#BAI HE'S DAD

[skellebonez]

Celestial Crossing (A MoonStone, SWKxChang'e, ship fic): Chapter 4- Names and Changes

This chapter will not have any spoilers for the S4 Finale! Also... Hahahaha so… I forgot to update this… because I was in that car accident. I legitimately thought I had updated this long ago! I am so sorry fjgklfdj!

Hopefully this update makes up for the wait!

AO3 Link.

“It’s so odd to see them move when in sleep mode,” Chang’e said.

“But it’s so cuuuute.” Sun Wukong couldn’t help but coo out.

They’d eventually moved to their bedroom, the length of the day catching up to everyone once they had something to eat and everyone left them be (except Macaque, who insisted someone who could teleport be nearby in case something with wrong in the night). The little one, who’s name was still undecided, was resting almost soundly. One would think they were a powered off robot entirely were it not for the little twitches in their front paws and the soft kicks in their back legs.

“They need a name,” Chang'e mused.

“Sun W-”

“We’re not calling them Sun Wukong Jr.”

The quick deadpan rejection made the Sage laugh, softer than he wanted so he would not wake the baby but still honest and full of amusement. The smile on Chang'e’s face showed that she caught onto the joke faster than he could say it, already growing adept at curbing the dad jokes.

Neither of them could believe they were really here. Laying in their bed with a new little life form between them, tired from the small being siphoning little bits of their energy to sustain themselves.

It was a lot to take in and neither was certain they had really fully processed it all yet.

“Ok, well, Jr isn't really even a thing in China anyway. Hmn… how about Baobei?”

“Very cute,” Chang'e agreed with a nod. “They are a little treasure… But I was thinking something more… unique? Like Yuè Shí?”

“A little eclipse,” Sun Wukong mused softly. “I like it, but maybe something along the same lines would fit them a little better… Yuèbǐng?”

“I think we should save anything related to mooncakes to nicknames,” Chang'e replied with a laugh.

“Then we have a nickname for the little tyke!” Sun Wukong proclaimed proudly. “Since I picked that, do you still want to use your suggestion for their name?”

Chang'e paused for a moment, biting her lip as she thought. While Yuè Shí was a name she had thought of in the past, she wasn’t sure if the child’s given name and nickname should be that similar. And the meaning… it wasn’t really the most fitting for the little baby she had been looking at when she thought about it. Then…

“Jiǎo Lì-Yán,” she said suddenly. “The garden where we tried to rebuilt their original form, it had a lot of breccia in it. I used it to make some of the walkways.”

“Huh,” Sun Wukong said softly, sitting up a little more as he rubbed his chin in thought. “We could… call them Li-Yan as well, maybe? A group of different parts or things coming together… I don’t think anything else fits the little one better than that, given the circumstances of how they came to be.”

“Jiǎo Lì-Yán,” Chang’s said, once and then a few times more. “Yes. Yes, it’s a little odd and not a normal name, but… I think Li-Yan, Sun Jiǎo Lì-Yán, is perfect for them.”

“SUN Jiǎo Lì-Yán?” Sun Wukong asked in surprise. “Are… are you sure?”

They weren’t married. Oh, they wanted to be! How they wanted to be… but given their own circumstances, the fact Chang'e couldn’t leave the moon unless under certain circumstances, the way they worried about how the celestials would react to their union… they had no idea when or how that would happen. If it could happen.

So to hear his beloved, who he would happily call his wife despite this, immediately put his name on their child without question…

“I’m sure,” Chang'e said without hesitation either. “I’m more than sure. They’re OUR child, but they wouldn’t be here without you doing whatever it is Macaque said you did. I want them to have your name and be proud of that.”

He couldn’t help himself.

In an instant he reached out, wrapping his arms around Chang'e to pull her in closer. He rested his forehead against her own first, smiling softly before pressing his lips to her own. The kiss was as sweet as always, the taste of Chang'e blueberry flavored lip-balm stain lingering long after he pulled away just enough to leave their foreheads together.

“You’re wonderful,” he said, kissing her one more time to accentuate that point. “Wonderful-” a kiss" -and smart-“ another kiss ”-and so so amazing. What would I do without you?“ Chang'e didn’t have the chance to respond, Sun Wukong kissing her one final time with more gusto, the two of them slowly laying back on the bed next to Li-Yan. "I love you.”

“I love you too,” Chang'e said breathlessly, smiling for a moment before snickering softly. She leaned up, slowly wiping the little bit of blue that had transferred to her husband’s lips. “We should rest.”

“YOU should rest,” Sun Wukong said as he slowly climbed off her, gently and carefully scooping up Li-Yan in his arms. “You have to be up earlier than I do, and Macaque said one of us should be awake with them at all times for the first few nights. I’ll wake you when I am too tired, or we’ll trade off when you wake up. Ok?”

“OK,” Chang'e agreed with a nod. “I wonder if Li-Yan will like their name. I hope so.”

“I just wonder how long it will take them to respond to it. What do you think?“ Sun Wukong asked. The baby dozed happily in his arms, making soft little sounds in their slumber. ”How long will it take for this little one to get used to their new name?“

”Probably at least a few days,“ Chang'e said with a thoughtful nod. ”Maybe less, if their robotic processing isn’t too slowed down by the whole… babiness.“

”Babies are apparently little knowledge sponges so I doubt that will change much,“ Sun Wukong said with a laugh. ”But they’re also OUR kid. And you’re CHANG'E, you made everything here! You made this entire moon base all on your own! If anything they’ll be a little super genius because of you!“

”I don’t think you’re giving yourself enough credit,“ Chang'e protested. Though Sun Wukong couldn’t help but notice how she ducked her head to hide her blushing. ”You’re the Intelligent Stone Monkey, that has to count for something at the very least.“

Now it was the sage’s turn to blush, tail coming up to hide the red of his cheeks that showed through his fur.

”Maybe we both will contribute then,“ he compromised. ”We’re both smart.“

"I’m glad you’ve learned to see reason, dear.”

The two of them broke out into laughter, Sun Wukong grabbing the phone MK got for him while Chang'e turned off the remaining lights in the room to prepare for sleep.

~

Macaque flicked his ears. He was honestly not trying to listen in on them intentionally… ok, maybe he was trying to listen in on them intentionally. But he hadn’t been at first! Cross his good eye and hope not to die again.

But he had been, intentionally or not, and… they already loved their child so much. He could hear it in their voices. He could hear how much they loved each other, but this wasn’t about them (and he wasn’t into the mushy stuff, even when he had partners in the past). This was about the kid. And…

This kid was going to be ok.

… but, deep down… he couldn’t help but feel a twinge of distant jealousy toward both parents and child.

He tried not to think about that.

~

Chang'e had woken only a little while before she had intended to. Sun Wukong had asked her, as politely as possible, if she could bring him a snack and then take over for the rest of the morning while he got some rest.

It turned out that Li-Yan woke up after about three hours of rest to “eat”, and while Sun Wukong wasn’t completely drained afterwards he was growing increasingly tired given he had fed them twice and not rested to regain his strength since, outside his impromptu nap on the garden floor. He’d stuck it out as much as he could, but it turned out that 2 hours past feeding without rest was his limit.

The fact he hadn’t woken her up immediately made her concerned, the desire to tell him that he could have woken her bubbling up immediately. But she pushed that aside. They could have that talk later, for right now? She would get him something to eat and let him rest. That was what was most important, and she knew that he would do the same for her if they had done things reversed that night.

Her thoughts were broken by a peculiar sound, however. One she didn’t get to hear often in her moon base home.

The sound of someone else rummaging through her kitchen and talking to themselves.

Though she couldn’t quite pick up the words at first it was clearly Macaque’s voice. She didn’t have to guess what he was doing. If he had stayed on watch overnight like he said he would he would definitely get hungry after a while. And the fact he was not currently stationed outside their bedroom door cemented this fact. That wasn’t odd at all.

What WAS odd was what he was muttering.

Something about how he “needed to double check his notes” and “wondered if other sources could be used” and “having to wait a bit longer to see”.

Very odd…

Almost as odd as seeing him standing in front of her microwave, door wide open and the light from inside being the only thing illuminating his face as he shoved a bao in his mouth.

“You know,” Chang'e said suddenly, leaning against the doorway. She watched as the shadow monkey jumped, whirling around to stare at her with wide eyes. “I really would have thought you’d hear me coming.”

“… I was too hungry to hear you?” Was the awkward answer, Macaque’s eyes darting from left to right before he shoved more bao into his mouth. “Youh heafth nofhing.”

“Macaque,” Chang’e said as she crossed her arms. “You’re not planning on doing something that might, possibly, be mistaken as a ‘impulse choice’ would you?”

“Abshowoutley no,” he replied, mouth still stuffed full of the bite of reheated bun.

“Oh my gosh you’re as bad as MK,” she continued, shaking her head as she closed the microwave. “Come on, if you’re that hungry we can make you something a little better than that.”

“… Uh… or I could just leave.”

“You won’t,“ Chang'e said. She didn’t explain how she knew, it was just a feeling. "I’ll make you some congee. Get me some bowls, please? Upper cabinet, right beside the fridge.”

When the other immortal didn’t run, instead looking at her strangely before doing as asked, Chang'e knew she was right on the mark.

~

“Is Macaque… normally like this?” Chang'e asked as she handed her tired love a glass of water. She set a tray down over his legs, holding up a hand as he reached for the bowl in front of him. “Let that cool for a minute.”

“Oh absolutely not,” Sun Wukong said, instantly drinking at least half of the glass. “He’s acting weird, and that’s saying a lot since he’s normally weird as heck.”

“What kind of weird stuff did he do before?”

“Have you SEEN MK’s recordings of his shadow plays?” Sun Wukong asked with a raised eyebrow. “The guy made a whole play about our friendship falling out.”

“And one about you beating Lady Bone Demon,” Chang'e offered quickly.

“Also, another totally made up one about a certain bird getting their ass kicked,” Sun Wukong said with a pause. “That one was pretty funny, though.”

“It was,” Chang'e agreed with a chuckle. “But back on topic… should we be worried about… you know, what I heard? You don’t think he’s going to do something?”

“I don’t think he’d do anything that would get his ass kicked,” Sun Wukong said with a shrug. “He’s… well, MK seems to think he really is trying to be better. And so far he’s done nothing to really make me think he’s going to do anything BAD. But I think it’s definitely related to Li-Yan. Maybe he’s just concerned.”

“You seem a lot less worried about this then I thought you would be,” Chang'e said in surprise.

“Don’t tell anyone I told you this,” Sun Wukong said with a shrug. “But… Macaque’s always had a soft spot for parents and kids. He’d never do anything to harm them, not intentionally anyway. As long as Li-Yan is a baby? He’s only gonna be helpful at this point. I think.”

“… you didn’t see his face,” Chang'e said. “I know what his expression was. I… saw it on my own face, before I took the immortality pills. That was the face of someone about to make a rash decision, and who knew they were.”

Sun Wukong hummed in thought, giving his wife’s words consideration before nodding.

“OK,” He agreed. “If you think he’s planning something? Then he is. I just… don’t know what it could be.”

“I can’t even begin to hazard a guess,” Chang'e said slowly. “I don’t think Li-Yan is in danger! I just… I dunno, I just think he’s going to do something wreckless.”

“Want me to have MK watch him?” Sun Wukong offered immediately. “That way, no matter what it is, someone will be there.”

“I’d appreciate that,” Chang'e said, relaxing slowly. “I know you two don’t have the best relationship anymore, and after all his help I am probably overthinking things, but…”

“You’re smart,” Sun Wukong said instantly. “You pick up on things. I trust your instincts.”

“Thank you,” Chang'e said with a relieved sigh.

“Speaking of, remember our convo last night? Do you think the kid is going to be smarter than we are?” Sun Wukong mused for a moment. “That’s possible, right?”

“I don’t know if you’re trying to butter me up or if you’re bragging,” Chang'e said as she gestured to his now cooler bowl of congee. “But probably. They are a robot and we will likely be the one to teach them.”

“Oh heck yeah,” Sun Wukong said through his first bite of food, tail curling in contentment. “This? May be the best congee I have ever had.”

Chang'e tried not to puff up in pride, remembering how Macaque had said the same thing when he had started to eat his bowl.

~

It was only half an hour later when they heard an unfamiliar ringtone in the kitchen.

Which was odd, the only person in here was…

“MORNING MR. MAC!” A familiar voice called over speakers, instantly giving the trio who entered the room the answer to who that ringtone belonged to before they even saw Macaque’s flustered and embarrassed expression. He had attempted to cover up a tablet, one that was clearly his based on the red and black cloud case it was housed in.

“Mr. Mac is having quite the morning, huh?” Sun Wukong said with a chuckle. He tried not to notice how the other turned to give him a snarky reply and then seemed to stop upon catching his gaze. Maybe he thought it wasn’t worth it, or… maybe the deep eye bags Chang'e pointed out were a lot more extreme then the immortal had thought. “Just helping Chang'e clean up, then I’m getting some rest.”

This was not a lie! H had insisted on at least getting up for just a while when Li-Yan woke mid-breakfast, not seeming to be hungry but just awake and looking at their surroundings in curiosity.

Though, in actuality, he probably should have just passed out after eating. It was just… Partly his own curiosity to see Macaque that morning that pushed him to venture out for a few minutes. And the desire to spend a little more time with their child while they were awake.

… Also, he may have wanted to swipe a peach from the kitchen while his wife wasn’t looking.

“Yeah yeah,” Macaque muttered with a wave of his hand. “What’s up, Half Pint? Something wrong?”

“Nooooo! I just wanted to talk to you, Mr. Macaque!” Bai He said with a wide smile that Sun Wukong could see over the other’s shoulder.

The couple made their way over, ignoring the shoulder slumping and soft growls of Macaque.

As did Li-Yan, who chirped in Chang'e’s arms.

“5 minutes!” A man’s voice sounded from far away over the video call. “You have school, young lady, and it’s a 15 minute walk.”

“Can’t Mr. Macaque just teleport me?” Bai He called back.

“I’m sure Mr. Macaque is busy,” the voice said, growing closer and closer until a face  only Chang’e had never seen before took up the half of the screen Bai He didn’t. “Sorry for the early morning c… call…” The man blinked, looking down at his daughter and then back up. “… is that Chang’e?”

“She’s Mr. Monkey King’s wife!”

“She…” The man, presumably Bai He’s dad, blinked as his mouth dropped open at the sight of not only the moon goddess but also the baby carefully held in her arms. “… you weren’t joking when you told me all that stuff last night, were you?”

“I told you, dad!” Bai He said with a pout. “Chang'e is Sun Wukong’s wife and they had a BABY. Seeeeee!”

“I… see,” the man said as he blinked, staring in shock for only a moment before snapping his mouth closed. “OH. I AM. SO SORRY. UH, we need to get ready, I didn’t mean to stare, I-”

“We can be properly introduced later,” Chang'e said with a soft chuckle. “It’s alright.”

“Ok, yes, uh, I’m Mr. Lin!” The man said, trying to cover his flushed face. “Honey, we need to get ready. Macaque, can you take her home for me again? I have to work late.”

“I’ll be there to walk her home from school, promise,” Macaque said in a surprisingly affirming tone. The entire call, as he watched the young girl and her father on screen, it was as if he… relaxed.

It was odd, Sun Wukong thought. He hadn’t seen the other immortal be this… SOFT in years. Had the young girl really changed him that much just by being determined to get to know the person who saved her from that fall?

“I really appreciate it,” Mr. Lin said with a chuckle. “Sometimes I forget you’re not like. Her second dad.”

There was a quick change in Macaque’s expression. Confusion? Fear? … no.

No, Sun Wukong knew that expression.

“Eh, I’m more of the estranged uncle who brings the FUN snacks at the reunion.”

“I guess that works,” Mr. Lin said as he grabbed the tablet from where it stood. “Ok, say bye so we can head out, please?”

“BYE BYE MR. MAC!” Bai He said, waving quickly to the screen before the call ended.

There was a long, extensive, moment of silence between the four people left in the room after that.

“I’m going to go die in your garden now,” Macaque exclaimed. “That was the most embarrassing call I have ever had.”

“Aw, I thought it was sweet,” Chang'e said with a chuckle.

“That makes it worse!” Macaque said with a groan. He laid his face down on the table, groaning again. “So… baby seems to be doing fine.

"Li-Yan,” Sun Wukong and Chang'e said in unison. “Sun Jiǎo Lì-Yán.” Chang'e added after a moment.

“You named them overnight?” Macaque asked as he sat back up. “Huh. Thought that would take at least a day.”

“What can I say,” Sun Wukong said with a proud shrug. “I have a very intuitive wife.”

“You definitely seem to,” the other muttered. “I’m gonna stick around for the day, but after tomorrow? You shouldn’t need my help if they’re holding steady like this.”

“Then you should have no problem if I borrow you for a moment,” Sun Wukong said with a smirk, wrapped one arm around Macaque’s neck and ignoring his protests as he dragged him from his chair.

He didn’t let go until they were in the doorway, just far enough for a semi-private convo but not so far Chang'e couldn’t see them.

“What the hell, Wukong!” Macaque hissed under his breathe.

“Macaque,” Sun Wukong whispered with a frown. “I know you. We were friends for years. I know the faces you make when you are planning something. What are you planning?”

“Me? Planning something?” Macaque called back with a gasp, putting a hand on his chest and wiping not existent tears from his eyes. “That hurts, Wukong. How could you think I could be planning something when I’ve been so forthcoming with information?”

“That’s exactly why I’m suspicious,” he answered.

“Ok, fair,” Macaque said with a chuckle and a shrug. “But it’s nothing that should affect you. I think. Probably not.”

“Now I’m more concerned.”

Li-Yan chirped, almost sounding like they were in agreement despite being on the other side of the room.

“Look,” Macaque said as he pulled out of the hold. “It’s just… I wasn’t entirely honest before.”

“You don’t say-”

“Let me finish!” Macaque said with a sigh before reaching into a pocket in his shirt. He pulled out the notepad that MK had given him the day before. “I… was hoping that I could use all this in what I’ve been writing for you and publish it?”

“That’s it?” Sun Wukong asked.

“That’s it,” Macaque answered with a nod. “I’ve looked into a lot of magic and, you know. Thought I may as well do SOMETHING with what I have in the old noggin. Make a little cash on the side of my plays.”

“… I am choosing to believe you,” Sun Wukong said as he turned around.

Macaque watched him leave, eyes wide in disbelief and shock as the sage called back a “I’m getting rest now!” back to his wife.

Which was wise.

Because Sun Wukong did not believe him at all.

Sun Wukong grabbed his phone, sending a text message as he walked.

SWK: Can you keep an eye on Macaque for me?

BH: Oh I already planned to. Mr. Macaque has been acting weird since you had your baby. Like he has baby fever.

SWK: I’m 98% sure he’s going to at least ‘forcibly babysit’ Li-Yan for a few hours one day. LOL. But not actual kidnap. If he does, blackmail him for ice cream before he returns them.

BH: Ice cream blackmail permission!!!!!! I’ll do the best job of watching him ever!

~

“Can you hold them for me for a moment?” Chang'e asked Macaque suddenly.

“UH,” Macaque asked in surprise. “You… sure you want me to? I mean, it-”

“Just for a second, please?” Chang'e asked again. “I want to trust you with them.”

The monkey demon froze, nodding for a moment before being carefully handed the little robotic bundle. Macaque looked down at the little robot that was not so suddenly in his arms, eyes wide as he looked at them looking at him.

“Hey… Li-Yan…” He said slowly.

The baby chirped at him, almost sounding like a laugh. 

Oh.

OH no.

He was doomed…. he had to go through with it after all.

[ne-cocoa]

Macaques the favorite (๛ ˘ ³˘)۶

[xynnoix]

The heartbreak I felt when I learned that LBD creates bones, not crystals/ice. No one tell that to Bai He, we have to protect her from that knowledge—

Watch anyone trying to tell her that piece information get their ass kicked by Macaque

Edit: FALSE ALARM. THOSE ARE, IN FACT, ICE NOT BONES DJWJDHKWBDJ

[sonolus]

The monster is gone, she is on the run and your monkey is here ✨️

[yuri-organism]

these kids of mine

[zeecringez]

a friendship has been bonded 👋

da dads however, still got a long way to go

[miss-conner3]

En Español: Aquí

You know I have some ideas of interaction with children that are not limited to Wukong or Macaque XD

So the following appearances have to do with the main cast, so here I present their versions of the MK Dad AU! \(OuO)/

Plus the inclusion of two new characters (OuU)

I hope you like it!

 P.S: These designs are subject to change.

[py-dreamer]

Long hair Macaque, my beloved-

No but srsly, one of my favourite designs is just long hair mac and in this au Mammy's figure is just mostly hair.

I was trying to recreate this screenshot:

Obviously there's some difference like I tend to draw a bit chibi (big heads) and I didn't want to make Mac's hair THAT voluminous-

I wanted to achieve sort of a gypsy vibe with these little skrimblos

AND THEN I FOUND THESE:

And I could NOT pass it up.

So yeah...

Oh! And I also gave the sparkly drip to their ears

(Sh!t I just realised, I forgot the shadow creatures... I'll see if I can add them in later)

I COULDN'T for the life of me figure out the hundred yard stare to match with Mac's sharp eyes (how I draw him) and not make it look goofy so I made them spoopy and glowing instead

I sadly don't have much to say about Bai He here since her black hair didn't leave that much room for shading in a darkened environment (I'm so sorry) And this piece was to show off Mac's design more anyway (I promise Bai He will get her spotlight)

(Also Bai He, nor Mk nor Macaque wears shoes. Wukong is the only one in the family who does and I find that funny)

But oh! The hair? Here comes the fun part

(No his hair isn't purple, I just used purple to shade here)

You see I WAS going to use black hair for this photo but i soon realised how much of a pain it was just to shade it (cause i couldn't) and I was just WISHING I could use his white fur instead

And then I realised....

The white fur could be his winter coat.

Some animal's shed their fur in the winter (I think some rabbits do) and grow a new coat, occasionally with a different colour.

Therefore I could make the white fur the winter coat and during the story, his fur could be black to show how much time has passed since Bai He last saw her Baba...

Mwuahahahahahhahahahaha I'm so evil

(I was very proud of myself)

(Also I know macaques don't grow winter coats but just let me have this one ok?)

And why doesn't Bai He have white fur as well then? Well maybe she's just a different kind of monkey or perhaps it's just an age thing.

Funnily enough, when I showed this to my friend, she said he looked heavenly which is funny cause. As much as I love him, Macaque is a smug bastard and he knows it.

Like I know a lot of it was due to trauma BUT STILL

I just personally dislike how the fandom sometimes makes him seem like he could do no wrong and he is "uwu delicate babygirl that needs to be protected at all costs" when this boi is fockin FERAL man.

So despite taking a bit of a back seat in the main plot for this au, Macaque is still a smug bastard behind the scenes as much as he is a good dad

(Gosh sorry for the rant, I just had that pent up for a while now and needed to get it off my chest)

I wanted to post this yesterday on Friday 13th but oh well,

I hope I achieved the mysterious spoopy vibes as the original lol

(Click photo for less sh!tty quality)

(Also pls reblog, as much as I really appreciate feedback in general, I really like this piece and want to show it to more people...)

Gosh we are on a roll with this Shadowalkers au huh?

[tortelorrini]

quick mock up of Glenn's design

[mjni]

Macaque would totally take Bai He (LBD’s hostess) to see Six: The Musical.

Macaque: “So what do we think about kings who kill people for not doing what they say?”

Bai He: “They’re really bad and mean and unforgivable!”

Macaque, loudly while glaring at FFM: “That’s RIGHT!”

Bonus:

[dark-heart-555]

Xie lian telling Bai Wuxiang that Jun Wu would destroy him again..... is like Malfoy telling his father "my father will hear about this"

[goldetrash]

"It's a tough world out there, I'll keep you safe."

All this Dad!Macaque headcanons got to me and now I don't know what to do with myself,

Also, when are we going to get an explanation on Bai He? I worry for the kid after the whole LBD thing :(

[ne-cocoa]

Rumble and Savage :>

[xynnoix]

Going back to this father-daughter duo. So expect more of them from me ehe

Okay— I literally can’t draw Macaque in this one for some reason— I struggled with him for like half an hour 😭 and I just realized I’ve never drawn the monkeys the same way. They look different each time I draw them djekdnmsms

[theleafmovesthebeef]

I wake up every day thinking: why did these people did not listen to mei nianqing

my life would've been so much easier

[quitealotofsodapop]

Honestly if it were up to Macaque he'd adopt Bai Zhe right then and there. Dame with Wukong. The problem is, Macaque is technically legally dead. Or at least, he legally doesn't exist at all since he died in the Tang dynasty so there wouldn't be records for him at all. Wukong is not much better because while he does have a lawyer for things like copyright and such... he still spent 500+ years in near isolation and doesn't technically exist in the legal system either outside if being represented by a lawyer of some sort. Not ideal for adopting a child, especially since adoption would include things like home visits, employment, a shit ton of paperwork. Luckily PIF cab get him in contact with Fire Star and Gold Star owes him for the whole... Mountain thing. Between those two he's able to at least legally adopt her in the eyes of the gods, but the eyes of mortals are a little different. It ends up being this weird situation where Bai He is being fostered by Pigsy and Tang while Wukong goes through the legal BS that is trying to get custody of a human girl when he is effectively a myth as far as mortals are concerned.

Then there's the matter of Bai He's possession. Possession of a demon is, sadly, not as uncommon in the LMK universe as you'd think it is, and it has lingering effects beyond just the trauma if done for an extended amount of time. The LBD had, effectively, turned Bai He half ice demon by possessing her for nearly a year. This means someone is going to need to tea h this little girl how to control her previously nonexistent magic.

Wukong's and Macaque's earth-legal situation is like that one joke in SU:

Especially seeing how Bai He has been declared Missing for the last few months - I'm not sure if the Metropolis CPS has a protocol for dealing with possession victims. Just walking up to anywhere and saying "Yeah, she's my kid now." wouldn't fly in the mortal realm.

I feel like Pigsy and Tang wouldn't mind fostering Bai He while the monkey duo sort out all the legal nonsense. It kinda makes the two nostalgic for when MK was smaller. I feel like they already got used to the kid showing up almost every day to eat noodles (a new comfort food for her since it was the first thing she ate after LBD left her body) and pet Mo.

I also love ideas where Bai He's possesion leave her with demonic abilities - mainly ice powers and maybe some bony markings on her body. Beyond the usual hurdles of adapting to become something other than human, Bai He takes it in her stride.

Bai He, making her eyes glow blue with power: "You're gonna have a Bad Time." Macaque (is training her): "...Is that a pre-battle call you've been working on?" Bai He, now embarassed: "No... its from Undertale." Macaque (knows she means a video games): "Oh. What does the character do after saying that?" Bai He, excitedly: "He grabs your soul and destroys you with magic bones and giant skull lazers for hurting his family!" Macaque: "Wicked."

Despite being opposite elements, I could see Redson and Nezha helping Bai He out with her new powers. They remember having an element they can't control. Plus the little girl is like a sister they never had.