randomfangirl01

[randomfangirl01]

OMG Azure Lion?! Did you draw him yet, I'd love to see what he looks like in your style~

here he is, the sorta good-sorta bad guy. crushin' on reader, signing his own death warrant...

(he's surprisingly fun to draw, once i figured out his face)

[randomfangirl01]

For the Lion’s Den AU, what was it like when Wukong and Macaque first met Peaches? Love at first sight? Didn’t really notice her until she did/said something? Did they meet her separately or together?

(i briefly mention how they met in one of the earlier lion's den posts, but i guess i should give it some explanation)

reader attends her first meeting understandably apprehensive. she was told explicitly by azure not to draw too much attention to herself, given the nature of his comrades. he would defend her if needed, of course, but she would have to be prepared for their... disapproval, if it arose. she began to imagine what truly frightening beings may be behind the gilded doors that lead to the council hall.

the three demons already seated at the large table were not at all what reader was expecting.

they were worse.

azure failed to mention that his allies were none other than the dreaded monkey king, the six-eared macaque, and the demon bull king. anyone paying even the slightest bit of attention to local gossip had at least heard of these three; the tales of the bloodshed and ruin that followed in their wake were known across the land.

reader had seen it firsthand when the occasional survivors of their conquests would make their way (bloodied, broken, and burned) into her village begging for shelter.

truly a terrifying band.

even more terrifying was the way reader made accidental eye contact with the monkey king every time she dared to glance upward. she'd look down as soon as his golden pupils shot over to her, but reader could feel them on her for a few moments afterwards. even looking away, she could sense the way his sight would drift over to her every time he would address azure; the seating arrangement (azure on one end of the table, reader right next to him, with the monkey king on the other) didn't give her anywhere to hide.

she had to admit, the simian demon was more... upbeat? than she expected? despite his appearance, he acted not as a conquering warlord meeting with his allies to discuss how best to subdue their enemies, but as a man sharing a table with his friends. he joked, he laughed, he talked about old stories.

and what surprised reader the most... was that the demons around him joined in.

were reader not horribly aware that she sat among some of the most powerful demon lords in the world, she'd have felt as though she were back in her village listening to the farmhands after a hard day's work.

it was unsettling knowing that these were the monsters who had killed many innocent people just like those farmhands, and felt no remorse.

reader couldn't wait for this meeting to be over.

---

wukong couldn't wait for this meeting to be over.

as much as he enjoyed talking with azure and the brotherhood, he was much more interested in the human woman azure had brought with him. he could tell macaque was interested, too; any mortal that could catch the interest of one so goal-driven as azure lion must be something special.

wukong really wanted to know what her deal was. but, as much as he would've liked to call on her during the meeting, he got the feeling she'd freeze in fear if he brought attention to her that way. she looked like she wanted to sink into the floor and disappear.

there were little tears at the corner of her eyes the last time she accidentally looked at him.

...it was kinda adorable.

the monkey king glanced over at his brother, finding him staring at the woman as well; seems he'd had the same idea. it also seemed like reader hadn't noticed macaque looking at her in favor of keeping tabs on wukong (which was kinda flattering; he half-jokingly decided that meant she liked him more).

wukong came up with a spilt-second plan. he hid his mouth behind thoughtfully steepled fingers (he was only pretending to listen to the battle strategies being discussed anyway) and whispered it so that only his ever-vigilant brother could hear him.

once the meeting was over, the brotherhood had dispersed outside to get some fresh air. the monkey king crossed the courtyard, intent on distracting azure. he asked the general to take stock of a recent battle so that he and a nearby scribe could make note of it. though azure was a tad confused (shouldn't they have done that right after the battle happened?), he begins to list off information such as casualties, equipment lost, rations used, etc.

conveniently taking the lion's attention away from his little companion, who seemed to be wandering off toward a grove of fruit trees a ways away from the courtyard.

wukong flicked his tail in a certain way, meaningless to anyone but his brother, who took that as his signal.

the shadowmaster sunk into his namesake as soon as eyes were no longer on him.

wukong will join up with them later, once his side of the plan is complete.

---

macaque usually didn't pay much attention to mortals, aside from when he was killing them.

but the fact that the ever-so-honorable (more like hypocritical) azure lion had a little mortal woman at his side? well...that was certainly interesting.

macaque knew that azure was much gentler when it came to human commoners, letting them escape before raiding their towns. the shadowy simian found it amusing that the lion believed he was being merciful; a crowd of defenseless humans with nowhere to go, out in the wilderness? they were basically a demon buffet. and if demons didn't get them, wild animals or the elements would.

deciding to keep that observation in his back pocket for the next time azure nagged him about killing villagers, macaque stepped out of the shadows. the human sat a short distance away, leaned back against a flowering tree. it looked like she was admiring the scenery, completely unaware of him.

what did azure call her...? reader?

hm. azure could've picked anything to give her as a protective pseudonym, and he chose that? wonder what that could possibly say about her. she doesn't really look the academic type.

although, now that he's able to see her a little closer...

perhaps the six-eared demon could understand why the lion was taken with this human, at least physically. she's pretty, she's got nice proportions...but if looks were all that mattered, there's definitely more outwardly attractive humans to choose. her appearance can't be all there is. so, macaque decides to speak to her.

he calls out, casually asking her how she's enjoying the view. she startles and begins to rush out apologies and promises that she didn't mean to come here, she didn't realize she wasn't supposed be here, she didn't mean any harm by it, she'll leave—

macaque laughs, genuinely. she definitely used to be a servant or lower class, no one of any sort of status would apologize just for being somewhere. he goes and sits himself down next to her before she can stand and run away.

he can practically feel her trembling—oh. oh, she's starting to tear up a little...but she's putting on such a brave face.

macaque's pupils dilate a little.

she's just too precious.

after assuring her she's not in trouble, he asks her about herself; where'd she come from, what was her life like before, how did she meet azure?

now that was an interesting story. she actually nursed the stupid cat back to health, despite the fact that he's a big, scary demon? she's brave, he'll give her that. her story would certainly explain why azure took a shine to her. macaque jokingly asks reader if she regularly took demons in, or if azure was just a special case—because he really wouldn't mind being taken care of by her, he says flirtatiously. reader laughs a little at that.

the demons' six ears twitch. he likes that sound, he decides.

macaque can tell reader's getting more comfortable with him. she's opening up, even joking back at him. the attractive blush on her face makes him want to tease her more. the darker-furred demon finds that he likes it when she flusters at a compliment.

he kinda...doesn't want to stop talking with her. it's so easy, like he's always known her.

of course, that's when wukong shows up.

---

wukong had managed to sit through all of azure lion's report without falling asleep, which was an accomplishment all on it's own. afterwards, he managed to get yellowtusk on a long-winded lecture on...something or other, which he always insisted his brothers sit for.

having successfully trapped azure and peng in a manners-mandated lesson (one he knew would keep them for a good while; once the old elephant got started talking, he was difficult to stop), wukong excused himself to "check on dinner preparations." he sped off on his cloud toward where the kitchens were, intent on making a u-turn where the others couldn't see.

if azure wanted to follow, he'd have to interrupt his brother; something wukong knew he'd be hesitant to do.

with that taken care of, the simian ruler quickly tracked his little mark, finding her and his brother under a flowering peach tree. deciding to eavesdrop on their conversation, he stepped gently from his cloud onto the branches above them.

after a moment listening to them (and getting a little jealous that mac had managed to get her to laugh, which was a pretty sound he wanted aimed at him), wukong swung down, shaking some flower petals free, landing gracefully in a crouch at reader's feet. he cheekily apologizes for "dropping in" so unexpectedly.

at her frightened gasp and backpedal, wukong rushes to reassure her he means no harm. he's just curious, he wants to hear her story too, honest! he keeps his tone gentle and playful, and attempts to be as non-threatening as possible (which is tough, since he knows his reputation precedes him).

when reader finally manages to speak (thanks to a little encouragement from macaque), wukong perks up. she doesn't seem as scared of his brother anymore at least, which is a very good sign. as she tells her story, he takes in her features up close.

after hearing how she cared for azure, wukong unknowingly echoes his brother's earlier sentiment; he kinda wants reader to take care of him, too.

he sees how her eyes shine with dewy unshed tears, her face flushed at the demons' proximity (they're both in her space, macaque practically leaning against her shoulder and wukong sitting so close in front that their knees were touching). he notices the way the dappled sunlight hits her skin, the way her lashes frame her eyes. he notes the way loose peach blossom petals decorate her hair. he has to stop himself from reaching out to tuck the little strands that have escaped her updo back into place.

wukong finds himself becoming a bit enamored. his tail curls a bit, and his smile becomes gentler the longer he looks at her.

after talking with her for a while and sharing his and macaque's own stories, wukong realizes that they've been gone for a few hours; the sun is beginning to set, the grove taking on a golden hue. they should probably actually go check on dinner, and (regrettably) return reader to azure.

buuuuut....maybe not right away.

wukong offers reader a tour of the stone palace before she leaves.

---

reader didn't know what was happening.

why was she able to speak with these— these murderers so easily? she should be running away, she should be excusing herself back to azure's side as politely and quickly as she could!

but...but she was having fun. she was having a friendly chat with the monkey king and six-eared macaque of all demons—and laughing, for heaven's sake.

though most of it stemmed from her fear of offending them, the fact that she's speaking with them at all feels like a betrayal of her race. these two, on their own, had killed hundreds, possibly thousands of humans. they could change their minds about playing nice at any moment.

but—but in this light, in this context...they were almost like any ordinary men. were it not for their obviously demon appearances (though reader couldn't say the two were unattractive; the soft glow of the evening light did them many favors), their status, their bloody history—reader could consider them good company.

thinking about it made her want to cry, like she'd been on the verge of the entire time she'd been on this mountain. she wanted to go home and have that cry in the privacy of her bedchambers.

so when the monkey king (he insisted she call him wukong) offered to take her on a tour of the palace, reader thoroughly considered refusing, politeness be damned. she should really just go back to the monster she knows, not run off with one she doesn't.

however, she was curious about what the rest of the cave looked like. she and azure had entered through the massive water curtain, been lead through a large foliage-infested pavilion full of wukong's chattering simian subjects, into the reception hall, and then immediately into the council room. she hadn't gotten to see much, but what she did see she considered very beautiful.

reader, through her anxiety, had marveled at everything she saw. flower fruit mountain was so...alive compared to camel ridge. she preferred it here, at least in that way.

maybe...maybe going on a little tour wouldn't be so bad. it'd give her an excuse for her absence from azure's side, for one (though it wasn't like she was doing anything wrong by not being next to her kidnapper every second). he could stand to not have her near for a few more hours. plus, how could he say no to something as innocent as a tour? and if the eager look on the monkey king's face along with the coaxing smile on macaque's were any indication, they probably weren't going to take "no" for an answer.

well, reader thought in a resigned manner, she'd already gotten this far. what was the harm in spending a little more time with these two?

[randomfangirl01]

Macaque to Wukong before stealing Peaches from Azure, probably.

"He'd make a very handsome throw rug."

"And just think, anytime he gets dirty you could take him out and beat him."

the boys are plotingggg

(sorry for lack of art, school has been keeping me busy)

[randomfangirl01]

i know it's all about the lion's den AU rn and as usual I am FEASTING on the content (excuse the crumbs) but there's an idea that won't leave me alone-

what if Peaches was not human, but an immortal from the beginning? How much would change? I know the whole appeal of these AUs - I mean, that's why I love them and I absolutely love this lil corner of the fandom. but I've been kinda diving into the whole immortality biz in Chinese myths for my oc, so now I'm curious.

Peaches could be someone cultivating and practicing Xian (i hope I'm using that right) for years, or consumed pills/elixir of immortality somehow, or a demon who is oddly very kind and empathetic - would the bois still love her just as much? How different is the dynamic now even if Peaches retains her core personality traits?

love your work! and hydrate before ya diedrate

ive been thinking about this, and i kinda like the idea of immortal reader being an attendant of the heavenly peach orchard.

not super high up the ladder, but not at the bottom either. her powers are limited to helping plants grow just a little bit, creating temporary barriers, and being able to float the way all celestials can. the higher-ups figure that since no one is bold or stupid enough to steal from heaven, they don’t need any extra security in the immortal peach groves.

you can take a guess as to how reader meets the monkeys.

they show up to the orchards, ready to fight their way to the peaches, but instead of some overpowered celestial soldiers guarding the orchard, it's....one immortal maiden. just the one. but she doesn't seem all that powerful, soooooo...

...maybe she'd agree to let them take a few without too much trouble?

the monkey bros go the "oh don't mind us we're just a couple of cute lil monkeys, here to cause adorable and harmless mischief" route in their approach to getting reader to let her gaurd down.

they approach her while she takes a break from pruning some dead branches. she's understandably surprised and suspicious about these two seemingly normal monkeys who've snuck in, but... they are pretty cute. and tame; they let her pet them and give them scritches. perhaps they're one of the heavenly official's pets. reader supposes that they can stay for a while.

wukong and macaque play their parts, get reader's guard down, and steal a couple dozen peaches each. reader notices, but there's not much she can do beyond shooing the monkeys out with a broom (and her soft heart barely allows her to do that). she knows that if she reports it, those cute lil monkeys will be hunted down and killed.

she supposes she could put in a request for higher walls around the grove, or more barriers (she still wonders how the boys managed to get through the first ones), but with how slowly things get done in the bureaucracy...it'd be a very, very long time until it was even brought up in court.

besides, even then....they're monkeys. animals. she won't place blame on them for being what they are. those little cuties probably had no idea that the immortal peaches were any different from the ones on earth.

she could never stay mad at their adorable lil faces anyways.

---

reader, despite what you might think, has a pretty laid back job. once all her chores for the day have been completed (those magic trees don't really need much beyond the essentials to do their thing), she has a good amount of free time to sit and, you guessed it—read.

macaque (because of course, he has to be the first one to fall in every au) decides, on a bored whim, to go visit that nice attendant they stole from not too long ago. perhaps he'll collect some intel while he's up there.

he finds her after a bit of searching. reader sits in a secluded corner of the grove, leisurely turning pages and enjoying the shade. macaque, still disguised, sidles up to her. reader notices, seeming surprised to see him before her face morphs into... a rather adorable pout. perhaps she thinks she's being intimidating.

'damn, no wonder the bureaucracy didn't think they needed any more security,' macaque thinks sarcastically. such a fearsome maiden they've chosen to guard the immortal peaches.

while reader takes a minute to admonish him about stealing, it isn't long before she sighs and gives up on her lecture in favor of scratching him gently behind his ears. he churrs low in his chest. her whole demeanor is as soft and sweet as the peaches she guards (her hands as well, he notes, pressing into them).

macaque laughs internally. a fearsome maiden, indeed.

macaque manages to wiggle his way into reader's lap, pulling her attention from her book. she knows she should be trying to scare him off, but...just—just look at him! he's so cute, and she's too pulled in by how cute he is to notice the oddly powerful aura he seems to exude (far too powerful to be a normal monkey). he enjoys her touch for a while longer before he hears the far-off call of his annoying brother, wondering where he is. he bumps his head into reader's hand by way of goodbye before running off to shadow away more secretively.

reader watches him go, sighing. she really should shoo him away next time.

---

macaque keeps coming back. and reader continues to be unable to kick him out.

with very few visitors and no one else to talk to, reader begins to tell him everything that she overhears during the day; the officials don't think anyone is listening when they air out their gossip as they walk by the orchard. she doesn’t know it, but she’s saving macaque the energy of using his powers to gather this intel on his own.

the six-eared demon makes a habit of showing up to the grove to laze around with his favorite maiden and listen to her read, using “spying” as the excuse he gives his brother for why he's been running off so often. reader seems to have accepted that he won't be leaving her alone any time soon, and he takes full advantage. macaque comes to think of reader and the secluded corner of the grove as his own little peice of heaven.

of course, sooner or later, wukong joins in. he's a bit angry that macaque didn't just say he was visiting the peach orchard and it's attendant; he wouldn't have minded, he would've come with! macaque doesn't bother trying to explain that he didn't want to share.

but share he does, seeing as wukong greedily takes all the attention from reader he can get. the monkey king finds himself enamored with the maiden who's hands and heart are as soft as the fruits she tends to. he won't admit it (it may hurt his carefully crafted "ruthless demon king" image if he did), but wukong is a cuddle bug when it comes to reader. everything about her is just so soft, and she's so kind, and she always smells like peaches—he could spend hours laying on her chest as she reads.

he just feels so...peaceful, with her.

the boys are entangled in reader's life, visiting whenever they can and butting into whatever she happens to be doing. they see her day to day happiness (brief conversations with the lower maids she's friends with), and her struggles (the two monkeys bore witness to the officials taking their anger out on reader over something trivial, their rage towards heaven growing stronger). the two grow more and more attached to her as time goes on.

and so they begin to work a small abduction into the grander scheme of their plan.

---

sooner or later, the monkey warlords properly raid heaven. they and their demon army storm the jade palace, murdering servants, footsoldiers, and as many officials as they can. the monkey king and the six-eared macaque lead a massacre so bloody it stains the palace walls red. wukong especially holds back none of his rage, getting caught up in his hatred for heaven and zealously continuing to shed as much celestial blood as he can.

during a lull in the chaos, macaque, covered in vicera, makes his way to the immortal peach grove. with the battle coming to a close and the demon forces being driven back, now is as good a time as ever to snatch up a special “peach” for himself and his brother.

he finds said peach preoccupied with a gallant attempt at protecting herself and a few lower maids from a demon soldier, using a series of barriers. the soldier breaks the barriers almost as fast as reader can make them, rapidly pushing her and her companions into a corner. reader puts up a brave fight, but she's a celestial attendant, not a celestial warrior.

macaque calls out to the soldier, halting their attack and telling them to regroup with the others and prepare to move out. the soldier complies, crassly assuring the women that they’re about to be nothing more than bloody pulp on the garden wall. no one has ever gone against the shadow general of the demon army and lived.

macaque waits until the soldier is out of sight before leisurely approaching the still quivering group of maids and their determined, but exhausted looking guard. reader tenses as he steps closer. she feels a horrible sense of dread crawl down her spine when she gets a good look at him.

the dark fur, the shape of the mask marking on his face...reader feels tears start to bead at the corners of her eyes.

this entire time, she'd been petting and coddling the six-eared macaque. the second in command of the dreaded demon army has been sitting right in front of her and she had no idea. reader can barely keep her breathing steady.

and if this is her dark-furred companion, then the lighter-furred one must be…oh stars.

…she let the monkey king in.

she practically threw open the doors for him. she didn’t report them when she should have, she knew there was something strange about them but she was so sure they were just normal animals—oh stars above, if the jade emperor ever discovered this, she’d be executed.

but…but reader steels herself. she can deal with that later. her friends are counting on her.

now, she’s certainly not expecting the blood-covered demon general across from her to be open to bargaining (he could just kill all of them now, but reader gets the feeling he wouldn't be merciful enough to end it quickly). and he knows exactly what leverage he has over her, she can see it in the smug look on his face.

but she tries anyways.

“let them go, please,” she begs breathlessly, arms shaking from the strain of maintaining her magic. the least she can do is buy her friends a moment more. “do whatever you want with me, but they are blameless.”

macaque chuckles, the sound reverberating lowly between the trees. whatever he wants, huh? oh, sweet peach. she should know better than to give him so much leeway.

“that is tempting. if that’s the case, then perhaps you’ll go with me willingly,” he muses, tail swaying slowly. his fangs glint dangerously when he smirks.

“don’t fight, and no harm will come to them. that, and your secret will be safe with me. honest."

reader doesn’t believe him. she can’t, but she and her friends are so low priority that calling for help would be useless. if the demon army has been as effective as the screaming would lead her to believe, the celestial host has much bigger problems than rescuing a gardener and some lowly maidservants. and with the chance that she’ll be seen through and blamed for every gory death that's happened beyond the walls of the peach groves...

she doesn’t have a choice.

reader slowly, cautiously lowers her barriers, despite the worried cries of the maids behind her. they cower closer together as reader takes a slow step closer to macaque.

with a flick of his wrist, reader is struck by a sleeping spell so potent she falls into macaque's waiting arms like a lead weight. the demon gathers his beloved into his hold with a gentleness that doesn't fit his gory visage.

he sinks into a shadow, leaving the maids to clutch each other and cry at the loss of reader and the near loss of their own lives.

---

reader wakes up days later in the royal bedchambers of the stone palace. she startles at seeing the monkey king and the six-eared macaque laying on either side of her, stripped to just a loose pair of pants each. she herself has been changed to a comfortable silk robe, her own clothing nowhere to be seen.

reader feels a cold sludge in her gut. she scrambles out of the pillow pit, kicking a few into the face of one of her captors as she goes. she checks herself over, looking for bite marks, claw marks, anything to indicate the two demons sharing a bed with her had violated her in any way. she looks, and breathes a heavy sigh.

she finds nothing.

"we figured we'd wait until you were awake to start marking territory," the tired, yet still somehow smug voice of the monkey king chimes from behind her. reader turns to see the demon leveling an amorous look her way. his gold and crimson eyes burn like fire in the low light.

reader ignores him in favor of falling to her knees and burying her face in her hands. now that she has a moment to think, her failure has decided to take centerstage; she was the one who let the monkey king into the jade palace, she let him steal the immortal peaches, she's the one who carelessly shared all the gossip that told them when the best time to attack would be, she's to blame for all the lives lost—

"hey. y'know we would've raided heaven even if we hadn't met you, right? it's not your fault," macaque says, propping his head in his hand to look at her. he doesn't have the decency to hide how he's sizing her up, poison purple eyes glowing whilst tracing her curves. reader shrinks into herself a bit more.

"yep. don't feel too bad, peaches. i was never gonna spare any of those bureaucrats in the first place," wukong adds. "and besides, none of those guys cared about you anyway, so why feel bad?"

reader sobs, pressing her hands to her eyes. she knows. she knows how callous the officials could be, but that doesn't mean they deserved to die. it doesn't mean the servants and foot soldiers who were only following orders deserved their fates.

she hears movement, then feels a set of strong, furred arms wrap around her. wukong rests his head on her shoulder. he nuzzles his nose against her neck. she feels his warm breath and the glance of deadly sharp fangs when he speaks.

"they didn't deserve the mercy you seem to think they did."

---

wukong places a seal on reader's powers. what little defense she had against them is gone with the placement of a brand-like marking in between her shoulder blades (and a few more along her shoulders made with his teeth).

reader can't do anything. wukong won't let her leave, and even if she could, the heavenly court will have her executed if she goes back. so, she remains on the monkey king's mountain.

she didn't think she'd share a fate with the precious fruit she'd failed to protect.

[randomfangirl01]

(found a minute to finish a wip based on a couple posts by @thesexydancingcrepe from a while ago; something about reader meeting the monkey boys when they’re kids, and the adorable shenanigans they get into)

the bad end boys, because of their “birthless”nature (one came outta a rock, the other a shadow? idk), are raised by…all the mama monkey yaoguai in their troop. since they’re nobodies babies, they’re everybody’s babies. they don’t see humans very often (or ever, since they’re on an island). but they're not horrible yet, so cuteness will ensue :)

[randomfangirl01]

(perhaps there's a certain sign, like a flash of light or the chime of a bell, that signifies readers' appearance in the monkey's world.)

and perhaps, it's been years, decades for the now-immortal monkeys, since they've seen their dear friend; that strange little human girl who would appear on their island home and dissapear with no explanation. 

perhaps, they've pushed all thoughts of her to the backs of their minds as they've grown older and more powerful. there's more important things to attend to, such as the successful raiding of a human settlement. the victorious shouts of their demon soldiers. the valuable assets they've gained from the looting. and taking those treasures home to their people on flower fruit mountain. the scent of blood and smoke fills the air, incense of the destruction left in the monkey warlords' wake.

the monkey king is an expert at rallying the bloodied demonic troops, and he would be remiss to not thank them for their service and allow them their cut of the spoils. macaque, on the other hand, is less verbose, preferring to stand in his brother's shadow and quietly take in their victory.

his superior hearing catches everything, and he senses a change in the air.

something's coming.

but he's not sure what, and he struggles to focus over the cacophony of the war party.

macaque steps away, following a growing feeling of...something, pulling him towards the unscorched treeline beyond the village's remains.

he silences his steps, following the feeling a ways into the woods. fruit trees grow wild around here, he offhandedly notes.

the light chime of a bell, and a quick flash of golden light, a short ways ahead of him. the sound of something hitting the forest floor...and a quiet, pained groan.

macaque steps forward into the clearing.

there's a human woman, lying on her side in the leaves beneath a peach tree. she holds her head as if it's hurting her.

she seems strangely...familiar.

the shadowy simian steps silently closer, curious.

he watches as she pushes herself up, one hand still pressed to the back of her head. he steps closer still, crouching on one knee next to her. she opens her eyes. he sees and feels her entire being freeze in fear. the naturally sadistic part of him takes pleasure in it.

wide doe-eyes, filling with scared, confused tears, meet slowly widening, poisonous violet hues. recognition flashes there.

"You." he breathes.

he knows those eyes, he'd know them anywhere.

she'd called his eyes pretty, once. he'd always thought the same of hers, though his child self was too shy to say so.

he belatedly realizes what a sight he must be; armored, fresh from battle, carrying his staff (he shadows it away when her eyes dart to it). he's covered in blood, and the smell of death and ash clings to him.

and for all his acquired charm, and despite his silver tongue...macaque can think of nothing else to say. his dear reader sits before him, in the flesh. she's beautiful...though clearly terrified and failing to hold in her tears.

it's unfortunate that all his years practicing death and destruction have dulled his ability to comfort. so he just...stares, taking her in. he can't stop himself from smiling just a tiny bit. it seems she's turned him shy again.

his ears twitch, and he hears wukong coming towards them; no doubt curious as to what has captured his brother's attention.

macaque finds himself oddly excited for his brother to see who's just been dropped back into their lives.

—

reader's breath comes quick and panicked. she doesn't know where she is. but there's a monster, a demon, so very close to her. she recognizes him, in some obscure part of her subconscious, as a grown, terrifying version of one of the little monkeys from her childhood daydreams.

the shy, dark-furred one with too many ears, she recalls blearily. there's little left of that boy in the warrior next to her. the red of his mask-like markings and the two crimson lines trailing from his mouth to just under his jaw are new, unsettling additions to his visage.

reality hits reader in waves. she can't move, she can't think, not moments ago she was in her home getting ready for bed like any normal evening and now—!

she has no idea where she is.

it doesn't seem like the island paradise from her memories, and everything around her feels too real, too solid and tactile for it to be a dream. the grass and leaves shift and rustle, the wind whispers, she smells...peaches? nearby, along with smoke and the unsettling metal tang of the blood clinging to her shadowy visitor. there's the sound of many distant voices, yelling and shouting with raucous joy, somewhere ahead of her. the light of a large fire cuts through the trees, red and yellow hues illuminating the leaves and blocking out the sparse stars of twilight.

it sounds like an army. and it looks like the end of a successful raid.

it doesn't take much to deduce that that's likely where her current...visitor, came from. by the looks of him, he might even be one of the leaders. his armour isn't flashy; a wickedly sharp-looking shoulder paldron half covered by a deep red scarf and cape, simple black and gold coverings beneath with small red accents to match. it all appears very...antiquated, but reader can't bring herself to focus on what region he's supposed to be from.

not as her panic continues to rise.

reader doesn't—she can't—she can't handle this. it can't be real. she made them up, made up their world and all its magic; everyone always said so! there's no way she's actually there, and there's no way the monster beside her actually exists.

but the feeling of his tail, black and sinuous, curling around her ankle, tears a sob from her throat. it just...feels too substantial, and she can't keep herself in denial. the responding low rumble from the monkey beside her (like he's trying to comfort her, as ridiculous as it sounds) causes another cascade of tears. 

reader jolts when she feels the demon's tail tighten slightly (it's a weirdly familiar gesture). she sees his ears twitch, and his eyes dart to the woods he came from.

someone's coming towards them.

reader is unprepared for the being that emerges from the trees.

he's clad in golden armor, its shine dulled by the blood streaked across it, and a tattered cape of the same crimson hue flutters behind him. the soot-stained feathers of his crown flow in his wake. he has a mask now too, the fang-like points on his cheeks decending into the fur framing his face, reminiscent of tears. a single, thick scarlet line spills from his bottom lip and dissapears under his chin. his red and gold eyes glow in the forest gloom, reminiscent of hellfire.

his fur is a horribly familiar shade of rusty orange.

reader feels like she's going to faint.

—

wukong wasn't sure why macaque had gone into the woods. after directing his soldiers to gather up any valuables they could find and start burning or cooking bodies, he decided he'd follow his brother and find out.

past the trees, he called out into the clearing. he sees his brother kneeling next to someone.

"Hey, Mac! Did'ya find a survivor or—"

he stills. not even his tail twitches.

there's no way.

he knows this human. would know her if he were blind, deaf, and in darkness. his best friend. the only one who ever really believed in him when he claimed he'd be the strongest one day.

reader.

it's unsettling to see such a boyish look of surprised joy slowly cross a face as fierce as the monkey king's, especially when it's still spattered in gore.

"It's you," he breathes, voice far too gentle for his visceral appearance. he steps quickly closer and joins his brother in a crouch on reader's opposite side, armor clanking on his way down.

she flinches away, and he moves a bit slower. wukong reaches a hand out to her face, curling his claws into his palm to brush his knuckles across her tear-stained cheek. the motion is tender, disbelieving. one ill-suited for a hand that causes mostly pain and death.

he unconsciously follows when she tries to move away; though macaque's tail, still clasped around her ankle, prevents her escape. the shadow general is still gazing at his quarry with soft eyes.

the monkey king smiles, baring fangs. "I thought we'd never see you again," he says wondrously. wukong catalogs every feature; soft hair, longer than when he last ran his claws through it, eyes still as pretty as ever, despite being wide with terror. she's changed, same as him.

he turns to his brother, still gently stroking reader's face.

"This day just keeps getting better, doesn't it?" wukong laughs. the sound feels wrong; too light-hearted to have come from a monster like him. macaque doesn't answer, but the small quirk of his lips is an agreement.

"There's so much we have to tell you, show you! The mountain is much more than it was, the monkey yao are prosperous and thriving, we've planted new orchards, the palace—we have a palace!—behind the waterfall is full of treasures; so much has changed! You've come back at the perfect time, you're going to love it there!" wukong rambles, his bright and excited tone clashing horribly with the coppery gore oxidating on his person.

"I'll take you there," macaque murmurs to reader, now covering her trembling hand with his.

"What?" wukong squawks. "No, I'm taking her! You've already got a head start, since you found her! You've been here for like, an hour already!"

"It's been barely ten minutes. And it's not like she's been very talkative, given the circumstances."

macaque looks to reader. her scared gaze is locked on his stupid, stupid older brother who can't seem to handle anything delicately—

"Besides, does she look up to traveling by cloud?" macaque gestures at a shaky and silently crying reader. she looks like she'd run if she thought she had a chance.

wukong would never say it, but his little brother has a point. poor reader is shaking like a leaf in a thunderstorm. it's then that wukong finds some self awareness; he looks terrifying, which under any normal circumstances, he'd have no problem with. except...

reader has always been soft. she never liked when either of the brothers felt the need to hunt, never liked the sight of blood when they'd proudly show off some small animal they killed.

well. she doesn't need to know just how much blood they've stained their hands with since they last saw her.

"You should go finish up with the soldiers. I'll take her home and get her set up in the palace. She likely needs food, and a bath. Her clothes are...strange, and nowhere near warm enough. I'll be faster by shadow, anyway." macaque grouses.

he reaches under reader, gathering her in his arms as quickly and gently as he can. she shrieks, pushing against him as he stands. her breathing picks up as she struggles, tears falling harder and faster. the dark-furred demon isn't deterred, holding her closer. the difference in power is clear. there's nothing she can do to make him let go.

wukong stands as well, hands curling into fists. he wants to hold reader, too.

"Go. Do your job, your majesty," macaque drawls sarcastically. "We'll see you at home later."

the shadow general summons a portal, stepping into it. it melts closed behind him and his unwilling passenger, leaving no trace that either of them were ever there.

wukong pouts. he turns back towards the charred remains of his latest conquest and his awaiting army.

he hates it when mac is right.

—

[randomfangirl01]

such a faithful husband (unfortunately for reader)

(it likely wouldn't take long for any potential homewreckers to realize that swk isn't one to be swayed from his beloved wife)

[randomfangirl01]

"I will remind all of you why I am Sun Wukong! The Great Sage Equal of Heaven!"

-----------

(If the quality is shit then please click it!)

[randomfangirl01]

Chapter 1: Regroup and Rebound Page 40 I'm not sure why it bothers me this much... Start|| Previous || Next

[randomfangirl01]

When you did your version of wukong did you have a specific species of monkey in mind to base him of? Or was him a mix of some monkeys?

It got me curious when you said you know a lot of monkey facts and I wondered if you used this to concept him?

EEEEEEEEE! You have no idea how excited I got when I woke up and saw this ask! I literally don't even care that it's the newest one I'm answering rn!

And also! Before I get into how I made the design for ITTW Sun Wukong, something I wanted to throw out is that a few people have asked for me to give more monkey facts after I foolishly /j divulged that I am an encyclopedia of monkeys, so I've been thinking of doing like a Monkey Facts Monday cause alliteration where I post a bunch of monkey facts on mondays! So lemme know what you guys think of that idea cause I absolutely am willing to do it! :D

Now ONTO THE MONKIE MAN!

In Journey to the West, Sun Wukong is described to be that of demon Rhesus Macaque.

Rhesus Macaques can come in a variety of browns, greys, whites, and blondes, but for the most part are largely this stunning platinum gold color like in the picture above. I personally love this this color and wish we could see more golden furred Monkey Kings instead of just monkey=brown.

In addition to golden furs, a Rhesus Macaque's skin is largely a pinkish-peachy color with darker, nearly black, fingers and feet (You can see this in the first picture as well :)). And males tend to have more redish saturation around their eyes. (The saturation of this "mask" on males has been linked to levels of testosterone and therefore the dark/more red the mask the more potent the male, meaning it may be a sexual selective male trait as females have been observed preferring males with redder masks.... *looks at LMK Macaque simps*)

However, one thing about Rhesus Macaques is that they have very short tails. (As depicted below)

And that just wasn't quite the look a was going for. So while I was thinking "Eeeeh I could just say that he's a Rhesus Macaque with a long tail" but as I was sifting through my monkey knowledge I remembered another macaque species!

The Crab-Eating Macaque! Aka the Long Tailed Macaque!

These macaques very closely resemble Rhesus Macaques in facial features as well as fur as they also come in a variety of gingers, browns, greys, and blondes with their main color variation being this brownish-gold. (below) Tho their pelts tend to range darker than a Rhesus Macaque's.

And instead of having mainly peachy skin with a few black tones around the hand and feet, they largely have very dark skin with the brightest parts being around the eyes and the darkest being their pitch black ears, hands, and feet.

And come on, you can't tell me this isn't a Monkey King face:

Plus I might be just a liiiittle biased because my favorite monkey picture is a Long Tailed Macaque:

Just look at this dude! He's so done with life! 😂

But along with just physical characteristics, Rhesus Macaques and Long Tailed Macaques share many behavioral qualities as well.

They both display threats in similar ways, such as baring teeth paired with screaming to frighten predators and other monkeys. Though, Rhesus Macaques tend to be more aggressive and bold (accurate to Wukong) while Crab-Eating Macaques are very cautious and skittish. A Rhesus would much rather fight while a Long Tailed would much rather run.

Another thing they share is their open affection for each other. Both Rhesus and Crab-Eating Macaques have extremely tight knit bond within their troop and with even form best friends from a very young age. Just look at this family unit and how the younger two hold the elder monkey! So sweet. 🥹

All in all! In the end, I went with a mixture of these two species for my ITTW Wukong design, leaning slightly more toward his original species, the Rhesus Macaque, and gave him the proportions of a human since he's a monkey demon.

The traits that I took from the Rhesus Macaques were his blonde fur and peachy pale skin tone as well as his more saturated peach mask, which I blended with a darker blackish-red at the bottoms to pay homage to the Crab-Eating Macaque's darker faces.

The traits that I took from the Crab-Eating Macaques were their long tails and black tipped ears. (as well as the blended mask)

And the traits I took from both were the black tipped hands and feet as well as their long fangs.

While his eye come straight from the book.

And this was the result!

[randomfangirl01]

Lovestrucked Wukong Comic 💘

Next Day: STOMP! STOMP! STOMPING around in circles

Inspired by a bunch of different post @skittlescripts

[randomfangirl01]

macaque, beaten within an inch of life, almost dead, glamour dropped completely: reader doesn’t want to be with you, you’ve done nothing but cause them pain!

villain sun wukong: rip + ratio + major L

[randomfangirl01]

Made a fanart for @/storiesfrom3AM from Wattpad and Ao3 dedicated to her book of oneshots. Her oneshots and short stories are all lovely! Really recommend reading it!

Here's the link to one of her book oneshots:

(btw @Rainy_RiuChan is actually my Wattpad user if any of you are wondering. And yeah, yeah, I know "Riu?! you actually use 'Chan' in your username that's cringe!! I was in my Cutesy Anime Era at that time okay!! Plus by the time I wanted to change my user to RainyRiu it was already taken, and I can't even change my username anymore because 1. I forgot my password for my wattpad account and 2. The current email used for my wattpad is already deleted so I'm stuck to @Rainy_RiuChan =_=)

[randomfangirl01]

what made bad end wukong fall in love with the reader?

she wasn't scared of him.

at least, not at first.

so i imagine that reader (who gets isekaid to ancient china with no memory of her past life) meets the monkeys back when they're still just funny lil troublemakers, fighting the celestial realm and causing mischief. perhaps one day, wukong is bored and decides to disguise himself as a normal monkey to mess with some village folk. knowing they'd all just run in fear from the monkey king, being a normal monkey gives him some leeway to get into more mischief with fewer consequences. macaque, ever his loyal shadow, goes along with him.

oddly enough, macaque meets her first.

perhaps he got more than he bargained for while stealing and got attacked by a dog whilst in normal monkey form. he (literally) runs into reader, who's returning from foraging in the forest. she saves him, much to his chagrin, picking him up and shooing away the dog. not wanting to ruin his cover, macaque keeps up his disguise. she'll just...bandage him up and let him go, and that'll be the end of it, right?

she takes him back to the house of the moderately wealthy family she's staying with (she's sorta a maid servant to pay for her lodging), setting him down gently on the small table in her quarters while she goes to get her medical supplies. he helps himself to some of the fruit from her basket while he waits. she comes back with strips of cloth and a bowl of water, along with some medicinal salves.

she speaks to him in gentle tones to coax him into coming closer, and macaque, who even in this form heals quickly, uses magic to slow his healing process. he's curious about what she'll do. whenever he flinches or spooks (playing the part of a scared monkey), she waits for him to come back to her, gently encouraging him and never raising her voice (which he appreciates immensely).

macaque, touch-starved nerd that he is, doesn't push her away. he realizes how easily he could just...turn back into his true form and scare her, ending this whole charade, but...he doesn't really want to. she's being very gentle with him, and he's enjoying it (not that he'll ever say it).

reader, once she's finished, scratches him softly, praising him for being a good patient. after that, she allows him to take more fruit, opens the door that leads out into the forest, and waves him goodbye as he goes. when macaque gets back to wukong, he...leaves some parts of his little sidetrack out. no need to bring trouble to her door when all she did was help him.

he continues to visit her in his normal monkey form, showing up when the family is away and hanging around reader while she does her chores. she talks to him, lets him climb on her shoulders, and feeds him whenever he visits. macaque is enjoying the attention, and soaks in the calm atmosphere that's often lacking on flower fruit mountain. he begins seriously considering revealing himself as a demon, if only to stop having to disguise himself.

macaque's dissapearances are interesting enough to get wukong's attention. where is his second-in-command going? what could be so interesting that he'd forgo pillaging and troublemaking?

wukong transforms into a fly to follow macaque. he's a bit confused when he arrives at the house, but quickly catches on when he sees a monkey that can only be macaque sitting with a young woman as she repairs a basket. oho, so his second has a crush, does he? that's hilarious! wukong takes a guess at what happened that day at the market during the time he and macaque split up. he wouldn't normally care if macaque wanted to hang around with a human, but this one seems interesting (if only because she seems so...average).

soooo, why not play this game too?

"Oh, hello there," reader says. "Are you this one's friend? Heard about the free food, I bet."

wukong shifts into the form of a normal monkey, playing the part and approaching cautiously, curiously. he sees macaque freeze at the sight of him, and he smirks. he isn't sure why mac wanted to keep this girl a secret, but he's gonna find out.

so, he jumps up on the porch beside reader. she greets him kindly.

"Yeah," wukong and macaque think simultaneously. "Something like that."

the evening goes fairly well considering. though macaque attempts to put himself between reader and wukong every chance he gets, the king makes an effort to get in his way whenever he can. he pretends at being another adorable, playful monkey; hanging off her shoulder, weaving in between her feet as she walks, stealing food...

yet she never gets angry at him, and that catches his attention. wukong's being annoying and terrible, and reader is taking everything in stride. she's more patient than he expected.

"Hah! I think I'm starting to get it." he laughs to himself.

meanwhile, macaque hasn't stopped glaring daggers at him the entire evening.

the monkeys leave later that night, sent off with a wave by reader. the monkey king confronts his general as they travel through the forest.

"So. When were you planning on telling me about her?" his tone seems casual, but there's a sinister undertone that immediately puts macaque on edge.

"Didn't think you'd care, to be honest," he attempts to keep his tone cool, but it's too late. wukong has already seen right through him.

macaque doesn't immediately share his friend's laughter. if he shows his true self to reader, he wants it to be on his terms, in a way that won't terrify her. he doesn't want to give up her company just because wukong wants a laugh.

"Y'know, I'm starting to like her," wukong muses.

"Maybe next time we can transform back and scare her." he cackles. "That'll be funny, won't it? See how she feels about having the Monkey King and his right hand man over for dinner!"

"Sure," macaque chuckles, attempting to hide his nervousness. he starts to plan on how he'll reveal himself, and how to do so without wukong's interference.

—

the next time he visits reader, she's sitting at her table having dinner. macaque watches from the treeline, wreathed in shadows. he left while wukong was having a meeting with some of the other generals, hoping that it'd buy him enough time to explain the situation to reader before wukong could notice him missing.

he isn't sure what the best way of approaching her would be. if he goes up to her now, as a demon, she might be scared and try to run. if he goes as a monkey and then turns into a demon before her eyes, the same. she's only ever known him as her little companion though, he reasons, so he may have to lead with that and hope she understands.

macaque prays that this isn't the end of their companionship.

he transforms into the monkey that reader recognizes, jumping out onto the porch and in through the open doorway. when he goes up to her, reader greets him kindly, as she always does.

"Hello there," she says. "I haven't seen you in a while, how have you been? Not getting into too much trouble, I hope?"

'You have no idea.' macaque thinks. he allows her to gently scratch him under his ears, leaning into it. he'd like to stay like this, but...he has to let her know.

so he backs away until he has enough space, takes a deep breath, and allows his form to change. he hears reader gasp softly as he grows and shifts, his clothing appearing as well. when he's finished, he raises his gaze to reader.

she's taken aback, pressed against the wall and staring at him with wide eyes. her breaths come a little quicker.

but she hasn't screamed. hasn't thrown her dishes at him or called for help. no, she just seems a bit stunned. perhaps she thinks he'll attack her if she moves.

he supposes he should introduce himself.

"My name is Macaque. The Six-Eared Macaque, to be precise." he sighs. he hangs his head slightly, closing his eyes.

"I apologize for tricking you, but after you helped me that day at the market I simply wanted to know more about you. I've come to value your company and hope that my true nature does not change your opinion of me." he finishes, raising his eyes and letting out a breath. he can feel heat in his cheeks, and he hopes his manners will cover how nervous he is.

reader says nothing for a moment. she's having a hard time processing, but she supposes she shouldn't be too surprised. demons disguise themselves in order to get close to humans all the time. she can only hope her little friend doesn't have a gruesome fate planned for her.

"I–" she stutters. "I suppose I should fix another plate, huh? Or do you prefer fruit in this form as well?"

a tense moment of silence passes.

and macaque can't help the laugh that bubbles forth.

this woman might be the death of him, he thinks.

"I wouldn't mind a plate, honestly," macaque says fondly through his laughter. "You have questions, I'm sure. I'll...I'll do my best to answer what I can."

the two spend a few hours talking. macaque tells reader about flower fruit mountain, keeping the true nature of his family and fellow soldiers vague. as much as he'd like to tell her everything, it'd only put her in danger. he especially can't tell her the truth about–

"Aw, you told her without me? And you didn't invite me to dinner? I'm hurt, bud."

macaque freezes. he and reader turn to look at the figure emerging from the darkness of the treeline, whose loose posture and languidly sweeping tail can't hide the menacing aura radiating off him. even reader can sense she's in the presence of something powerful, though the approaching demon has forgone his armor in favor of simple clothing. macaque notices that he'd hidden his tell-tale facial markings as well.

"I thought we agreed we'd tell her together?" the new demon muses as he steps into the room. he plops himself down at the end of the table, putting himself between reader and macaque.

"It's really not fair. You didn't even introduce me! Your best friend and brother! And here I thought you knew better," the ginger-haired monkey admonishes, sending a teasing look in macaque's direction. his dark haired companion glares back silently.

the way his king's personality brightens doesn't fool him for a moment.

"Who is–" reader starts.

"My name is Wukong!" he says jovially, taking her hands in his. "It's nice to be able to actually talk to you now! And here I was worried my brother's careless reveal would make you afraid. It's good to see that's not the case!"

reader takes a moment before the realization sets in. she can tell by macaque's tense posture and mannerisms that it'd be best if she treads lightly here.

"Are...Are you the monkey from last time? Would you like some dinner as well?"

Wukong smiles and nods. "Yes, yes I am! I'm glad you remember me. And I'd love to join you for dinner! Has brother told you about our home yet?"

—

macaque spends the rest of the evening walking on eggshells, waiting for the moment he'll have to jump in to save reader. but that moment never comes. wukong is acting like the perfect guest. he's being even more polite than when his fellow demon sovereigns visit, and they actually have power.

that's saying nothing of how utterly charming the monkey king is being, macaque thinks bitterly. he's been cracking jokes and flirting with reader, and it's working on getting her guard down. macaque is kicking himself for not mentioning how two-faced his "brother" can be earlier.

however...wukong hasn't shown any signs of annoyance or impatience. aside from a smug look whenever he gets reader to laugh, he hasn't given macaque any signal to drop the good guy act.

is he...is the monkey king not planning on hurting or scaring her? but...no. no, he must have some angle he's playing at. he's gotta be waiting for something, but what? for reader to say the wrong thing? for her to show some sign of "disrespect" that he can punish her for? why does wukong keep playing the respectful dinner guest after everything he's hinted at doing?

it's only after macaque really looks over at wukong does he get his answer.

the monkey king is listening intently to a story reader is telling, smiling softly and leaning toward her. his tail curls slowly, contentedly behind him. his eyes are focused entirely on reader, and macaque can see how dilated his pupils are as he watches her speak.

...what?

macaque can't believe it. there's no way.

does...does sun wukong have a crush?

his fear is confirmed when the king makes a comment on reader's story, making her laugh. wukong's smile, still horribly gentle, widens and his fur puffs up a little in happiness.

macaque feels dread pool in his stomach.

his dear mortal friend is in more danger than he thought.

[randomfangirl01]

Reader: you’re the most jealous man I’ve ever met

Sun Wukong: You know other men? Where are they?

reader doesn’t know what she was expecting

(redesigning bad end wukong so he looks less like winter au and more like himself)

[randomfangirl01]

Part 2: The Stranger @semisolidmind

[randomfangirl01]

Do you think SWK would go platonic-yandere Dad mode on MK in the modern times? Trying to get him to move to the mountain instead of living/working for Pigsy, monopolizing his time with "training" so he can't hang out with Mei and all that

(i don't really do general lmk asks, so im going to answer this as if it were for the lmk version of bad end. it's gonna get x reader type shippy.)

let's say MK is bad ends adopted son in the modern bad end au, where swk never went on the journey and is one of the major villains (despite this he's surprisingly chill for most of the show? even helping MK and his friends occasionally. though the gang doesn't know that swk is mks adopted dad until later)

so, in this version of the universe, macaque has sorta taken the role of normal wukong, as in he went on the journey and is training MK in secret. he's also protecting the reader here, who's a reincarnation of the reader from the journey, i.e. target numero uno for swk for...reasons. reader is also sorta a mother figure for MK.)

i think, as MK's adopted dad, villain swk would be the strict/fun/scary type of parent. he loves his kid and wants him to be happy, but also won't allow himself to be disrespected and can be harsh. knowing that, the fact that MK's constant begging to "see the outside world" actually worked is a miracle.

MK makes all his friends and convinces his dad to let him stay with the nice shopkeep who gave him a job. swk begrudgingly agrees, thinking that knowing how the modern mortal world works would be good for him.

however, after a few years of this, swk notices that his son is spending more time in the city than with him on the mountain. he decides to visit his son at work to surprise him with a...

...mandatory home visit.

the monkey king disguises himself, knowing that looking like the notorious villain he is would attract too much attention. his deeds have left such an impression that people would still panic at the sight of him even all these centuries later, after all.

when he arrives at the noodle shop, he can't help but sneer at it. this is the place that MK gets so excited about? that he likes enough to spend hours talking about during training? hmf. at least he'll get to meet these "friends" that his son cares so much for. he's particularly interested in–

the king freezes upon entry to the noodle shop.

there, manning the register. she looks exactly the same as when he lost her, though her traveling robes have been exchanged for a shirt bearing the shops logo, and jeans, a yellow hoodie tied around her waist...

it's her.

reader. that insufferable, annoying, wonderful, beautiful, achingly gentle mortal from so long ago. the one who saw the best in him despite it all, the one he had intended to marry. the one that that traitor macaque hid from him so that she could live and die and move on without him.

she's here, reincarnated. it's got to be her. his eyes of truth can't lie, and this mortals' aura is the same as hers. she looks over at him and he's paralyzed for a moment. even her eyes are the same color.

there's a slight pinch in her brow as she gazes at him. does she recognize him after all this time, he wonders, even with the disguise? he allows himself to hope for a second... but the look passes and the customer-service smile easily takes its place on her lips.

"Hello there! What would you like?" reader says.

For you to come home with me, is wukong's first thought.

"Hey," he says instead, somewhat nervous smile on his face. it's been a while since he's interacted with regular people (that weren't cowering in fear).

"Is MK here? I've come to check up on him,"

"I'm his dad, by the way." he quickly tacks on, somewhat bashfully.

"The kid's not here," the chef and presumed owner of the shop cuts in gruffly. the pig demon is scrutinizing him, suspicion written all over his face. "He's makin' deliveries."

huh, the king thinks. one reincarnation so close to another isn't uncommon, but it's still odd to see two of the monks' traveling companions all these centuries later. especially considering the fact that these two didn't get along that well, if he recalls. but, on a more important note-

"Ah, alright then! Perhaps I'll just have some noodles while I wait. Do you know when he'll be back?" wukong attempts to sound calm, but the fact that he doesn't get to see MK right now is grating on him. that and the unease he can sense in reader at his presence.

"Well, who knows with MK. He's a good kid, but he has a tough time focusing on certain tasks," reader says, some of her anxiety fading at the chance to talk about her work buddy. "He tries his best, though."

"Yeah?" wukong smiles at reader. he can see the color in her cheeks. he knows she likes his human form, even if she's wary of him. "Y'know, he's told me about you. You're Reader, right?"

she nods, and the nervous energy flowing off of her fades a little. he can tell she's still unsure if he's actually MK's dad. he supposes he did just...walk in and say it with no way to back it up. the distrust and uncertainty radiating off the pig demon as he subtly watches the conversation is palpable.

wukong watches as reader turns at the chef's call, taking the bowl of noodles carefully and setting it in front of him.

"Here you are," reader says, setting chopsticks down beside the bowl. the king thanks her before digging in. "If you'll excuse me a moment."

though he appears occupied with his meal, wukong takes note of reader saying something in a low voice to the pig demon. he nods, and reader heads out a back door. she pulls her phone out of her pocket as she goes.

hmf. probably to call MK and ask if the (incredibly handsome) stranger claiming to be his dad is really who he says he is. wukong can imagine the way his son will stutter and panic at the fact that he decided to come here instead of one of their regular meet up points.

sun wukong can't help but be glad he did, as he uses his gold vision to watch his little wayward soulmate pace in the alleyway outside.

now that he knows that she's here, he gets the feeling he'll be spending a lot more time in the city. after all, it was because of his lack of vigilance that she taken from him the first time...

...

he won't let her get away again.