#And could upset MK enough to cause some damage

[imminent-danger-came]

So, you know me, I'm a "Wukong knew what MK was the entire time" truther (which truly I just think is fact), and the chances of SWK being honest and telling MK his origins on his own terms just went WAY down with Nuwa being here.

Like, I always figured MK's origins were going to be a big part of next season, and that the reveal was going to be major, I just thought that the scroll was probably going to be the thing to do it—BUT MAYBE NOT. Like, Wukong withholds information. We know this about him, yet he's the one on the main cast who knows the most, and can actually reveal anything. But with Nuwa? Here's a whole other character who has some INFO. She'll know what's going on. Sorry Wukong, you're going to be too late in being open again.

[s-creations]

Broken Fragments Put Together

MK finds that, even with Lady Bone Demon gone, that doesn't mean he gets to forget about everything. Finding that it's hard to look at himself in the mirror now.

Partnered Story to ‘He Took My Place’ and ‘The Cold and Quiet Calm’

Fandom: LEGO Monkie Kid         Rating: General Audience           Relationships: MK&SunWukong, MK&Macaque, Shadowpeach (light)     Warnings/Additional Tags: Strange Transformations, Side Effects, Hurt/Comfort, Keeping Secrets, No one’s having a good day, Macaque’s kind of the acting adult

MK didn’t notice it at first. Probably because his headband was able to hide the start of it. He was too tired in the morning to really pay attention to what was happening. It did become apparent when it started to peek out beyond the thin strip of fabric. MK took it off as quickly as he could when he first saw the change. Moving and parting his hair to see the damage. 

 Starting from the roots, his hair had started to turn white. Not all of it, just some parts. But enough that it stood out in a shocking way. Especially against his naturally deep black hair. Leaning so close to the mirror, MK discovered another surprise. His eyes, a normal warm but dark brown, were now flecked with icy blue. Areas that seemed to shimmer against the dark color. 

 MK felt as if there was a hand around his throat. Finding it hard to breathe as he flattened and shifted his hair. As if that would somehow erase the changes. Eventually turning to ripping the changing hair out. The bathroom sink and floor soon covered with said item. The scalp that had the roots pulled out became deep red and irritated. But he could deal with that. Moving the remainder of his hair in a way to sort of cover up the bald patches. Tying the headband back in place before deciding ‘This was fine!’ and left. 

 He tried to be as casual as possible as he descended the stairs to the shop. Giving a warm greeting upon seeing Tang and Pigsy. The human, who was nose deep in a new book, gave a reply but didn’t look up. Pigsy, on the other hand, paused in his chopping. Eyes instantly narrowing the overly messy hair the teen had. 

 MK wasn’t able to get his question of ‘What?’ out before Pigsy was moving the teen’s head. Frown deepening seeing the bald patches littered over the teen’s scalp. “Kid, you haven’t been making clones again, have you?”

 “What- No! No, just…had a bit of a weird dream last night.” 

 “What dream causes you to lose your hair?” Tang asked, finally looking up from his book. 

 “Uh…a bad one.”

 MK felt himself shrink at the disapproving looks the other two were sending. But neither party moved. So it was dropped. The teen fully thought he’d dodged what was going to become a bigger issue. It was weird to feel air passing over his bare scalp as he did his deliveries. However, MK decided this was the better outcome for what the alternative was. The day ended as a success when, looking back in the mirror, there were still no other strands of white hair. The patches were still painful, but MK decided it was the better outcome.

 Letting out a happy sigh, MK collapsed into his bed and fell asleep. 

 Only for the calm inside to be shattered once more. 

 Eyes wide with fear as MK could only stare back into the mirror the next morning. The patches he’d pulled out the morning before had returned. The same length as they were before, now fully stark white. The flecks of blue in his eyes seemed to have grown overnight as well. As if it was another form of punishment for him to hide away. 

 Taking a deep breath, MK went for another plan. He pulled out his phone and dialed a familiar number. Eyes going back to the mirror as he waited for a reply. 

 “Hey MK, what’s up?”

 “Uh, h-hey Mei, can you do me a favor?”

 “...Sure… You okay? You sound upset.”

 “Um…I’m-” Fine? Going through something? My hair’s turning white and I think that means the Lady Bone Demon is back- “Something weird’s just come up.”

 “Mystic monkey business?”

 “Uh…s-sure. We can go with that.”

 “Okay…so, what’s the favor?”

 “Can you go to the store and grab me some hair dye? Black hair dye, like…like my hair.”

 “...Yeah, I can pick that up. Um, just a box?” 

 “Yeah, just… Well, maybe a few boxes?”

 “Okay, sure, I’ll be over soon.”

 “Okay- Wait! Wait, can you not tell Pigsy about this.”

 “MK, you’re kind of freaking me out.”

 “Please Mei?”

 “...Yeah, yeah okay. I’ll sneak my way in. Leave your window unlocked.” 

 MK exited his bathroom just to do what was asked before locking himself away again. Covering the mirror with a towel before he curled into a corner of the room. Back pressed against the edge of the tub. Making sure not to catch his reflection on his phone screen.

 It was another hour before Mei arrived. MK looked up hearing the window slide open. Followed by the thump of Mei no doubt collapsing into the room, before footsteps drew closer. The locked doorknob jiggled before the door was knocked on. 

 “MK? You in there?” Mei called out.

 “Yeah…” the teen got up and inches closer to the door, “Yeah, I’m in here.”

 “You gonna unlock the door?”

 “...Have you dyed your hair before?”

“Uh, sure have! Pretty skilled at it. Are you planning on pranking someone?” Mei attempted to make the situation a little more lighthearted. 

 “...Please don’t freak out Mei.”

 “...Okay. I won’t.”

 MK let out a deep breath before opening the door, unable to look up. He heard Mei hold back a gasp, coughing when it was halfway out. Unsure if she just choked on the air or was attempting to cover up the previous noise. “Um, hey! You sure you didn’t already use dye? It looks…pretty awesome.”

 “I hate it.” MK said shortly.

 “Then let’s get started! Uh, sit on the edge of the tub. Let’s try and keep this as clean as possible…”

 They fell quiet as Mei started to work. The dragon girl attempted a few times to start a conversation. But MK only offered a few noises as a reply, so the other teen let it drop. Mei was soon wrapping the other teen’s hair up in a plastic bag. Going over to the sink to wash her hands, frowning softly at the towel over the mirror.

 “Why…do you think this happened?”

 “I don’t know.” MK replied weakly.

 “Do you think it has something to do with Lady-”

 “I don’t want to talk about it right now Mei.”

 The dragon girl looked over to MK seeing him hunch over more. Nodding slowly before letting out a sigh. “Okay, we won’t…”

 They waited for the appropriate time, Mei sat on the bed while MK took a shower. Humming softly as she waited for the other to come out. Heart hammering in worry as she heard the water get turned off. Standing up as her nerves got the better of her, waiting on the edge to see if it turned out. The door opened, steam rolled out, and MK emerged. 

 “Oh MK…” Mei said softly. MK’s hair just as it was before. The dye having done nothing to hide the pure white color. “...It doesn’t look that bad.”

 She wrapped her arms around the other teen the moment MK let out a heavy sob. 

 Unsure of what else she could do.

 ______________________

 Wukong was about to snap. 

 It had only been a few days since he’d last seen MK and he had no idea what was going on. The kid wasn’t answering his phone. Even Pigsy and Tang had no clue what was happening. All they were aware of was that MK walked down one morning with bald patches on his head. Claiming it was due to a bad dream and not from making clones, but that was all they knew. MK had locked them out of his life as well. Mei was uncomfortably quiet. But getting her to spill was not going to happen.

 Which left Wukong no choice. 

 “We’re breaking into MK’s room.” Wukong announced to Macaque. Who looked absolutely confused. 

 “Are you sure that’s a smart idea Peaches?”

 “I don’t know what else to do, I’m losing my mind over here! Is he deathly sick? Did he get stuck in a transformation and can’t fix it? …Does he not trust me?”

 “Okay,” Macaque stood up quickly and took Wukong’s hand, having the golden monkey look at him. “Okay, I’m going to need you to take a deep breath for me. You’re overthinking this. MK’s a teenager, maybe it’s a stupid teenage thing. …Those can still be an issue, right?”

 “If it was just that simple, MK would still show up. Just playing it off before an easy solution is found. This is something more, I know it is! I just…I need to see my kid…” Wukong’s shoulders slumped, pressing his forehead into Macaque’s shoulder. 

 The Shadow Warrior gave a sigh before wrapping his arms around the other. “I know you’re worried. But…breaking the kid’s privacy is not the way to do it.”

 “Then what do I do?”

 “I don’t know… How about we wait a few more days for MK to come to us. If that doesn't happen, then we break down the door. After we pay Pigsy back because he’s not going to be happy if we do that.”

 Wukong laughed. Pulling back to kiss Macaque softly. “Okay, my voice of reason.”

 “Huh, never thought I’d be called that.”

 The break finally came at the end of the week. But not from MK, or from Wukong, but from Mei. Wukong was a little confused seeing her id appear on his phone. Answering it with Macaque watching on with a raised brow. 

 “Uh, hey Mei?”

 “MK’s hair is white.”

 “I- What?”

 “His hair is white- well, not full white. It’s like little patches and streaks. But it’s freaking him out because I think this is only happening because of what happened between him and the Lady Bone Demon and-”

 “Mei, please, you need to slow down. MK has white hair and that’s why he’s been locking himself away?”

 “He’s freaking out because he thinks Lady Bone Demon is back and is trying to take him over again. And his eyes have blue in them now and…and I don’t know what to do.”

 “Do you know where MK is now?”

 “His room.”

 “Okay, thanks Mei. Macaque and I will handle this.”

 “OOOOOH! You AND Macaque? Are you two DATING?”

 “Mei…you already knew this.”

 “And it’s hilarious every time I say it.”

 Wukong merely sighed before hanging up, turning towards the Shadow Warrior. “Think you could warp us over to the shop?”

 “You don’t need to tell me twice.”

 Stomach flipping uncomfortably as they traveled, Wukong was thrilled to see the familiar shop around him. Pigsy was at the counter. Looking disgruntled as he cooked. Narrowed eyes turning towards the new arrivals. 

 “Mei call you?” The chef asked. 

 “Yeah. Is MK-”

 “Still up in his room… Tell the kid we’re worried about him, all of us, alright?”

 “Yeah… Can do.” 

 Wukong led the way upstairs towards a familiar room, Macaque close behind. The door separating him from his kid seemed unmovable. Seeming to be a solid slab of stone instead of just a piece of wood. Taking a deep breath, Wukong reached up to knock on the door.

 “I don’t want to talk Mei.” MK called out from inside.

 “Not Mei kid.” Wukong replied back. 

 There was a small gasp heard from inside before MK said, “M-Monkey King? What are you doing here?”

 “I thought we were passed titles MK?” Wukong attempted to sound casual, “Was kind of used to hearing you say ‘dad’.”

 “...Sorry.”

 The golden monkey faltered hearing this. Turning back to Macaque, who merely shrugged, Wukong faced the door once more. “Um, there’s nothing to apologize for. Just… Look, Mei called me. She told me what’s been happening.”

 “W-What! She promised she wouldn’t!”

 “Kid, I think she’s worried about you, like I am. …Can you let me in? I think this conversation would be better if I could see you.”

 “...I don’t want you to.”

 “MK, I’m not going to think less of you.”

 There was a deep sigh before the doorknob turned. Wukong held himself back from both rushing in and letting out a noise of shock. Eyes did widen a bit upon seeing the shocking white hair that stood out harshly against the natural black. The teen gave a small smile when he finally looked up. MK looked exhausted with the dark bags under his eyes, which had shines of blue flashing in the normally warm brown color. 

 “Hey dad…”

 “Oh kid.” Wukong stepped forward, pulling the teen into a tight hug. Relaxing slightly upon finally having his kid back in his arms. “Come on, let's sit down and we can talk.”

 MK nodded, eyes widening slightly seeing Macaque standing not too far behind. “Hi Macaque…”

 “Hey kid.”

 The teen didn’t argue as he was led into his room. Sitting at the edge of his bed with Wukong next to him. Macaque preferred to lean against the wall across from the other two. Which MK was happy for as he didn’t want to feel crowded at that moment. 

 “Alright MK, what’s going on?”

 “...I have white hair.” 

 “Mhm, can see that. But I doubt that’s the end of the issues here. Mei said something about the Lady Bone Demon.”

 “...I was scared that she was coming back. I thought…I thought she was coming back through me and that…she was going to possess me again. And all I can think about is going back to…that void. That place of absolute nothingness, of just bone deep cold, where I couldn’t find my way out, and that I could hurt my friends again and-”

 “MK, I need you to breathe.” 

 Feeling the hand gently placed on his back, MK quickly turned to wrap his arms around Wukong. Who immediately pulled the teen closer. Pressing his cheek against MK’s forehead. The teen calmed feeling the warmth, the sturdy hold keeping him grounded, smiling weakly smelling the hint of peaches. “I don’t want to go back.”

 “And you’re not going to. She’s gone, for good, you know she is.”

 “I know…but seeing this and my eyes… It was just so strange and different. I know it wasn’t monkey related so…she’s what I landed on.” MK took a shaky breath as he pressed closer. Shutting his eyes to just focus on the other. “It reminds me…of her…of what she made me do. I was doing fine for a while. Then…Then this happened and it feels like I can’t escape her. I hate looking at myself now…”

 Wukong’s mouth opened, only to pause when Macaque walked forward. The Shadow Warrior kneels down, placing a hand on MK’s knee to draw the teen’s attention to him. Giving a huff, Macaque closes his eyes, letting a number of his glamours down. MK let out a small gasp seeing the right side of Macaque was pure white. Not patches, full on white. His six ears appeared as well, a nasty scar over the black furred right eye that stood out harshly against this normally smooth skin. 

 “You…” MK swallowed weakly, unable to get another sound out. 

 “I know what it’s like, more than I’d like to admit. I’m still not comfortable looking at my true self and having other people see these changes… It all makes my skin crawl.” Macaque’s good eye flickered up to Wukong, who looked upset, knowing it was about the damaged eye. The golden monkey leaned into the touch as the Shadow Warrior’s hand cupped his cheek. “But…it helps to have people on your side. That you know that they care for you and won’t judge you no matter how you look. It’s…scary letting your defenses down. It’s worth it though.”

 “It’s true. Personally, I love your natural ears.” Wukong cooed, reaching out to scratch behind them. MK laughed when Macaque actually purred from the contact.

 “Peaches, really? This was supposed to be heartfelt!”

 “It still works, I'm just happy to see them!” 

 “Why do you keep ruining everything.”

 “I do not, how dare you!”

 MK couldn’t help but break out into full laughter, falling back onto the bed as he held his sides. Tears started to flow, unable to stop as he curled on his side. 

 “See, you broke the kid. I hope you’re happy Wukong.”

 “Don’t even put this on me. How dare you.”

 “Wait, wait!” MK called out, taking deep breaths to calm himself down. “Wait, please, I can’t take it. You’re both acting like a married couple.” 

 “Married couple, huh? Guess that means…” MK let out a small noise of surprise as he was suddenly picked up. Laughing again as he was cradled in Wukong’s arms. Who was puffed up proudly. “You count as our kid.”

 Macaque laughed at this as well, but stood and ruffled MK’s hair. “Huh, I feel like we’re missing a few years, but whatever. Definitely has my hair!”

 “A mix of our eyes.”

 “Your stubbornness, Peaches.”

 “Got your over-dramatic nature, My Shadow.”

 “Dad and dad, don’t start fighting.” MK said, placing his hands on the other’s faces, pushing against them. 

 “Kid, don’t get between us.”

 “Yes, we’re picking out which qualities were passed onto you and from whom.”

 “You’re both being so weird!”

 It was scary when MK decided to tell the rest what was happening. But it helped that Wukong and Macaque stayed at his side. Mei nodded in determination and a smile to show her support. The rest took the news differently, but didn’t freak out as MK was worried about. 

 Pigsy and Tang merely asked that, please, the next time something like this happens to just tell everyone what was wrong. The chef even grumbled that he was being pushed closer to the grave with these antics. Sandy merely nodded and patted the teen’s head. Giving thanks for feeling close enough that the teen trusted him with this information and that it was good for MK to let this out. Mei merely gave a smile and thumbs up. Redson huffed at this information, as if this meeting wasn’t necessary. But added before leaving that he knew MK was strong enough to keep the Lady Bone Demon away if she ever dared to come back. Whispering that he needed to talk to his parents to see if there was a way to get rid of the changes. If MK really wanted it. 

 MK looked up feeling someone push his shoulder gently. Looking up to Macaque, who smirked back. “See? Nothing to worry about. It’ll be fine.”

 The teen smiled back. Happily accepting another hug from Wukong. 

 “Yeah…it’ll be fine.”

[skellebonez]

okay i know you probably have lots of prompts already but. listen; 28 and 41 with my Phantom Thief MK AU (well its more of a phantom thief everyone au but yeah)

So I maaaaay have been a smidgen inspired by one very specific post you made about this AU and Sun Wukong's first successful heist... I couldn't resist, it was just too funny.

You call this luck? No, this is all skill./Can you teach me how to do that?

"Can you teach me how to do that?"

The question wasn't an unusual one between the two of them. MK had asked this of Sun Wukong on more than one occasion as successor to the Monkey King as the Monkie Kid himself.

No, what was unusual was that the question came from the opposite person.

"Teach you... what, exactly?" MK asked, trying not to feel too smug about the swap in roles between mentor and apprentice. After all...

Someone had to teach Sun Wukong the finer points of Phantom Thievery.

"You know what," Wukong said with a half scowl, gesturing to way that his student (or, for the moment now that the question was asked, his teacher) was rolling an large pendant between his fingers. "Not the... you know, what you're doing now, but what you did with the pendant on your last heist where you threw it at a guard and it kind cracked in the middle with the smoke and light and stuff."

"OH," MK laughed out, tossing up and catching the coin in his opposite hand. "That's not really a trick or anything, just some incredibly strong flash paper, and other stuff, that's activated when you open it the right way."

In demonstration the young Phantom Thief did something in the way he held the pendant and one end slipped up with a soft cracking sound. Then he did something else and it open like a clam shell. He held it out to the elder, letting him see the inner workings and how it had latches and some kind of folding wall between the two sides.

"Opening it causes a chemical reaction between the two compartments. The real trick is getting everything inside without accidentally activating it on yourself, practicing the opening motion, knowing when to open it, and aiming it just so that it blinds your target at just the right moment. You know, this is probably just the right time to teach you how to use lines to keep this stuff in your sleeves and retract them too! So..."

As MK launched into a lengthy explanation on how this particular bit of his Phantom Thievery repertoire worked he failed to notice the slowly growing smirk on the Monkey King's face.

~

"What, uh... what ya got there?" MK asked, very obviously trying to keep an impassive and non-judgemental expression. And failing.

"... smoothies," Wukong answered, absolutely not hiding what he was holding in his tail behind his back as he offered one of the two drinks in his hands to the younger.

It was a poor attempt at lying, which was odd because MK knew that Sun Wukong was pretty good at lying. He had managed to convince the other that he had no idea his successor was a phantom thief for so long after all. But why in the world he seemed to be hiding a... pillow of some sort behind his back was anyone's guess.

"Why'd you bring smoothies?" He chanced asking instead, and he watched as the other's face lit up in pure victory and jubilation.

"They're victory smoothies, Bud!" Wukong exclaimed, shoving one at MK until he took it from the other. "I just completed my first successful heist! And I did pretty well, if I do say so myself." The Monkey King smirked, puffing out his chest in a show of confidence as he took a sip of what was obviously a peach smoothie. "Oh yeah, tastes like a job well done."

"Really!?" MK exclaimed, his own pride welling up knowing that he had a hand in this since he was the other's mentor in thievery. He'd told the other to start small, something that would be missed but not something that would gather immediate attention from the whole city just in case something went wrong. "That's great! What did you steal?"

"I'm not telling."

This made the younger pause, raising a brow as the elder not so subtly tossed the pillow into a nearby bush.

"... should I be concerned?" MK asked, knowing that with Wukong's reputation... he may have bitten off far more than he could chew. This was the immortal who went on a spree through Heaven that ended up with him eating a ton of immortality peaches, drinking immortality alcohol, and taking immortality pills. Among other things.

"No way!" Wukong assured, chugging more and more of his smoothie with seemingly no regard for the possibility of brain freeze. "Trust me, bud, this went off without a hitch. You have nothing to worry about."

~

Those words came back to to bite Sun Wukong in the ass.

Or, rather, they came back to throw Sun Wukong through MK's window at "way too early for this o'clock" in the morning right after he had finished sleepily getting ready for another day at work and accidentally nodded back off on his bed.

The weight of an immortal stone monkey slamming into you was much more effective than any alarm clock he'd ever used before.

"WHATWHOWHERE!?" MK wheezed out once the Monkey King climbed off him, looking around in confusion until his eyes finally fell on a third party in the room. "M-Macaque!?"

"Where's my couch you wanna be Phantom Thief!?" Macaque yelled, completely ignoring the person who's house he had just inadvertently broken into. He brushed bits and pieces of broken glass and window frame out of his fur with a scowl of anger. "I actually paid for that."

"You really think I would tell you where I stashed it?" Wukong snarked back, smirking wide as he crossed his arms. "A Phantom Thief never reveals the location of their treasure trove to their marks."

"Wait wait wait-" MK said, holding up his hands and finally grabbing the attention of the two fighting immortal monkeys. "You just crashed through my window... because... You were his first heist mark... and Monkey King's first successful heist was your couch?"

"Got it in one, Bud!" Wukong said with a laugh, not seeming to care that Macaque was slowly stewing in more and more anger and frustration. "I wouldn't have even been noticed if he hadn't come home part way through either, he's normally out later than that."

"You sent me a calling card you dumb ass!" Macaque yelled, falling into a fighting stance. "Just because you got lucky enough to get away last time-"

"You call this luck?" Wukong yelled back with a laugh, smirking as he pulled something out of his sleeve and tossed it at Macaque. "No, this is all skill!"

MK barely had time to register what happened before Wukong grabbed him and covered his eyes and a tiny explosion and a pained yelp sounded behind them as they jumped out his broken window.

"SUN WUKONG YOU GET BACK HERE BEFORE I CAN SEE AGAIN OR ELSE!" Macaque yelled, right before another pained yelp was heard. "Holy shit, Kid, why do you have so much stuff on your floor, who lives like this, I can't even WALK in here!"

MK never got to answer or be offended at the immortal before he was tossed over Wukong's shoulder as he made a break for it running through alleyways at breakneck speed before Pigsy's Noodles was no longer even in sight.

They stopped eventually, the immortal monkey putting MK down before looking around to make sure they hadn't been tailed by the other immortal. After a couple minutes it was clear that Macaque had either not followed him due to the blinding effects of the flash paper or had not been able to catch their trail. The two of them each breathed a sigh or relief, looked at each other...

And immediately burst into laughter.

They couldn't help it! It was just... so ridiculous! All that over a heisted couch. Pigsy was sure to be upset at the damage to MK's apartment but given Mystic Monkey Business and all he was certain that the fact it was only a broken window this time would be a decent balm on the damage.

"Macaque is going to get you back for this," MK managed to get out through laughs. "We lost him and now he's going to find another way to get you back, I know it."

"What's he gonna do, steal my couch?"

~

"HE STOLE. MY COUCH."

"How'd he even get to the mountain?"

"HE. STOLE. MY. COUCH!"

"I think you're missing the bigger issue he-"

"HESTOLEMYCOUCH!"

"I KNOW STOP YELLING!"

MK slapped a hand over Wukong's mouth, only barely cutting off and muffling the scream of disbelief and frustration that the Monkey King let out at the state of things.

"Why are you focused on the fact that Macaque stole your couch and not the fact that he somehow got into the part of Mount Huaguo that we have to let someone into, BROKE INTO YOUR HOUSE. and for some reason he ONLY stole your couch?"

"Oh, he's broken in before," Wukong answered once he pried MK's hand away from his face. "But I can't believe that asshole! I stole his couch as a joke, stealing mine back is just petty."

"What do you mean he's broken in before?" MK continued, voice tense and high and totally not at all feeling suddenly very anxious about this new knowledge. "Macaque's just been able to come and go as he pleases this whole time?"

"Yeah, kinda. Not exactly as he pleases but he can just come in I guess."

"These are the kinds of things you need to tell your student- I thought we talked about proper communication as one of our first lessons!"

"... oops?"

~

"When did you get a new couch?" Red Son asked with a raised brow, watching as the immortal monkey lounging on it swished his tail back and forth in contentment.

"Heisted it," Macaque answered with a smirk. "Totally worth it. But next time I'm stealing Peach's tv too, this is so comfy I could use some proper entertainment."

"YOU STOLE SUN WUKONG'S COUCH???"

[inkweaver22-blr]

Welcome to chapter nine! This one was meant to just be another filler with one of my own AU’s, but Tang just had to be introspective and have a moment of character growth. Hope you enjoy!

EDIT: This chapter has been edited to include some new info dropped on the same day I originally posted this! More info in the End Notes!

AO3 Link

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Scattered Cicadas - Chapter Nine: Rocks and Roles

Tang knows how to act. That doesn't mean he likes to play every part.

----------

Tang liked to think of himself as a decent actor, at least back in the original timeline. He had been part of the theater class in high school and telling stories required a bit of a dramatic flair if you wanted to keep your audience entertained. Convincing Pigsy he was a popular food critic hadn’t been too hard back then.

The many cycles he had been through had certainly helped polish his skill into a genuine talent. That one time where he and everyone else had been professional actors playing the roles of themselves from the original timeline as part of a show had especially allowed him to hone himself to a greater degree than before.

Being stuck jumping through time had practically made it a necessity.

It wasn’t that Tang enjoyed what was essentially lying to his family. It was more for their protection. He had almost broken the “No Interference” rule a few times when he hadn’t properly reacted to events that, while shocking or upsetting to his family, were simply part of his routine by now. He couldn’t allow the repetitive nature of the cycles to make him slip up and potentially cause more harm by being confronted by his lack of surprise or fear.

So he acted. He gasped at all the right moments or screamed in fear when in danger. Every laugh, every sigh of exasperation, every freak out over something related to Wukong was perfectly performed so as to not to raise suspicion. So long as the proper reaction occurred in response to the correct effect, everything went smoothly.

It wasn’t too hard or taxing as he never needed to fake his enjoyment of being around his family. Luckily for him, he also didn’t have to act exactly as he had been in the original timeline, or he may have gone insane from the monotony of it.

The cycles where his background was entirely rewritten were blessings in disguise, really. They were new. Fresh experiences for Tang to have and not have to work as hard to realistically react to.

He treated them like a method acting exercise. The new memories as part of Tang’s new backstory was the motivation for the ‘character’ he was playing. He didn’t have to fully adhere to them, but they certainly helped him play the role provided to him for the cycle.

He still disliked playing the villain however.

It happened a few times before already. The most notable had been when Zhu Bajie was in the role of Sun Wukong as MK’s mentor.

Tang shuddered at the memory of that timeline.

Saying that version of him had been unhinged was severely downplaying the many atrocities he had performed on both himself and others. Committing suicide to erase his name from the books of the dead, killing demons to absorb their lifeforce, and cutting open his own chest to manually insert the gem holding that lifeforce into himself for power were simply the tamer actions he had committed.

He supposed that heartbreak, jealousy, and internalized insecurities could drive even the most benign people to madness so long as they properly justified their actions to themselves.

It had been the first time in quite a while that Tang seriously considered intentionally breaking the interference rule and just running off to live in solitude for the entire cycle. Getting “redeemed” had been one of the most difficult things he had tried to pull off.

Tang dodged a swipe from the Monkey King’s staff as he was brought back into the present.

He was the villain once again this cycle. Luckily though, he was much less of a threat to his family this time around.

He was replacing Red Son as the demon child of Demon Bull King and Princess Iron Fan.

Tang, Son of the Earth.

He wasn’t the only one who was switched around. Pigsy, who went by Bajie, was a human who had become Wukong’s successor. MK was a boar demon who ran the noodle shop. Red Son was a scientist and engineer who frequented the restaurant.

It was almost an opposite reflection of the cycle he had just been musing about.

“You’ll have to do better than that, noodle boy,” Tang taunted as he swung his arms to pull chunks of stone from the ground, his hands and the Earth he controlled both glowing with a golden-yellow light.

He supposed that it made sense for him to have some sort of elemental power if he was this timeline’s Red Son. Earth fit as he had certainly mellowed out over the course of the cycles, becoming more focused and self assured. His original self would have most certainly been associated with air with how flighty he had been.

Tang made sure to keep his full concentration as he attacked Bajie. Earth may be the element of the sturdy, but it had the potential to be much more volatile than fire. It was easy to let loose and cause a catastrophic earthquake. It took precision to control smaller pieces of rock without causing too much collateral damage.

Bajie batted away the earthen projectiles with ease and rushed into an opening Tang had intentionally left. He had to do his best to not rely on the fighting skills he had from previous cycles and use only what his memories knew when playing a villain. Otherwise he’d easily beat the fledgling hero and that certainly would be treated as interfering.

Tang winced as the staff connected with his ribs and sent him flying. He coughed as he pulled himself up, holding his injured side as he glared at the now smirking Bajie.

“How’s that for better!”

“This isn’t over,” Tang cried out dramatically. He activated his powers, this time summoning a whirlwind of sand to teleport away.

Another scene as the villain successfully played out.

----------

Tang sat in his workshop, calculating the specific size of a rune circle he would need.

It seemed that similarly to how Red Son was a genius that incorporated magic into science, this version of Tang was one who incorporated science into magic. Not a big distinction, but important in how the process worked. It still took an impressive amount of knowledge on both subjects to work them together in the end.

Setting his pen down to take a break, Tang looked around as he stretched. He caught his reflection in a nearby piece of metal machinery he had been fiddling with and examined himself once again.

He didn’t look too different from his human self, his face remaining the same. His hair was now a dark brown with yellow highlights and his glasses were much smaller. The biggest difference were the bull horns sticking out of the side of his head.

He didn’t mind them too much, but having to give up any pull over shirt for button downs was a hassle.

Looking at his horns lead the demon scholar to think about his parents in this timeline.

Demon Bull King and Princess Iron Fan.

Tang frowned as he recalled the less than comforting welcome he had received after returning from his defeat. The disapproving dismissal from his father and scathing taunts from his mother had been demoralizing. It would have hurt more if he hadn't had the years of time jumping behind him.

If this was how Red Son was commonly treated, it was no wonder he worked hard in everything he did just to gain a scrap of approval and praise.

And yet he knew they loved each other. The moments he noticed didn’t happen often, but he could tell that his parents held some affection for him, and he obviously cared for them. He just didn’t understand why they acted so cruelly to one another.

Was it a demon thing? Were they afraid that by showing their love they were showing weakness?

That was certainly possible, but Tang disagreed with the sentiment. He had been through enough cycles to see that love made one stronger. It wasn’t the weakness their enemies thought it was.

Tang was already planning on becoming redeemed in this cycle. It hurt to think his parents would disown him, but what if that didn’t have to happen?

He thought about that one specific cycle and how he had become so twisted. All of it could have been avoided had his past self simply let go of his long held beliefs and went with Bajie.

Now he just had to make two powerful demons do just that.

Tang was an amazing actor.

He also had many years of watching the people around him and knew most of them almost better than they knew themselves.

His current parents were no exception.

He could see the potential for a loving and healthy family, buried just beneath the surface.

It would take some work, but he was sure he could unearth it and polish that potential until it shined.

With renewed energy, Tang pulled out a blank scroll and began planning.

He had a family to save.

----------

Welcome to what I’m calling the Noodle Swap AU! It is named that way because the only change is that the pairs that make up the two most popular noodle ships (SpicyNoodles and FreeNoodles) swap places!

Shout out to @winterpower98 for their amazing Actor AU and Dad Swap AU mentioned in this chapter! Go check them out!

Yes, yes, I know I’ve basically made Tang here Terra from Teen Titans. Most people would give him Air as an element, but 1) we already have an Air user in Princess Iron Fan and 2) Tang has changed quite a bit since the start of this Time Hopping experience, as he states himself in the chapter.

I do genuinely believe there’s a loving family hidden somewhere underneath all the cruelty the DBK crew throw at each other. It’s already been hinted that Red Son will get a redemption arc in the show, but I want one for his parents too.

That’s all for now! See you in the next chapter!

:IMPORTANT EDIT!!!!:

There's been a few paragraphs changed and added to include the new canon lore for Tang in the Dad Swap AU! Go check out @kitkat1003's absolutely ASTOUNDING work, When the Tide Pulls Away and the Earth Sharpens to Steel! It is INCREDIBLE and if it was finished, you'd absolutely know there would be an entire chapter dedicated to it here.

[skellebonez]

19 with Tang and pre-relationship Spicynoodleshipping?

I knew who I wanted to say this, but not exactly how. And then it hit me and I knew exactly what to write.

“He’s always done his best to keep your hands clean, keep that innocence intact.”

“So... that’s everything Mr. Tang,” MK trailed off, resting his head on his knees  from his curled up position at the head of his bed. “I’ve got it bad, huh?”

“I would definitely say so,” Tang said with a frown, sitting on the end of the bed and gently nudging MK’s head with a not too warm cup. “Here. You could probably use this.”

MK uncurled himself, taking the cup and breathing in the small amount of steam with a smile. It was flowery and light and he couldn’t quite place exactly what it was supposed to be. “What is this? I don’t have any herbal teas.”

“That’s because it’s my own blend, Albizia flower tea and a few other things mixed in,” Tang explained. “Pigsy let me use the kitchen to mix it earlier today. It helps me sleep.”

“You’re not, you know... mad?” MK asked, humming at the mishmash of flavor. There was something oddly fruity in it and a bitter aftertaste. It wasn’t something he would normally choose to drink, and the odd combination would take some getting used to, but it was good.

“MK, I would never be mad at you for having a crush on someone,” Tang ruffled his hair gently with a chuckle. “Deeply concerned over you getting a crush on the demon who, apparently up until three months ago, would have fought you to the death! So so very deeply concerned... But not mad.”

He couldn’t help it, MK cringed a bit at Tang’s words despite knowing that he meant nothing bad by it. “Red Son just... I don’t know, he’s been different ever since the whole WBS thing. He isn’t trying to hurt anymore anymore? Not like he really did that before, but it’s like every time we see him it’s the day he woke up and decided ‘I think I will cause problems on purpose’.” He chuckled, unable to help the flush in his cheeks. “Last week he showed up to steal something from that trade show and ended up... trading one liners that almost sounded like we were flirting and dance-fighting with me for some reason? We didn’t even realize we were doing it at first and he just got embarrassed and ran off.” He pouted. “Mei thinks we’re both being dumb but won’t tell me what that means.”

Tang hummed to himself, nodding as if he had come to some kind of conclusion. “Well MK, this is your life and it’s your choice to make,” Tang stood and stretched out, smiling at him as he made his way to his window. “Just... promise me you won’t rush into anything?”

“I won’t, but uh... why are you going through my window?”

“Oh, I just forgot my key and don’t want you to have to follow me out to lock up behind me,” Tang brushed the question off, rushing onto the fire escape and shutting the window behind him before MK could question him again. He made his way down to the second landing before... “OK, Red, get your ass out here. We need to talk too.”

“HOW-!?” Red Son snapped from the third landing right below him, stopping himself and whisper yelling as he made his way up the stairs. “How did you know I was here!?” Hie hair was sparking, face a picture of annoyance and embarrassment at allowing himself to snap so easily.

“Yeah, your hair is kind of a dead give away even in the dark. Maybe don’t try to hide yourself just outside a window to eavesdrop on a conversation when someone is facing said window,” Tang allowed himself a smirk, watching in great amusement as the sparking hair grew more vibrant. MK was right about one thing, Red Son was different. The Red Son that had captured them at the weather station all those months ago would not be shaking in effort to not yell or attack him. “And MK might not know what you’re doing, but I do. You’ve been trying to court him for at least the last two months now, haven’t you?”

“Wha-bu-how did!?” Red sputtered, his hair flickering in tandem with his words. “NO! Yes! Maybe! That’s none of your business Scholar!”

“Tang.”

“Wha?”

“My name is Tang, but you’d do well to call me Mr. Tang,” he explained, moving closer to the fire demon.

“I know your name,” Red Son bit back at him in a haughty tone, crossing his arms. “I just don’t care enough for you to bother using it, Scholar. But I know that Noodle Boy cares enough for you himself that I can’t do anything to you without upsetting him. He’s always done his best to keep your hands clean, keep that innocence intact.”

“Ha!” Tang couldn’t help but laugh at that, and continue laughing, covering his mouth to keep MK from hearing him. “Innocence! Oh, that! HA! That’s a good one.” He stopped, smile still wide as he began marching forward the rest of the distance of the landing and stopped right in front of the shorter but more powerful being. “No, if anyone here is getting their hands kept clean it is MK. I am nowhere near above getting my hands dirty again to protect him if you fuck up and you should not underestimate the human capability to enact vengeance. Understood?”

Red Son couldn’t help but lean back with a whine. Tang’s smile looked sweet and innocent but his words and the feeling he got from the human did not in any way shape or form and if Red didn’t know any better he would say this scholar had some kind of connection to the celestial beings themselves. “U-understood?”

“...Great!” The feeling Tang gave off changed immediately, no longer threatening and almost blindingly cheerful and normal again and that was slightly terrifying. “Now, a few tips here. Try to cause less property damage, that would help out MK a lot, he loves it when people gift him art supplies but try to go for the more mid range stuff so he doesn’t feel guilty accepting gifts, he’d probably just say yes if you asked him already, and if Pigsy catches you out here I won’t be able to save you. OK? Ok! Buh-bye!”

And with that Tang made his way down the rest of the fire escape without a care in the world, leaving Red Son to stand there and wonder... “What... the fuck just happened?”