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galaxofmuses · 10 months

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Mentorships Pt. 1

Preparing for a week , anyone expects the adventurer and part time hero of Gaia to pack and prepare their things. Unfortunately that is not the case for Sky.

They decided to some Zone hop into an unfamiliar warp ring and land on an unfamiliar alleyway. Scratching his head, as he looks around to see strange citizens and feeling well..the odd one out. As the strangers start to notice that he looks more alien than anyone. Trying to greet them with a wave and the others respond in panic and concern. Backing away with a panic, he enters a shop to hide.

Out of all the places it was Pigsy's noodles.

With a sigh of relief and lookng up to see a customer looking confused and Sky putting his hands up, but realizes that this isn't going to fly and quickly puts his hands back in his jacket pockets. He finally speaks up at the seemingly unafraid stranger sitting at the bar. ”Y-Yo! Uhh....Smells pretty good over there.“ Skyler is trying to break the ice so badly. This particular stranger is clearly interested and especially noticing that their hands are unique. “Indeed, it is Pigsy's famous noodles after all umm...Sir?” The other blinks, but gets started now that the hedgehog actually rushed in front of him. The handshake gesture is ready to go and a grin. ”Skyler! It's nice to meet ya!“

The stranger smiles in return and accepts the hand. ”Tang, a pleasure Skyler.“

The two eventually start talking and explaining about Megapolis and Skyler explaining about their planet Earth or also known as Gaia. The two exchange so much information and Skyler does eventually order a bowl of noodles since the praise from Tang made him curious. Of course trying to calm Pigsy down from anger that Skyler did not order a single thing for a while. It can't be helped that Sky loves to connect with anyone every time they zone hops to a different place. On top of that, The food was actually delicious. The consistency of the noodles is perfect and bouncy, the char siu is perfectly cooked and the broth is simmered to the right temperature and last of all, the onions give the texture and crunch. It was a simple recipe and made out of love.

As Skyler finishes his bowl of noodles and sees the bill slide towards them by Pigsy. With a confident grin, he hands him a couple of rings, then dawns on him that he forgot...it's not another Zone. Gulps and nervously looks as the chef frowns at them.

“You think this is a joke? I run a 5 star establishment!” The pig cries out in frustration, but as Tang was about to correct that response, the chef retorts back to him. "Don't ya even think about it! I know you're gonna say another iou ,while you have another bunch of ious!” Tang chuckles in response as he puts his arms up in guilt. “Now now, they are a visitor. Why don't you give him a discount?” The chef was getting more and more aggravated and sees Skyler trying to collect his rings and almost fumbling. Pigsy furiously points at the hedgehog. “You! I dunno where ya came from, but you're gonna have to pay! For reals this time!”

Meanwhile MK just finished another round of deliveries and does the usual shoutout. “Pigsy! I just finished myyyy....uhhh...Did I miss something?” With timing, Pigsy caught an idea, a solution. “Porcupine! You're gonna help the delivery boy!”

Sky and Mk cry out in unison. “What?!” Pigsy roars with laughter. “...Can you handle these orders?” He dramatically points at the huge pile of fresh new orders waiting to be delivered. Skyler was expecting something worse and shrugs it off. “I can do it.” Pigsy raises a brow from suspicion. “Hmph! We'll see about that kid.”

Later on, Mk and Skyler are both in the delivery car and the silence was deafening for both of them. Skyler finally pops in a question “...So uhh...How long have ya been working with Pigsy?“ The kid chuckles and looks back at the hedgehog. “Me? Well...most of my life really. He's the one who always takes care of me when I was a kid.” “Well aren't you a kid?” Sky tilts his head in confusion. “Me?! I'm an adult thank you very much!” Mk quickly attempts to cover up his Monkey King comics in his delivery car. That made the hedgehog chuckle and change the subject with more random small talks. As the car stops to the first destination, Sky does a bit of a stretch and turns to look at MK. “Sooo...all I gotta do is to deliver all of these?” Mk nods and holds the phone that shows the destination. ”I'm sure y- '' With no hesitiation, Skyler takes the deliveries and even Mk's phone and within a second or two the cart is completely empty. MK blinks once and even twice to check what even happened. Skyler comes back with pockets of tips and some even treats from the kids of each neighborhood. ”Sooo yeah. It's done.“

MK's jaw dropped dramatically and with stars in his eyes and started to blabber away. “H-How did you do that?! Do you have super powers or something? I don't know how you do that fast! I just blinked!” Skyler had to stop MK from asking anymore questions and chuckling “Woah-ho-ho! Hey! I'll...I'll explain when we get ba-'' Checking on the back of the car, he sees one more order left.

“Okay! Nevermind! we got one more order to deliver...uhhh where's it at?” Sky looks down at the phone and raises his brow. “Huh...looks pretty far away...” Mk takes the phone and looks at the location and makes him smirk. “I know where it is . Hop on Skyler.” As the two take off, both start to talk about each other's adventures and MK absolutely gushes about the Monkey King which really got Skyler intrigued. The hedgehog loves to listen to legends and tales and to the fact that MK is a student from this so-called legend. It's hard to believe, but Skyler has the itching curiosity to try to ask MK for a spar, but he decides to hold back.

Meanwhile MK was asking more about his adventures and his friends. It's quite a coinsidence that both of them have a very close knit and found family type of bonding with both of their friends. Eventually the small talks broke off as they reached a gorgeous sight. It was the place where the Monkey King resides. Skyler was excited to meet the king itself, but....he wasn't home. The two both sigh in dissapointment. “Man that's a bummer....I thought I would meet him.” Skyler folding his arms and frowns from this. MK ponders for a moment and checks the phone and sees the extra note. “....Oh...the meal is for us? Oh come onnnn! We could have gone back home to my place! Or we could have hit the arcade after or we co-” As MK whines away from this situation as Skyler decided to look around and was fascinated by the place and stopped to stare at the view of the city. The sun is starting to set down and it was a perfect time to take a tiny break. “Hey MK! Ya gotta see this!” MK did eventually stop complaining and went over to check the view out. “Huh...it's been awhile since I've seen the city glow like this.” Skyler chuckles and looks back at MK. “Hey, maybe there is a reason why he brought us here.” Both of them eventually sat down and started eating the delivered meal. Finally realizing that both of them are pretty hungry after that long trip. The two share more stories, some we're happy, some we're sad, but most of all it was a lot of laughter and joy.

“Heh...Man...You got a lot of cool adventures MK....Ya know...I would like to do some adventures with you someday...Well...Maybe when the city doesn't get invaded by monsters or something.” Skyler grins in response. Mk chuckles nervously and knowing that his home is always in danger in some shape or form. “Well can't guarantee but I would love to have you around more. Like dude! Super speed and kicking butt at the same time?! That's pretty awesome!”

The two laugh and as the energy calmed down for the two. “Hey, so since you're gonna eventually be part of a legend, you ever thought of someone passing down the torch?” Mk stops midway from slurping his noodles and eventually finish the rest of the food and swallows quickly. “Passing the down the torch for another student? Gosh....I...I never really thought that far.” Skyler ponders at this moment and then an idea pops. “Hey! I know! I can be your student! I'm willing to try out new things!” With horrible timing, Mk was drinking halfway with his can of peach tea soda and spits it out.

“Wh-What?! Are you serious?”

The hedgehog looks at the other and grinning with confidence and nods. “Yeah! But! I'm gonna meet up with Uncle Chuck in about a week and I think you would be a...cool teacher?“ The two gaze into each other's eyes as the sun continues to dip. MK realizes that with Skyler's abilities and along with the Monkey King's abilities combined, they would be an unstoppable force. With a grin in return, he puts the take out aside.

”Well, In that case....I would gladly take you in...My pupil.“ Mk gives Skyler a formal bow.

Skyler watches MK accepting the idea and the spark of excitement in their eyes glisten. “Well...In that case....I am honored to be your student.” He bows in return.

As the two bow down in agreement, both of them look up at each other and then grins excitedly with glee. Not knowing from afar that the Monkey King was watching these two youthful students are getting along quite well. Sure he is interested in where Skyler lives, but that doesn't matter. What matters is that his pupil is going to learn a very harsh lesson in the future.

One Week Later

Uncle Chuck is on the edge of the Secret Forest and waiting for Skyler to meet up with him. “Hrmm...with those quick feet of his. I thought he would arrive by now.” muttering out loud to himself.

“What are ya sayin' Unc? I'm here.”

That starts with the elderly hedgehog and sees a much more cheerful hedgehog despite the corruption on his quills still spreading. “O-Oh! Sorry Sonny boy!...Say...You look quite happy.”

Skyler wears his gloves, jacket and hoodie combo, but no longer wears the flannel and jeans. But there is a red ribbon on the left arm of the jacket with an unfamiliar symbol. Carrying a backpack full of things and ready to go.

”I'm feeling a bit better Uncle Chuck and I think I'm ready for another adventure.“

#long post #:: headcanon ::#:: Drabble ::#drabble #:: Ver; Main; I can chase another day ::#:: Side Muse; Uncle Chuck | Charles Luxhart ; AU ; Echoes in the Chambers of Our Heart ::#:: Ver; Main; Where there is true will there is always a way ::#:: MK and Sonic/Skyler; Teaching is the greatest act of optimism ::#// It's finally done! Writing Art Streams are a godsend and I am definitely going to do more!

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purble-turble · 2 years

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Number 2 and 15 for tt red au pretty plz!

Holding their hands when they are shaking.

Tucking the sheets around them when they stir during the night.

Calming them down when they have a bad dream.

Combining these two prompts since they were somewhat similar

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MK used to be a very heavy sleeper. So much so that only his alarm could wake him on most days. Sometimes not even that. (Pigsy sure had words for him whenever that happened.)

It wasn't that he was lazy, it was just that he liked sleep. If asked, he might have even said being woken up before he absolutely had to be up was the worst thing ever! His bed might have been small, but it was soft, and most of the time MK would have nice, unremarkable dreams that made sleeping enjoyable. Also, the most recent addition to his bed, a certain fire demon, made it especially warm and cozy, which made spending long hours huddled under the blankets feel extra appealing.

However, lately, he'd been actively trying to be a bit easier to rouse- ever since Red Son had his time traveling incident. Poor Red didn't have the kind of satisfying relationship with sleeping that MK did. Even before his little adventure into the future, he hadn't ever slept for as many hours as MK. Now, afterward everything he'd gone through and the effects it had on him, that bad habit of not getting enough rest was clearly not a conscious choice anymore.

Red had been suffering from nightmares. And yes, suffering really was the best word to describe it.

MK wasn't sure when exactly it had started. It might have been ever since he got back. Unfortunately, due to how heavy a sleeper he was, at first, MK either hadn't noticed or had dismissed the sudden change in his boyfriend at night. He did remember the first time he had been woken up by one of Red Son's nightmares. It must have been a particularly upsetting one, because the demon had awoken very suddenly, bolting straight upright and nearly knocking MK, who had been partly draped across him, clean off the bed.

Looking back, he was ashamed of the reaction he had: he just grumbled something in annoyance about trying to sleep or having work in the morning and rolled back over. Red Son had slipped out of bed and he'd heard the bathroom door shut, so his tired brain decided that his boyfriend had just needed to use the bathroom in the middle of the night. The grogginess of being woken up caused him to not really take in how distressed Red had been. He regretted that moment so much when it happened the next time.

It wasn't even a week later when he woke up in the middle of the night again. That time he was pulled from sleep because he suddenly felt cold. Once he shook of the lethargy of just waking up, he realized it was because Red Son was missing from the bed. That was alarming.

The concern that Red might up and leave in the middle of the night was a very real one. During his low moments, he talked constantly about how MK was better off without him and that he was afraid of hurting him. He'd even had to tell Red to stop trying to convince MK to break up with him once or twice. He didn't take it personally; he knew it wasn't that Red actually wanted to break up, he'd just gone through some messed up stuff in the future and now he thought he was a monster who wasn't good enough for MK.

It was ridiculous, obviously. MK knew Red Son wasn't going to hurt him, and he knew that it would hurt both of them more if he were to run off. Of course, he could say it as many times as he liked, but getting Red son to actually believe it was another thing entirely. It wasn't his fault. Trauma will do that to a person.

So, when he awoke to find Red Son missing, his mind immediately jumped to the worst. MK leapt out of bed, fully awake now, and intending to grab his jacket and go searching for Red immediately. In his haste he actually fell straight out of the bed and rolled across the floor a bit. It was actually a good thing, because instead of him running straight to the window, falling got him to notice that the bathroom door was closed and a faint light shone out from the bottom.

That was definitely a relief, but still there was an annoying feeling at the back of his mind making him worry. Good thing, too, because as he went to investigate he realized there definitely was something wrong. Through the door he could just make out what sounded like fast, heavy gasping for air. That made it clear to MK what was happening; after all, he was pretty familiar enough with that pattern of breathing now, considering how many panic attacks he had coached his boyfriend through.

MK ignored his urge to go bursting in to get to Red as fast as possible. He knew by now that he had to be more gentle than that, so he knocked on the door and called Red's name first, to make his presence known before going in.

Inside their tiny bathroom, Red Son had managed to wedge himself in the space between the toilet and the sink, like he was trying to hide. He had his legs curled up to his chest, and his whole body was shaking from a combination of his strenuous panting and the stress of whatever had caused the attack in the first place.

"Hey Red, hun, I'm here." MK knelt in front of him and placed his hands softly on Red's. The moment he made contact, Red's grip quickly shifted from clutching tightly to his own legs to holding the offered hands and squeezing tight, desperate for the contact.

"Sorry… so sorry," he mumbled out between breaths.

"Shhh, it's alright, you don't have anything to be sorry for." MK was pretty used to saying that by now. Since his brush with the future, Red Son had been apologizing for every little thing, even stuff that wasn't his fault. "What's wrong? What happened?"

"It was… just a nightmare… 's nothing…" Red Son panted out, "you can go… back to bed… m'fine…"

Despite his words and how he hid his face in his knees, his hands were still holding fast to MK's own. Red had also become much more clingy since he got back, and every time he tried to push MK away with his words his body always betrayed him.

"Yeah, I'll go back to bed, but not without you." MK squeezed Red's hands in turn, trying to help the shaking stop. "So, let's calm you down and then we'll both head over there, okay?."

Red Son looked up at last, his eyes had dark bags underneath that had become somewhat typical for him lately, and his face was still wet as a flood of tears continued to rush forth. It hurt MK in ways he could barely express to see the boyfriend he loved like this, but the thing Red said next was what really broke his heart.

"No… no, don't wait for me…" Red gasped, " I'm just… being stupid… I… I don't want you to be tired…"

That caused MK to think back, remembering earlier in the week when Red Son had woken him up and gone to the bathroom. At last, he put the pieces together. Red Son didn't want to keep him up, so he'd sequestered himself off in the bathroom to have a panic attack where he wouldn't bother MK. In fact, now that he was thinking about it, he wasn't sure that Red Son ever returned to bed that night. He woke up in the morning and Red was already up and using the bathroom… unless he wasn't using the bathroom. Maybe he had just never left it. The thought of Red Son riding out one of these fits all by himself, crammed into a tiny crevice in the bathroom and struggling even to breathe out of terror, and then staying hidden there for hours afterwards- that was just unacceptable!

MK released one of Red's hands and used it to cup the side of his face, wiping away the falling tears with his thumb. "Red, I don't care about sleep," he said, maybe a bit more forcefully than he intended, but he really needed Red Son to listen this time. He wasn't going to let this happen again!

"I care about YOU," he continued, "you're way more important to me! I'm sorry that I made you feel like that wasn't the case, but I'm here for you now."

Red Son didn't say anything, but he did nod just ever so slightly and lean his head into the hand on his face. MK could see the understanding sparkling in his watery eyes, and he hoped that meant that his words really would stick this time. If they didn't, then he would just keep saying them until it did. Leaning forward, he pressed a tender kiss to the hand he was still holding, saying again, "I'm here for you," and "I want to be with you," over and over.

Eventually, Red Son's heavy breathing had slowed to a more reasonable pace and he seemed calm enough that MK was able to coax him out from his hiding spot. Red was always especially pliant after a panic attack, so he let MK pull him up and lead him back to bed with no fuss. MK settled him down and cuddled up next to the fire demon, pulling up the blanket to tuck them both in. Then he moved his head to be resting against MK's chest, hoping that holding him tight and letting him listen to his heart and his own breathing might help him sleep easier. He was careful not to fall asleep himself until he was sure he could tell Red Son had drifted off, just in case he had another episode. Thankfully, that wasn't the case this time.

It certainly wouldn't be the last time he was awoken by one of Red Son's nightmares triggering a panic attack, but it was definitely going to be the last time MK let him think he needed to hide away in the bathroom because of it, even if it meant interrupting his usually deep sleep.

#lego monkie kid #monkie kid #spicynoodleshipping #demon king red #time travel #prompt fill #my fanfiction #this wasn't supposed to get so long #i can't help myself lol #love these time travel boys~#sonicmegaman72 #Anonymous

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strange-lace · 4 years

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Misunderstandings

I HAVE FINALL MADE CONTENT FOR MY SPIDER MONKIE AU! And SURPRISE, it’s angst!

Despite his best efforts, MK knew that he was a terrifying image to humans when he dropped his glamor. He loomed over most people due to his size, lower body plated with a dark exoskeleton with long legs which were sharp enough to impale someone without much effort. MK had tried to make it look less intimidating by painting bright little doodles all over his lower body. Soft and precise strokes decorated his exoskeleton with a couple of noticeably lower quality, lines shaky and uneven as if done by a beginner. Yet they were the ones he treasured the most. Particularly the large purple and orange hourglass symbol dead center on his spider abdomen.

"Am I doing this right sweetie?" She asked, long black hair pinned back to keep it clean yet it was still stained with streaks of paint. The same can be said for her worn robe, the faded fabrics speckled with rainbow flecks of paint. Her lips were pursed in concentration as the paintbrush shook in her hands.

It was certainly an image of the feared Spider Queen that few had the luxury of seeing and living to remember it, MK being one of them.

"Yeah mom, you're doing great. Try focusing on where you want the brush to go instead, it'll help smooth out your strokes," he suggested, having to contort a slight bit to see what she was doing. She followed his advice and happily finished the symbol.

"There! Now everyone will know to fear my little spiderling the moment they lay their eyes on him," Spider Queen cooed, putting the paintbrush away to pat MK on the head, accidentally staining his dark hair with the purple and orange paint which had gotten on her hands.

MK held a brief smile at the memory before letting out a sigh.

Unfortunately, bright colors and cutesy symbols could only do so much against the large collective fear of demons, especially big ones with fangs and multiple legs. Which he was unfortunate enough to find out when fighting a demon who's whole speciality was glamor magic and could see right through him.

"That must be uncomfortable, squeezing yourself into such a small form. How about I give you a chance to stretch your legs for a while?" The demon said mockingly and before MK knew it, he was enveloped in a cloud of shimmering dust. Suddenly, everything was a lot smaller to him and MK was left to clumsily stumble as his two legs became eight without warning. He squinted as the world was now a lot brighter through his four eyes, colors even more vivid than before to the point it nearly gave him a headache.

Yet it all only registered to MK when he heard people start screaming about a giant spider demon.

“Oh no…” He whispered to himself, wincing as his vision cleared only to see civilians running away from him. And while he understood why, it still felt like a stab to his heart to see people terrified of him. The hurt quickly became panic once he hit what felt like a blockade to his magic, preventing him from re-activating his glamor.

MK was stuck like this for the time being.

“This can’t get any worse,” he hissed, freely skittering through the now empty streets now that he wasn’t at risk of accidentally stepping on someone. He was instantly proven wrong when he heard the twin sound of motors headed right him and MK had to dodge quickly to avoid getting hit by Mei’s bike head on and from Pigsy’s truck from crashing into one of his legs.

It just got worse.

"Alright demon, might be best to give up now-!" Mei froze mid-boast, face going pale underneath her helmet. She was soon joined by Pigsy, Sandy, and Tang who looked at what had her so shaken and their own confusion quickly transformed into their own individual shows of shock. Pigsy looked genuinely sick, Tang didn’t seem to be breathing with wide eyes behind his glasses, and Sandy’s entire being seemed to bristle as if to make himself look even bigger out of self-defense.

It dawned on MK once he saw they were all staring at the staff still clenched in his clawed hand.

That he was still holding while in his true form. Which wouldn’t look out of place as part of the Spider Queen’s forces, skin now covered in purple fur and eyes a dizzying bright green. And was still wearing his easily recognizable orange and purple jacket and headband now draped around his neck from the chaos.

MK now realizes that this did not paint a good picture in his favor.

“I… can explain,” he stuttered, wincing at the sound of his own voice: hoarse and deeper to his own ears.

He had no way of explaining this.

“What did you do to my boy?” Pigsy was the first to break the silence, eerily calm yet everyone could tell that his rake was close to snapping with how tight his grip was. Following behind him, everyone else’s shock and horror morphed into rage and MK felt his stomach tighten further and further in fear. Tang’s eyes were hidden behind the glare of his glasses with a stillness to him that made you fear he would strike at any moment before you could react. Sandy’s entire demeanor had changed in a way that made MK understand Pigsy’s past descriptions as him being a feared warrior.

And Mei?

Well Mei’s entire being was wreathed in green and vibrating with barely restrained wrath.

MK stumbled back on his eight legs, feeling incredibly small in the face of his family’s anger despite towering over them.

They didn’t know it was him. As far as they knew, he was just another demon.

He didn’t know if this was better or worse for him.

“We will not repeat ourselves, demon: What did you do to our kid?” Tang demanded with a glare as sharp as knives. MK soon found himself surrounded, breath turning shorter and shorter as his family came closer and looked ready to tear him apart if it meant getting the answers they wanted. Yet he could only see the image of the calabash copies of his family and mentor pouncing at him to prevent him from escaping, countless nightmares of them successfully trapping them in his “perfect” world weighing on his spine.

So it was only natural that he panicked when they all descended upon him as he remained silent, throat closed up in sheer anxiety. It had happened so fast but before MK knew it, he had bound them all in web cocoons without even meaning to.

Yet he took the opportunity while they were struggling to free themselves to go for the most logical course of action according to his panic-ridden brain: run away, far and fast. He didn’t even know where he was going, all MK knew was that he had to make himself scarce around the city until he could finally use his glamor again. If he wasn't sick from panic, he could almost laugh at the image of himself struggling to balance all eight of his spider legs on the staff as he pogoed through the city.

So it shouldn’t really have surprised to find himself on the beach of Flowering Fruit Mountain, the monkeys scattering away in fear at the sight of him as he created a small crater in the sand.

The following silence was deafening, allowing his thoughts to continue to run wild without anything to focus on. He only faintly realized that tears were running down his face as the mountain breeze gently blew against him, as if trying to offer its own form of comfort as he spiraled.

MK couldn't stop seeing the faces of his loved ones, his family, as they looked at him with such hatred and rage. He tried to keep reminding himself that it was only because they didn't know it was him, as far as they knew he was a random powerful demon who managed to get their hands on the staff. But tell that to his heart, which felt like it was genuinely breaking into pieces. The pain was enough to put MK to his knees, choking on his tears and grip on the staff tight enough to make the joints of his exoskeleton-plated hands ache.

"Kid? You here kid?" MK didn't even think, he found himself scrambling towards the familiar voice of the Monkey King, desperate for comfort. Sun Wukong grunted as he found his arms now full of a panicked spider demon but was able to adjust his footing before he could lose his balance. He let out a sigh of relief, no longer struggling to hold since he had lifted far heavier people in his long life. Questions died on his tongue as the sound of muffled sobs entered his ears, his successor’s face buried in his fur as if wanting nothing more than to hide from the world.

“What happened bud? You wanna talk about it?” MK was silent for a moment before he gave a garbled response in the Monkey King’s fur. “Sorry, what was that?”

“A demon messed with my glamor, leaving me stuck like this and they saw me. They didn’t know it was me and they saw the staff and they thought… they hated me,” he rambled, a fresh round of tears leaving his four eyes. Wukong remained silent but silently walked towards his home, MK still in his arms.

“Oh kid, I’m so sorry. You know that they wouldn’t be that way if they knew that it’s you. But that definitely explains why Pigsy called me, threatening to eviscerate me the moment he saw me if anything had happened to you,” Wukong gave a smile at the wheezy chuckle MK let out at the image of his boss and father figure calling the Monkey King just to rip into him. Yeah, that sounded like Pigsy alright. “I think I can fix up whatever that demon did to your glamor. Then you can hang out here for a while, if you want, before going back home. That sound good bud?”

“Yeah… sounds great Monkey King,” MK answered before letting out a yawn, now left exhausted now that the anxiety and panic has leaked from his system with the presence of his other father figure mentor there to comfort him. Wukong gave a chuckle, gently placing MK down on his couch and putting on Monkey King: The Animated Series without a second thought. Seemingly realizing that he was no danger to them or their king, the monkeys quickly began to use MK as their personal jungle gym without any fear. That seemed to do the trick, as he was now chuckling at the sight of the little monkey’s looking at the doodles on his exoskeleton with curiosity.

Wukong watched the scene before him with a warm look in his eyes before it quickly hardened as he slipped out of his home for a moment. Pulling out his phone, he gave a deep sigh to calm himself before tapping to call a very specific number.

“Sun Wukong, to what do I owe the pleasure?” A velvety voice answered upon the third ring.

“A demon severely messed up the kid and I figured you’d like to… return the favor,” he answered, voice dead serious.

The line went silent, the echoes of enraged hissing barely audible in the background.

“What did they do to my baby?” Any hint of playfulness was gone in the voice, the Spider Queen enraged to know that someone had harmed her son in such a way to make the Monkey King willing to contact her.

“Messed with his glamor and the others saw him, nearly attacked him thinking he was a demon that had managed to get the staff. He’s fine physically but he’s an emotional mess. All the kid was able to tell me was that they specialize in glamor magic. Think you can work off that?”

“Of course I can, what do you take me for?! But… is he alright?” Wukong smiled, almost quipping about her getting soft over the years but she could very easily call him a hypocrite.

“I have him with me and have everything under control. Just do what you do best S.Q. and I’ll keep in touch, ‘kay?” Everything about him was casual yet the look in the Monkey King’s eyes was nothing but fire that promised he would have burned whoever harmed his kid without mercy, if he wasn’t “retired”.

“Of course, might as well make use of your “retirement” after all. I’ll make sure to make our… displeasure to that foolish demon evident for the both of us. Take care of my spiderling Wukong, otherwise I will figure out a way to make you mortal to end you.” Despite her tone, Spider Queen was only half serious since she knew ending the Monkey King would make MK upset with her. And the last thing she wanted to do was lose her spiderling after searching for him for so long.

“Sure you will S.Q., I totally believe that. But until later, see ya!” Wukong said before hanging up, satisfied but antsy which was typical after every occasion he spoke with the Spider Queen. Walking back inside, he couldn’t help but smile at the sight of MK now fast asleep with the monkey’s cuddled around him.

Totally worth it.

#lego monkie kid #monkie kid #mk #sun wukong #spider queen #pigsy #tang #sandy #mei #spider monkie au #my writing #fanfiction

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i-creatied-au · 3 years

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Biker AU (all humans) in which the Spider Queen adopted MK and is his third guardian, like Pigsy and Tang.

(In any case, English is not my first language, so I apologize for the silly mistakes in the text)

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"Here's your order! Thank you for ordering at "Pigsy's Noodle"! Have a good day!"

A teenage boy in an orange jacket and a red bandage holding his hair handed the last order in his bag and walked down the front porch of the customer's house. Only when he heard the door close behind him, he exhaled and squeezed his stomach with his hands.

Pigsy, his adoptive father, always gave him a hearty breakfast and tried to make sure that the teenager dined, but sometimes there were so many orders that he himself might not have time to eat. So today MK ran away with orders, forgetting to grab his lunch box with a small snack, for which now his stomach was punishing him with loud rumblings and pains.

The boy exhaled through his teeth and, squeezing his stomach with one hand, went back to his father's restaurant.

Probably Tang has already returned from university and they can all have lunch together. Carried away by bright thoughts about delicious food and funny conversations, he did not notice how the rustle of wheels on the asphalt and the roar of engines were heard from behind.

"Hey, baby monkey!"

MK slowly turned around, perfectly recognizing this mocking voice. Behind him, on bikes, were two men, both of whom had dark skin and jackets with the same emblem on their backs. The emblem of the Spider Gang, a small biker club whose influence nevertheless spread throughout the city.

"Hi, Huntsman. Goliath". - the boy took turns nodding to the men, calling their nicknames. Hunter, a middle-aged man with a braid of gray hair and shaved temples, chuckled and turned to retrieve something from his bike bag.

“You are damn polite. Did you learn from one of the dads?" - the man laughed hoarsely, forcing MK to squeeze his head into his shoulders, and Goliath, a tall and broad-shouldered man from behind, shake his head.

"Huntsman, give the boy the package and let's go to Syntax".

"Fuck that nerd ... '' - the biker grumbled with a displeased face, which made the teenager for a second think that the two had a falling out. This would not have come as a surprise, given that "character clashes" occur almost every other day, but this time Huntsman looked more ... tense.

"I hope nothing super-serious has happened ..." - thought the boy excitedly. - "The last time they fought, they broke the counter and the window in the Spider Queen's store ... She was furious ..."

"Anyway!" - Huntsman turned to MK again in a loud voice, attracting the boy's attention and pulling him out of his thoughts. When the child looked up, he realized that he was being handed a bag and, judging by the smell, a bag with food. - “The queen asked me to give it to you.

"Oh, thanks..." - he thanked a little surprised, taking the package and looking inside. In a small transparent container with sections, he could make out fried noodles with vegetables and pieces of meat. Nearby lay three rolls, and in the third section the Queen put some of his favorite sweets. MK could not help smiling.

This woman, who at first terribly frightened him, eventually began to take care of him, even became his third guardian. Of course, this was unexpected and Pigsy argued with her for a long time, but in the end they decided to give the choice to MK, yet this important decision concerned him directly. After a little thought, he nevertheless agreed. The queen saved his life, nearly sacrificing hers, when the White Bone mercenaries tried to capture him. After they fled from the mercenaries, MK began to visit the woman in the hospital, and there he met her gang. They all looked like rebels and bandits, but deep down they cared for each other and treated like family.

And here he is. MK. Became part of the family of the Spider Gang. Sits on Goliath's bike and eats his lunch prepared by his adoptive mother (he still can't address the Queen like that, but he tries). Huntsman sits on his vehicle and smokes a cigarette, from the smell of which MK periodically wrinkles his nose. Finally Goliath breaks down and turns to a friend:

"Stop smoking. You know SHE will be unhappy when she finds out that you smoked next to the child." - the teenager wanted to clarify that he was no longer a child, but then he remembered that from the height of Goliath, almost everyone looked like children.

"And who said that she would know? You won't tell her anything, MK?" - the man winked at the guy and he shook his head negatively, as his mouth was busy with the second roll. - "See?" - Hunter turned to his friend again. - "Everything is okay..."

He broke off when he noticed another bike with two riders turned in their direction from the intersection. The gray-haired man, barely noticing them, threw the cigarette as far as he could and got into his most relaxed position. MK, finishing his rolls, watched the bike stop and first Syntax, and then the Queen of "Spiders" came down from it.

Although the teenager liked boys, even he could appreciate that the tall woman was beautiful. Dark skin, black hair below the shoulders, bright green eyes with sharp arrows and figure-hugging clothes in black and purple tones. The Queen took off her helmet (which MK had painted) and glanced at her foster child's empty plate.

"Well, how do you like the food?" - she asked in a patronizing tone from which MK would have wanted to hide before, but not now. Now he could make out the notes of excitement and concern in this voice, so he answered with a smile.

"Yes, I liked it very much! Especially the rolls." - judging by the warm smile, the woman was pleased with the answer and came closer to ruffle the teenager's hair.

"Okay, then finish your meal and I'll take you to your fathers."

MK nodded and, having finished with lunch, packed everything back into a bag so that he could wash it later and return it to mother clean. He gave each member of the gang a piece of candy (although it seemed only Goliath was really happy to receive the treat, while Syntax and the Huntsman thanked him dryly and hid the candy in their pockets). The queen put a helmet on the teenager and, making sure that he was tight on his head, got behind the wheel.

"Ahem, Queen, if MK is going with you, then where should I sit?" - Syntax, a pale man with glasses with green hair, asked cautiously.

"Ride with the Huntsman." - when the men exchanged displeased glances, the woman raised an eyebrow. - "I do not see this as a problem. You hug each other every day anyway ..." - Goliath and MK laughed at her trick in the direction of the couple, who were now both hiding their eyes, hoping that no one would notice their blush.

When everyone was finally seated, the gang drove out and headed to the restaurant of MK's father, Pigsy. When the bike stopped, MK got down and, taking off his helmet, took the package from his mother.

"Thanks for the food, Queen. Thanks for coming, Huntsman and Goliath." - he waved goodbye to everyone and was already approaching the door of the restaurant when the Queen shouted after him.

"Do not forget that tomorrow you are spending time at my house! Oh, and take that movie you wanted to show me."

"Sure! Bye, mom!" - shouted the teenager in response and disappeared behind the doors of the restaurant.

It took the Queen a few seconds to recover from what she had heard, and when she woke up, she realized that the Huntsman and Syntax were giggling behind her. The woman gave them such a glance that both instantly fell silent, and Syntax tried to hide behind the back of the biker. They made their way home in silence.

#monkie kid #lego monkie kid #lmk mk #lmk spider queen #monkie kid AU #biker AU #lmk syntax #lmk huntsman #lmk goliath #freenoodleshipping #cyberhuntshipping

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skellebonez · 4 years

Note

You like soulmate aus? 44 with a soulmate au where there are countdown timers for important events and if you concentrate you can see the lifespan of your romantic and platonic soulmates except immortals. MK realizes he can see Red Son's life countdown and he only has 1 year left

ANON I WANT YOU TO KNOW THIS WAS THE SADDEST PROMPT I HAVE EVER BEEN GIVEN AND I HAD TO TAKE IT OUT OF THE WAIT LIST TO FILL IT ASAP. Just. Damn. You came for my heart and crushed it. @kitkat1003 you helped make this sadder so I wanna make sure you see this.

WARNING: I mean, look at the prompt. It's gonna be a depressing read regardless. Read the tags for a major spoiler if you want to know about the end in advance.

The Lunar New Year special is mentioned in passing but NO SPOILERS.

Why are you still awake?

MK never made it a point to concentrate and look at his soulmate timers unless he really felt he had to, tempting as it may have been. Especially not their life countdown timers. The colors one saw differed from from viewer to viewer, some people even saw only one color in varying shades, and no one knew why the colors were chosen the way they were for each individual. But to MK the timers were a whole swath of colors.

It was easy with Mei, her platonic bond with his allowing him to see the bright green (green for all platonic bonds, not just Mei) countdowns to major events (some bad but usually good, like a major race being announced or taking part in a game tournament spontaneously). The familial blue bond he had with Pigsy and Tang went much the same, as well as Sandy's own platonic bond. He didn't learn that immortal beings had their own color, brilliant gold tinted in whatever the proper bond was until he met Sun Wukong, his gold-green timer slowly changing into a gold-blue bond of family found.

It wasn't until Red Son that MK realized his romantic bonds were a brilliant red (which, in retrospect, could have been seen as funny), shining brilliant and bright and almost blinding him when he caught sight of him properly from far above him (and it nearly made him fall before Wukong forced him to, the traitor). He'd mistaken it for some kind of antagonistic bond before he learned that that was also a type of platonic soulmate. So that was something he shoved deep deep deeeeeep down inside to think about later, especially since a lot of people now a days rarely went after their first romantic soulmate and instead waited for a platonic to change in time.

He never told anyone.

It also wasn't until he tested concentrating on timers with Wukong, for fun and out of sheer curiosity if he really was super immortal, that he realized that immortal's life countdown timer just looked like a mass of rapidly changing numbers screaming in confusion and he decided to never do that again.

Until... the Lunar New Year celebration.

He was curious, scared, and Red Son was there and he let his curiosity get the better of him. He wanted to see if Red was still immortal and if his timer did the same thing.

361 days, 17 hours, 8 minutes, and 42 seconds.

That couldn't have been right.

He tried again.

361 days, 17 hours, 7 minutes, and 30 seconds.

And again.

361 days, 16 hours, 56 minutes, and 45 seconds.

And one last time, after everything was over.

361 days, 12 hours, 1 minute, 29 seconds.

Red Son... had less than a year left to live. Red Son, The Boy Sage Prince, the one who almost defeated Sun Wukong on his journey and eternal thorn in his side... was going to die.

MK hadn't ever really imagined that he could die. He had believed that Red Son was immortal, and maybe he still was. There were ways to kill immortals who weren't all powerful Monkey Kings. But he'd always imagined that, maybe, eventually, they could possibly at least work things out and get to know each other eventually after what happened with WBS.

Now he was plagued with the thought 'what if I'm the one who kills him' and he couldn't handle that so he made up his mind then and there and before Red Son could leave he grabbed him by his jacket collar in front of everyone and changed that thought to 'fuck it' and kissed him and pulled away and looked DBK in the eye and announced "I've known Red is my romantic soulmate since day 1 and I am not wasting anymore time with stupid feuds".

Apparently that was just enough to startle the other man into not attacking and to send Sun Wukong into a frenzy of cackling "I KNEW IT"s.

Red Son turned as red as his jacket on his cheeks and just looked at MK in awe. They had-

361 days, 10 hours, 2 minutes, 16 seconds.

Red hadn't left his parents, not immediately, but the sudden relationship that have been revealed between the successor to the Monkey King and the son of the Demon Bull King had forced everything to a standstill. DBK wanted revenge, PIF wanted her husband to be happy, Sun Wukong wanted to be retired, and all three of them were too stubborn to not insist the two men court each other anyway because tradition dictated that when a romantic soulmate pair revealed their bond no one could force them apart.

352 days, 14 hours, 34 minutes, 18 seconds.

MK felt back constantly checking Red Son's timer, but he didn't want to waste a single second. They had less than a year. He'd seen just how smart and resourceful and, as much as he didn't want to admit it at first, protective and caring for the people he had grown close to he was.

By the end of the month they had moved into Red Son's apartment (he had an apartment?).

322 days, 2 hours, 28 minutes, 50 seconds.

MK learned that Red Son was a fantastic chef, on par with Pigsy even. His food was spicy but over time he learned that MK would suffer through food that was hurting him just to try his food and make it less so. Just for him.

315 days, 2 hours, 45 minutes, 34 seconds.

They kissed for the second time well after they had moved in together. Despite rushing into this they had both been too nervous and flustered to do more than hold hands and sleep side by side in different blankets.

They started sharing a blanket by month 2.

292 days, 8 hours, 1 minute, 12 seconds.

DBK was still pissed at Wukong. No one thought his grudge would ever fully disappear. But he and PIF had stopped attacking. For now. For their son. The best thing they had ever done for him was let him be with his soulmate without fighting.

MK never felt more guilty than when he realized he was never going to tell them. He tried once, after they moved in. After he had truly fallen in love with Red Son. He'd cried too hard to get the words out and PIF had looked torn between telling him to leave and comforting him before she put a shockingly gentle hand on his shoulder.

He could never tell them.

267 days, 18 hours, 59 minutes, 2 seconds.

Red got along amazingly well with Mei and Sandy. The three of them together were a mechanical nightmare for anyone on their bad side and the most amazing team for anyone they made anything for. Red was also the new favorite among Sandy's cats. No one was surprised.

He and Red ended up adopting a little one eyed kitten they found outside Pigsy's Noodles. They named her Bao-Bao. They loved her.

245 days, 7 hours, 29 minutes, 34 seconds.

Naturally nothing was going to be calm for the Monkie Kid. Eventually demons far and wide came to attack either him or the city. The only difference was that, now, he had Red Son by his side.

Every time Red took a hit MK felt no fear. He knew that would not be the hit that killed his soulmate. His soulmate had-

208 days, 19 hours, 78 minutes, 21 seconds.

Red and Tang were fast friends. Red and Mei and Sandy were faster. It had taken longer for Pigsy but he came around fast enough.

Sun Wukong, though. Even after 5 months he was still slightly tense and terse and short with Red. But he had been coming around, slowly. Just like with everyone else, Wukong was hard pressed to open up to anyone who wasn't MK.

They visited Flower Fruit Mountain from time to time, and it was one day when Red had wandered off to enjoy the scenery at MK and Wukong had heard the pained screech of a small monkey in the distance.

When they saw Red calming the little one down, tending to it's wound as best he could, MK saw Wukong properly smile at him for the first time. Soon they had-

157 days, 22 hours, 28 minutes, 59 seconds.

There were still fights. DBK and Sun Wukong didn't get along. But things were better.

There were family game nights. Red and Pigsy and Wukong cooked together. Bao-Bao had grown into a beautiful Tortoise Shell cat (with tortitude included). Everyone promised to try to get along and things were going well. Red Son and MK were truly in love, it seemed. At least MK was. He was certain Red was as well.

That's why MK asked him to marry him that night.

Red said yes.

140 days, 19 hours, 34 minutes, 34 seconds.

Was 7 months too fast? Yes. Did MK care? No. Did anyone object?

Only the demons that showed up to fight. They were taken care of quickly. DBK was not entirely happy about how fast things were but for his only son it seemed he would not allow anything to ruin the day.

He'd changed over the 7 months. Not entirely, not enough for MK to completely forgive him for everything since he had awoken. But seeing him punch a demon into the stratosphere for Red Son was a pretty good marker of how much he was trying.

6 days, 37 hours, 8 minutes, 12 seconds.

Everything was amazing for those few months together. They fought demons. They kissed. They spent time with their family. No longer two families but one family.

Then Macaque came back.

MK had thought he was gone for good, he had been so quiet. But apparently he was planning something the whole time.

Something to kill an immortal.

That was when MK learned he was immortal. And wasn't that ironic?

Macaque had meant to stab him. MK didn't move in time.

Red Son jumped in front of him and there was red.

Macaque wasn't seen again after what MK did to him.

They bandaged the small wound in Red Son's shoulder. They would find a way to fix this. They had to. MK knew what would kill Red Son now, it wasn't that he wasn't immortal it was whatever poison had been meant for him. He knew people had beaten death clocks before.

He had to try.

5 days, 12 hours, 29 minutes, 56 seconds.

5 days, 12 hours, 29 minutes, 55 seconds.

5 days, 12 hours,. 29 minutes, 54 seconds.

That was what MK saw when Red Son coughed up blood for the first time.

4 days, 1 hour, 12 minutes, 13 seconds.

Sun Wukong found out where Macaque had gotten the poison.

There was no cure.

Red coughed more red and MK screamed at the Monkey King to look again. Do something. Anything. Anything...

They didn't see him or DBK for over 2 days.

1 day, 17 hours, 34 minutes, 14 seconds.

1 day, 17 hours, 34 minutes, 13 seconds.

MK watched the countdown timer tick down.

"Why are you still awake?" Red Son had asked him as he held his head in his lap.

"I don't want to miss any more seconds with you," MK answered softly.

"Am I going to... die?" Red Son asked softly.

"Not if Monkey King does what I know he can do," MK answered again. "I know he'll be back soon. I know it. I-"

"MK! MK I'M BACK!" Sun Wukong yelled through the apartment, bursting into their room looking disheveled and like he hadn't stopped moving since he left. But smiling. DBK looked much the same as he came through the door behind him.

"I think we found something!"

1 day, 17 hours, 32 minutes, 2 seconds.

MK prayed that Sun Wukong was right. He was Sun Wukong. He had to be.

1 day, 17 hours, 32 minutes... 3 seconds.

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governmentintelligence · 3 years

Text

happy birthday motherfucker <3

Here is a birthday fic!!

Words: 4910

MASTERPOST OF THE OTHER BIRTHDAY STUFF

KNOX INSPIRED ART <3 <3 <3 <3 GO LOOK AT KNOX ART

~~~~~~~~ no fun sexy linebreak sorry <//3 ~~~~~

It’s a slow mid-afternoon at Pigsy’s Noodles, home of the longest noodles.

Spirit is wiping down the outside tables, humming to themselves as they do. MK is basically laying on one of the tables, legs bent over the side as he scrolls idly through the restaurant’s email. Yes, email—the main network that nearly every business uses has gone down, citing a massive server outage.

“Ugh, no one even uses email anymore, and especially not for food orders,” MK groans.

“That’s not true!” Pigsy and MK had been going back and forth on this for about the past hour, since walk-in orders slowed. It had been almost thirty minutes before someone came in, and while this was an alarmingly slow state, it was unusual for MK to be waiting for orders to deliver rather than the other way around. “People use email for catering events! And if anyone really wants some good noodles, they know they can call in!”

Mei, leaning with her back on the counter, and Tang, sitting at his usual counter spot, share a look. These two had been ping-ponging their argument on and off since the server shut off earlier in the day. It had been demon related in one way or another, another one of Yin and Jin’s hairbrained schemes that MK interrupted before much irreversible damage was done. They’d been hoping to gain control over the city’s main set of servers, used by most mobile apps.

While they’d been swiftly defeated, it still left a remarkable amount of damage on the servers themselves, leaving most of the city’s biggest commercial apps down, including the delivery app.

“Okay, and how many call-ins have we gotten?” MK looks up, only to be met with a glare.

Tang shrugs at MK’s assertion. The argument’s been going in circles thus far; it feels only fair to try and interrupt it. “He’s not wrong. A lot of delivery’s based out of the apps. This is really why having a delivery app trust is helping to wear down independently owned businesses.”

None of us came here for a lesson in market monopolization and trusts, though, readers included. Mei groans, and MK’s arms flop over the sides of the table.

“I’m too bored for a lesson in macroeconomics,” Mei grumbles.

MK, from where his head is leaning over the table’s edge, makes a sound of agreement. Pigsy and Tang share a look, Spirit can see them through the window, before Tang leans back towards MK’s prone body.

“Hey, never too bored to become even more bored!” Tang sounded too chipper when he said it.

That got MK to look up from where he was tangling over the table, giving Tang a glare that mirrored the one Mei was sending him. Even Pigsy stopped stirring his noodle broth, turning to stare at Tang with his eyes squinted.

The silence is moreso what gets Spirit to look up, and once they see everyone staring at Tang, they stare, too. Mostly out of curiosity and partly out of confusion.

They can sense the tension, however light, from a mile away. It makes them hesitant to come back inside, but they have the dirty rags to throw into the laundry bin from cleaning the table. Then, they have to throw the laundry into the machine and change out the cycles, maybe fold the other load of dishrags and washcloths.

Having Spirit’s three extra eyes on him does get a nervous chuckle out of Tang, though. Pigsy spares him the plight of having to redirect the conversation. “I’m still goin’, til closing. It’s slow for deliveries but we’ve been getting some walk-ins and some call-ins. What if a catering order comes in, you know?”

“Aren’t catering orders supposed to come in, like, days before they want you there?” Mei hops over to the counter now, leaning over the side.

That revelation has MK leaping off of the table, landing light on his feet on its surface. Having his various Monkie Kid abilities has helped with some of the acrobatics he does, including his balance. “HANG ON, YEAH!”

He spins around, pointing at the clock on his phone while he flashed it towards Tang, Mei, and Pigsy. “Indoor seating closes soon! And Spirit just finished wiping down tables!”

Mei picks up what MK is suggesting first, throwing her arms up in excitement right back. “CAN WE GO TO THE ARCADE EARLY?”

Her voice is much too close to a shout for Spirit’s liking as they come back in and toss the towel they’re holding. It echoes around the restaurant, likely too sharp of a sound for anyone else here to hear. Mei means well, though, and Spirit knows the conversation doesn’t involve them.

Until MK says, “YES! Hey—Spirit!”

Hearing their name shouted, however friendly, gets their shoulders to hike. They turn around, expression just a tinge wary, and face MK’s excited grin head-on. “Would you want to come with us?”

Leave the restaurant? Well...it was slow. And Spirit wasn’t a cook, they were a waiter and a busser. If people were eating in the restaurant, it would make sense to have an extra hand on deck, just in case.

But right now, the only person eating in-house was Tang, and he’d gotten to the point where he was washing his own dishes when no one else was around. If Pisgy was okay with them going out….but they wouldn’t want to go to the arcade. It was loud and crowded. Many lights and many people and many machines making loud victory sounds. If they could avoid it, they would want to.

They pull at the sleeves of their shirt. It’s a plain white one, the kind that they prefer wearing to work so they don’t get any of their recognizable clothing dirtied. They only have so many sets in purple, after all, and they don’t want to get any dirty here. Plus the black and the white kind of helps to blend in.

“I don’t know. I, um….” They press their fingers together in thought, holding their hands together in front of themselves as they think.

A grunt from behind the counter drew everyone’s attention once more. Pigsy was still stirring the broth with one hand, watching the conversation over his own shoulder. “Maybe not the arcade with Spirit, you know how packed it gets at this time. All the kids getting out of school.”

There was something tender about Pigsy’s concern. Spirit smiles a little, lips pursed tight in the growing tension, and shrugs.

Mei wasn’t about to take a hard “no,” though. She nods to Pigsy’s suggestion that the arcade wasn’t the right place and then adds on, “How about the thrift mall?”

The thrift mall was a new installation of the city. A collection of thrift stores, auction houses, and antique stores all shoulder to shoulder in a multi-story shopping complex. It had just opened about a month ago and reviews were all positive. Plus, the idea of thrifting was returning to popular culture as something akin to recycling, so it would solve some of the fast designer fashion problems.

On a more personal note, too, Mei had been hankering to get a look at the place. She liked adding her own flourishes to the jacket she’d gotten MK years back, so much so that it was a thing she did to her own (to match with her best friend, duh?!) and to almost anything else she could get her hands on. Vintage patches, from the mid 2800’s, even some from as early as the 2500’s, could be found in the backs of antique stories. If she could get her hands on something from even the 2700’s, Mei would lose her marbles.

She’d been dying to go, of course, but every time she and MK were on their way, something would happen. Usually a demon would attack in some way, shape, or form, something small. Once, they made plans, and MK had completely forgotten he was on shift for delivery that day.

Things just kept misaligning, and MK very much knew how desperate Mei was to go to the thrift mall. Sure, there was the repeated asking, and now there were the current puppy dog eyes.

MK, also very much desiring to go, immediately follows suit. “Can you come to the mall with us?” he asks Spirit, bottom lip jutting out ever so slightly.

And now they were faced with two young adults giving them the saddest looks they’ve ever seen.

The thrift mall was new, yes. It was nearby the demon market, actually, and there were even some stores in the mall that were fronts to people whose names were in their book. It would likely be much quieter, no loud blaring music, no smoke machines or flashing lights.

More...agreeable, in a way.

They’re also pretty hesitant to say no to these kids looking at them like that. Not to say that that’s the only reason they’re going! They haven’t gotten a fresh new outfit, rather than clothes they wear to the noodle place or the variants of their own outfit, literally since Macaque took them to the tailor’s way back when. Clothes were just a societal necessity, not something that they cared much about anymore. Though, if they’re going to a store, it could be nice.

But, at the end of the day, how can Spirit say no to the expressions MK and Mei are giving them.

“If you would want,” Spirit answers.

They have no idea how they get themselves into it, honestly. MK and Mei both hiss a soft “YES,” slap palms, and from there, things go quite fast. They’re still in their human disguise, wary of any other humans seeing them in their monkey form, but they find that that’s for the best. Maybe when looking at clothes, though, they’ll change back. They wouldn’t consider themselves vain, but they’d like to see what looks good on both ends…?

Arriving at the thrift mall is interesting, because it isn’t the world’s most distinguishable location. Spirit lets themselves be pulled in behind the two chattering adults, Mei almost bouncing off the walls in excitement as she recognizes some of the stores.

Very immediately, too, she pulls them into a warehouse-looking location right inside the building. It’s lined with racks and racks of pants, and apparently the upper layer is meant for tops. There are many colors, many styles of clothing that Spirit hasn’t seen in fashion for years. They’re not caught up on pop culture in the slightest, but they catch sight of a band shirt that was definitely from the early 2900’s.

Another surprise is that the store is relatively empty. For a newly opened mall, you would expect crowds of people to be trying to pack into the stores, but this one’s labyrinthic nature seems to be separating the groups of people out a lot better than a regular store’s open flooring would be. Less people to run into when there is simply less road and so much more clothing to look at.

Spirit does their best to follow behind Mei and MK as they go up the stairs, into the similarly packed tops section. They weren’t really planning on buying anything, moreso just look and wistfully desire. But then Mei whips around with a purple varsity jacket, a dusty pink-purple in the middle, and whistles.

“Hey, Spirit, it’s a you jacket!” she laughs.

It does fit uncannily well with Spirit’s own color scheme. They look it over and nod slowly. “It is,” they say.

The peer pressure is on now, though, as MK leans over Mei’s shoulder. “Try it on! Let’s see if it fits!” he says.

Well, now….Spirit puts on the jacket carefully, knowing that it’s at least many decades old. It’s surprisingly sturdy and comfortable, likely from being worn by someone ages ago. It’s a little short but, in terms of width, it fits perfectly. They find that they can zip it up with room to move.

“It’s kind of soft,” they say. “I like it. I don’t know where I’d wear it, though.”

“Hey, you never know where you’d wear something until you’re going there,” Mei responds with a wave of her hand. “I don’t think through my outfits every day.”

“You don’t?” Mei looks pretty put together consistently, so that comes at a surprise.

Spirit remembers Macaque telling them that they need a serious outfit to be taken seriously, that their appearance is their first impression. They try to put a lot of thought into the things they wear whenever it’s not

Mei, however, just shrugs. “Nope! I usually just throw on a shirt and then my jacket over it.”

Interesting. And she still managed to look very cool.

Spirit follows Mei and MK through the aisles, watches as MK climbs on top of Mei’s shoulders to grab another shirt, this one with only one strap on the shoulder and a cute tie off. It looked like a very summery shirt. But it was purple, which Spirit didn’t consider MK or Mei’s colors, really.

Until he, still on Mei’s shoulders, leans towards them. “Hold up that one!” he says as he shoves the shirt into their arms.

They catch it and look over the fabric, soft and sturdy. They hold it up for MK and Mei to inspect, both humming in approval.

That was how the mall visit turned into a Spirit-centric fashion show, hosted by MK and Mei. Spirit was just along for the ride honestly, catching the articles of clothing that were just being dropped into their arms. MK and Mei were like a whirlwind, ripping out anything that looked remotely purple and showing it to the other for opinions. They murmured and schemed together, Spirit catching bits of “too rough” and “too loud” to describe some of the discarded articles.

It takes some time, but after about an hour, they’re walking around with a modest pile of clothes. Spirit thinks there’s a dress in there, even which is going to be a very interesting try. They haven’t worn many dresses.

MK and Mei were being intensely serious about this, too. They were inspecting each article before pushing it into Spirit’s hands, showing them to each other for confirmation. Most were actually hung back up, unfitting in some way or other that they weren’t privy to.

That was fine, though, because they don’t think they could have tried on everything that was purple in this warehouse. It was hour two, halfway through the bottoms section, before the tiredness began to kick in. Socializing was kind of hard, after all.

At least they weren’t having to talk for a lot of it. Mei stopped a few times to ask if they were doing okay, MK asked if they were hungry or if they all wanted to take a break, but Spirit wasn’t tired enough to want to leave just yet. And if these two were having a good time, then who were they to stop them mid-shopping.

At least the tops section went a little faster. Most pants weren’t built to handle fur, squeezing a little too tight, with the added limiting factor that MK and Mei were mostly looking for bottoms to match the tops they found.

The accessories section wasn’t as big as the tops or bottoms sections, of course, but there were still a series of wonders. The socks were in here, surprisingly. After one look at Spirit’s bare feet, though, MK and Mei only decided on one pair. They didn’t even glance the shoes section before grabbing what looked like a straw-woven fedora and pulling Spirit towards the changing rooms.

“It’s time to try on all the clothes!” MK proclaims, and Spirit kind of saw this coming, but they’re still confused.

“Why were you handing me the clothes?” they ask.

MK and Mei stop, both turning to Spirit with blank expressions. It must just now be registering that they never actually asked them if they wanted to wear the clothes, because they share a small glance before Mei goes, “Um….for a fashion show?”

Now, that’s interesting. Spirit’s not going to say no, of course not, but…. “Why?”

“Because you would look so cute in these,” Mei says. “I mean, vintage leather is all the rage now, everyone’s got one.”

She points out the purple leather jacket at the top of the pile and points to the fitting rooms. “It might be cool to have multiple sets of clothes that’re kinda, you know. Styling.”

“You’d be a fashionista,” MK adds on, pretending to swoon.

“What an icon,” Mei catches MK as he pretends to fall. “Stellar.”

They both hold pose, too, as they watch Spirit watch them.

And, come on. How can they say no to that.

Spirit gulps, then nods, almost worried. They don’t know what they’ll look good in. According to Macaque, it’s hard to find clothes that look at least acceptable, so they don’t enter the changing room with high hopes.

The outfits are all fairly modern, and Spirit wants to get the socks over and done with first. They pull on the socks, a deep purple with lilac dots, and notice that it’s a stretchy kind of fuzzy. They’re thick enough but hole-y enough to let their feet breathe in. Then, they pull on the cargo shorts, button up the purple shirt, and head on out for Mei and MK’s look.

They’re both sitting on a bench chatting outside of the fitting room, something about something on Mei’s phone. Probably another funny cat video, if we’re being honest. When Spirit walks out, though, Mei shuts off her phone at record speed.

They both “ooo” at the outfit. “Do a turn!” MK says, and Spirit obliges.

It feels comfortable. Almost summer-y in how the outfit was loose, yet contained itself in enough of a way for them to be mobile. The pants are a lot less tight than they seemed, and the whole outfit makes Spirit kind of want to climb something. Maybe a tree.

“You look so CUTE!” the exclamation catches their attention again as they notice MK clapping excitedly, Mei shaking her fists up and down, both unable to contain their excitement.

It was strange to see them so excited over Spirit’s outfit. They weren’t really expecting that kind of compliment over their appearance, especially after how quickly Macaque reminded them that they were hard to dress for.

“Really?” they ask.

MK and Mei nod their heads so fast it’s a wonder they don’t fly off.

“Hell yeah!” Mei jumps up, hopping to Spirit’s side. “I love the button down on you! The white one you wear at the noodle shop is pretty, too, but the color is,” she does a chef’s kiss motion as she hurries around Spirit for another 180 look.

“No one else is around, you could transform! We should see how it looks with all the fur,” MK suggests.

And he’s not wrong, per se. There aren’t any cameras in the changing rooms and there isn’t anyone else back here, not yet. Plus them being a monkey isn’t too big of an issue when they’re out of the restaurant. Some customers can get rude over the potential of fur in their soup and if they don’t have to change, they don’t always want to.

Spirit changes back, fur poofing out, and it surprisingly slots nicely into the spaces between the threads of sock. Their tail swishes right above their pants and their hands shake, almost in excitement, before they quell the movement.

“And it still looks awesome,” MK does a fist pump.

“Did you really have any doubt?” Mei says with a laugh, and MK shrugs.

The confidence almost washes off onto Spirit. Maybe it does, a bit, as they turn back to the changing room they’d exited.

The next outfit is one of the dresses. They’re feeling spicy, what can they say. It has a cute pink collar, a whole second layer of fuschia beneath a dress with semi-shimmering fireworks.

“You look gorgeous! Oh my god!” Mei says when she sees Spirit.

The next outfit is the one with the hat, along with a pair of jeans and the shirt with the tied off shoulder.

“I love that! The shirt looks so good on you!” is MK’s appraisal to that one.

An outfit with the purple leather biker jacket over a pair of black jeans and a pink shirt.

“You’re such a badass, so stunning!”

A dusty purple dress with white scalloped trims.

“That’s adorable, oh my—that neckline, though!”

Spiked cuffs, a choker, and a collared shirt with a smiley face design.

“You look so cool as a punk!”

Spirit was buzzing by the end of it. They hadn’t tried on this many outfits in this quick succession in a while, but every time they changed clothes, they would exit the room and do a spin for MK and Mei.

And every time, without fail, MK and Mei would applaud and compliment, which was the most surreal part. They weren’t used to that, not in the slightest, not when they were so hard to shop for. The last time, with Macaque, that must be….what, centuries by now? Absolute ages.

They’d assumed shopping would be hard, after that. But with MK and Mei’s cheering, they found it hard to be worried.

That didn’t mean they weren’t tired. They excited the changing rooms and began putting the outfits onto the rack to be taken back, when Mei hopped off the bench.

“Aw, did you not like them?” she asks.

Spirit blinks, surprised. “Um, no! They were really nice. I just, um. Don’t know where I would wear them.”

Mei blinks, as if she doesn’t really understand that sentiment. Spirit scratches the back of their neck, watching her and waiting for a response. It must be weird for her to think of that. She and MK hang out every night, once the noodle shop is closed. Mei must not understand that Spirit simply doesn’t have a place to wear them.

“Oh,” Mei hums.

It’s a fight that she doesn’t pick, it seems, and Spirit’s fine with that. MK sighs along with Mei. “Fair enough, if you don’t want them. I think Pigsy’d be okay with you wearing something flashy around, though!”

“That’s good to know,” they say, and they leave it at that.

Neither of the other two butt in, either, which is nice. Truth be told, Spirit’s not sure where they would wear the clothes, other than to the noodle shop. Plus, they don’t really know where they’d store it. Probably at Pigsy’s place. But would they want to take up even more space than they usually do? They wouldn’t want to just have stacks of it sitting by their hammock. That feels unnecessary.

They still leave the thrift mall with an air of relief and contentment. All of those outfits were really pretty. Very different, sure, but very pretty! Spirit could see themselves in them. Gosh, if Red were here, he would have been ecstatic over it. He has an eye for designs, they know.

While they’re happy to move on to the next store not having gotten anything, both MK and Mei keep glancing at them, as if worried. And they don’t really know what else to say, other than what they already have. The looks make them a little nervous, though.

At the very, very least, they spent a good four hours in that one giant store. It seems to be one of the mall’s super stores. Mei and MK bring Spirit around for a small walk at the others, coo’ing in interest at a vintage electronics store they found—Mei finds a perfect duplicate of the phone Spirit used to have, which they chuckle about. They enjoy being able to see the many emojis that everyone uses! Red’s fire emojis pack more of a punch now, as do Mei’s green hearts. They aren’t shocked at all to find that their phone’s dupe is labeled as “ultra rare,” and that it’s priced in the upper hundred thousands.

There’s also a vintage patch and accessory shop that Mei basically drags MK and Spirit into, though that’s not to say they need much convincing. She does buy a few there, too. Spirit just looks at some of the cuter ones, finding a blue skull that looks almost purple. Periwinkle, the store’s representative calls it. They think it’s cute, though they put that back, too. What need do they have for these things?

Sure, they’re pretty, and Spirit thinks it would be nice to own them. But….well. Where are they going to put it? Where are they going to wear it all? Would they have to do laundry more often? They just don’t really know, you know, and it’s not something they want to commit to.

On the ride back to the noodle shop, MK and Mei make jokes about how they should give Spirit’s old phone away to that antique store. The owner would probably lose it to see another one still functioning. Spirit just laughs along, social battery drained after many hours of working at the store and the four hours they spent at the mall. It feels nice, though. They don’t often go out for so long in such an agreeable space.

It’s a nice moment they think back on, and in their sleep, right before it overtakes them, they think of the varsity jacket. It looked a little like Mei and MK’s.

And that’s the last Spirit thinks of it.

Until a few weeks later.

It’s by closing of the shop that Mei approaches Spirit, holding something behind her back excitedly. She hadn’t been in earlier, since noon, and while MK hadn’t said anything about it, Spirit suspected something was happening. Pigsy had asked a few times, surprised to see Mei out doing something else during a time they’d’ve expected her to be taking up the seat next to Tang, and he’d been almost cagey over it. Spirit had just hoped that nothing was wrong.

But then, when Mei got to the shop, she bounded in with a whirlwind of energy right before stopping in front of Spirit. MK, too, hopped off of the chair he’d been sitting in as he listened to one of Tang’s tales.

Spirit, to their credit, was just washing dishes. And now they were, again, being bombarded with puppydog eyes from the duo.

They didn’t even say anything! They just stared at Spirit, who looked to the side at Pigsy, then at Tang, then back at the duo.

“Um, yes?” they were almost nervous now, despite the expressions, so they dried off their hands and stepped around the corner.

A package is shoved into their arms. They jump, taken aback by the sudden movement, but then look at the package. It’s just wrapped in clear plastic, so they can see exactly what it is. It’s the exact varsity jacket from the thrift shop, the purple one. But it has a special patch on the front, the blue skull they’d seen at the store.

Carefully, Spirit unwraps it. As the sleeves unfurl, Spirit notes that there are elongated white cuffs and a white trim along the bottom. Likely to make up for the space it lacks to fit Spirit’s body. Maybe other alterations were done, too, because it does seem generally bigger.

They flip it around and emblazoned on the back is a giant patch sewn on and hand-embroidered of Spirit’s face. There are two circles beneath their hair, too, in the same blue as the skull. They realize it might represent earrings, to the others. To Spirit, it represents something much different.

Spirit isn’t used to. Receiving things. They just stare at the jacket for a second, as if their brain can’t compute that this is a thing for them, with nothing attached. It was like Mei giving them an upgraded phone. But this doesn’t even have any value. This is just something that they saw that Spirit enjoyed, and then got.

“We know you didn’t know anywhere to wear the clothes, and we were throwing like, full outfits at you. But we did want to get you something, you know? No strings attached, I just wanted to get you something to fit with ours, and this one was just too perfect to leave! I loved making it,” Mei explains, hands pressing together as she watches Spirit’s face with her own wide grin.

“So, like, if you don’t want to wear it around, you don’t have to. There’s no pressure, at all! But we thought it’d be cool if you, uh. If you had the option to match,” MK jumps around, showing his own jacket. “Like you’re part of the team now!”

Part of the team.

Spirit couldn’t remember being a part of anything, not for the longest of whiles. Yet MK, the Monkey King’s whole successor, who they really shouldn’t even be talking to if you think about it, is proclaiming to be on the same team as them?

They don’t know what words there are to describe the feeling, but Spirit’s hands ball on the jacket, holding it tight against their chest. They don’t know when they started smiling but now they notice it only because it’s beginning to hurt their cheeks.

“I love it,” their voice is a whisper, almost afraid to raise it. “Thank you.”

#friends #writing #my shitting writing

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