watched him leave with confusion.

—

Wukong walked down the hall, rubbing his eyes with a sigh. Pouring his magic into Macaque took its toll, his body felt heavy, and his tail dragged along the ground. He hadn’t gotten any sleep that night, his eyes were pinned on Macaque, making sure that seal stayed intact and his body didn’t fall apart again. 

He leaned on the wall as he continued, he approached the door to Redson’s lab. The door creaked open, the room looked the same, with random items scattered everywhere, a few scary-looking tools hanging on the walls, and a table. A table where Macaque lay peacefully.

Glowing cracks still ran across his entire body, but he seemed more… peaceful. Wukong sat in the chair he’d stayed in the night before, he leaned his head on the table and stared at the cracks.

Gently, Wukong reached up to the sleeping monkey’s face. He absentmindedly ran his finger along the jagged scar. 

“I thought you would be happy, oh great Sage, I’m just finishing what you started”

Wukong grimaced, tracing the cracks running down his neck.

“You don’t care about him at all, you’re ashamed”

Wukong’s hand stopped, fingers trembling as he reached Macaque's chest. He sighed, reaching back up and softly cupping Macaque’s cheek. “I’m sorry.”

“I truly am.”

Chapter Text

“Redson, wait up!” Mk shouted, chasing after the fiery boy. Breakfast had ended, and everyone had scattered from the table, Redson took off towards his lab, and Mk promptly followed.

Redson sighed and whipped around, putting a hand on his hip, his tone laced with annoyance. “What now?” 

Mk twiddled his thumbs, glancing down at the floor. “Are you… going to run tests on Macaque?”

Redson nodded. “Yes, the sooner the better.”

“Could I…” Mk hesitated. “Can I come with?”

“I would prefer not.” Redson whipped back around, facing away from Mk. “I like quiet, and you’re the complete opposite of that.” Redson continued down the hall to his workshop as Mk sighed, standing there defeated in the large empty hall.

Redson opened the door and looked around, making sure that Simian hadn’t moved anything in the night. To his surprise, he was greeted by Wukong peacefully snoozing away with his head leaning on Macaque’s side. 

Redson groaned and cleared his throat loudly. Wukong stirred awake, slowly blinking open his eyes and taking in his surroundings. He locked eyes with Redson and practically jumped out of his seat.

“Am I… interrupting something?” Redson asked, crossing his arms, his voice was tinged with irritation.

“I… uh…” Wukong’s gaze switched from him to Macaque and back to Redson. “N-no! It’s nothing like that at all!” 

Redson squinted his eyes skeptically. “Uh-huh, alright, ‘Prince Charming,’ if you could leave so I can work in peace and quiet, that’d be great.” 

Wukong glanced at Macaque and slowly nodded. Making his way out of the workshop, not before taking one last look at Macaque and leaving. Redson sighed with relief that he was finally left alone in silence. 

He came up to the table and sat down in the chair where Wukong once sat and stretched his arms. “Alright, let’s get this over with.”

—

Wukong stepped out of the room and was met with MK sitting by the door. Wukong blinked in surprise, and Mk glanced up, meeting his eyes awkwardly. “Hey, monkey king…”

Wukong cracked a small, crooked smile and sat down next to him with a sigh. “Hey, kiddo. What’s up?”

“Nothing.” Mk brought his knees to his chest, wrapping his arms around himself.

“Mhmm.” Wukong hummed, wrapping his tail around the boy. “So… why are you sitting out here?” Mk sat in silence for a moment and looked away with a scrunched face. Wukong observed him quietly before glancing in the other direction. “You don’t have to say anything if you don’t want to.”

“What about you?” Mk asked quietly, his eyes flickering back to the golden monkey.

Wukong hummed in thought. “Don’t got anywhere else to be.” Mk huffed quietly, an awkward silence stretched between them. Wukong didn’t bother to fill it, and Mk was too scared to.

Mk’s foot tapped rhythmically against the ground, and his eyes darted around oddly, glancing at Wukong and looking away. Wukong was quick to notice the nervous sweat starting to form on the boy's forehead and sighed. “What’s wrong, kid?”

Mk sat up and scratched the back of his neck. “Whaaat?? Nothing! I’m fine! Honest.” He laughed awkwardly with a shaky smile. Wukong frowned and cocked an eyebrow.

Mk wavered under Wukong’s stare, attempting to look away, but the monkey didn’t let up until the kid cracked. Finally sighed and held up his hands in surrender. “Ok, ok, there is something that’s been kinda gnawing at me.”

“I’m always open to you, kiddo,” Wukong smiled softly. “Don’t be afraid to ask me stuff.”

“Well, it’s just…” Mk hesitated, gaze flickering between his mentor and the ground. “Ever since we beat the demon… I’ve been thinking about what she said down there…” Mk turned to his mentor, legs dropping into a crossed position. He locked eyes with Wukong, his brow furrowed. “What happened between you and Macaque?”

Wukong froze. “I…” he stumbled over his words, his claws gripping the red carpet of the hall.

“…”

He knew he was gonna ask at some point, but now…? Was he ready? What would he think?

Wukong glanced at the kid, Mk watched him with worry, furrowing his brow. “If you don't want to tell me, you don't have to.”

Wukong sighed, his gaze dropped to the ground, and his tail wrapped around his legs. “I’m sorry, Mk, it’s not that I don't want to. It’s just… complicated. A lot of stuff happened between us, and most of it was bad.”

“I… understand.” Mk looked down, disappointment edging his tone.

“But…” Mk slowly glanced up at his mentor. “I can try and give you the footnotes.” Wukong smiled softly, though there was sadness in his eyes. Mk eagerly nodded, and as the monkey began, there seemed to be a shift in Wukong’s demeanor. His smile slowly dropped, and his eyes stayed pinned ahead.

As he explained the short version, his eyes stayed pinned on the wall. He explained how Macaque showed up on the mountain, the brotherhood, the attack on heaven, the aftermath, his time spent under the mountain, and finally Macaque’s death. “I buried him at the top of Flower Fruit Mountain, surrounded by his favorite flowers and fruits, but after I planted them I couldn’t go back up there.” 

Mk’s gaze was fixed on his mentor with wide eyes, and he nodded. “Thanks for telling me…” Mk sat back against the wall, processing the tales. He’d read the stories, but the books only ever glamorized his actions. “I knew you guys had issues… but I didn’t realize it was that deep.” He’d read the stories, but the books only ever glamorized his actions.

Wukong didn’t respond. Mk sat anticipating something, but when nothing came, he glanced sideways and noticed his mentor was still staring ahead. He slowly turned his head back to the other, Wukong’s eyes were half-lidded, glazed over in a daze, like he was somewhere else entirely.

“Monkey king?” Mk hesitated, reaching out, but he paused. Wukong stayed transfixed on the wall, or maybe on the thoughts of his past. Mk’s face scrunched with concern, his hand hovering between them. He leaned over and waved his hand in front of the golden monkey’s face. “Are you there?”

Wukong blinked out of his trance and shook his head. “Huh?” 

Mk tilted his head slightly, a frown pulling at the corners of his mouth. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah.” Wukong rubbed his eyes and smiled. “It’s just hard to talk about.” Mk slowly nodded. “Also, I heard what you said.”

Mk’s eyes widened in surprise. “What… what do you mean?”

“When the pig— when Pigsy was in your room. I heard a little of it.”

Mk’s gaze dropped to the floor, hugging his knees closer to his chest. He winced recounting the night before. “Oh…”

Wukong snuck an arm around him and pulled him close, Mk flinched slightly at the sudden pull. “You’re not alone, bud. I’ve got my own guilt from this… and more.”

Mk hummed quietly and leaned in to his mentor, enjoying the comfort while it lasted. Wukong’s eyes stayed glued to the ground, dark lines engraved below them. But those lines may have always been there, and Mk just didn’t notice, staring at his mentor with rose-colored glasses, or maybe he didn’t care enough to look. 

The simian’s face reflected something only a thousand years of life could, a lifetime worth of regret. A melancholic memory, followed by hundreds of bad ones. Mk felt an emotion he didn’t think he ever could for the Great Sage: pity.

Muffled thuds, amongst other sounds, came from inside the workshop, filling the void of silence as Mk and Wukong patiently waited for whatever results Redson would conjure up.

“You’re warm.” Mk commented quietly, trying to not ruin the comfortable silence between them.

Wukong huffed quietly. “Thanks.” 

Neither knew how long they had sat there until the door to the workshop finally creaked open and Redson walked out with a clipboard. He immediately glanced to the side, seeing Mk and Wukong huddled up on the side of the wall. He gave a tired sigh and gestured inside. “You can go see him if you want. I have stuff to take care of elsewhere.”

As he began to walk off, Mk jumped up and grabbed his hand. “What about the results?”

Redson shook his hand out of Mk’s grasp. “You’ll find out soon enough, have some patience.”

Mk pulled his hand back to his chest. “Sorry I’m just—” But Redson walked off before he could finish. Mk sighed and turned back around, Wukong was gone too. The boy entered the workshop and saw him looking at some papers beside the sleeping monkey, who looked mostly untouched except for a few wires on his head and chest.

“What are those?” Mk asked, pointing at the papers in the golden monkey’s hands.

Wukong glanced up at Mk and then back down to the papers. “It’s the tests he ran.” Wukong put them down and turned back to Macaque. “The cracks seem dimmer.”

Mk grabbed a chair and pulled it up beside Macaque, he scanned the cracks on the broken body. Wukong was right, the cracks didn’t glow as bright as they did before. Mk winced, Macaque seemed eerily peaceful, his face devoid of any frustration and anger he once had. Though the jagged scar still marred his right eye and his body was marked by scars Mk hadn’t seen before.

“You’re right.” Wukong glanced over to the kid, his face shadowed with a somber expression. “Do you think…” he hesitated, squeezing his fist. “Do you think he can hear us?” 

Wukong hummed in thought, his eyes moving to Macaque’s expressionless face. “I don’t know.” The two remained silent, relishing in the still, desolate ambience of the room, until small sniffles broke through the quiet atmosphere. “Kid?” 

Wukong’s gaze turned back to Mk, the boy stared down at the floor, gripping the bottom of his jacket. “Sorry.” He spoke through small snuffles. “Just… seeing him like this…”

“Mk…” Wukong stared at the boy with pity, his hand reached out toward him but stopped. He didn’t know why he did, maybe because he knew he couldn’t comfort Mk when he felt the same.

Maybe he should’ve.

–

Mei, Tang, and Pigsy sat in a small study with comfortable chairs and books lining the walls, lit by a candlelightchandelier. Mei sat on her phone scrolling through whatever app she was on, Tang was scouring the shelves for a book he hadn’t read before, and Pigsy stared off into space.

“Are you alright?” Tang asked, sitting next to the pig with a thick book. “You’ve been spacing out for a while now.”

Pigsy sighed and looked down at his hands. “Sorry, I’ve just been thinking.”

“About…?” Mei asked, glancing at him from her phone curiously.

“Mk…” Pigsy muttered. Tang and Mei locked eyes, exchanging concerned looks. “When this is all over… when Macaque isn’t… on the verge of dying. We need to make an effort for the kid.”

Mei sat up, putting down her phone. “You’re right, but… he’s done his damage.”

“Just because he’s changed doesn't mean we have to forgive him.” Tang added.

“I didn’t just mean us.” Pigsy sighed. “He does too, and I’ll make sure he knows that.”

The door to the study slammed open, and Redson strode in with a clipboard in hand. He looked up, immediately locking eyes with Tang. “You,” he pointed at the scholar. “Come with me.”

Tang stood up off the couch. “What? Why?”

“Just come with me.” Redson demanded, turning to leave.

“Go Tang.” Pigsy muttered to him.

Tang sighed with exhaustion. “Fine.” The scholar reluctantly followed the red-haired boy out the door.

“Any idea what it's about?” Mei asked, turning her phone back on. Pigsy just shrugged, and the room returned to a comfortable silence.

–

“So, uh…why do you want me to follow you?” Tang asked hesitantly. They continued to walk down the extravagant halls, taking turn after turn. 

“You want to save Macaque, don’t you?” Redson asked presumably. 

“Well, yes, but…” Tang hesitated.

Redson halted to a stop, and Tang nearly slammed into him. “Oh? Has your stance on this changed?”

“No… it’s just…”

“Alright then, give me your staff.” Redson reached out to him, but Tang took an anxious step back.

“No, I’ll help!” 

Redson huffed and nodded. “Then stop complaining and follow me.” Tang sighed, and they continued walking. They turned a corner and stopped in front of a stone doorway, Redson slammed open the door, and the two swiftly entered. 

Mk and Wukong sat on both sides of the table Macaque lay on; their attention snapped to Redson and Tang. “Wukong, stay.”

Wukong looked at him confused. “What?”

“Mk go.”

Mk’s eyes widened, and he stood straight up. “What!? Why?”

“What did I tell you before?” Redson replied coldly. “You’re not quiet, nor are you needed.”

“But—” Mk glanced at Wukong helplessly. 

Wukong gave him a soft smile. “Go bud, don’t worry, he’ll be fine. I’ll make sure of it.”

Mk’s gaze fell in disappointment. He sighed and nodded, lazily making his way out of the room. As soon as he closed the door behind him, Redson cleared his throat loudly.

“Alright, let’s get this done so you can leave. Same places as last time.” Tang and Wukong exchanged nods and went to their respective spots. Redson scanned the papers on the clipboard and flipped through the pages. “The good news is his soul is mostly intact, so once we fix the body and I make a cure from the venom, you guys can leave.”

“This time, Wukong, your magic will act like a thread, and Tang will use it to sew the pieces back together. Understood?” The two nodded.

“Then let’s do this.”

Chapter Text

It was dark.

Pitch black like an abyss. Void of feeling, void of light, void of everything. 

Macaque felt suspended in a sea of nothingness, unable to move or see anything. His soul caught between two realms, neither willing to take his soul.

He didn’t know how long he remained in this state, his thoughts were muffled, like his head was full of fog or cotton. But there were moments where the fog would lift and he could hear… something. He didn’t know what, but he heard it. Maybe a voice, or maybe it was just the Diyu calling for him.

Then he felt it, an indescribable warmth, it was tender and somehow familiar. It didn’t overwhelm him or hurt, but he felt something in himself relax. This sensation grew stronger as a sense of relief washed over him.

Then he opened his eyes and felt all his senses come back to him. 

“Macaque?”

That voice. It was familiar.

“Stop messing around, get up!”

Macaque felt his body jolt upright, his eyes widened as he was met with a vibrant landscape of trees and flowers, with sounds of other monkeys and wildlife.

Flower Fruit Mountain.

The old Flower Fruit Mountain.

Back when the left side of the mountain was lush with flowers and trees. Before it was burnt to the ground, along with all the living creatures that lived there. 

Wukong swung down from a branch above him, face scrunched in playful anger. “Jeez, am I that boring?”

Macaque blinked in confusion. “What?”

“I was trying to tell you about all the other demons I met!” Wukong’s tail let go of the branch, and he landed beside the other, he wrapped an arm around the macaque and pulled him close. The shadow monkey could feel the other's warm fur brush against his face, he didn’t know if that’s what the heat in his cheeks was.

He quickly shook away the feelings in his stomach and focused on the blabbering monkey beside him. “Well, you’ve already told me about them ten times.” Macaque huffed, a grin tugging at his lips. 

Wukong burst out in laughter, laughter full of exhilaration. “I know! I know, it’s just I’m so excited!” He flopped back on the grass with a bright smile on his face, a smile that could warm the room. “I know I could’ve fought heaven by myself, but with a whole rally of demons behind me, I have a way better chance than before!”

Macaque sighed, his gaze turned down to his hands. “I still don’t think this is a good idea, Wukong. I just have a bad feeling in my stomach.” It was true, this whole plan always made Macaque uneasy. Yet Wukong made it sound so simple.

“But Macaque.” 

There was a sudden shift in the atmosphere around them, what was warm and comforting turned cold and damp. The leaves and flowers appeared to lose their color.

Macaque glanced up in confusion at the change in tone, he turned to Wukong and was met with the golden monkey staring directly at him with red glowing eyes.

A golden crown shining on his head. 

“Aren’t you going to wake up?”

“What?” Macaque flinched, he tried to move away, but he hit something. He looked up and saw he was backed up against a cliff. When did the rain start? Wukong stood above him, glaring down at him with blood-red eyes.

Macaque couldn’t move; his mind raced, trying to catch up to what was happening. “Please… Wukong…” was all he could get out through ragged breaths, his heart pounding so hard it was deafening.

His eyes darted around, and the staff in Wukong's hands rose above his head. It stood suspended over him before Wukong thrust it down.

“Wake. Up.” 

–

Macaque’s eyes shot open and his body jolted upright, his heart still racing and his breath coming in ragged gasps. His eyes darted around the small damp room, mechanical parts lay everywhere, and there was blue paper with white scribbles. Were there wires on his chest? 

“So you’re finally awake.” A harsh voice cut in. Macaque attention snapped in its direction. A red-haired boy stood with his back to him, tapping a pen on a clipboard. “Only took you 4 days.”

Macaque groaned quietly as his body fell back onto the table. “W-where… Where am I?” Macaque’s voice was dry and scratchy. As the adrenaline wore off, his whole body began to pulse in pain. Macaque grimaced and attempted to shift on the uncomfortable table to no avail.

His eyes focused on the boy. “Are… you real?”

“Your body will be in immense pain for a while, I recommend you stay put.” Redson approached the door before glancing back at the shadow monkey. “You’ll have to stay here for a few more days.”

Macaque clamped his mouth shut, trying to not wince at the pain that shot through his entire body. Redson grumbled at the lack of response and left the room, leaving Macaque alone in the quiet, desolate workshop.

There was this odd buzz in the back of his head, even though his body was in pain, he felt… numb. His brain was empty. Blank. He glanced at the different machinery surrounding him; maybe that was making that buzzing noise.

His gaze shifted to the ceiling, and the longer he stared, the more he felt his eyes droop and his mind start to slip away. But he just woke up; how could he be this tired? He tried to reach his eyes or run a hand through his hair, but his arm wouldn’t move. He sighed and closed his eyes, letting sleep take him.

–

The group sat at the dinner table quietly awaiting both Redson and the trays of food. The room was filled with a deafening silence, there was no noise but the ambience of the house. Mk sat quietly exchanging awkward glances with Mei.

“How was Macaque the last time you visited?” DBK asked, breaking the silence and taking a sip of his wine.

“The cracks were almost completely gone!” Mk exclaimed with a bright grin widening on his face. “Redson said he should wake up any day now.” 

“I’m glad, I would like to speak with him once he’s awake.” DBK smiled softly, looking at his wife across from him.

Wukong glanced up at him in surprise. “Really?”

“I haven’t seen him since the attack on heaven, last I heard of him, he was dead.” Wukong winced, and his gaze fell back down to his plate in shame. 

Loud footsteps came from the hallway, and Redson stepped into the dining hall. Iron Fan turned back to him with a stern look on her face. “We have been waiting for you for 15 minutes, you know it is rude to leave the company waiting.”

Redson sighed, and pink dusted his cheeks in embarrassment. “Sorry, Mother.” He took his seat to the side of his mother, and the bull clones finally brought out the food. Mk and Mei were already drooling at the sight of the vibrant meal.

As soon as the trays were set down, the two quickly began to stuff the faces of what was in their grasp, Wukong ignored the food and turned to Redson. “How was he?”

Redson grabbed a piece of meat from one of the rays and laid it on his plate before coldly replying. “He woke up.” 

Wukong and Mk jumped to their feet. “WHAT?!”

“Calm down, will you?” Redson sighed, rubbing his temples.

Wukong and Mk began to get up from the table, but Princess Iron Fan held up her hand to stop them. “Do not leave the table until everyone is finished. Besides, he needs rest, not you bombarding him with questions and concerns.”

They looked at each other before sighing in defeat and sitting back down in their chairs. But as soon as they did, Demon Bull King stood up, clearing his throat. “I have much business to attend to.” PIF locked eyes with her husband, her gaze boring into him, before nodding and letting him leave the room. But Redson’s eyes followed his father in suspicion.

DBK continued down the corridor, turning in the direction opposite to his study. He stopped at a stone-framed door just large enough for him to fit through.

He entered Redson’s workshop as quietly as he could, closing the door behind him. “Macaque?” The table in the center was empty, but there were small whines and groans from the other side.

He rounded the table and found Macaque curled in a fetal position on the floor. He quickly approached the monkey, crouching down next to him, making sure he wasn’t hurt.

Macaque’s face was scrunched in pain with his eye shut tight, his ears flicking as he squinted up at the large demon with one dull golden eye, the other being marred and milky white. “DBK…” His voice was strained and husky.

DBK sighed and carefully picked up the fragile simian, carefully laying him back onto the table. “You need rest.”

He let out a choked cry of pain as his back hit the wood. He took a deep breath and glanced at the bull. “Why are you… here?” Macaque spoke barely above a whisper, his voice still strained from the pain.

“Why didn’t you call for help?” DBK crossed his arms and looked down at the simian. One milky white eye outline with a jagged scar, and the other a dull gold. Macaque didn’t answer, only turned his head away, staring off into nothing. “Macaque?”

The dull gold eyes glanced back at the large demon. “Sorry… I…” he trailed off, gaze turning back to the distance.

DBK sighed. “My son is administering you a cure for the venom. You hopefully won’t be as out of it in a couple days.” He turned to leave, but Macaque murmured something, and he stopped and glanced back.

“M…K?”

DBK offered a soft smile and nodded before approaching the door. “He’ll be seeing you shortly.” With that he quietly shut the door and made his way toward his study.

Truthfully he was expecting the simian to be a little more conscious, the only reason he wanted to see him was to put his curiosity to rest.

He’d heard the stories, he knew the macaque was slain by his old brother. He knew he had been resurrected and fought for the Lady Bone Demon. But he didn’t know what his condition was.

Now he knew.

He entered a large room with books lining the walls, lit by candles and lava pulsing through the magma that made up the walls. He sat down at a large desk in the center of the room, paper littered on the sturdy mahogany.

“I’ll ask Redson to get him a more comfortable room.” He thought aloud.

–

Mk raced to the workshop after PIF released them from dinner, but Redson was already at the door with a clipboard in hand before he arrived. “Hold on, according to my father, he’s mentally unstable at the moment.”

The boy winced. “Can I still see him?”

Redson glanced up at Mk and then back down to the papers, he hummed in thought. They sat in silence for a moment before Redson looked back up at Mk with a sigh.

“Just… keep your voice down.” Redson adjusted his glasses and pushed open the door, letting Mk go inside before him.

Mk smiled warmly at Redson. “Thanks.” The fire-haired boy only nodded and closed the door behind them. Mk quickly approached the table and sat on Macaque's left side so the shadow monkey could properly see him. “Macaque?” Mk whispered softly, afraid anything louder would break the fragile simian.

Macaque’s face tensed for a moment before he squinted his eye open and met the boy’s gaze. “Mk…” His golden eye was dull, there was no glint of mystery, no hint of emotion. Just a dull, lifeless stare. 

“Hey.” Mk gave him a small grin before it dropped into a slight frown. Mk glanced at Redson, who was messing with something at the counter, facing away from the two. Mk sighed, gripping onto his sleeve anxiously. “I’m sorry.”

Macaque’s eye turned back up to the ceiling, Mk couldn’t tell if his words registered or not. “It’s not… your fault…” Mk’s eyes widened, the monkey’s voice was barely above a whisper. Mk didn’t know if he heard him right.

“What?” Mk’s grip on his sleeve tightened. But before Macaque could answer, he broke out into a violent coughing fit, his body tried to convulse, but it only caused him pain. Mk jumped up, “Macaque!”

Redson whipped around with a syringe with a purple liquid in hand and came up to the table, turning to Mk with a serious expression. “Hold him down.”

“What?!”

“Just do it!” Redson demanded. Mk nodded, hesitantly, he grabbed Macaque’s arms and firmly held them against the table to keep him from jerking his body. Redson gripped his arm and slammed it down onto the table, taking the syringe and stabbing it into Macaque’s arm. His coughing ceased, and his body slowly relaxed. Redson gave a sigh of relief and released the monkey's arm. “This is what I get for being lenient.”

“Is he okay?” Mk stared up at him, eyes wide with worry and fear.

“He’s fine at the moment, could be his body trying to expel either venom we missed or the antidote.” Redson shrugged and turned back to the counter. “Either way he’ll be fine, I mixed this perfectly.” Redson glanced back at the boy, who was still standing there, staring down at the now sleeping macaque, shaken up. “Come back tomorrow, he’ll likely be more present in the moment.”

Mk’s head fell, and he slowly nodded, he quietly turned and left the room. Mei was waiting outside for him, an awkward smile on her face. “How was he?”

Mk glanced back at the large door behind him and then back to Mei. “He’ll be okay, I think.”

Mei nodded, her eyes glinting with mischief. “Wanna go see what kinda rides this place has?”

Mk chuckled. “You bet.” 

The two took off down the hall, ready to cause their natural chaos.

—

Wukong approached the large wooden door, it was on the right far wing of the manor, and Wukong knew DBK liked to be alone while handling business.

He knocked on the dark mahogany, and the sound ricocheted through the halls. There was a creak from inside, and after a moment the door swung open, and DBK stared down at the monkey. 

The large demon hummed with a hint of curiosity. “I thought you would be checking in on Macaque at this time.”

“I…” Wukong hesitated before taking a breath and straightening his stance. “I have something I need to speak with you about.” Wukong let himself in and stepped past DBK into the study. DBK frowned with a huff and shut the door behind him. 

Bull King sat down at his desk as Wukong stood firmly in front of him. “So what would you like to speak about?’

“Why did you agree to harbor Macaque?” Wukong's stone-faced stare weighed on DBK, but the demon remained unaffected, his face painted with a deadpan frown.

DBK sighed and leaned back in his chair. “Is that all?” Wukong’s brow furrowed and his lips tightened into a thin line. “I haven’t seen six-ears for nearly a millennia, I couldn’t help but feed my curiosity.” He paused for a moment, glancing down at a picture on his desk. “That and… suffered a similar fate as me.”

Wukong froze, his eyes widened as his fists instinctively clenched. “Oh…”

DBK only shrugged. “I thought it may help him feel less alone in this predicament.”

Wukong grimaced. “How was he?”

“I don’t think he heard a word I said,” DBK chuckled lightly, leaning onto his desk. “Why don’t you see for yourself?”

Wukong winced, falling back into a chair facing the demon. “I think I’m the last person he should see while he’s out of it.”

DBK nodded, looking down at the piles of paperwork on his desk. “You’re right, he’d probably freak out.” The two brothers sat there in silence, an old clock ticked as Demon Bull King flipped through papers. 

There was a loud crash followed by shouts and laughs. Wukong sat up and turned back to the door, DBK glanced up from his desk.

“I think those are your kids.” DBK grumbled low. 

Wukong chuckled awkwardly. “Oh well… you know how it goes… heh.” DBK glared at the monkey. “Alright, alright. I’ll take care of it.”

Wukong gave a long, drawn-out sigh before finally standing up and leaving. But he stopped at the door, turning back to the Demon Bull King. "For what it’s worth, I’m sorry... And thank you.” Wukong smiled at him softly before he left, closing the door behind him.

Chapter Text

Macaque’s eye fluttered open, he was immediately hit with bright light and squeezed his eyes closed. Even though his vision was muddled, the light of the room stung. It was vastly different from the room he last woke up in, it was dark there, only being lit by candles and a low-lit lamp. 

He attempted to tense his arm, an odd tingling sensation pulsed through the limb and spread to his entire body. He tried to do the same to his right arm, but nothing, it was completely numb. 

Was that the arm that he cut?

His memories of the week before were hazy.

He lifted his head slightly, attempting to glance around at his new surroundings. Though his vision was still unclear, he made out a yellow figure to the side of him, but it was just a blob of color.

Was it saying something? Whatever that sound was, it buzzed in his ear. He groaned quietly, trying to put his hands over his three sets of ears, but his arms wouldn’t move. That buzzing grew louder as he squinted up at the yellow blob and forced his vision to slowly focus.

“Mk…?” Macaque murmured, slowly the buzzing quieted and turned to words as his ears finally cooperated.

The boy stood above him, his eyes welling with tears. “Hey.”

He was in a white and gray room, lying in a white bed. Various medical tools were laid on a metal tray next to him, and his body was propped up against the headboard. He glanced down at his right arm, it was still bandaged and numb.

“I can’t… feel my arm.” He croaked, his voice cracking and throat dry. 

“Redson said you’ll feel it more in the coming days.” Mk reassured, he paused for a moment, opening his mouth to speak again but instantly snapping it shut. His head dropped, tears dripping on the floor, and his fists clenched around his hoodie.

Macaque glanced at the boy, hearing small sniffles coming from his direction. “Kid…?”

“I’m so sorry.” Mk muttered between sobs. “I’m so sorry I didn’t… I didn’t care.” He wiped his eyes with his sleeve. “I let this all happen… I put you here.” He cried, hunching over in his seat, tears pooling below him.

Macaque watched him cry, though his mind remained blank, he felt so hollow. He couldn’t console the boy, the most he could say was, ‘It’s not your fault,’ but he knew Mk wouldn’t believe him. And truthfully he didn’t feel anything but that tingling in his body.

Mk muttered quietly muffled “I’m sorry”s into his sleeve as he wiped his tears to no avail. Macaque only turned his head back up to the ceiling, it was so bright in here.

The door opened, and Redson walked in with Mei trailing behind. Mk turned to them, tears still glistening in his eyes. “I’ll… I’ll see you later.” Mk flashed him a sad smile before standing up and leaving with Mei. She paused for a moment, taking a look at the broken macaque before leaving as well.

His attention focused on the red-haired boy. “Now that you’re awake, I need to get an assessment of any symptoms you’re still feeling.” Redson sat in the chair Mk had once sat in and grabbed a clipboard off the table beside the bed. 

Redson cleared his throat, pencil lightly tapping on the paper. “How does your body feel? Any odd sensations?”

Macaque glanced at him, he didn’t say a word. Maybe he was trying to comprehend what he said, either way, he took a moment before answering. “Tingly…” 

“And?”

Another pause. 

“I can’t… feel my right arm.”

Redson sighed, pushing up his glasses. “Not surprised. It was pretty badly wounded, the venom only made it worse.” He stood up, rounding the bed and stopping at a tray table that held various syringes. “How about mentally?”

Silence weighed heavy in the air as Macaque didn’t respond, turning his head to the door. Even the door was white. Were there any windows in here?

Redson turned back just enough to glare at the shadow monkey. “It’s important you tell me.”

“I don’t know,” Macaque mumbled, turning his gaze back up and staring blankly at the ceiling. Redson quietly took note of how dull his working eye was. “Numb, I suppose.”

“Wukong said something about the venom eating more than magic, it may’ve had emotional repercussions.” He picked up a needle, attaching it to the syringe and filling it halfwaywith an odd purple liquid. “I’m sure with this, your emotions will come back to you eventually, if not, let me know.”

Macaque froze, his gaze snapped towards Redson. Who did he just name? “Wukong…? Wukong’s here?”

Redson cocked an eyebrow. “Yes, he’s the one who carried you in.”

Macaque said nothing, processing what he heard in silence. The boy walked up to the bed with the syringe in hand, the simian eyed it wearily. “What is that?”

“The antidote. It will help reverse the side effects of the venom, though it may knock you out for a few hours.” Macaque sighed and only nodded, letting him do what he needed to. It's not like he could do anything about it, he was basically paralyzed.

Redson administered the antidote, and just as he said, Macaque felt his eyelids droop and his consciousness slip.

Redson said something, but Macaque couldn’t compute it; instead, he felt sleep take him. 

–

The next few days followed a similar rhythm: he woke up, Redson would enter the white room, administer the antidote, and he would fall back asleep—rinse and repeat. 

There was only one other time that Mk visited him, but after more time went by, and as his emotions slowly came back to him, he felt somewhat relieved Mk didn’t see him in this broken state.

He hadn’t seen Wukong, and deep down he was glad the golden monkey hadn't shown his face. He didn’t know if he could handle it or not.

Redson stated that his magic level was low and it would take a few more days to replenish itself, and once it did, he was free to go.

But he didn’t want to wait. He just wanted to go back to his place.

As the days went by, his body slowly regained feeling, but the most he could do was lift his limbs a little, he could barely whip his tail. All except for his right arm.

“Your right arm will heal itself once your magic returns.” Redson reassured as he readied the antidote. It was a quiet evening, one Macaque got to enjoy in the bed of the hospital-like room. “How are you mentally?”

Macaque sighed, glancing away from him, gaze focused on the door. “Embarrassed…”

“Is that so?” Redson hummed, facing away from him.

“I just… don’t like this…” Macaque grimaced, looking down at his broken state. “I’m like a helpless cub who can’t survive without its mother.”

Redson eyed the monkey. “That’s a new development.”

Macaque hummed, fiddling with the hem of the sheets, still staring intently at the door. “I really didn’t understand till I woke up.”

Redson nodded in acknowledgment and approached the monkey. “You know the drill.” Macaque nodded with a sigh, extending his arm to the demon. 

Redson administered the antidote once more and laid the syringe back on the metal tray near the bed.

Macaque watched him quietly walk out without a word, leaving Macaque alone to slip back into sleep.

—

Macaque stirred in his sleep and slowly awoke to a dark and desolate room, all was quiet but the simple ambience of the manor. Was it night?

He sighed, still half asleep, and carefully used his left arm to push himself up, a clock that ticked quietly on the wall read 1:42 a.m. He eyed the clock with annoyance before groaning and letting his head fall back onto his pillow. He was too awake to fall asleep now.

His eyes wandered around the enclosed space, moving toward the door, but the moment his eyes crossed the room, he froze and felt his heart drop.

In the dark, sitting to the side of him was a figure, a familiar figure.

He turned further, trying to get a better look in the dark.

It was Wukong.

His body jolted upright, and his heart rate picked up, pounding in his chest against his ribcage so hard it hurt. With it his breaths took in less air and appeared more like ragged gasps.

Macaque's legs kicked off of the bed, trying to push himself away from the other simian. He let out a choked cry of pain as he fell back, hitting the floor with a loud thud.

The sound caused Wukong stirred awake, his eyes blinked open, and he reached up to rub them. “Huh?” he muttered half awake, rubbing his tired eyes. “Macaque?”

His eyes glowed gold in the dark as he looked down at the bed and tilted his head in confusion, seeing it empty. He stood up, hearing quiet whines from the other side. “Macaque?” He called out, more worriedly, as he rounded the corner. He froze as he saw the black blob on the floor curled in on itself.

Macaque stared up at the great sage, his eyes widened in pure terror. His legs began to jerk and flail, still trying to push him away, his right arm lay limp on the ground as his left arm tried to reach for anything to pull himself back. His hand slammed into the metal tray of medical items, knocking them to the floor with a loud, metallic crash.

Macaque hissed in pain from the spike of sound, and his tail thrashed against the floor. Wukong stood frozen in place, watching the scene with wide eyes. What should he do? What can he do? “Macaque, it’s okay—”

“No!” the shadow monkey shrieked. “Stay away!”

The door to the room opened, and the lights flicked on. Mk and Redson entered the room, both tired and confused. “What the hell is going on?” Redson groaned, still in sleeping attire. 

“Get away!” Macaque hissed, baring his teeth like a wild animal and backing further into the corner of the room. 

Mk rushed to Wukong’s side. “I… I don’t know what happened…” Wukong muttered, hands trembling at his sides.

“Macaque, it’s okay.” Mk carefully approached him with his hand outstretched, as if approaching a frightened cat. “You’re safe.”

Macaque’s breath still came out shaky and ragged, the shadows slithered, gathering under him. Mk’s eyes widened. “No, wait!” He jumped for him, but it was too late, Macaque sank into a shadow portal and disappeared.

Mk landed on the floor of the hospital-like room, in the spot where the simian once was. He groaned and rubbed his head, sitting up and staring down at the tiled floor. “Crap.”

“Shit, that’s not good.” Redson scowled, pinching the bridge between his eyes. “Of course this happens the moment I leave, I can’t leave you simians with anything.”

“Monkey King,” Mk turned back to Wukong, who remained frozen in place, staring at the spot the macaque curled up on the floor. “What are you doing here?”

“Huh?” Wukong blinked in confusion, finally tearing his gaze away from the spot and up to his mentee. “Oh, I was, uh…”

"I advise that you don’t lie, simian." Redson stared at Wukong with a fiery glare.

Wukong sighed, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. “I… I was giving him a bit of my magic.”

“What?!” the two shouted in unison.

“I know, I know. I must’ve fallen asleep, and he woke up, and then…” He trailed off, grabbing his arm to stop it from shaking. 

Redson sighed a long, drawn-out sigh. “Of course.”

Mk stood up, staring between the simian and demon. “So, what now?”

No one answered.

The three remained in the room, silence weighed heavily in the air. Redson huffed and crossed his arms. “We have to find him.”

“I know…” Mk winced and sat down on the edge of the bed. “But where could he be?”

Wukong hummed in thought. “We could check the allies in Megatropolis.” He offered. “He could be anywhere that’s covered in shadows, but I doubt he went far.”

Redson nodded in agreement. “The simian is right, he was in too weak of a state to go anywhere unfamiliar. Even with the added magic.” Wukong gulped at the lethal glare Redson aimed at him. “It’s a shock he even managed to push himself off the bed.”

“What do you mean?” Wukong asked carefully.

Redson thought for a moment. “I mean, you were the catalyst he needed for his body to wake up.” Wukong didn’t speak, his gaze only turned to the floor.

“What about his apartment?” Mk added.

Redson groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. “I’m exhausted, can we pick this up in the morning?”

Mk jumped up off the bed. “No! Macaque could be anywhere, the longer we wait, the further he could be!”

“Kid.” Wukong put a hand on his shoulder, locking eyes with the boy. “I know you’re scared… but you’re tired too, we all are.”

“But…” Mk looked up at his mentor. He was helpless. He was helpless again.

“Trust me, Mk,” Redson chimed in. “He can barely walk. I doubt he’ll go far.”

Mk blinked in surprise, and a wide grin bloomed on his face. “Is that the first time you’ve called me by my actual name?”

Redson froze for a moment, locking eyes with the smiling Mk before yawning. “I’m tired, that’s all that was.”

Mk squinted his eyes knowingly and slowly nodded. “Uh-huh, sure.” Redson huffed in annoyance and left the room, mumbling something angrily as he left.

Mk giggled quietly to himself and approached the door, he glanced back at the monkey king. “Good night, Wukong.”

Wukong watched him leave. The luminescent light hummed quietly, and the clock ticked as time continued on. The golden monkey lazily walked to the bed in the room, sitting back on it. The springs creaked under him, he didn’t say a word, only taking in the air of the empty room.

Had Mk just called him by his name…?

–

Macaque tumbled back through his shadow portal and hit a shaggy carpet. He lay on the floor staring up at the popcorn-textured ceiling, his heart pounding in his ears and lungs gasping for air. He put his hand to his chest, gripping his fur in a shitty attempt to ground himself.

The walls twisted around, and he squeezed his eyes shut. “I’m safe.” He repeated to himself between breaths, claws digging into his skin, causing blood to trickle down his sides. 

His breaths slowly evened out as his heart slowed and the grip on his chest loosened. He groaned, pushing himself upright. Though it was hard to see in the dark, he knew where he was, he recognized it easily. 

His apartment. 

His shithole of an apartment. 

He was on the floor of the living room in front of the TV, there was a faint smell of rot in the air, but all the food that had sat on his counter was gone. He looked back at the couch, the pool of blood that lay by it was gone as well, leaving a red stain on the floor. 

It was quiet, with the ambience of the nighttimetraffic buzzing peacefully outside, in the kitchen the fridge hummed and the clock ticked. The place was lit by a luminescent lamp in the counter area, casting a lonely, desolate atmosphere. Macaque sighed, falling back on the carpet, breathing in the silence and familiarity.

Although the days he’d spent here during this whole mess were less than pleasant, he preferred this over lying in a white room unable to move, depending on others to help him. He grimaced at the thought.

He hated it.

He hated needing people.

He took in another shaky deep breath before using his left hand to push himself up, attempting to get to his feet. But the moment he made it upright, his knee buckled and he fell back down, he winced as he hit the ground. 

He glanced around, figuring out a plan, he crawled slowly to the wall and used the TV stand to pull himself back to his feet. He leaned against the wall and lazily moved to his bedroom, his tail dragging limp behind him.

As he stepped in front of the bathroom, pain shot through his foot, he hissed in pain, losing his balance and falling down to the floor.

His arm reached out and broke his fall, he glanced back to his foot—he’d stepped on glass shards that spilled out of the bathroom. He sighed, slightly frustrated, pushing himself back to his feet and continuing into his room, agonizing pain pulsing through every step. 

Once he made it inside, he closed the door behind him and flopped onto the bed. He glanced up at the window in his room, the night sky gleamed with stars, constellations twinkling through the dark.

His head fell back on his bed, he thought back to moments earlier, the fear on Mk’s face. He gripped his sheets, it didn’t matter now.

He was home.

And alone.

Chapter Text

Morning rays filtered through the curtains of Macaque's dusty apartment; the early bustle of the city played in the distance as Macaque stirred in his sleep. His eye fluttered open, and a small yawn escaped him.

He groaned, feeling a pulsing pain in his foot, though he couldn’t be bothered to roll over and check why. He looked up at the small window in his bedroom, he hadn’t noticed one in the white room before.

Wait… no… he wasn't in that room anymore.

He thought back to the events of the night before. How a certain simian sat by his bed, and how he reacted to seeing him.

Oh yeah, he left.

‘Pathetic’

An airy voice spoke in a brash tone, the word echoed in Macaque’s mind. He froze, that voice… it was familiar. His head slowly turned to his left.

The Lady Bone Demon stood at the foot of his bed, her icy stare boring into him with a wicked grin plastered on her face.

She wore a long, pale white hanfu, with a trail that dragged behind her. Her raven hair was mostly down, the top looped to the back of her head, and the rest hung near to the floor. Her body had an almost supernatural glow to it.

And for some reason he wasn’t terrified, not like he normally is when he sees her reflection in the glass of a store or mirror. No… this was different.

“What… are you?” He asked groggily, still half asleep.

‘What do you think I am?’ she replied coldly. Macaque didn’t answer, his gaze only turned back to the window, watching shadows of birds fly in front of the drawn curtain.

“Something my mind made to mess with me.” He muttered under his breath.

She only giggled in that sickly sweet tone that fooled so many. He ignored her.

His foot was killing him, the more he woke up, the worse the pain was getting. He winced and slowly pushed himself up with the arm that wasn’t numb and sat up on the edge of the bed, looking down at his limb. 

There was a small red stain on the carpet, and the blood had dried to a darker shade of red on his foot. He grimaced at the sight.

‘I must’ve done a number on you.’ She smirked, continuing to taunt him. 

Macaque growled low at her. “I’m not afraid of whatever the hell you are, so just go away!” He hissed, but she only stood there unamused.

He realized the red scarf was still wrapped around his neck, so he swiftly ripped a piece of it off and bandaged his bloody foot.

‘Why are you all alone, little six-ears?’ she asked, fake concern plastered on her face. ‘Are you seriously that unwilling to accept help?’

“Shut up!” He snapped, clenching his fist and baring his teeth at her. “You don't know anything.”

He put a hand on a small table next to the bed and took a deep breath before pushing himself up, trying to lean on the undamaged foot. He pressed forward to the door, small whines of pain escaped him as he limped out of his bedroom.

When he opened the door, he was hit with the smell of blood and rot. It almost seemed as if it were heavy fog, weighing over his apartment, like the scent of death. He frowned as he heard the wraiths' mocking laughter from the bedroom, and in one motion he slammed the door behind him.

Macaque limped across the apartment, using the wall as support as he made his way to the couch, this time he was careful to avoid the shards of glass in front of the bathroom.

He stepped over the larger red stain in front of it as he fell back onto the comfortable leather couch. A sigh of relaxation left him as he settled in, but he choked on a cough from breathing in the toxic air. 

He groaned in frustration and picked up the remote, turning on the old TV. He rested his hurt foot on the coffee table, flipping through the channels. 

LBD appeared on his left, standing by the armrest, her gaze flicking between the TV and the broken simian. That stupid, cocky smirk was still smeared on her face.

Macaque only continued to ignore her, he wouldn’t let his mind play these foolish tricks on him.

–

“He left?!” the others shouted in unison as Wukong, Redson, and Mk explained the events of the previous night. Mk averted his gaze and nodded, Wukong could barely even look at them. 

“What does this mean for him?” PIF asked, the only one who remained calm through the explanation.

Redson brought his hand to his chin, staying silent for a moment to think. The others around him stared, waiting for a response.

“Depends, he may go through a type of withdrawal and continue experiencing a few lasting side effects from the venom.” He answered carefully, Wukong and Mk locked eyes. Guilt riddled the golden simian's face as well as another emotion Mk couldn't place.

Mk paused for a moment, hesitating before asking. “What kind of effect is it gonna have?”

“Hallucinations, paranoia, his arm will remain numb, and he’ll probably have trouble healing himself.” Redson scratched his chin in thought. “There may be more, but I don’t know.”

Mk’s face tightened into a determined expression, and he turned to Redson. “We have to find him.”

“But how?” Mei interjected.

“If he teleported away once, can’t he just do it again?” Tang asked.

“Not necessarily.” Redson answered. “The only reason he did that in the first place was because Sun Wukong was giving him magic, he most likely already depleted that.”

“What if he’s back at his apartment?” Mk offered. “It’s the only place he would run to that he knows.”

“Well, we can’t just barge in there,” Pigsy chimed, crossing his arms.

“Then what do you suppose we do?” Redson huffed, crossing his arms.

“I have a friend who can help.” The pig smirked, Redson only eyed him wearily.

“Redson.” He turned to his parents standing behind the group. “Go with them.” His mother instructed.

“Why? I’m just the one treating him!” Redson argued.

“You will go help them retrieve Macaque.” DBK commanded, growling low at his son. “Or I will make you.” 

Redson winced before clearing his throat and turning back to the group. “After some thought… I have decided to accompany you.” Mk smiled and moved to hug him, but Redson shoved his head away. “No touching."

Mk still gave him a thankful smile and nod before turning to his dad. “Alright Dadsy, lead the way!”

The group soon arrived at the docks, ignoring the grumbling Redson that was reluctantly following. The sky was a vibrant blue with not a cloud in sight, and waves rolled gently, hitting the boat. 

Pigsy stepped onto the familiar ship’s deck and swiftly approached the door, knocking on it softly. After a brief moment of silence, footsteps approached the door from the other side, and it slowly creaked open.

Sandy towered over them, but his face held a gentle smile, in his hand was a half-drunk teacup. “Hi, Pigsy, what’s up?” His tone was soft as he glanced behind the pig and saw everyone else surrounding him. “Oh my, everyone else is here too.”

Mk and Mei happily waved at him, but Wukong and Redson remained silent, their gaze turning away from the blue giant. “We need your help.” Pigsy stated, crossing his arms and glancing back to Mk. 

The boy took that as his sign to explain and stepped up next to his dad. “We got Macaque to Redson, and he was able to make a cure, but Macaque freaked out when he saw Wukong and left.”

“Escaped.” Redson corrected.

Mk frowned and cleared his throat. “Anyway, we think he’s back at his crumby apartment, and we’re thinking you could help.”

Sandy nodded but hesitated before answering. “Oh, well, I would love to help, but...”

“Mr. Sandy?” A smaller voice spoke from behind the blue giant. Sandy turned back toward the voice, revealing a small girl holding Mo in her arms.

Sandy chuckled softly and patted her head, bringing her in front of him to face the rest of the group. “I have a therapy session with Bai’He at the moment.”

Bai’He gave the group a small wave, Mei squealed and ran up to her, squeezing the little girl into a tight hug. “I haven’t seen you in forever, girl!”

Bai’He giggled and hugged her back. “But as I was saying,” Sandy continued. “I can’t help you with Mr. Macaque right now.”

“Wait.” Bai’He was released from the hug and looked up at the blue giant with round eyes. “Mr. Macaque’s in trouble?” Mk nodded, she paused for a moment. “Bad trouble?”

Wukong glanced over to the young girl and slowly nodded. Bai’He turned and looked up at Sandy, face tight in determination. “I want to help him.”

Mei and Mk locked eyes with serious expressions, Mei sighed and turned back to Bai’He. “I don’t think it's a good idea for you to come, girly.” 

Bai’He frowned, clearly not willing to accept that answer. “I…” Sandy thought for a moment, glancing down at the determined Bai’He before smiling and nodding. “We’ll go.”

Pigsy rubbed the back of his neck with a sigh. “Sandy, I really don’t think it’s a good idea for Bai’He…”

“I want to help him!” Bai’He refuted. “I’m not a little kid who needs protection all the time! I can handle myself.”

Sandy saw the worried looks on the other faces but only gave a firm nod. “She’ll come with me.”

Pigsy sighed reluctantly and crossed his arms, Mk stepped in front of the pug. “We have to go now.”

Sandy and Bai’He nodded, and the group left the dock, heading in the direction of Macaque's apartment. Lucky for them the place was already on the outside of the city, in a much more quiet part of town.

Sandy held Bai’He’s hand as he stepped up to the door of the dingy, old apartment complex. “Are you ready?” Sandy asked, looking down at the child.

She smiled, giving him a determined nod and pulling him inside. Mei and Mk couldn’t help but exchange a nervous glance as the two stepped inside.

–

Macaque stirred on the couch, his left set of ears flicking, picking up some kind of noise. His eyes fluttered open, and he glanced around. Was it from inside the apartment?

But his place was still desolate and empty. 

‘Finally awake, are we?’ That sickly voice tormented him. He grimaced and glanced to the side, there she stood in that elegant white robe, completely out of place in his dark, desolate apartment.

“Of course you’re still here.” He grumbled in a low whisper. He had hoped with more sleep she would disappear, but he appeared to be wrong.

Her smirk only widened, and she didn’t respond. The macaque scowled, his ears flicked again. What was that noise? He didn’t want to get up, but he should probably find out what that is.

‘You have company.’ The bone demon warned.

His head snapped towards her, eyes wide. “What?”

‘You heard me.’ She replied coldly; his gaze slowly dropped to the floor. What was he gonna do? He can’t be seen like this?

He flinched as soon as he heard the soft knock on the door. “Mr. Macaque? Are you home?” The voice was small and quiet, it must belong to a girl. He quietly sighed in relief, knowing it wasn’t Mk. Or worse, Wukong.

“I’m here as well, Macaque.” A much deeper, gruff voice added. He knew that voice, it was the large blue man that often accompanied the group. What was his name? Sandy. “We just want to talk, I promise this won’t take long.”

Macaque sat upright on the couch, as he debated his next moves, he felt his heart rate pick up. He couldn’t let them in, they’d force him to go back to the white room. Stuck in a bed depending on others to care for him, just another chore for them to take care of.

He hated it.

The very thought repulsed him. How had he let it come to this point?

“Please let us in, Mr. Macaque.” The girl's voice pleaded from the other side.

He glanced at the wraith, she stood there hauntingly, staring directly at the door. He eyed her wearily, he didn’t dare say a word. He was not going to be brought back there.

“We’re not entirely sure why you left or what happened, we just want to understand and try to help you.” Sandy assured.

“I…” Macaque started, but he paused, his heart pounding against his ribcage. “I can’t…”

‘Can’t what?’ The witch stared at him impatiently, her icy glare weighing on him.

“I can’t go back!” Macaque shouted at the door. There was silence for a long moment, no one spoke, the only sound being Macaque’s heavy breathing. His claws dug into the couch, stabbing the leather.

“We’re not here to bring you back.” Sandy spoke softly, the hum in his voice almost too comforting. Macaque’s gaze fell to the floor, he didn’t want to believe him, but he did. “We just want to talk.”

Macaque glanced at the Lady Bone Demon, but she only stared at him, awaiting his next move. He grimaced before pushing himself up, biting back the cry of pain that rose in his throat as he got to his feet.

He limped to the door, careful to not put too much pressure on the injured foot. As he made it to the kitchen, he hesitated, leaning on the counter a few feet away. “Do you promise?”

“I promise.” Sandy replied. Macaque's ears flicked, there wasn't a drop of insincerity in the giant's tone. The simian sighed, stumbling to the door, and slowly unlocking it… wait… it was already unlocked.

Macaque’s lips twitched into a soft smile. They knew the door wasn’t locked, but they still waited till he let them in. 

He slowly turned the knob, the hinges creaked as the door opened.

Bai’He leapt forward and wrapped her arms around his waist, Macaque stumbled with the sudden force and tumbled backward, falling to the floor with a thud. 

Macaque grunted as he hit the ground, but Bai’He was still clutching his waist. So that’s who the small voice was. 

“Bai’He!” Sandy yelped, stepping into the apartment. “You shouldn’t jump on him.”

“It’s… okay.” Macaque choked out in a strained breath, ignoring the pain pulsing in his foot. He brought a hand to her head, patting her gently. “Hey kiddo.”

“I heard you were in trouble,” Bai’He explained, her voice muffled by Macaque’s shirt. “It scared me.” 

Macaque winced, resting his hand on her head. “I’m… fine.” 

She glanced up at him, her face scrunched into an angry frown. “You’re lying! Look at your eye, it’s all messed up!” 

“Bai’He!” Sandy hushed.

She paused, glancing at the blue giant, then back to Macaque, confused. He glanced away, making sure only his good eye was visible. “It’s… been like that.”

Bai’He released Macaque and sat up, Macaque breathed a sigh of relief as the added weight was lifted. “I’m sorry… I…” The girl tried to apologize, but Macaque cut her off.

“It's okay, don’t worry about it.” Macaque assured, pushing himself up.

Sandy held out a hand for Macaque, and the dark-furred simian eyed it for a moment before hesitantly taking it. “Why don’t we sit at the kitchen counter and talk for a moment?” Sandy asked with a soft grin. Macaque nodded, he stepped forward with the injured foot and immediately paid the price when pain shot up his leg. 

He hissed, stumbling back into the blue giant. Sandy caught him and put a steady hand under his shoulder.  “Let me help.” Macaque grimaced and reluctantly nodded, letting Sandy help him to the kitchen counter with a couple barstools. 

Macaque sat down, Bai’He and Sandy quickly took stools to the other side and sat across from him.

‘Whatever happened to not needing other people?’ The wraith taunted with that sly grin plastered on her pale face.

“Shut up.” Macaque muttered irritably.

“No one was speaking…” Sandy tilted his head in concern. 

“I…” Macaque shook his head, ignoring it. ‘It’s just a trick your mind’s playing on you.’ He thought to himself. “Sorry, I thought I heard something annoying.” He glared at the witch, who only smirked cockily in reply.

“I see.” Sandy hummed. “How are you doing?”

“Uh…” Macaque tapped his finger rhythmically against the counter, averting his gaze to the ground. “Fine, I guess. It's better than being stuck in bed all day.” He left out the part about relying on people.

“Why did you leave?” Bai’He asked with worry in her voice.

Macaque winced, glancing down at his hands. “I don’t know, when I saw Wukong… I felt my body move on its own and…” He trailed off, not really wanting to recount the memory. 

“Why don’t you want to go back?” Sandy asked, his voice gentle, noticing Macaque's unease at the question. “We aren’t going to judge you, I promise.”

Macaque hesitated, his tail whipped behind him and his fingers twitched. “I don’t like needing people this much… I can’t stand it.” 

“But if you’re on your own, your condition could get worse.” Sandy reminded, as he glanced around at the mess of blood stains and glass shards scattered in various places in the simian's apartment. “And this isn’t the best environment for you to be healing in.” Bai’He nodded in agreement before coughing at the stench of rot in his apartment.

“I’m not going back to the place.” Macaque stated flatly, his fist clenched.

“Is there anywhere else you’d be willing to go?” Sandy asked calmly.

Macaque thought for a moment, he’d crashed on Flower Fruit Mountain before he got his apartment. He wouldn’t be opposed to going back there… but that came with its own issue.

“I could go back to the mountain…” Macaque proposed, besides, he didn’t think he’d be welcome anywhere else.

“That sounds wonderful.” Sandy agreed. “I’ll speak with them about it. Would you like to come with us?”

Macaque perked up at the question. “Are they downstairs?”

Bai’He nodded. “Yeah, Mk, Mei, and everyone else brought us here!” 

Macaque winced, thinking about the last time he saw the kid and the terrified look on his face. “I can’t… I don’t think—“

But before he could finish, Bai’He jumped up and pulled him off of the chair and towards the door. “Nu-uh! You’re not staying in this creepy, gross mess any longer!”

Sandy quickly got up and chased after them, telling Bai'He to let him go and to be careful. Macaque could’ve pulled back, but he didn’t.

Once they got into the hall, Sandy stopped her and made her let go of the limping simian. “Do you want me to help you down the stairs?” Sandy asked, Bai’He huffed behind him with her arms crossed. (A habit she learned from a certain chef)

“Nah, I’ll be fine.” Macaque waved off his concern. But the moment he stepped down, his knee buckled and he stumbled forward. But before he could tumble down the stairs, Sandy caught him by the scarf.

Bai’He ran up to his side and pulled his arm around her shoulder. Macaque glanced away, embarrassed.

They continued slowly down the stairs, the worn-down wood creaking under every step. The old tacky wallpaper of the halls peeled at the walls, the oak railings bent under his grip, and the metal holding them in place rusted with age.

They reached the ground floor; Macaque's feet landed on the welcome mat at the bottom of the steps. The door to outside was mere feet away, though he wished it was further.

“Everyone’s gonna be so happy to see you, I promise.” Bai’He exclaimed, looking up at him brightly. He gave her a soft smile and patted her head.

Letting go of the girl, Macaque limped to the door, Bai’He and Sandy close behind. He couldn’t see her, but he knew the fake Lady Bone Demon was watching him carefully. He took a deep breath, gripped his hand around the handle, and slowly turned the knob.

The door creaked open, and he hissed and squinted as he was hit with the rays of sunlight. His eyes adjusted, and he stood face-to-face with Mk.

Tears glistened in the boy’s eyes as he charged forward and wrapped his arms around the simian tightly. “I’m sorry.” Mk muttered, pulling the simian in tighter.

Macaque grunted as the boy squeezed his lungs, but he didn’t pull away, frankly he didn’t have the energy to, and deep down… he’d be lying if he said he wanted to.

“It’s not your fault… kiddo.” Macaque brought his hand up, his other lay limp by his side, and slowly returned the embrace.

Mk dug his head into the simian's shoulder, the macaque didn’t respond. Macaque glanced up at the crowd behind him. Mei and Redson stood in front of Pigsy and Tang, and Wukong was nowhere to be seen.

“Go on and tell them, Macaque.” Sandy quietly ushered.

Macaque released the boy and took a deep breath, he forced his gaze away from the group. “I’ll… allow you guys to help me… but I want to stay on Flower Fruit Mountain.”

Mk’s eyes widened, no one spoke for a moment until Sandy cleared his throat loudly, and Mk finally opened his mouth to speak. “I… uh… are you sure?”

Macaque nodded, smiling softly at him. “Can’t stay in that hellhole.”

Mk pulled him back into a hug, Macaque winced as he stumbled back on his hurt foot. Bai'He came up and hugged him from behind, squeezing her arms around his waist.

“Would that be alright, Redson?” Sandy asked politely.

Redson crossed his arms and gave a quick nod. “As long as he gets the antidote, it doesn’t really matter where he is.”

Hearing the demons answer, Macaque felt something in him relax, the bottom of his vision went blurry. He blinked, water streamed down his face and fell from his chin.

Was he crying?

“I…” His voice trembled, he reached up to his eye and wiped the stream of tears. “I’m not… worth all of this.” 

“Shut up!” Bai’He shouted. “Don’t say that.”

“Just promise us…” The boy's voice was barely above a whisper. “Promise us you’ll get better.”

Macaque hesitated, he glanced up at Pigsy, noticing an oddly colored butterfly on his shoulder. The pig nodded. Macaque huffed, a small smile forming on his lips.

“Promise.”