“Not quite there.”
Shadowpeaches - 1400+ words
A forced proximity/“just one bed” trope fic. Basic, I know, but i had fun writing my favorite gay doomed monkeys.
NOTE: positions and directions are very intentional within this, and it’ll become apparent why if you can figure it out. I just can’t exactly explain without spoiling it lol. Also some art (DONE BY ME!) is included at the very end <3
Story below the cut!
The group had been staying over at Sandy’s boat, more specifically in what they described as Mk’s “secret hideout.” It was fairly decorated, not neatly by any means, but with everyone there it felt a little too crowded for Macaque’s taste. Regardless, he stayed. It made the kid happy, was his explanation, or rather, his excuse.
Wukong stayed on the opposite side of the room from him for most of the night, almost glued to the kid’s side, but a palpable tension between the simians hung heavy in the air. If Macaque wasn’t mistaken, it seemed to bother both Pigsy and Mei. The dragon girl gave him side eyes every so often, as if to check he hadn’t run off. Which he hadn’t, but she must have felt the need to keep him in check. Pigsy was less discreet about his annoyance, a mild scowl encroaching on his face whenever he were to look at Macaque.
The warrior disregarded it, however, focused on the television screen beside Sandy. Mk was currently beating Redson’s game avatar to a pulp within Monkie Mech, which was rather amusing to watch as the fiery redhead bull-boy exploded with rage, mashing controller buttons in a frenzy.
Mk yawns, which seemed to infuriate the demon more, but Macaque could tell it was more than a playful jab. The kid must be tired. Wukong seemed to notice it as well, as dense as he may seem, and leaned into the kid’s side.
Eventually, the group had decided it was time to retire for the night, the group divided into who would stay in which room. And of course, Wukong and Macaque were lumped together, under the pretense that “it's the only other room, so they would have to share.” It was a load of bullshit, from what Macaque could tell, but he was far too tired to protest. He left towards the room, not before giving Mei a glare. She smiled deviously in return, to which he knew his assumption that this was her plan was correct.
Wukong grumbled behind him, seemingly cursing his luck, but followed the warrior into the spare room. They both take immediate notice of the fact that there was only one bed, to which Wukong let out a dramatic gasp, followed by a groan. Macaque rolls his eyes in annoyance, choosing to sit on one of the lone chairs by a small table.
They fall into an uncomfortable silence, Wukong standing at the side of the bed.
“I’ll go sleep on the couch.” Macaque abruptly announced, readying a portal to jump through.
“No.” Wukong quickly interjected, “Just…sleep on the dang bed. We can be civilized for one night. I mean, I sure can.”
Macaque bit back a retort, grumpy trudging towards the right side of the bed. “Fine.”
“Fine!” Wukong responds, brows knit together in a scowl. He sat on the left side of the bed, tail lashing.
They fall back into a silence, adjusting pillows and lying with their backs to one another. They don’t speak, leaving Macaque to focus on the sounds of water lapping at the boat just outside.
Wukong shifts a few times beside him, causing Macaque to sigh in annoyance.
“What? I can practically hear your internal dialogue from here. What is it, Wukong?”
“I just—” He hesitated, “Just…”
“Just what?”
“Do you still have the…” he paused, the bed shifting beneath them as Wukong raised a hand to his ear, or maybe it was his eye?
“Yeah? It’s not like I can easily replace them.” The warrior answered his king, begrudgingly. He supposed an open ended answer would take care of this and they could go back to silence. But he was sorely mistaken.
“Can, um. Can I see?”
“I don’t know, can you?”
“No, no! Stop being annoying!”
“You first!”
There was a bang on the wall above the headboard, from one room over. They halted the escalation in tones, falling back into a warry silence.
“May I see?”
Wukong didn’t receive an answer, the only sound now was the sea outside. He felt a shift in the air, not all physically, but in Macaque’s presence. He had lifted his glamours, which Wukong only felt it fair he did so, to even the playing field. He turns slowly onto his back, to find Macaque had done the same, staring blankly at the ceiling.
White hair framed the half of his face that faced the King, messy and un-groomed, his ears barely visible against the pillow beneath his head. Deeply inset gashes sprout from his eye, scarred over but all the more terrifying. One sector of the scar, above his eye, dug through his brow, leaving a slit that had never grown back.
His dulled eye was glazed over, a soft lavender hue, as though it had never changed since death. Regardless of his blinded state, he kept his gaze transfixed on the blank ceiling.
Wukong reaches forward, a claw almost grazing Macaque’s hair, before a tail wraps itself around his wrist, acting as a restraint. The tail itself was spotted with white, much like his hair, in patches resembling outcroppings of icicles. The grip of Macaque’s tail lessens, slipping away and allowing Wukong to move freely again.
He raises his hand again, burying it in Macaque’s unruly hair and grasping the side of his face, avoiding touching any of his scars. Macaque’s breath hitches, body freezing at Wukong’s touch.
With his head resting in Wukong’s hand, he finally realizes that he was not the only one who was vulnerable. The king’s eyes, rimmed in cerulean and glowing with an enchanting crimson and gold mixture, bore into his without any vacillation. They simply gravitate towards one another, content to be within safety and comfort with one another.
“Still as beautiful as I remembered..” Wukong whispered with a sad, soft smile. There was no trace of mockery or ill intent. His words bled with honesty, the kind that scared the warrior.
Macaque stills at the sentiment, endearment he hadn’t heard in over a century, or even longer. In all honesty, he had believed he never would hear it again. Yet, he was proven wrong. Oh so very wrong.
“Don’t lie, damn it.” The shadow pulled Wukong’s hand away, but not quite letting go.
Wukong’s brows knit together with confusion. Just how obvious did he need to be?
“‘M not lying, Mac.”
“…”
Wukong grumbled, raising a brow in Macaque’s direction. The jaded monkey in question didn’t respond, turning over onto his side with his back to Wukong, serving only to annoy the Sage. He bites his tongue, knowing that it would only lead to a screaming match if he pressed any further. He himself turned over, curling in on himself with a shiver.
It was cold in the room, unfortunately, and the blankets didn’t provide much heat. He can feel as Macaque twitches beside him, standing before returning back to the bed with something in his hands. A jumble of fabric was held out to him, to which Wukong hesitated before accepting. He slipped on the sweatshirt, settling back into the blankets.
If he knew any better, he would have seen the small smile tug at Macaque’s lips. The Warrior made no attempt at reapplying his glamours, far too tired it seemed. But once he settled back into the bed as well, he felt a chill crawl up his spine. His skin prickled against the cold air and he regretted giving away his hoodie. That was, until he was offered one in return. He recognized the teal stripes on the sleeves almost immediately. He holds it in his hands for a moment, limited gaze observing the fabric of the well loved clothing.
He slipped it on, finding that the sleeves were rather short on him, in comparison to Wukong. A soft tsk escapes him as he lays back down, throwing the blanket back over himself. He picks a stray strand of hair out of his mouth as his tail slips closer to Wukong’s, nudging it slightly.
The king blinked, rather surprised by the sudden touch, but took it nonetheless, their tails intertwining beneath the blanket.
They both quieted, no sudden movement from either of them as they began to fall asleep, lulled by the sounds of evening breathing.
By the early hours of the morning, they found themselves wrapped closely together, a hand somehow shoved in the others face, or even in a pocket, but they didn’t make any attempt to escape from eachothers hold, only adjusting to comfortably fall back asleep.
(ART DONE BY ME, JUSTSOMESTARS!)
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