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artemismoorea03 · 1 year

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Chirp! (Oneshot)

Co-Written/Inspired by @monkiebois

A Momcaque oneshot. Also posted on A03 under the same name :D

The Six-Eared Macaque was known for a lot of things; being able to hear past, present and future, having knowledge of all things, and being able to manipulate shadows to bend to his will. Teleportation, shadow clones, and even his warform was made out of shadows taking on a form that gave many literal nightmares about who and what they were seeing and experiencing. Though, there were also a lot of things about Macaque that people didn’t know.

For starters a lot of people didn’t know that Macaque’s fur was once a white coloring that he learned to cover with a glamour at a young age in order to help him fit in better with his troupe. People didn’t know that he knew how to speak and understand all spoken languages but could only read or write a handful of them. Those who didn’t know him when he was younger would have no idea that when he was younger he was quite shy and that he only started to become more flowy, bright, and dramatic as a way to keep him busy after his and Wukongs… ‘break-up’ for lack of a better term. The secret that Macaque kept closest to his chest though was how much being alone hurt.

Monkeys - especially Macaques - were very social creatures. He was no different, but due to his appearance he often was kept out of most Troupe activities. Nobody wanted to groom with him, or play, mates… well nobody was ever truly interested in him. The elderly monkeys would tolerate him for short spans of time, the monkeys his age would shun or bully him, and the infants loved him… until their parents saw that they were with him and then their fun would have to come to an end.

Things got better when he met Sun Wukong and his Troupe though. With their King to introduce him to them there was immediately a closer bond between him and the Troupe. Though, that didn’t mean they didn’t tease him for how messy his fur was, how clumsy he was at grooming, and how nervous he acted. The mothers and infants helped the most with these ‘quirks’ he had, often being patient and kind to the outsider. They taught him how to groom himself, how to get close to others, and even how to properly play with infants.

As weird as it was to say, he was more comfortable with the mother monkeys than he was with most of the others.

He lost all of that when Wukong killed him.

The comfort of family, the closeness of a Troupe, the feeling of home was all ripped away from him. Each day that passed brought with it more rage. When he was finally freed from his prison he began to plan revenge against Sun Wukong and his ‘successor’. After all, what right did Sun Wukong have to be that close to somebody when he ruined every chance he had?

At least… that was the plan.

Macaque’s number-one goal was still the same it had been since he was killed. Get revenge.

But after the fight with the Lady Bone Demon that became a bit more complicated. Sure, it had already been uncomfortably close when he spent all that time training MK in order to steal his powers. Then when he put on his Shadow Play scheme he had again gotten closer to Wukongs successor but managed to pull back that connection when he saw just how alike MK was to Wukong. The most dangerous of the ‘connections’ was by far the fight against the Lady Bone Demon. Working side by side with not only MK but Wukong for the first time? That was dangerous. He had almost let himself get caught up in the kids' speech and Wukong’s willingness to trust him.

It was comfortable awful.

He couldn’t get swept up in those emotions, in the willingness to trust and get close to others. Especially when one of those ‘others’ were responsible for most of the pain Macaque had suffered in his recent past. So, again he took off. He ran away and hid at the dojo within Megapolis.

Whenever MK or any of his ‘squad’ came to visit he would make himself scarce but otherwise his routine had gotten uncomfortably comfortable.

Wake up, train, practice cooking (often leading in failure), occasionally singing just to pass time, and scheming. Though… lately his ‘scheme’ board had gotten less and less important to him. Not because his revenge was any less important to him, but because Macaque found himself much too tired to care as much as he had before.

Everything felt… gray and cold. A familiar feeling he hadn’t experienced for centuries, a feeling that had been slowly growing over time now felt absolutely crushing. It was like that feeling of cold loneliness that gripped at his heart when he was a child multiplied a thousand times over. He was exhausted yet he couldn’t sleep. He felt bored and sad yet he couldn’t get himself to do anything.

It was too much.

‘That’s it!’ He thought with a growl as he forced himself to sit up. ‘This… this is too much. If I stay here in this dark dojo I’m going to go crazy. It’s time to come up with something to do… even if it’s just to get out of here for a while, I need to do something.’ He thought, then smirked. ‘Oh… hold on, I know exactly what I want to do.’

Macaque had no intention of hurting the kid, but he was bored and looking for entertainment, so he was going to mess with him. Though, just glancing at the kid made it obvious to Macaque that he wasn’t all that well either. He looked tired, jumpy, and just as out of it as Macaque felt most of the time. Macaque didn’t get why MK looked so broken up, especially when he had such a ‘great’ connection with his friends. He had friends, a family, he had Wukong. So what could make MK so miserable?!

Didn’t MK know that he literally had everything that Wukong had taken from him? Why wasn’t that enough for him?!

Suddenly, whatever ‘scheme’ that Macaque had put together for that day went out of the window as exhaustion and anger overtook him. He waited until MK had made his delivery and was on his way back to the vehicle he drove, then he attacked.

Letting out a shout Macaque launched himself out of the shadows slamming into MK. MK cried out in surprise, the two tumbling and crashing to the ground as they rolled into an alleyway. MK swung a fist at Macaque who caught it with one fist before the other took a fist full of MK’s hair, snarling in his face.

“M-Macaque?!” MK said in surprise, reaching up and grabbing the hand that was tangled in his hair while trying to pull his fist away from Macaque. “What are you doing?! Let me go!”

“I don’t get it!” Macaque snarled, “Why did he pick you?! Why does he let you live when he killed me?! Why did he take my happiness and why do you just brush past the fact that you have exactly what I wanted!” Macaque said, slamming MK’s head down on the ground, causing the teen to cry out in pain.

“What are you talking about?!” MK said, yanking Macaque’s hand out of his hair, ripping out a small chunk of brown locks before MK sat up, headbutting Macaque.

Macaque yanked away from MK, loosening his grip on MK’s hand which allowed MK the chance to swing his fist again and crack Macaque across the jaw, knocking him the rest of the way off of MK. Macaque jumped up to his feet as MK scrambled to his, getting that familiar gold and red staff out from his ear as he formed it and growled.

“I thought we were done with this stuff, Macaque! We don’t have to be enemies, we can be-”

“What?! Friends!? You really think I can be friends with you?! With any of you?! The last time I had a ‘friend’ he beat me to death! You really think I’ll be able to have a second chance now?! Now that you’re in the picture?” Macaque formed his own staff as he swung it at MK’s head.

MK blocked the staff, being knocked back ever so slightly as he slid down the alley a few inches. “Yes! I won’t let anybody hurt you, Macaque!

Macaque growled, “Even if the one who hurt me the most was your precious Master?” He snarled, pushing down harder on MK who’s arms began to tremble under the weight. “What about the day when Wukong decides that he’s had enough of me again, huh? What will you do when that day comes and you have to pick between me and Wukong?!”

“It wont come to that!” MK said desperately, his right leg falling out from under him as he dropped to his knee, still holding Macaque back desperately. “You don’t have to be alone anymore, Macaque! We don’t have to be scared!”

Macaque didn’t have time to process MK’s words as he brought up his staff and got ready to hit MK with it again, but just before the staff hit him, MK made a noise that startled both of them.

He flinched, closing his eyes tightly as he chirped loudly.

That one sound said so many things all at one time that it physically overwhelmed Macaque as his staff vanished right before it could hit the kid. That sound… It was so much. It was like it took Macaque by the heart and squeezed it until he felt like it was going to break.

‘Hurt. Scared. Danger. HELP!’ That one noise said all of those things all in a single moment.

But MK wasn’t an infant monkey, so why did he know how to make that noise? Why did that noise set his natural instincts on fire with a flare of guilt and protectiveness? Macaque didn’t understand - he couldn’t understand. He couldn’t understand how MK knew how to make the noise, how he could make it so easily, and he couldn’t understand why it made Macaque tear up.

Macaque hiccuped, his hands shaking violently as he suddenly got onto his own knees and pulled MK into a hug. The touch of another living creature felt unfamiliar and foreign to him, but that didn’t stop him from holding onto MK. MK seemed just as confused, letting out a soft noise as he just sat there for a moment. Shakily MK’s hands reached up to the back of Macaque’s shirt, rubbing a circle on his shoulder.

Tears dripped down Macaque’s cheeks as he squeezed MK, rocking him as he instinctively chattered at the teen as he chattered in a desperate attempt to comfort the teen. Macaque’s chest felt tight, like he was in physical pain as he pulled MK closer, putting his head on MK’s shoulder.

“Don’t cry… I’m sorry. Don’t cry…” Macaque said softly.

“But… you’re… the one crying?” MK questioned, partially muffled by Macaque’s scarf. “What’s wrong? What happened?”

“I’m sorry.”

“I’m confused.” MK whispered back, then yelped as Macaque suddenly picked him up. “Ack! W-what are you doing?!”

Macaque couldn’t think of anything to say. What could he say to make up for what he’d done that day? So instead he just said as simply as he could, “I’m kidnapping you.”

“WHAT?!” MK squeaked, shrinking his staff as he slipped it in his ear again. “What do you mean?! Why? Let go!” He said, gently hitting Macaque’s shoulder.

“Shut up.” Macaque said, confusion fogging his mind as he dropped through a shadow, causing MK to chirp again.

‘Scared! Scared!’

“Shit… shh, I’m sorry. I’m sorry. It’s okay. I’m not going to hurt you.” Macaque said, putting his ears down as he rubbed MK’s back again.

MK let out an uncomfortable noise as Macaque put him down in the center of the floor in the dojo.

“Stay.” He said tightly, then went over to a closet on the far side, opening it up and looked inside.

MK watched as Macaque began to yank out the few spare blankets and pillows he had, occasionally sniffing them to make sure they weren’t too musty and dusty from being stored. Meanwhile, MK stared at Macaque like he had grown a second head (or maybe another set of ears). Confusion swirled in the room, heavy on both ends.

Everything about this was so… weird.

Macaque glanced back at MK who seemed equally scared and confused as Macaque felt. But, Macaque didn’t let him dwell on it too much before he grabbed a pillow with his tail and threw it into MK’s face. MK let out a startled shout as he pulled the pillow from his face, studying it as though he expected it to attack him again. But it was out of Macaque’s reach, so the soft purple pillow wouldn’t be seeking out any more violence.

A second red pillow though held no such promise as he repeated the process with it and hit MK once again.

Little by little the pillows grew around MK, surrounding him in a pile before Macaque went to the blankets. MK let out an almost relieved sigh when he ran out of pillows, but then let out an offended noise when Macaque tossed a blanket over him, then immediately a second blanket.

“Two?!” MK said, sticking his head out of the pile. “That’s enough slices, Macaque!”

Macaque didn’t understand what that meant, but he also didn’t understand half of what he was feeling in that moment. So he threw a third and fourth blanket over MK. MK again stuck his head out, his hair standing up due to static but before he could complain again he touched the top blanket with big eyes.

“Soft.” He said, then looked at the tag. “Wait… is this new?”

“Most of ‘em are.” He grumbled, closing the closet and turning to MK who was now rubbing his face in the soft pink blanket with cheetah-ish spots on it. Macaque felt some tension leaving his body at this, a small smile tugging at his lips as he watched the teenager get more comfortable.

‘What is wrong with me?’ Macaque thought, rubbing the back of his neck as he approached the pile. “Okay, MK. Let’s make a nest.”

“A… what? A nest? With what? For what? Do you have a pet bird?”

Macaque looked at him, dumbfounded on two fronts. First of all, how had Wukong not taught him about nests? (Did Wukong know about the chirping? If he didn’t that might explain why he hadn’t taught him about nests). Second of all, why did Macaque suddenly decide that he needed to teach MK about nests? He wasn’t his teacher, his friend, or even the pig-guy who seemed to have called dibs on the kid long before even Wukong had.

So why was this his job?

Why did he doubt anybody else could teach him this?

“A monkey nest, bud. Here we start with one of these big blankets.” He grabbed MK out of the pile of blankets, putting him back down as he grabbed one of the bigger blankets, though it wasn’t the largest of them. “We start by laying this out and tucking in the corners.”

“Um… okay?” MK grabbed two of the corners helping Macaque laying it down before they tucked in the four corners making it a large circle-ish shape. “Like that?”

“Yep. Now we surround the edges with pillows.”

MK nodded, grabbing a pillow looking at it for a moment before throwing it at Macaque’s face.

Macaque let out a sputtered noise, pulling the pillow away from his face as he looked at MK who let out a soft chuckle then grabbed another pillow, bringing it over as they began to surround the edges of the blanket with pillows. The longer he and MK worked together to make this nest the more comfortable the two fell.

“There we go, now we put the biggest blanket over the entire thing and tuck it in on the edges.” Macaque explained, the two continuing to work together. “Now the remaining blankets and pillows go in the center of the nest for us to use and stuff.”

With just a few final touches MK looked at it then smiled. “Ooh! It looks so soft!”

Macaque chuckled lowly, “Take off your shoes and give it a try, bud.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. We didn’t make it just to look at it, y’know.”

MK smiled, taking off his shoes and putting them near the door before jogging back and climbing into the nest. He then let out a soft noise as he stretched, grabbing and hugging onto a pillow as he hummed. “This feels… good? But weird good.”

Macaque nodded, discarding his own shoes rather boredly before he stepped into the nest and sat down with MK who tensed slightly. “Monkey’s make these to help take care of their young. Demon monkeys are a bit different because we have other reasons for making nests but typically it’s all for tending to their young, physical health and mental health.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. We especially need to nest when we’re young or it could take a big toll on us… so I’m surprised that Wukong hasn’t taught you about it.”

MK fell quietly for a moment, looking down at the pillow he’d been snuggling since he climbed in. “Wukong… has gotten better since all the… everything.” He said, gesturing vaguely with his hand. “But it’s clear he still doesn’t know what to do. I think he’s been lonely… I don’t know how long he’s been feeling this way but he’s sad. He’s sad… kind of like you’re sad.”

Macaque looked away, “I’m not sad, bud.”

“You are though. Your eyes are… they’re sad.”

Macaque sighed, “Listen, cub.” He said, “What’s going on with Wukong and I - personal and otherwise - doesn’t involve you. Okay? Wukong and I will figure out our own shit on our own time. You just… worry about whatever is going on with you.”

MK pulled the pillow to his chest. “I’m… I’m okay. Just having nightmares makes it hard to sleep.”

“Yeah.. I get that.” He said with a sad sigh. “Nesting should help… in theory. It helps if you have people to share it with but nesting alone can sometimes help too.”

Macaque gently reached over petting the back of MK’s hair, then frowned when MK fliched and chirped again.

‘Hurts! Ow!’

Macaque’s eyes widened when he remembered what he’d done. He’d slammed MK’s head against the ground. He’d hurt him! He had hurt his cub! Anxiety dug at his chest as he pulled MK into his lap quickly, causing the teen to let out a confused sound. Macaque then wrapped his tail around MK’s middle to hold him still as he gently began to move his hair to look at the scalp below it.

Here was a small wound, a very small one, no bigger than a grain of rice but it was enough to make Macaque’s eyes burn again. He let out a shaky breath, fixing his hair again.

“Sorry…” He said, cleaning some dirt out of MK’s hair. “I… I just wanted to mess with you, but I lost my temper. I didn’t mean to hurt you. I don’t… I don’t want to hurt you, cub.”

MK glanced at him, his eyes full of confusion and sadness. “Why do you keep calling me that..?”

“Calling you what?” Macaque asked, sniffling as he choked back his tears.

“‘Cub’?”

Macaque’s eyes widened. “I… I didn’t.”

MK nodded, “Yes you did. Twice. I thought I misheard you the first time but you just said it again. Why?”

“I… I don’t know cu… Bud. Probably just slipped.”

“What does it mean?”

Macaque sighed, loosening his grip on MK as he turned to face him, tilting his head confused. “It’s - well - uh…”

MK chuckled and Macaque again smiled hearing the noise of happiness from his cub.

Wait. His cub?! If anything MK was Wukongs cub, and he had no claim to him! Not to mention baby monkeys were called infants so calling him cub didn’t make any sense but… how he was feeling did feel right. It didn’t matter if it didn’t make sense to his head, for the first time in centuries Macaque’s heart felt truly happy.

Macaque pulled MK into a hug, letting MK lean with his head on Macaque’s chest. MK no longer sounded confused, scared or even concerned and instead just relaxed into the hold. “Cub is the name for some types of baby animals. Though some demons call their own children ‘cubs’.”

“So… why do you keep calling me ‘cub’?”

Macaque hesitated once more. “Honestly? No idea. But until I figure it out, you’re stuck with me. You’re mine now, cub.”

All of the arguments that MK might have made were cut off by a tired yawn and a soft stretch.

“At least let me call Pigsy… he’ll be pissed when I don’t show back up at work…” He said, his eyes slipping shut.

Macaque grumbled, reaching back and pulling MK’s phone out of his jacket pocket. “Password?”

“Monkey Cop.”

“Get a shorter password.” Macaque grumbled, but typed it in and clicked on the contact with the pigs face on it. He then debated on what to do. Calling MK’s boss would lead to less confusion and panic… probably. But he was still determined to have fun so he just sent a picture of MK now sleeping against his chest, though he did make sure that his own red scarf was within the picture so that the pig knew who took the picture.

Then without any context he just sent the picture and a short text saying; MK is mine now. He won’t be coming back tonight >:D

The responding flurry of texts, swears, and phone calls from everybody in his contacts went ignored due to Macaque turning the phone on silent and discarding it to the side. They’d find him eventually he was sure, but for now at least MK could get some genuine sleep.

Macaque rubbed circles on MK’s back, his chin on MK’s hair as he looked up at the ceiling.

Macaque felt… strange. He didn’t know how to explain it or even attempt to put it into words.

It had been so long since he had held someone, laughed with them, or genuinely smiled in the presence of another living person. When was the last time he had felt so light? So full of life? So… content with his current position and situation? He couldn’t remember - it was all too distant - all just a memory of warmth, comfort and love.

That was it. That was the feeling.

The feeling so warm and foreign in his chest, a light airy feeling that he hadn’t felt since the days of ripe peaches and sunshine. It’s revitalizing and almost addicting, leaving Macaque with a yearning that he hadn’t become aware that he had even lost.

A yearning for life.

He understood what it was like to die, and what it felt like to want to live, but this was different. This yearning came without the heavy - almost haunting - thoughts of spiteful revenge or rage. It was like he no longer wanted to track down the one responsible for his pain, suffering and agony. Like that no longer mattered to him anymore.

The loss of that was almost overwhelming, but the new realizations that came with it was enough to keep him grounded.

He didn’t just want to survive anymore, he wanted to live. To live and enjoy living. He wanted to smile and laugh instead of brood and drag his feet through the muck of the day.

He had lived, he had died, he had been revived, but until that moment - while he was laying in a nest with his cub on his chest - he realized he had never felt truly alive.

#Monkiebois #Stellawolf30 #Oneshot #lmk fanfic #lego monkie kid fanfic #Fluff #Momcaque #Macaque is MK's adopted Mom #I will die on this hill #This was so fun to write #so cute ;o;#posted on ao3 #inspired by MonkieBoi's posts

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artemismoorea03 · 1 year

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Seeking Assistance (Chirp AU)

Macaque has been focused on defeating Wukong for so long that he forgot there were other threats in the world. Now, four demons have decided to remind him that even Celestial Primates could get their asses kicked.

Now wounded and with no where to go Macaque has to figure out how he's going to survive the approaching winter without alerting MK or Wukong to what happened.

If he manages to make it to winter at all.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Yet another part of the Chirp AU written by myself and @monkiebois.This series is a lot of fun but just a reminder that this is a side project. Monkiebois and I both have other projects we're working on. :D Between that work/school and a bunch of other day-to-day things this series will probably be slow to update but will be updated when we can.

* arises from the depths of the void * SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG COLLEGE AND FINALS AND AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA- anyways thank you all so much for the love youve been giving this au artemis and i appreciate every little comment and kudos. enjoy the chapter! * falls back into the void to pass out *

Something Macaque often forgot about being a demon with a long extensive history is that he made a lot of enemies in the past. It didn’t help that he had been so focused on revenge that he forgot to consider protecting himself from other enemies that weren’t Sun Wukong. Though, he also didn’t consider most of them true threats.

After all, he was a Celestial Primate, one of the most powerful beings in the three realms. He was the Six-Eared Macaque; able to hear the past, present and future! He was just as powerful as Sun Wukong and nobody dared to mess with him. At least… that’s what he spent nearly his entire life convincing himself. But there was a problem with this ‘amazing hearing’. He couldn’t shut it off if he didn’t physically focus on shutting it down, meaning that often heard everything all at once, and it made it hard to tell what was future, past and what was happening in that moment.

It wasn’t until he was thrown into the heat of a situation that he could properly recognize danger.

Which was exactly what he was experiencing now.

Macaque slid across the room, his back hitting his counter with enough force to dent the side of it. He let out a shaky breath, growling at the four demons who had apparently decided that this was the perfect time to practice teamwork in order to strongarm him out of his territory. They were fast and about as strong as the average middle-grade demon but their team work put them at a bit of an advantage.

They wouldn’t be able to kill Macaque, but the bruises he was already sporting was proof enough that they were determined to chase him out of his dojo whatever the cost.

Macaque glared, dashing to the left at one of the enemies, managing to slide around them to get behind them. He then dropped down, sweeping his foot and knocking the feet out from under the demon who crashed to the ground with a pained noise. Macaque then scrambled to go after the next demon when arms grabbed him from behind, pinning his arms to his side as the larger of the demons began to squeeze. This demon was only a bit shorter than Sandy and the strength behind the muscles was nothing to laugh at, especially when he could feel his already bruised bones creek under the strength. Macaque let out a pained cry, slamming his head backwards into the chin of the demon, who shouted and dropped Macaque.

Macaque then stomped on the demon's foot, swinging his elbow backwards, hitting him in the ribs and knocking him back. He jumped out of the way of the third demon who swung a punch at his jaw, stumbling slightly as his left ankle throbbed. He was running out of energy, but retreating would mean losing his territory. Where would he go if he lost his home? Where would he build nests for MK?

He formed a staff, swinging it at the next approaching demon who to his surprise pulled out a sword. Suddenly this fight grew much more dangerous as the sword blocked his attack, giving the demon he needed to attack again. He was easily the fastest out of the four, shoving back on Macaque knocking him slightly off balance which gave the demon the opportunity to kick him in the stomach. Macaque hissed, sliding back as he slammed into his training dummies.

The four demons began to approach him, having him once again cornered.

‘ Run away! ’ His instincts scrambled at him. ‘ It isn’t worth it! It’s just a building! ’ But at the same time he couldn’t convince himself to run. If he ran away then MK would lose his ‘safe space’. He had to keep fighting, he would keep fighting.

Macaque dropped out of the shadow, letting out a pained whimper as he hissed and put pressure on his side. At least two of his ribs were broken, his left eye was swollen shut, his lip was split, his ears were ringing, and he had rips through his clothing from the sword that had been used. Thankfully the only wound the sword managed to leave on him was a slice to his left rib cage that had only grazed him.

That being said, it was still bleeding considerably which was… not great.

He had lost his home. MK had lost his safe space. The only good thing about this situation was now Wukong didn’t know where he was and that he was able to leave with his life. The rest of it sucked though.

Macaque glanced around, frowning. He had ended up not far from Pigsy’s Restaurant in some abandoned buildings that had been condemned after the Spider Queen’s New Year's Fiasco. There were plenty of demons and humans who crashed there though, so he would be safe there, at least for a short time.

He walked over to a wall, leaning against it before he slid down with a heavy sigh. His healing would kick in soon which would heal his injuries but it didn’t fix his problem. He was still homeless and without help he could stay that way forever. But it wasn’t like he could go crawling to anybody asking for help. If he told MK he would undoubtedly help him but then he’d have to admit that he got his ass kicked and chased out of his own house. He couldn’t tell anybody else, because he wasn’t friends with anybody else! He could - in theory - tell Pigsy but that would still be admitting that he wasn’t strong enough to protect himself and his home.

No.

He had to figure this out alone.

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Keeping MK away from the Dojo was the easy part, all he had to do was message Pigsy and have him tell the kid that he’s been busy and working around the city so he wont be home often but would check in whenever he could. The harder part was the fact that Macaque had very little to his name on a good day and now he had nothing. Just enough money to buy a water bottle that he could fill up at the mall or park and a vending machine sandwich for one day.

That was it.

That had been all he had been keeping on his person at the time he’d been kicked out and he was far from strong enough to have a rematch. Which meant it was time to do some old-fashioned hard work. His original plan had been the theater! After all, that’s how he made money before but the second he entered the building he was handed a bill and said that ‘the damage you caused last time you were here isn’t worth the risk of employing you again. Also, pay this sum or we’ll take your monkey ass to court ’.

So that… wasn’t great, adding it to the list of ‘ reasons this whole situation isn’t great/sucks ass ’.

It also meant that he had to do things the old-fashioned way.

He glanced around, letting out a shaky breath. It had been a longtime since he had to do something like this but at least it made easy money. Macaque let out a slow shaky breath, stepping up onto a rock in the park as he looked around. He then placed a paper cup he’d grabbed from a nearby trashcan and put it on the ground in front of him. Sucking in a slow breath, I began to sing.

He wasn’t like Wukong.

He couldn’t draw, or make friends easily. Not to mention his still healing injuries would prevent him from doing much manual labor. So he sang, one of his few talents. He tried to stick with more modern day songs so that those who were in the park would know some of the songs that he was singing, but he also didn’t know a lot of ‘modern’ songs. He would just sing what he knew and go from there.

At the end of the day, when his voice was weak from all the singing he’d done he returned to the abandoned building, stomach growling as he looked at the pitiful amount of money he’d gathered. He hadn’t counted on the fact that most people now used plastic currency rather than loose change. He had enough money for either some food or some warmer clothing. Or rather… a thin jacket.

Macaque zipped up the thin jacket he had bought and pulled the hood over his head. The winter breeze brushed past and left Macaque shivering under its cold embrace. Winter was approaching so he used the money he had made from singing to buy a dark purple jacket. It might be made of thin material but at least it was something. Macaque doesn't know how long he’s going to be homeless for, especially with this debt he’s racked up from the theatre–memories of said event made him wince slightly.

So for now warm clothes and cheap food was a priority. At least until he can find a warm place to stay for the winter, which he doubts. Without enough money he’s more likely to be forced to sleep under a highway bridge then actually find somewhere warm. Macaque just hopes and prays it doesn't snow. His currently fur and currently layered clothing can only hold off the chill for so long. But even with the cold taken care of–for now– he still has food to worry about. Purchasing the jacket left him with barely enough for a candy bar so for now he’s gonna have to settle.

He’s done it before, so he doesn't know why he hesitates, even for a moment. It's embarrassing despite how he’s done far more embarrassing things in his life. Either to save his sorry ass or because Wukon-

He’s not going to finish that thought. Macaque sighs and rolls up his sleeves. The cold prickling the skin underneath his fur as he approaches the dumpster. He needs some food, whatever is fine. He just needs something to keep him on his feet. He pushes the lid open slowly, careful not to make too much noise and alert the restaurant owner inside. He reaches his arms over the edge and kicks his feet off of the ground. Successfully leaning over the edge and into the dumpster. It was…disgusting. As any dumpster would be but it's what he expected. Dumpster digging is not pleasant under any circumstance. So he searched through the empty containers, dirty pieces of plastic, and all kinds of things. The rotten stench made his nose twitch but he pushed through.

He pushed through and all he managed to find so far was an extremely rotten half eaten apple. Not the most appetizing.

Oh who is he kidding, it has something green,slimy and unholy growing on it, he’s not eating this shit.

Macaque throws the apple behind him as he groans and lets himself hang limp over the dumpster.

A sudden yelp and a crack behind him makes Macaque panic and stumble into the dumpster in a pathetic attempt to hide like a cat caught in the cookie jar…if the cookie jar smelled like literal shit. Maybe jumping into the dumpster wasn't the most logical decision but, look he’s already homeless and has debt on his ass. He’s not about to be grabbed and thrown in jail for digging through dumpsters.

“Macaque?”

The familiar voice had Macaque's ears perk up while he was ducked into the dumpster. Who would have ever thought that the inside of a dumpster smelled worse…

“I saw your furry ass lookin’ through the dumpster Macaque stop hiding”

Macaque flinched, he contemplated shadow teleporting out of here because the smell was becoming too much for him to bear and he didn't want to be seen like this. Well technically he’s already seen but-

“Get your ass out or im getting Mk”

Macaque burst out of the dumpster with a loud and dramatic gasp, then laid over the edge and looked at Pigsy who just stared at him with a raised brow and a bag of trash in his hand.

“Hi” Macaque gasped out.

“Why are you diggin’ through my dumpsters Macaque?” Pigsy asked bluntly, grabbing the bag with both of his hands.

“Would you believe it if I told you the secret to beating Wukong in a fight was in here?” Macaque said sarcastically as Pigsy threw the bag into the dumpster.

“Nope, so you might as well tell me the truth,” Pigsy said, stepping away from the dumpster and reaching a hand out to help Macaque get his ass out.

Macaque stared at it for a moment, hesitating. Then swallowed whatever pride told himself to swat away the hand or turn it away and he took it. Letting Pigsy help him climb out and onto the concrete ground.

“Preparing for winter” Macaque stated, wiping off anything he could from his clothes with his hands.

Pigsy gave him a look Macaque didn't notice while wiping off the dirt and grime. A mix of disgust, confusion, frustration and pity.

“Come inside” Pigsy stated turning away from Macaque and into the noodle shop. Macaque knew he could decline. He knew all he had to do was walk away and he wouldn't have to face what was inside the shop. It's not like Macaque had him by the tail and was dragging him in. He had every chance in the world to turn away and leave.

So he followed Pigsy and walked into the noodle shop. Part of him wishes he checked exactly what restaurants dumpsters he decided to search through before diving in, another part of him relished in the warm air the noodle shop provided. Macaque decided to take a seat beside the noodle shop's island table while searching for Pigsy who had mysteriously disappeared into the kitchen.

Macaque turned away from the kitchen to look around the shop. Noting to himself how empty and quiet it is. Business must be slow lately. Macaque's attention was pulled back towards the kitchen when a full and heavy bowl was placed in front of him with a pair of chopsticks.

“I can't accept this” Macaque said, staring down at the noodles.

“You will” Pigsy replied, leaning on the table.

“I don't have any money” Macaque said, refusing to look up at Pigsy.

“Don't want your money Macaque”

“Then what do you want?”

“For you to shut up and eat something dammit”

Macaque hesitated for a moment, looking at the bowl. This wasn't like when Pigsy fed him after fighting LBD, this wasn't an obligation… but the prospect of Pigsy doing this out of kindness was enough to make his heart ache. When was the last time he had felt genuine kindness and compassion that wasn't laced with some kind of backhanded comment, guilt tripping, or fact that he owed them something in return?

With a shaky hand he took the chopsticks into his left hand and began to eat. The moment the soup and broth touched his tongue tears began burning his eyes. His throat hurt from singing, his body ached from the wounds that weren't fully healed, he smelled awful, his already dirty and matted hair and fur felt even more disgusting, and all he wanted to do was go home.

"What happened, Macaque? And don't give me that 'preparing for winter' crap." Pigsy said, and while he was firm with his words he wasn't demanding an immediate answer.

"Where should I start? The fact that I was attacked in my own home and chased off? The fact that I have to pay for repairs to the theater and they won't let me work there again? How about the fact that I spent the last 12 hours singing and only made enough to buy this jacket from a pawn shop while it was on sale?"

Pigsy's brows raised in alarm, a sympathetic look filling his eyes. "Wait… you were attacked? Are you hurt?"

Macaque sniffled, using a napkin to wipe his eyes so he didn't get dumpster slime in his eyes. "I'm fine… all that's left is a scab on my ribs and some bruising. I don't heal as fast as Wukong but I'll be fine in a day or two."

"You mean to tell me you were attacked to the point where you were bleeding and then climbed into a dumpster with a healing wound?"

Macaque flinched, "Uh… yeah, in hindsight not a good idea."

"A terrible idea!" Pigsy sighed, rubbing his eyes. "Tell you what we're gonna do. You're gonna eat those noodles and if your still hungry, I'll make you more."

"But-"

"I'm not done. After you're done eating I'm taking you back to my place for a shower and a good night sleep. I'm also going to look at your wounds."

"You don't have-"

"And we'll figure out the rest tomorrow. Macaque… I'm not giving you a choice this time. Even if it's just tonight, let me help you. If you don't I'll have to call in MK… or worse Sandy ."

Macaque sighed. Calling MK for this was bad enough, the guilt alone would rip him up. But Sandy ? Gods, he'd not only have to deal with the guilt but he'd also have to deal with talking about his feelings and stuff.

"Alright, fine." Macaque sighed softly, tapping his tail on the ground. "Just don't bother the blue-guy and MK… it's not a big deal."

Pigsy sighed, "You and the kid, I swear." He grumbled.

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Macaque didn't know what he expected when he walked into Pigsy’s apartment, but he was honestly surprised by what he found. Which was Tang doing the dishes while wearing pajamas.

"M-Macaque?" Tang half-questioned, half-greeted. "How… are you?"

"Fine." Macaque said, as Pigsy looked at Macaque.

"Bathroom is the second door to the right. Go in there and get cleaned up, I'll find you some clothes." He said, his eyes slightly narrow.

"Fine." Macaque grumbled, walking down the hall as he heard Tang whisper.

" What the hell is he doing here? "

Macaque opened the door to the bathroom, stepping inside as he let out a sigh and dragged his hands down his face.

'The monk and the pig? Seriously? … Cute. But not great when I'm trying to keep attention off of me. ' He thought, looking in the mirror.

His clothing was filthy, yet thanks to his glamour his skin looked okay. At least that was the case until he dropped said glamours, showing off the white on the tip of his tail and his hair. It also showed his plethora of scars and healing bruises.

He let out an unsure noise, pulling off his jacket before pulling off his shirt. Bruises covered his chest and stomach, the healing wound on his ribs was looking rough , which wasn't a surprise given how dirty he was.

He shook his head, taking off the rest of his clothes before he turned on the shower and stepped under the water.

The warm water against his bruised skin and dirty fur was like heaven on earth. Tense muscles relaxed and he finally felt like he could take a breath. As he scrubbed the dirt out of his fur he decided to think. Really think. About what he’s going to do with the cards he’s been dealt. First he has Sun Wukong on his ass despite the promise he made to Mk, then he’s been forced out of his home and is left homeless with barely a penny to his name, lastly he’s knee deep in debt to the theatre building to pay for the damages he caused.

He’s in deep shit. The Monkey king, some pathetic demons and the bank are all after his ass and he has no way of getting out of any of this. At least not right now. He’s survived worse, this shouldn't be too much trouble.

Right?

He doesn't have a job, and no way of getting one right now. So with this debt he wont be able to get a place to stay for the winter. He’s gonna be forced to live outside during the winter…that's not gonna be fun. The only upside to all of this is now Wukong wont know where to find him.

A high pitched and scared chirp echoes in his memories. Macaque freezes, letting the water drip freely through his fur as he reminisces that familiar urge in his chest. A warm surge-like electricity coursing through him paired with an urge strong enough to pull him wherever it wishes. Macaque's arms go limp against his sides and his head falls. The showerhead hits directly over him and drowns his fur. He watches the water drip down his head and fur onto the floor. Not a drop of clear water to be found. Every ounce of clean water that touches him ends up filled with a disgusting mix of blood, dirt and sweat.

Maybe he should stay away from Mk.

Maybe Wukong was right, that Macaque would only bring trouble to Mk if he stuck around. He’s been nothing but a thorn in Mk’s side since they met and now he’s trying to stick around like some kind of adopted parent? It's pathetic really, pathetic that he’d try to insert himself into a family that doesn't need him. Attach himself to a kid that would be better off without him.

Pathetic to think that he could ever have someone,a family.

“I’m not sad, bud.”

“You are though. Your eyes are… they’re sad.”

“hmm, thanks…Momma.”

A yearning for life.

Macaque doesn't know when the tears started mixing with the dirtied water, nor does he know when the water started to clear. Not like he cares. The memories of the past few weeks have been haunting him like a ghost, latching on no matter how much he tries to push it down for his own sanity. So now here he stands under the shower hiding his tears with the dripping water.

“But I’ll stay close so you can come see me now and then and I’ll stop hiding from you and your friends when you swing by…”

He made a promise to Mk, and he’s not about to break that promise just because some debt or demons get in the way. He’ll stick around even if it costs him more then he’s bargaining. He’ll stick around because he needs to be here for Mk even if Wukong wants him gone. He wont leave, the mere thought hurting his heart more than the idea of experiencing death all over again. He knows what it's like to be abandoned; he's not about to be the cause of his cub experiencing that same pain.

He’s not leaving Mk.

Only when the water is completely clear of dirt and grime does Macaque stop scrubbing, even then he takes another minute to just stand in the water and soak up its warmth. After he’s had enough he steps out of the shower and grabs the thickest towel from the bathroom closet to dry himself with. On the floor beside the door is some clean and folden clothes. Close enough to the door Macaque suspects Pigsy cracked open the door and stuffed them in without entering the bathroom.

They were nice, a soft grey long sleeve shirt with some old college logo on it and dark red sweatpants. Perfectly warm and soft enough to sleep in. Macaque decided to slowly and carefully leave the bathroom. While he was sure Pigsy was okay enough with Macaque around he knew Tang was still on edge and he didnt wanna push any buttons whatsoever. So best to be careful.

He looked around and saw that Pigsy and Tang were in the kitchen together, Pigsy had an arm around Tang's waist as they faced the oven with their backs to Macaque. Pigsy held Tang close and seemed to be saying something to him while they remained close.

There have been too many unfamiliar feelings stirring within Macaque, things he cannot explain. Yet now he feels something he knows and has been far too familiar with for years. Especially when he sees Pigs holding Tang so close and gently against his side. Both comfortable with each other embrace as they speak.

Macaque approaches the kitchen and sits at the island. Acting like he doesn't notice when Tang jumps and whips around to face him while Pigsy turns around casually.

“M-Macaque! hello i-i uhm-hi!” Tang stutters out while Pigsy gets back to his cooking. That pig never stops cooking does he?

“Hi” Macaque greets.

"So… Pigsy says you're staying the night?" Tang asked and Macaque nodded.

"Guess so." He grumbled, putting his head down on the counter with a shaky breath. "Sorry for the intrusion."

"Oh, it's fine." Tang promised, though he still looked nervous. "It's just…"

"Uncomfortable?" Macaque guessed.

Tang shook his head, "Unusual." He smiled, "Normally you're alone or refuse to let people help you. Did… something happen?"

Macaque bit the inside of his cheek for a moment, before letting out a soft sigh. “Infestation. My house isn’t currently… usable.” He said, turning his head away from the scholar.

PIgsy let out a soft noise, that wasn’t any kind of a grumble but definitely let out the same energy as if he had said, ‘ Infestation my ass ’.

“Infestation huh, well that sucks. Well, don’t worry. Our couch is free, you can use it for as long as you need to.” Tang offered.

Macaque wanted to immediately turn down the offer. The last thing he wanted was to bother these two for one night, the idea of bothering them for more than one night? He’d rather cut off his own tail. But… At this point what other option did he have? Try to go fight those demons again while he was still wounded? Keep digging in the trash hoping he didn’t catch some kind of infection or virus? Let them call MK, Sandy, or worse still - Wukong ? No he couldn’t do that either.

For now - as much as it pained him to admit - the safest space for him was right here with these two.

“I’ll think about it.” Grumbled Macaque.

“Alright, soup’s done.” Pigsy said, dishing bowls in front of both of them, surprising Macaque.

“I just ate…” He reminded him.

“Yeah, but if you’re anything like that monkey butt Wukong you’re probably hungry again, right?”

Macaque’s stomach growling quietly proved Pigsy was right as he blushed slightly and looked away. “Alright… thanks.”

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“Infestation, huh?” Tang said as Macaque whimpered from where he was laying on the couch, letting Pigsy clean his wound.

It fuckin’ burned . It was sharp, sudden, and felt like ice. Ice that was on fire. Icy-Fire full of pain, agony, and absolute fuckin’ bullshit! Macaque clawed at the couch, biting the inside of his cheek once again as he tried to remember how to breathe through the pain.

“More like infection. Your little dumpster-diving adventures lead to a pretty nasty wound. We’ll keep an eye on it and check it out tomorrow, but you shouldn’t go climbing in dumpsters any time soon.” Pigsy said as he patted the wound dry then sighed. “Worst part is it’s on your fur, so unless we want to wax you, we can’t bandage it.”

“I’d rather not do that.” Macaque said, trying to ignore the dizziness and nausea that clung to his stomach and throat. He let out a slow breath, pushing those feelings down. “Are we done now?”

“Yeah, we’re done.” Pigsy said, letting Macaque roll back down his shirt before he laid on his uninjured side, curling up into a small ball.

He hated pain. He hated feeling sick. He hated all of this .

Pigsy let out a soft sigh, tossing an orange blanket over Macaque. “Get some rest, monkey. You look exhausted.”

Macaque just grunted letting him know he understood him, but then just curled up tighter under the blankets as he let out a slow and tired sigh.

He would be fine in the morning, a good night's sleep would help.

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It didn’t help.

By five in the morning Macaque felt worse than before. His head hurt, his stomach hurt, he couldn’t stop shivering, and the entire wound site felt warm to the touch. He was too hot and too cold at the same time, he couldn’t get warm enough and he couldn’t cool off. His head felt like it was full of rocks, making it hard to keep it up properly.

His stomach was growling and he could physically feel the blood draining from his face as forewarning about what was going to come. He got up, scrambling towards the bathroom as his vision spun and his legs crumbled under him, causing him to fall and crash into a small table near the hallway. The table slid about a foot before it hit a door jam and stopped suddenly, throwing all of the decorations (which were mostly picture frames and books) to the floor.

Macaque didn’t have time to worry about it though as he clawed at the table, trying to stop himself from collapsing the rest of the way onto the floor. He was so dizzy, so sick, so exhausted. Thankfully, he was granted a small mercy in the fact that there was also a trashcan on the bottom half of the table. He scooped it up, shaking violently as he coughed and gagged, throwing up into the small bin.

Macaque heard a door open to his right but didn’t have time or energy to question it before he threw up again.

A small hand touched his shoulder causing him to jump slightly before easing into the touch of the hand as it rubbed circles on his back. Tears burned at Macaque’s eyes similarly to how the bile burned at his throat. It was all too much, and between how awful he felt and the embarrassment of all of this he was struggling to keep it together.

“What can I do?” Pigsy’s voice sounded a bit distant compared to Tang who responded from right next to Macaque.

“A glass of water? Maybe get a wet cloth and the thermometer? He’s really warm.”

Pigsy grunted, walking away as Tang gently spoke to him.

“Deep breaths, Macaque.” He said, still rubbing those slow circles on his back as the feeling went away and he was able to calm himself down.

“Sorry…” He grumbled, trembling slightly.

“It’s alright.” Tang said.

Pigsy walked over, carrying a glass of water, handing it to Macaque. “Sip on this, I’ll be back.”

Macaque took the glass in a shaky hand, sipping on the water, rinsing out his mouth before he actually drank some.

The water was cool and refreshing against his burning throat. He chugged down every last drop so he turned to where Tang was supposed to be but found he wasn't there…when did he leave?

Macaque looked around the unfamiliar landscape and realised he had no idea where he was. Where’s his bed, where’s his pillows and blankets? He really wants those right now.

Where's his cub?

Macaque let out a chirp, calling for his cub. After a moment of silence-well he heard something but it wasn't his cub so he didnt care– he chirped again but louder.

“Macaque, are you okay?” A blurry figure appeared in front of him, but it wasn't his cub.

“Wh-...where's my cub” Macaque slurred out,setting the glass of water down on the floor as he began to lose focus of the world around him.

“cub?........are you-.......Mk?” The sounds around him were muffled and Macaque could barely make out what was being said to him but as soon as the fuzzy thing in front of him had said Mk Macaque chittered in reply.

“Hmm, i want…my cub” Macaque pouted, his unglamoured ears folding against his head and tail curling up.

“Ta-......Call Mk….” Another deeper voice said as something pulled him up off the floor. Macaque felt himself being set down on something warm and soft. Then something else soft was placed on top of him. Macaque looked around and couldn't find his cub. Where is he? He’s just a baby, he shouldn't be alone. He chirped again but got no reply.

With one final desperate and tired chirp Macaque couldn't keep his eyes open any longer and let himself fall into darkness with a silent sob.

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When Mk got the call he was still in bed, half asleep as his alarm screamed at him to get up. Pigsy never calls his phone this early. He’s usually in the kitchen by now setting up shop. No need to call when Pigsy can just knock on his door if something happened. So when Mk heard the ringtone he had set to Pigys’s number he jumped out of bed and answered the phone.

The last thing he was expecting to hear was that Macaque was staying at Pigsy’s because he had an infected wound and because of the infection he was too sick to function and was crying for his “cub” before promptly passing out.

So now he was running through the city, completely forgetting about the tuk-tuk, Pigsy’s house isn't too far off. So with all his sudden energy and forgetting about breakfast, he rushes through the city and finally makes it to Pigsy and Tangs house where Pigsy is standing outside waiting for him.

“Is he okay?” MK asked quickly, sliding to a stop. “How did he get hurt? What happened?!”

Pigsy put his hands on MK’s shoulder, “Kid, breathe. He’s alright, but we don’t want him pushing himself harder than he is. We want you to go with him while we wait for Sandy to make it back to port so he can come to check on Macaque. Until then though you might be our only hope and to keep him in one spot.”

MK let out a soft sigh, “Okay.” He said, following Pigsy into the apartment and over to the couch.

Macaque was laying on his right side on the couch, curled up under a blanket as he shivered violently. Macaque’s cheeks, nose and ears were slightly red and he looked paler than normal. But what really caught MK’s attention about Macaque at that moment was his appearance. The tip of his tail and the ends of his hair was white, he had streaks of a blue-gray color through parts of his fur, the last and biggest change though was his ears. The name Six-Eared Macaque now made sense. He had three ears on each side with strange colors within the inside of each ear; cyan, blue, and red.

“Macaque?” MK sat on the floor near Macaque, gently putting his hand on Macaque’s forehead.

“His temperature is like… deadly high for a human, but for a demon…” Tang said with a sigh, “We have no idea what we’re looking at.”

“What do you mean? How high is it?”

“106.8”

MK let out a nervous noise, digging out his phone. “Should we call Monkey King? He might be able to tell us what we’re dealing with.”

Tang seemed more onboard with the idea than Pigsy did as the pig let out a soft sigh and rubbed the back of his neck.

“Listen, kid.” Pigsy began, “Wukong and Macaque worked together during the Lady Bone Demon shit, but they’re far from friends. Plus… if Macaque found out we called Wukong he would freak out. We need to think about what Macaque would want for now, if he gets worse or isn’t getting better then we’ll call him, but for now we should keep Wukong as far from this situation as possible.”

Mk’s grip on his phone tightened, for a moment he considered not listening to Pigsy and calling Wukong anyways. The memories of the last time Wukong and Macaque were in the same room together, the fighting, the screaming…the blood. Mk closed the phone app and instead opened google and searched for ‘average demon temperatures’.

“It says…its not healthy but not deadly either” Mk continued reading “demons can withstand more intense fevers than humans so he should be fine as long as he rests” Mk explained before he turned off his phone and put it away

Pigsy sighed, "That's reassuring at least. Now we know he isn't dying, just feels like he is." Pigsy walked over and rolled down the blanket a bit before pulling off gaze from his ribs.

The wound under the gaze wasn't looking good, it was off-color and smelled awful. It was also oozing a bit which was unpleasant to see. Though, it was obvious what kind of wound they were dealing with.

"How did this happen, Macaque…?" MK questioned, running his fingers through Macaque's hair as the older male panted in his sleep. "How did he end up here?"

"I uh… found him in an alley, brought him home, and cleaned him up." Pigsy said, "Poor bastard was gonna try to tough it out but let us take him in for the night. Good thing too, can't imagine where he'd be right now if I didn't find him."

MK frowned, putting his head on Macaque's shoulder. His chest ached at the prospect of Macaque dealing with this kind of stuff alone, but what made it worse was the fact that Macaque was used to doing it alone. He was hurting, sick, and miserable… It was terrible to see. MK just wished that he had been there for Macaque when he needed him rather than off playing at the arcade with Mei.

'I'm sorry, Macaque… ' He thought, ' I promised that I'd protect you… '

Okay, so his promise had been to protect him from Monkey King, but still. MK hadn’t been there when Macaque needed him.

He would be there next time though.

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Sandy arrived a little over an hour later and gave the still-unconscious Macaque an exam. His fever had stayed about the same, but thanks to an IV with fluids and medicine to get the fever down, as well as a freshly cleaned and dressed wound, Sandy was sure he would be fine. Though, Sandy did agree to stick around for a while until Macaque was awake.

Sandy was also the reason that Mei found out, and Mei was how Red found out, and in turn, Princess Iron Fan and Demon Bull King found out.

"Room for two more?" Mei asked from where she was standing at the door with Red Son who was as surprised, as was the basket in his hand.

Pigsy groaned, "Sure, why not. Don't break anything."

The two walked in just as MK was putting the final touches on a nest for when Macaque finally woke up.

"This is for the monkey when he awakes. But this is for you." Red said, handing Pigsy a bottle of wine. "My father says, and I quote; ' Drunk monkeys are a pain, but sick monkeys are a nightmare. But at least you're stuck with the more tolerable of the two '."

Pigsy laughed half-heartedly, "Thanks for the warning."

Red and Mei walked over to the living room and while Mei investigated the nest, Red checked Macaque's temperature.

"What happened?" Red asked.

"Don't know, Pigsy said he was hurt when he found him. His wounds got infected." MK said, "They called me when Macaque passed out while calling for his 'cub'."

"Cub? But monkeys have infants, not cubs." Mei pointed out.

"I know, but it's cute so I don't question it." MK shrugged.

"Animal Demons are often called 'cubs' while more human-ish demons have different terms depending on location." Red explained. "Now, I should go. I delivered the basket and I have a lot of scheming to do."

"No, wait, please stay." MK pleaded. "Sandy knows the medical stuff but… we don't feel safe calling Monkey King… you might be the only option we have…"

Red looked at him for a moment before he sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. " Fine . But if that's the case, Nyoodle Boy, then move over because we're gonna fix this nest of yours."

"Why are you making a nest anyway, MK?" Mei asked.

"Macaque said that nests help with physical health… so I thought I'd give it a try. I'm not very good yet."

Red sighed, "That's fine, you're new to it. Let's get it finished."

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“ And I’m telling you they don’t stack. ” Said the first voice that reached Macaque’s ears, sounding so sudden and loud it nearly made him whimper.

Why was the world so loud? Why did his head hurt? Why was he so uncomfortable and sticky? Why were all these voices so close?

“ And I’m telling you, Red Boy, they totally stack. Which means you have to draw 12 cards. ”

Those voices… the dragon girl and Red Son…? What were they doing so close?

“Macaque?” This next voice was right next to him, as a hand touched his shoulder, causing Macaque to finally open his eyes, glaring against the light. Looming off to his side was… MK? But… what?

Memories of the attack, losing his house, and then being found by Pigsy flashed through his mind followed by bits and pieces of that morning. He let out a soft groan, why had they called the kid? He didn’t want the kid to know what happened but now he was here seeing him in person? What was fair about that? Nothing was fair about any of this.

But since when was anything in Macaque’s life?

“Hey, bud…” He said, blinking sleep out of his eyes, “What are you doing here?”

“Pigsy called me when you started calling for your cub.” MK explained and Macaque felt his cheeks grow even warmer. Macaque ran his hand down his face to try and hide it. “But it’s not just me. Mei and Red are here too because they were worried.”

“I wasn't worried, my mother sent me.” Red said, as though to remind him.

“Alright, Mei was worried and Princess Iron Fan was worried so she sent Red.” MK corrected himself, “Sandy and Tang are in the dining room, and Pigsy is making lunch.”

‘Lunch?’ Macaque thought, it hadn’t even been sunrise when he first woke up, how long had he been sleeping?

Macaque looked down at his right arm, which had an IV in it, attached to a pole against the couch above his head. Between that and the new bandages around his wound, it was clear that Sandy had been there tending to his injuries which he was equally thankful and embarrassed about.

What kind of warrior couldn’t treat his own wounds or protect his own house?

He was the worst .

Maybe that’s why Wukong abandoned and killed him. Because he knew he was useless. Because he was broken. Because when Pengu created him they made him with whatever was left over from creating all the other Celestial Primates. He was a mistake and a failure.

Macaque let out a shuddering breath, draping his left arm over his eyes to try and hide the left eye as it began to burn with tears.

“Are you okay… does it hurt?” MK asked.

He wanted to tell the kid what a loaded question that was but instead just replied with; “Nah… just tired, bud. I’m alright…”

Mk squinted his eyes, he opened his mouth to say something but Redson quickly interrupted him with a slight push “you look like your in pain” he stated plainly.

“Red!” Mk scolded

“What?” Red gasped offended

“You don't just-”

“He does, I thought we were supposed to be taking care of him!”

“Well you could be a little nicer then ‘you look like you’re in pain’”

“I'm just stating facts, he's injured and you wanna sugarcoat things?”

“Well no but-”

“Exactly my point now” Redson turned to Macaque and Mk followed suit “Macaque why are you crying?”

“REDSON!”

“WHAT?!”

Oh, was he still-...Macaque had been so focused on the two boy’s bickering he completely forgot he was upset for a moment. It was kinda funny so he admits he got distracted watching them and that he forgot his cheeks were still wet with tears.

“I’m okay…” Macaque quietly told them, “Or… I will be.Just don’t handle being sick very well.” He said, rubbing the tears off of his face as he let out a shaky breath. “Can you guys help me sit up? I feel like my tail is going to fall off.”

“Sure.” MK gently took Macaque’s arm that was free of any IV’s while Red went behind the arm of the couch, grabbing Macaque under the arms as the two worked together to move him into a sitting position.

It was dizzying and a bit uncomfortable sitting up again, especially when the pain in his ribs continued to radiate and feel unnaturally warm, but it wasn’t at a point where he felt like throwing up again. Once Macaque was sitting up he was able to look around the apartment, namely towards the dining room where Sandy and Tang were in the dining room, playing a board game quietly while glancing over at him occasionally. On the other side of the dining room in the kitchen was Pigsy who was cooking something that honestly smelt really good.

“Sandy!” Mei called, causing Macaque to flinch slightly at the volume. “Macaque is awake!”

“Mei, inside voice.” Pigsy reminded her as the teen stuck her tongue out at Pigsy.

Sandy chuckled, getting up off his seat as he walked over to Macaque. “How are you feeling, Mr. MaQuack?”

“Fine. Little confused why everybody is here though.” He admitted.

“Pigsy called me and MK after you fainted. I mentioned the situation to Mei because I needed help getting some things, and then she told Red who was sent by his parents with some items from the Demon Bull King and Princess Iron Fan.” Sandy explained, taking a forehead scanning thermometer and gently placing it against Macaque’s forehead. He then smiled, “Your temperature is back to a normal range, which is good. Can I look at your wound?”

Macaque lifted his arm, letting the blue skinned man remove a gauze bandage and examine it.

“The infection looks like it’s clearing up finally too and your healing is starting to kick in. You should be mostly healed - if not fully healed - by tomorrow.” Sandy said proudly.

“Great, thanks.” Macaque said, keeping his arm up as Sandy taped a new bandage over the wound. “Can I get this IV out? My arm is cramping.”

“Sure.” Sandy said with a smile.

Macaque looked away as Sandy got to work, not because he was squeamish or anything but because he just didn’t want to look. After it was removed Sandy gently patted Macaque on the head then walked back to the table.

“So what happened, Macaque?” MK asked anxiously. “All Pigsy said was that he found you wounded in an alleyway and that he brought you here to help you take care of your wounds.”

Macaque was thankful for that at least, he didn’t want the kids knowing the whole story, especially when he knew that if the kids did know Wukong, Princess Iron Fan, and Demon Bull King would all find out and have different reactions. Wukong might think that Macaque deserved it, Demon Bull King would probably laugh at Macaque, and Princess Iron Fan would likely end up destroying his house while trying to help Macaque get it back. The kids would have their own reactions too, but he didn’t want any of them getting involved in this.

“I’ve… I got a bill for the theater I destroyed, they threatened to take me to court if I didn’t pay for repairs and so I’ve been doing odd jobs around the city to try and earn the money I need to pay them back.” He said, which was only a half-lie. “After one of my jobs I was jumped by a group of demons. I was tired from working all day and couldn’t properly protect myself from them. But I’m feeling better now, really. I’m okay.”

“Right…” MK said anxiously, “Is there anything we can do to help you earn money? Like… d-do you need help?”

“Nah, kid. Once I find a steady job I’ll be fine.” Macaque promised, reaching over and putting his hand on MK’s shoulder. “You’ve got enough on your plate, cub. You don’t have to worry about my shit too. I’m fine.” Macaque noticed the glance that Pigsy and Sandy shared but decided not to worry too much about it as he tried to distract MK and the other kids from the situation. “So what’s the nest for?”

“ Nyoodle Boy here thought you needed one after all you went through. So he made it for you when you woke up.” Red explained.

Macaque’s eyes went wide as he looked at MK. “You did that… for me?”

MK’s cheeks were slightly red as he played with his hands. “Of course I did.” He said quietly. “You would do the same for me - you have done the same for me. S-so I figured… why not.”

Macaque smiled, letting out a happy chatter as his tail swished slightly and he pulled MK into a half-hug. “Thanks, Bud… it means a lot. I feel better already.”

Now it was MK’s turn to perk up, a big smile forming. “Really?”

“Yeah. Can you help me over there?” He asked.

MK was happy to help, as he helped Macaque to his feet, the two going to the nest and getting settled in before Red hesitantly joined them as well, sitting a short distance away from Macaque. He looked weirdly content in this situation, which was almost funny given how often he tried to convince people that he couldn’t stand MK and Mei. Though, Macaque hardly had room to talk on that front.

“We were playing Uno, do you want to join?” Mei asked.

“Uno… that’s that card game with the four colors, right?”

MK nodded, “That’s the one.”

“Alright, then sure.” Macaque shrugged, “Warning, I’m terrible at card games.”

While the kids started the game with Macaque beside them now Sandy and Pigsy stood in a far corner of the room, whispering among themselves. Macaque’s ear’s twitched.He might be injured and a bit out of it but he’s not deaf. I mean, six ears. Don't they know whispers do nothing to hide their secrets from the Six eared Macaque? So while the little card game continued Macaque tuned his hearing into the two demons attempting to hide in the corner of the room.

“I think we should let him choose” Sandy whispered.

“Hm, I wanna keep a close eye on him tho’” Pigsy grumbled.

“And i can do that on the ship, i can take care of his injur-”

“I don't mean his injuries” Pigsy interrupted “i mean…him. I can handle his injuries as well as you can Sandy, we both underwent the same training back in the day. I just want to watch him, i want to see what he does. If he’s really serious about being better and being there for Mk”

“I understand friend, but still…i can do that as well and i think we should let Mr. Macquack decide whether he wants to work on the docks or in your shop”

Macaque dropped his cards and quickly turned to face Pigsy and Sandy.

“What?”

The two on the other side of the room jumped slightly, then turned to face Macaque as Tang coughed and mumbled under his breath.

“ He’s the Six-Eared Macaque guys, of course he could hear you. ”

Pigsy sighed, dishing up lunch and laying the bowls of soup onto the table before walking over with a bowl for Macaque. “Sandy and I were just talkin’. You need the money and we could both use the help around the ship and the shop, so how about you come work for one of us?” He suggested, making Macaque raise a brow. “You’d help me clean around the shop and help MK with deliveries on the days it’s particularly busy, or you’d help Sandy move around things on the ship and prepare for his deliveries whenever he hits port. Workin’ with me runs the risk of bumpin’ into Wukong now and then but you’ll be closer to MK. Working with Sandy would keep you away from Wukong but also would keep you away from the kid for extended periods of time.”

Macaque frowned, the idea of leaving his cub for any amount of time hurt more than he expected or wanted it to. It hurt more than running into Wukong scared him. “If… you’re fine having me, Pigsy, then I think I could chance working at the Restaurant for a while. Or at least give it a try.”

Macaque could see the way that MK lit up at the idea as he looked at Pigsy who handed the bowl over to Macaque.

“I’d be happy to have you. That being said, you and I will figure out the other thing later. For now, just focus on getting better, you’re safe here in the meantime.”

Macaque gave Pigsy a sad smile before he looked at the soup.

Safe…

He liked the idea of being safe.

#Chirp Au #lego monkie kid fanfic #lego monkie kid #lmk fanfic #Monkiebois #collab au #collab writing

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