#pigsy was having a moment and nobody's talking about it? | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

janetbrown711 · 24 days ago

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Songbirds in the City Air (i'm not gonna make it)

Prologue

Zhu Li Na was forced into servitude for her cruel step-mother and step-sisters since she was nine years old, and she craves nothing more than a night away from all of them. When an invite from the royal palace comes saying all eligible women are invited to the palace's New Years ball to meet the Princess Xiuying, she can't help but think that maybe this could be her moment.

AKA the cinderella au for my freenoodles fankid, Li Na, that literally nobody asked for

Prologue Chapter 1

Ao3 Link

Li Na laid resting with her head on her older brother’s lap, the latter combing his fingers through her hair and the former messing with the fabric of his robe. It was a quiet day on their farm, everyone moving around with hushed voices and next to silent footsteps so as not to disturb the little family of four, soon to be three– though of course Li Na didn’t like thinking about that. Frankly, no one did, but as the days passed and Pigsy only got worse and worse, everyone knew it was only a matter of time.

It almost made Li Na furious. The doctor had lied and the medicine water hadn’t worked and now her dad was– it wasn’t right! However, the flame of her anger turned into waves of sorrow and she kept her head low on her brother’s lap. She prayed this could be over like a bad dream and she could wake up with her dad just as happy as he was three weeks before.

MK used to promise her their dad would get better, but now he’s silent. He still rubbed her ears and stroked her hair, but the silence almost made her burst out into sobs. It was never this quiet around home. She was right, this was all backward, it wasn’t fair– but it was going to happen anyways. Now, the entire farm held its breath and waited.

“Li Na..?”

The girl sat up and looked at her baba standing by the hallway. His smile was so soft, but tired, and his eyes were puffy and red. He held out his hand for her, but Li Na almost wanted to keep laying here, thinking if she stayed away, this moment would never end and her dad would keep living.

MK rubbed her back encouragingly. His eyes were red and puffy too. He still didn't talk, but she could practically hear him telling her to breathe and that it'll all be okay. She hardly believed him, but got off the bench anyway, taking her baba's hand as he led her back into their bedroom, stroking her hand with his thumb the entire way there.

They stopped right before opening the door. When Li Na looked up at Tang, he looked like he was going to cry again, but instead forced a smile.

“I'll be waiting right here, okay? All you have to do is say the word and I'll be right there,” he squeezed her hand.

Li Na nodded.

“Alright. He's ready for you,” Tang kissed her head and opened the door for her, and so the eight-year-old slowly crept in.

Immediately, the girl noticed the heavy aura of the room. It was absolutely spotless for once, which Li Na was smart enough to know it hadn't been in quite some time. In fact, the only remaining signs of struggle and disease were a bowl with a rag soaking to help cool her dad– her dad.

He was laying in the middle of the bed, numerous pillows from all over the house propping him upright. He was pale– too pale– and had lost a lot of weight, his eyes looking sunken with dark circles. However, when he glanced at her, they lit up, and he smiled.

“Hey there, bao bei,” he croaked, and Li Na instantly ran and jumped up on the bed, giving him the tightest hug she could manage, already crying.

Pigsy wrapped his arms around her as best he could and kissed her head. “I've missed you.”

“Please don't go, dadsy– I don't want you to go,” Li Na pleaded, nuzzling her face in his chest.

“Oh, kiddo… you're so brave and strong…”

“I don't wanna be brave and strong, I-I want you,” Li Na cried.

Pigsy smiled sadly. “My little bao bei, I’ll always be with you.”

“S’not the same, I-I-I've missed you so much, Dadsy– please don't go,” she begged with all her might.

“Li Na, I know it’s hard… but you’ll be okay. Your baba and MK will take care of you,” Pigsy urged, stroking her hair lightly.

“I don’t care! I want you,” Li Na shook her head furiously. “I hate this! W-why didn’t the medicine work? It’s not fair, dadsy, it’s not fair.”

Pigsy sighed weakly. “I know, bao bei, it’s not. I’m sorry… I wish it was, I swear I do…”

Li Na hugged her dad tighter. “It’s too quiet without you and baba laughing all the time. I hate it here.”

“I know… but I promise you your baba’s laugh will come back one day… and you and MK will be able to laugh with ‘im too, just like old times,” Pigsy chuckled, but Li Na shook her head again.

“No, I won’t– I’ll never laugh again if you leave us, I won’t, I won’t, I won’t.”

“You will, Li Na. I know you will. You’ll find happiness after I’m gone, I promise,” Pigsy placed a weak hand on her cheek.

Li Na pressed her dad’s hand closer. “I don’ wanna be happy when you’re gone.”

Her dad chuckled again. “‘Fraid you don’t get a choice, kiddo. Good things will happen whether you want ‘em or not.”

Li Na looked away from her dad, quickly readjusting herself so her dad’s arm was wrapped around her and she was snuggled next to his chest. “How–... how do you know that?”

Pigsy kissed the top of her head once more. “I know that because… despite everything… you’ll still be the same sweet and kind girl you are now.”

“What if I’d rather be mean and bitter?” Li Na asked, bring his arm tighter around her.

“You won’t, you’re too good– like your baba and brother,” Pigsy stroked her arm with his thumb.

Li Na went quiet, tears still streaming, but completely out of words. Despite everything, it was good to snuggle with her dad one more time, so instead of talking she worked to memorize the feeling as best she could. She memorized how warm his skin was against hers, how soft his cotton robe was, how it felt for him to breathe normally, how his thumb stroked her hands, how she could feel him relax when her tears lessened, and how he shook with the effort to express his love. She embraced it all, pressing it deep in her mind so that she’d never, ever lose this feeling.

Her dad was quiet too, except for the occasional harsh breath and weak cough. It scared Li Na every time, but she would just hold her dad’s hand with both of hers and squeeze tight, and when the coughing fit was done, he’d squeeze right back. It made her cry harder, thinking about all the pain he was in and then how he wouldn’t be in pain soon but only because he’d be gone, and then–

“It’s just… it's not fair,” Li Na croaked.

“I know, kiddo… I’m so sorry,” Pigsy apologized and Li Na leapt up to hug him again.

“I-I’m gonna miss you.”

“I’ll miss you too, bao bei.”

“...You promise not to go to the spirit realm too soon..?”

“I'll always be with you, kiddo. I promise.”

Li Na slowly nodded, sitting upright and wiping her face with her sleeve. Her dad instantly tried moving his arm up to her cheek, which Li Na helped him with.

“I love you, Li Na.” Her dad smiled, tears of his own streaking down.

“I love you too, dadsy.” Li Na tried her best not to break again, though she certainly leaned into his touch as best she could, trying to memorize this feeling too.

It was quiet again for a minute, before her father slowly croaked, “C-could you get… your baba and MK for me, sweetie?”

Li Na nodded and hopped off the bed, opening the door for Tang. He didn't hesitate to burst in, meanwhile the girl lingered at the door.

“Honey? What is it? How are you feeling?” Tang rushed to his husband’s bedside and grabbed his hand, kissing it twice and stroking his forehead.

“Get MK, please?” The demon asked.

“Of course. I'll be right back,” Tang bent to kiss his husband's head before running and calling for MK.

While he did, Li Na slowly made her way back onto the bed to hold her dad’s hand again, which made him smile ever so slightly.

“So sweet… so kind, my Li Na…” he whispered.

Li Na kept her eyes low. “Thank you, dadsy… I-... I won't change that, I promise.”

“That's my girl.” His smile grew when MK and Tang returned.

“Dad, You– you said you needed me?” MK asked, hand going to the demon’s shoulder.

Pigsy’s eyes could barely stay open at this point, but he looked at MK with quiet relief. “Son… I’m so proud of you…”

MK stepped closer. “I-I know, dad, you told me earlier–”

“I love you, son.”

“I love you too, dad,” MK assured, squeezing Pigsy’s shoulder tight.

Pigsy’s eyes wandered to his left, where Tang was now standing. “Tang…”

“I’m right here, Pigsy, I’m right here,” Tang held onto Pigsy’s other hand.

“I love you too, Tangy,” the demon said.

“I-I love you too, Pigsy.” Tang sniffled before kissing his forehead, allowing Pigsy to finally close his eyes.

“I’m lucky… I love you all… m’so lucky…” His voice grew even quieter.

“W-we’re lucky to have you, Pigsy,” Tang insisted, laughing and crying harder.

“M’lucky… love you…”

Tang didn’t say anything back this time, just kissing his cheek long and soft, while time slowly but surely came to a stop.

The first thing Li Na noticed was her father letting go of her hand. The second was how his shoulders sagged, his head rolling back ever-so-slightly. The third was when Tang pulled away, her dad’s smile didn’t grow like it always did, his face completely still. The fourth was that his chest exhaled and stayed, and stayed, and stayed. The fifth was that his chest never rose back.

“No… no– dad– dad wait– stop! No– please– I’m not ready– Dadsy please!” Li Na begged, going to shake her dad’s shoulders, before she felt a pair of arms wrap around her midsection and pull her away.

“Let me go! Let me go! Dadsy!” Li Na shrieked, kicking and flailing but never once looking away from Pigsy, whom her baba was now draped against and sobbing on. Whoever was holding her had a strong grip though, as even with her clawing and scratching and shrieking and kicking, they managed to hold strong and drag her into the hallway. She protested even stronger out there, shrieking and shrieking and kicking and wailing and hitting the arms holding her back until the futility of it crashed over her and she broke down.

The person holding her sank to their knees instantly, quickly wrapping her in a hug, and– MK– MK hugged her tight before letting out a loud sob of his own. Li Na collapsed in his arms, trying to hug him but every inch of her body ached and burned with emptiness. Thankfully her brother was stronger than her, hugging and holding her close and tight, like he was afraid to let go.

Li Na hoped he never did.

Li Na’s whole body shook and shuddered until she suddenly felt another pair of arms wrap around her and MK– Baba…

“I-It’ll be okay, you two… one day, it’ll be okay, I promise,” he croaked, kissing both MK and Li Na’s heads before he squeezed them tighter.

Li Na couldn’t disagree more. She had so many things she still wanted to do and say to him, but now she can’t and it just– it hurt, it hurt so bad, and—

Pigsy was dead, and nothing was going to change that.

.o0o.

Her dad ended up being right, Li Na didn't like being mean. It wasn't like she didn't try, she wanted to hate all the doctors and medical scholars that stopped by the farm or she saw in the village, but she just couldn't do it. She knew they tried their best, but it just wasn't good enough. After all, she could've done and said more, but she wasn't enough either, so…

Tang made sure the funeral was held on the most auspicious day possible, and found the best monks and scholars for the procession and rituals. Li Na clung to his side whenever she could, but when he was busy, she was immediately glued to MK. The funeral was beautiful with white everywhere, and with beautiful music. It was quiet, like it had been before, but now it seemed like even heaven and earth were mourning, as even the plants and animals hung their heads low in respect. It was too dreary for spring, but her baba said it wouldn’t last forever.

He was right too, in a way. It took weeks, but eventually the flowers started blooming and the chickens started clucking, and the ducks started quacking. But… still. It was more muted than before, like it was covered in mist and haze.

It didn’t help that with her dad gone, Tang had to run the place, and while he certainly tried his best, Pigsy had always been more suited for managing it all– especially the rougher seasons. While her baba never said anything, Li Na knew money was tight, evident by the shrinking meals and struggling staff and the chicken coop never getting repaired.

She couldn’t cling to her baba as much during those days, but MK wasn’t much better. There was something weird with him– this kind of energy he couldn’t seem to shake. He was on high alert at all times, constantly observing the area around him and going out back to practice with his old wooden sword from ages ago. Sometimes Li Na would watch as he slashed and hacked away at the target, but other times it was just too much and she’d rather find her baba.

She hated being alone. If her baba or MK weren’t in her line of sight, an uneasy feeling would start consuming her until she’d suddenly burst into unstoppable tears that none of the staff could fix. She could only be soothed by MK or Tang picking her up and hugging her tight, and she’d fall asleep in their arms.

She dreamt of her dad often, almost every night. She could hear his gruff voice, feel his gentle touch, and would be consumed by his warm hugs that disappeared into nothingness when she woke. At first it made her weep, but now it was more of a weight in her chest that she had to carry as she moved on. It was hard to keep up her chores like this, but after a few months she managed to press on.

However, one winter morning, everything came crashing down.

“MK… Li Na… I–... I've been thinking,” Tang spoke up around the dinner table.

MK furrowed his brows but said nothing.

“...The harvest was obviously less than ideal this year, a-and well– you both know I wasn't raised in this kind of environment and without–... without him here, I just… I don't think I can manage this place on my own,” he confessed, and Li Na saw MK's posture stiffen.

“So what're you suggesting?” He asked sharply.

Tang looked towards the fireplace. “I… I can't bear the thought of selling this place. It’s been in your father's family for generations, it should be yours one day… but I am not the person who should be running this place in his absence.”

MK's shoulders relaxed. “Okay… then what? You're gonna hire more help? Where are we going to get the money?”

Tang clenched his eyes shut tight.

“I… I was thinking I should remarry.”

Li Na's eyes widened. “Wh-what?! What about–”

“The matchmaker informed me of a widow with two daughters who lives nearby, says she needs a husband to help support her family and she has ties to the schools in Chang'an. If I can get hired to teach there, it would give us enough money to keep the farm and hire all the help in the world,” Tang explained with a tone of desperation.

“B-but what about Dadsy? I-It hasn't even been a year, a-and– You said you loved him a-and that you'd never love anyone else, you promised,” Li Na started to sob so MK dragged her into a hug.

“I know, Li Na, but trust me when I say this is strictly a marriage of convenience and the only way I can think to help preserve his memory.” Tang reached forward across the low table, but Li Na stayed curled to MK. “I loved and still love your father with all I am, bao bao… but for your sake and for MK's and this farm, I have to.”

Li Na wanted to refuse, of course, but one look at her baba showed her just how heartbroken and desperate he was, so she glanced up at MK before making her decision.

“I… I think you should do it,” MK said. “It'll be good for you two to have someone else to help you take care of things,” he looked up at Tang, who looked like a boulder was lifted off his back.

“Yes, of course. Did I mention she has two daughters? They're just a bit older than you, Li Na, and I've heard tons about how polite and sweet they are. I'm sure they'll be great friends for you,” Tang rambled.

Li Na got a little closer to MK. “I don't need friends, I have you two…”

MK sighed and stroked her hair. “Everyone needs friends, Li-Li. Plus, one day soon I'm gonna be out on my own, ‘making it as a man’ as they say. What will you do then?”

Li Na stiffened. “You– you wanna leave..?”

MK winced. “Not too soon! Like– not this year, but… but maybe after baba's married again and you're all settled into your new life, you know?”

“What?! That's not fair!” Li Na protested.

“Li Na, I'm sorry but– but I have to do this. I need to find a way to make it on my own, but I promise you I'll write every week– every day if I can, alright? You aren't going to lose me too, I swear.” He hugged her closer.

“No! I don't want you to go! It's not safe out there!” The girl shook her head feverishly.

“Li Na, it's okay, I'll be safe, I just–... I gotta do this.” MK glanced at their baba, who was obviously shocked by the revelation too.

“MK, I… I don't know what to say…” Tang sank down slightly. “Goodness, you really are eighteen, aren't you?”

“Tell him he can't go, baba! Please,” Li Na begged.

Tang and MK looked at each other in a way that made Li Na feel worse.

“Li Na, I won't go until you're good and ready, okay?” MK held her head in his hands and made her look at him. “Until then, I'm not going anywhere.”

“But… why?” Li Na sniffled.

MK sighed. “I can't explain it… it's like… destiny is calling me and I've been itching to answer.”

“You’ll get to experience that one day for yourself, bao bao,” Tang added, finally going to her other side to join the hug.

“Besides, you’ll have two new sisters to get to know and bond with. Plus, I’ll be writing letters to you whenever I can to keep in touch.” MK smiled softly.

“What if my step-sisters hate me?” Li Na asked, picking at her nails.

MK laughed. “They won’t, don’t worry. You’re too nice to hate.”

Li Na snorted a little, before her eyes fell low. “What if I’m never ready for you to go..? Would you stay?”

MK rested his head on top of his sister’s. “I’ll stay as long as you need, Li Na.”

Li Na let out a long sigh, because despite that being what she wanted to hear, it certainly didn’t make her feel any better.

“Li Na, I know this is a lot of change, but you aren’t alone,” Tang spoke up, tucking a strand of her hair back before cupping her cheek. “I’ll be adjusting to this new life right there with you, okay? I’ll always be here for you.”

Immediately, Li Na winced, a dark thought crawling into her mind.

“But… what if you get sick..?” She looked at both of them.

MK and Tang both froze a moment, eyes wide and jaws agape before they suddenly snapped out of it to embrace Li Na tightly.

“We’ll take it one day at a time, Li Na,” Tang whispered. “One day at a time.”

Li Na melted into the embrace of her family, her mind full of uncertainty but her heart wanting desperately to believe them. As much as it felt like everything sucked, she wanted to believe it could get better. If MK and Tang were telling her it was possible, she’d do her best to believe them.

“Okay, baba.” She nodded, glancing at MK. “I’m sorry for yelling, I didn’t mean to–”

“It’s okay, Li-Li, it’s okay,” MK insisted, hugging her tighter. “I didn’t mean to drop it on you right now. I’m not going anywhere for a long, long time.”

“Good.”

.o0o.

The wedding was set for the second week in spring, with them only meeting up in person one day before the ceremony for paperwork. Tang admitted the arrangement was less than ideal, but Lady Zhang Jenai, as they came to know her, was a very busy woman. It meant they got to spend the anniversary of their father’s passing alone as a family though, which was something Li Na was very grateful for. However, shortly after that, most of their things were packed to be moved to Lady Jenai’s large estate in the city, meaning she had to say goodbye to the only home she’d ever known.

Tang constantly assured her Lady Jenai’s place was better, that it was bigger and there were many children she could meet and mingle with out there, but she strongly disagreed. She had only ever gone into the city once with her baba, and she hated all the noise and shouting. The farm was quiet and peaceful, with rivers and ponds in abundance for her to relax and play in after all her chores were done. Tang said Lady Jenai had a duck pond in her courtyard, but Li Na doubted it would feel the same.

In better news, Li Na had stopped crying whenever MK or Tang were gone, though the loneliness and anxiety she felt still lingered. She managed to cope with housework and picking up where staff and servants dropped off. Granted, being nine-years-old meant she was hardly skilled, but it was worth it if it helped her get over her separation anxiety.

Of course, she wasn't perfect, as the closer it got, the more nervous she got about meeting her future step-family. Nobody really knew anything about them other than they were around her age and very proper, which made her wonder if her own etiquette skills would be lacking compared to theirs. She wondered if they'd look down on her for being from the country instead of the city. She sometimes even worried they'd dislike her for being a demon (although technically she was only half, but she didn't look like it). MK told her not to worry, that she’d win them over eventually, and before she knew it the day had arrived.

Li Na did her best not to, but ultimately she cried once the carriage was pulled away from the farm, which got her a side hug from Tang.

“It’ll be okay, bao bao, we’ll be back someday soon,” he assured, rubbing her arm up and down.

Li Na slowly nodded. “Yeah… you’re right, baba. We’ll be back.”

Her baba seemed satisfied at that, and so Li Na curled up to his side and let him stroke her hair until she fell asleep, wiped out from all the packing and with quite a few hours ahead of them.

It was a quiet journey, up until they reached the city, where the hustle and bustle of guards and markets and horses and shouting disrupted Li Na’s little nap, and she grumbled back to life. It still took some time to reach Lady Jenai’s home, having to pass through several grand city walls before they arrived.

The moment the carriage stopped, servants dressed in red immediately approached and offered a hand to help the three of them down, before more people in red came and took their trunks of goods into the truly formidable home.

It was taller than any she was used to seeing, not to mention stretching wide with beautiful trees and landscaping to boot. It made Li Na’s eyes sparkle as she noticed the birds and other wildlife, before her baba suddenly spoke.

“Lady Jenai, thank you for allowing us into your home.” Tang quickly bowed, MK and Li Na short to follow.

The lady in question was standing right by the grand door, her face covered by a fan. The woman was tall and grand in her stature, her face was as pale as porcelain and hair as black as the night. In her hair was a bright gold qixiong ruqun that sparkled like the sun, so elegant Li Na briefly wondered if her baba got engaged to a princess and forgot to tell them. Jenai also wore bright red paste on her lips, rouge on her cheekbones, and a red plum blossom on her forehead, giving a soft and heavenly look to her face– if it weren’t for her eyes, which were dark and sharp as they looked towards her baba.

“The honor is mine, Lord Tang.” She bowed, her long silky gown flowing with pure elegance as she did. “Come. Let me introduce you to my daughters.”

“Of course.” Tang nodded, and Li Na quickly grabbed his hand before they headed in.

Immediately, the girl was struck by the opulence of her new home, jade and gold decorating every wall and pillar. There was all sorts of artwork everywhere, whether it be expensive looking vases or paintings of nature or of Lady Jenai’s family. She couldn’t wait to get an official tour, as they were moving way too fast toward the courtyard for her liking. Then again, she was going to live here, so she’ll have all the time in the world to get to know the place. She could tell it made her baba excited too.

The courtyard was stunning. It was everything Tang had described and more– a pond with little ducks swimming, a gorgeous, large peach tree ripe for the taking, stone paths to hop along, a small stream to meditate by, and a bench to sit and enjoy the breeze. Li Na was so lost in the lavishness, she practically forgot about her step family until Tang squeezed her hand and her eyes landed on the two girls in front of her.

The first was taller than her, and thin as paper. She wore the same makeup as her mother and sister, though had a flame instead of a flower marked on her forehead. Her dark raven hair was twisted into four buns, two on each side of her face, and were decorated with golden flowers. She wore a dark blue hanfu with red accents and scarves, likely to match the red in her makeup. If Li Na had to guess, she would figure this sister was three or four years older than her since, while she looked more mature, she clearly hadn’t had her coming of age ceremony yet.

The other sister was roughly the same height as Li Na, and while her face wasn’t white, she still had a little red lotus on her forehead. Her hair was split into three sections and twisted into buns that resembled chain loops that were remarkably well kept. She wore a hanfu similar to her sister, except green with red accents instead. If Li Na had to guess, she was a year and a half older.

“These are my daughters: Sujia and Peili,” Lady Jenai announced, the girls bowing when their name was spoken.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you girls.” Tang and company bowed. “These are my children, Xiaotian and Li Na.” He gestured.

When Li Na finished bowing, she immediately noticed both sisters were staring at her with wide eyes, the younger with a raised eyebrow that made her face turn dark red until their mother spoke up.

“It’s a pleasure to have you join our family,” Jenai looked at MK and Tang. “Come now, we have a lot to discuss for the ceremony tomorrow, and there’s tea waiting in the library,” she told Tang. When they started to go, Li Na naturally followed, until the woman suddenly stopped in her tracks and looked at her.

“This is an adult matter. The children should stay in the courtyard,” She spoke to Tang, not even so much as glancing at Li Na.

Tang and MK looked down at her with pitiful smiles that told her all she needed to know, and she let go of her baba’s hand.

“Thank you, bao bao. We’ll find you as soon as we’re finished,” he vowed, and before she knew it, he and MK were both gone.

It was okay, though. She was okay if they were gone. She was okay. She was just going to go relax by the pond and–

“Wow, your skin really is pink, huh?” A voice from behind made her jump.

“I– uh– yeah!” Li Na laughed nervously and turned around, finding Sujia and Peili staring at her. “It's what you get being half a pig demon.”

Sujia laughed. “That is what you get. You like mud too?”

Li Na laughed too, though her stomach was kinda tight. “No, no mud for me, just water.”

“That must be the human half,” Peili added with a giggle.

“What else do you do, little piggy?” Sujia asked, circling her.

“Oh, well, I mostly help baba around the farm–”

“Farm? Isn’t that confusing?” Peili interrupted.

“Well, they would have experience raising pigs, it makes sense,” Sujia snickered, while Li Na shifted awkwardly.

“We don’t have pigs on the farm, just cows and birds and stuff,” Li Na spoke up.

“Good, then there’s no mix ups,” Sujia patted her shoulder. “What else?”

“W-well, I help pick apples, when they’re in season. I also do a lot of sweeping and cleaning where our workers can’t since I got ‘young joints’ and all,” she explained further.

“Ever been to the city's Lunar New Year festival?” Peili questioned next.

“Oh– uh, no. Baba and I don’t really like the noise,” Li Na admitted.

Sujia snickered. “Really? That’s too bad. The celebration is just about to die for. But then again, I can see how it can be too much for simple people like you.”

“Yeah, I– I guess so,” Li Na half agreed, confused by her tone.

“So have you ever done anything cool or fun?” Peili cut in again.

“Oh, well MK and I play a lot games together and practice sword and staff fighting sometimes–”

“Really? Isn’t that kinda boyish?” Peili raised an eyebrow.

“Not for her, dummy.” Sujia elbowed Peili with a snicker.

“Right! Yeah, I like sword fighting, I think it's cool.” Li Na smiled and both girls laughed.

“You're really cute, aren't you?” Sujia tilted her head in a way that made Li Na blush.

“I… I've been told.” She looked at the ground.

“You are cute! You look like a fat little piglet,” Peili snickered, getting her another elbow from her older sister.

“She is a piglet, Peili.” Sujia rolled her eyes, before suddenly snapping her fingers. “You should let me give you a makeover some time, I can make you totally beautiful.”

Li Na took a step back. “Oh, I don't know–”

“Oh c'mon! It would be so fun,” Peili insisted.

“It would be so cute to see you walk around like that,” Sujia added. “I bet Mama would even let you go with us to New Years.”

“I don't know, Baba says I shouldn't worry about makeup til I'm 15.” Li Na scratched her arm.

Sujia rolled her eyes. “What would he know about makeup and fashion and society?”

Li Na looked back at the ground.

“I think you should think about it since it would be totally fun.” Peili shared a look with Sujia. “And it would be a good way for us sisters to bond.”

Li Na lit up. “R-really? You want that?”

Sujia smiled sweetly. “Of course we do. We're going to be family tomorrow, after all, so the least we can do is teach you how to be pretty.”

“Besides, you really can't go out in public like that,” Peili added.

“Right, yeah.” Li Na blushed again.

“You should dance for us some time, it would be fun,” Peili suddenly suggested.

“Oh– I don't really know how to, though.” Li Na shook her head.

“That's half the fun.” Sujia smiled with her arms crossed. “I can get all of the girls from the area and we can all watch you dance for us.”

“Wait– Just me?” Li Na blinked. “That's kinda… weird, isn't it?”

Sujia and Peili laughed.

Li Na would've asked more, but right the door opened and MK returned.

“Li Na, did you know Jenai's husband w– oh, hello you two,” MK realized his sister wasn't alone and bowed.

“MK,” Li Na smiled and hugged him tight. “Why're you back so soon?”

“It was all just boring financial talk, don't worry, Li-Li.” MK waved off.

“MK… Didn't Lord Tang say your name was Xiaotian?” Peili asked, head tilted.

“Oh, yeah, but I prefer to be called MK,” he explained with a grin.

“I see,” Sujia nodded. “Well, welcome to the family, MK. Care for a tour of our home?”

“Oh-! Sure, that sounds fun, right?” MK looked to Li Na, who nodded (getting a grimace from Peili).

“Let’s go then.” Sujia turned on her heels, and the tour began.

The rest of the day went off without a hitch, Li Na feeling much braver and safer with MK by her side. They reunited with Tang at dinner, and things were finally starting to feel good by nighttime.

Li Na was unfortunately not part of the wedding procession, since she wasn't allowed to be with the men and wasn't considered family to the bride, which was fair. Besides, MK told her she’d just get bored at all the rituals and that she could be with them at the dinner. She did catch a glance at her baba briefly as he went across a hall, and gave a small wave he returned before he disappeared once again.

Thankfully, MK was right and she joined the family at dinner, which was truly magnificent. Granted, the noodles were nothing compared to how her dad used to make them, but the rest was delicious. There was shark fin and fish roe soup, roasted duck, crab, sea cucumber and abalone, and sweet buns– she felt like a princess having it all laid out in front of her. It was great to sit and talk to her brother and Baba again too, and while it made her wish she could have seen the ceremony, she was perfectly happy to be at the dinner.

And so the day ended, and the Zhang and Zhu families were now one.

…And one month later, MK had packed his bags and was ready to venture out on his own.

“Alright, the boat’s here, I guess we know what that means,” Tang laughed nervously as MK picked up his bags.

“I'll be okay, Baba, I promise.” MK smiled softly. “And you will be too, with your job and your books and your studies.”

Tang's eyes filled with tears. “I know, MK, I know… just make sure to write, okay?” he wiped his face.

“Of course,” MK gave his baba a quick hug before turning to Li Na, who immediately hugged him.

“Do you really have to go?” she whispered.

“I know, I know, I'm sorry but I do.” MK stroked her head.

“Just checking,” she sighed.

“Hey, you've been doing okay with Sujia and Peili, right? You'll be just fine,” MK assured softly.

“Still.” Li Na sniffled. “It won't be the same.”

MK knelt down. “Well then, it's a good thing I got you something then, hm?”

Li Na perked up, making MK laugh as he turned around. He teased her for a moment, hemming and hawing and searching through his bags before he suddenly turned around with a tiny blue kitten in his hands.

“What?! Where did you get that?” Li Na jumped and immediately started flapping her hands in joy.

“Found him at the back end of a street yesterday, and I think he'll be the perfect pet to keep you company while I'm gone,” MK grinned, handing the kitten over.

“Oh he's so cute, MK!” Li Na fawned. “B-but–”

“I know he's no me, but I hope you two can be friends.” MK's smile went sad.

“Thank you, MK, I– I'll take good care of him,” Li Na promised, and the kitten in her hands meowed.

“Cute little guy, isn't he?” Tang chimed in, giving the kitchen a scratch under the chin.

“He needs a name though,” MK pointed out. “Li Na?”

Li Na thought about it long and hard, studying the little thing up and down, taking in its orange stripes and white spots with much thought.

“What about… Mo?” She proposed.

“I love it! It's perfect for him,” MK ruffled her hair, and she giggled.

“Sir? Are you getting on?” asked the captain.

“Right, yes! Be right there!” MK swore, but right before he was going to pick up his bags, he gave Tang and Li Na another hug.

“I'll write at least every month, I promise,” he whispered.

“I love you,” Tang and Li Na whispered back.

“Love you guys too,” MK sniffled. “Take care.”

“You too,” Tang laughed sadly.

MK squeezed them tighter before he grabbed his bags and ran onto the boat.

As Li Na watched, Tang placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed it tight.

“He'll be alright… he's a smart boy, he'll be fine,” he said, his eyes distant.

“Yeah, MK'll be okay,” Li Na agreed, and Mo once again meowed, taking her attention away from the boat. “Hey, little guy. Let's get you nice and cozy before we go home, hm?” She brought him closer to her chest.

“Yes, yes, let's go home.” Tang seemed to snap out of his trance, gently guiding Li Na away from the dock and back to the carriage.

However, just as she was about to obey, a voice shouted from the boat. The pair spun around to find MK waving as big as he could while the boat sailed away. Li Na and Tang immediately waved back, and continued to do so until MK was a blip on the horizon and they had no choice but to go home.

.o0o.

Life without MK was as lonely as Li Na had expected, though Mo was a nice distraction. He was a fierce little guy, constantly pouncing on any suspicious shadows or bugs or mice– though he was too little to win his fights with the latter. He was also very loyal, preferring to stick by her side whenever possible, or else he'd just stand at the door and cry until she came back.

Lady Jenai didn't like Mo very much, though. She agreed to keep him because he'd one day be able to hunt mice and rats, but in the meantime she asked for “it” to be out of her sight.

Sujia and Peili were similar, though a bit mean about it. They called Mo names and made jokes about throwing him out. One time Peili even tried to pick him up, but stopped when he hissed. Li Na tried to not let it bother her, since maybe they were just jealous that MK got her a cat and didn't give them anything.

It was… hard, though. She felt like she barely saw her baba anymore except at dinner due to him working all the time in the city. It left her with very little to do except practice her embroidery and writing.

The best days were when MK's letters arrived. She treasured each of them dearly and kept them in a box under her bed. When one would arrive, she'd read all about his adventures over and over again until she found the time (and paper) to write. She’d then write about all the little things Mo had done recently, about how the summer heat was starting to get to her, how she thought of him every time she ate a peach, and how she'd look forward to his next letter. Then it was off to the postman, and she'd return back to her day-to-day routine.

It wasn't all bad though. Sometimes Sujia and Peili actually wanted to hang out with her and it would be fun. She didn't quite get them or their jokes yet, but she liked them and wanted to know them better, since they were now sisters and all. Granted, it was a little weird they were always asking her to clean up whatever mess they'd all make, but she was happy to help. Plus, it was worth it when one day the girls said they were thinking of actually taking her out to the city.

“Sit still, we need a lot of this stuff to make you pretty,” Sujia warned, putting on more white rice powder all over Li Na's face.

“Sorry.” Li Na blushed and closed her eyes again.

“Wow, you really are using a lot of mama's makeup,” Peili commented.

“That's the plan,” Sujia replied, dabbing on more.

“Oh– I don’t want to use all of your mama’s stuff–”

“It’ll be fine, you’ll see,” Peili interrupted, rummaging through the drawers for more makeup.

“O-okay, if you’re sure,” Li Na gave a weak smile.

“Close your eyes, I need to get the eyelids,” Sujia snipped, and she obeyed.

“Found it!” Peili then announced, slamming a drawer shut.

“Just set it on the counter,” Sujia huffed, applying the makeup a tad more aggressively, hurting Li Na’s eyes. She kept quiet though, not wanting to make it worse.

“Oo! Can I do her lips? I got a plan to make em really–”

“No. We're sticking to how I planned it,” Sujia immediately shut down, practically hitting Li Na with the bristles full force.

“Ow,” Li Na let slip.

“Oh shut up already!’ Sujia snapped, setting down the rice powder and switching to the rouge, startling Li Na.

“Peili stop, you're upsetting her,” Peili whined.

“It's fine, calm down.” Sujia rolled her eyes and started applying the red makeup to her cheeks and nose. It stung, but Li Na endured, since “pretty hurt” or something like that.

“Ugh, fine. But if she cries, that's your fault,” Peili huffed and slumped on a chair.

Sujia huffed, but managed to apply the rest of Li Na's makeup with ease, stepping back with a grin.

“You look… special, real special,” Sujia said, dusting her hands off.

Li Na couldn't help but smile. “You really think?”

“Oh yeah,” Peili giggled. “Like a real–”

“Wait here, okay? We'll be back after we get mother to agree,” Sujia interrupted.

“Oh! Okay,” Li Na agreed, sitting up properly.

“We'll be right back,” Peili grinned too as Sujia took her arm and they quickly left the room.

A wave of anxiety washed over Li Na as she sat there, and she immediately started fidgeting with her sleeves. She knew she wasn't really supposed to go in Lady Jenai's room, especially alone, but she was invited here! So it was okay!

Besides, when she looked into Lady Jenai's big polished mirror, Li Na thought she looked beautiful– like a fairy or a princess. Her baba would be so proud to see her all dolled up and ready to go shopping in the city. The only thing she was missing was a fancy hair comb, and her hair to be all done up.

With a smile, Li Na took her dark brown hair out their simple buns and ran a brush through them, giggling at the fancy feeling of the much nicer brush. She brushed her hair until it was all nice and neat before she attempted to do her hair like Sujia– or even Lady Jenai. She really wanted to impress her, and prove she could be high society like her too. Maybe if she proved herself worthy, Lady Jenai could mentor her in manners and such– and maybe she could even be like a mother to her, like MK said she could be.

Li Na's never had a mom– at least, not in the traditional sense. Tang was certainly more feminine than Pigsy, but he wasn't exactly an expert in etiquette and fashion and makeup. Li Na knew he came from a fancy background like Lady Jenai, but he always said he was “too shy” for big social events, and “too awkward” for etiquette. As for Pigsy..? He may have been born a girl, but he was a farm boy through and through, always joking about how lost he would've been at formal events. He taught her things like how to recognize a good radish, how to successfully collect chicken eggs without getting pecked, and how to catch crickets with her bare hands– which, while very cool, weren't exactly helpful in high society.

Lady Jenai could teach her how to adapt in this new life– how to be pretty like her step-sisters and maybe even be someone worth admiring. She could adapt to this new life with her help! She could make MK and her dadsy proud! She could almost see it now, her in a silk robe and fan attending court at the palace–

A loud gasp sent Li Na scrambling up, and she was startled to see her stepmother's face so repulsed.

“You,” she seethed. “What on earth do you think you're doing here?”

Li Na looked around, confused. “I-I– Sujia a-and Peili– they said–”

“See, mother?” Sujia interrupted. “I told you she was a little thief.”

“I should have known,” Lady Jenai sighed. “Now I have to get the room inspected for ticks and lice and any other parasites your kind carries around.”

Li Na stepped back, heart pounding in her chest. “M-my kind?”

Sujia laughed. “Wow, you really are stupid, aren't you?”

“You're a halfling, chun zhu,” Peili snickered. “You're not like us.”

“Wh-what? No! I– Lady Jenai, they said– I'm still a person!” Li Na shouted.

“Please,” Lady Jenai rolled her eyes and slowly walked towards her. “You may wear clothes and tie your hair up however you like, but you will always be nothing more than a farm pig.”

“A chun zhu!” Peili cackled. “That can be her new name– Chun Zhu the fat, dumb pig girl.”

“Chun Zhu– why didn’t I think of that?” Sujia laughed right along.

Li Na shook her head and stepped back against the wall, tears threatening to spill. “N-no! Sujia– she said– I-I can be pretty! I-I just– I need some help learning, I promise.”

Lady Jenai raised an eyebrow. “And what on earth makes you think I'd want to waste my time on something like that? Especially to a bratty little thief such as yourself,” she snatched the comb from Li Na's hair.

“I-I didn't steal anything! Sujia put it all on! She said it was okay! I swear– I-I would never–”

Lady Jenai slapped Li Na across the face. “You really are a pest, you know that? And a foolish one too, expecting me to believe you over my own daughters.”

Li Na froze with shock. She desperately tried to scramble words to defend herself– to make her stepmother see reason and explain her innocence, but the stinging in her cheek broke something in her.

“Quiet now?” Lady Jenai huffed. “Good. First order of business is to take that whorish makeup off. Then you will go to your room, where your bedding will be stripped and your personal possessions– every toy, every book, every ink pot– will be taken away.”

Li Na's eyes widened. “W-wait–”

“From there–” Lady Jenai shot an icy look– “you will be given servants' clothes and you will work in this house as a servant for a month as a punishment for your lies and thievery, is that understood?”

Li Na couldn't believe what she was hearing– this couldn't be real, right? This– this was just a nightmare– one she would wake up from any moment now.

“I said, ‘is that understood’?” Lady Jenai yanked Li Na's ear, making her cry out.

“M-my baba won't stand for this,” she protested with what little courage she had left.

Lady Jenai just laughed though, the sound making ice run through Li Na's veins.

“You really think that yutao of a man is in charge here?” She pulled on Li Na's ear harder. “He will be thanking me to no longer have such a hideous creature every day.”

“No!” Li Na cried. “M-my– baba–”

Her stepmother twisted her ear so hard she yelped, before dragging her out and down several hallways before she was thrown into a dark, damp stone room with bits of straw strung about, somewhere nearby the servant’s quarters.

“You will be locked in here for the remainder of the day. Keep up your attitude if you wish to make your stay longer,” she seethed.

Again, Li Na's mind scrambled for a defense– any defense, but the way the woman she had wanted so desperately to approve of her glared down like she was a filthy animal. It made her want to break down and apologize so things could go back to the way they were.

Instead, she curled up and held her sides, choking out a weak, “B-baba–”

“Your father cares nothing for you,” Lady Jenai snapped. “He will be delighted to find you rotting away in here, as will I and every other person who has had the misfortune of looking upon your face.”

Before the girl could even think to speak up, the door slammed shut, the lock turned, and Li Na was left alone in the dark.

Immediately, Li Na let out a loud sob, begging for someone to let her out and that she promised to never bother any of them ever again. She went on like that for hours, and hours, and hours, but either nobody heard or nobody cared (Li Na wasn’t sure which one was worse). Eventually she was too overcome with weakness to continue crying, her stomach tight with hunger. However, even then nobody came.

She tried speaking up whenever she thought she heard steps, but nothing ever came of it (other than the lonely feeling crawling up her throat). Li Na was alone now, just like Lady Jenai promised. Her baba– wherever he was– wasn’t coming for her. Her brother was gone. Her dadsy was dead.

She was alone.

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icearts · 6 months ago

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Lmk season 5 spoilers:

I need to talk about Nezha and Li Jing right fucking now

As much as I didn't like how the show wrote Li Jing, specifically the part where he pulled a complete 180 on his entire characterization for the sake of rushing the one plot I was most excited about, I really like the way Nezha was characterized (as long as we pretend Li Jing's the tyrannical asshole he was in mythology and was introduced to be in the season). Nezha's guilty that Li Jing hurt Wukong and Macaque, and he agreed with MK that his motives were suspicious, but as always, he places his duty before his feelings, connections, and physical needs. But he draws the line when Li Jing starts trying to hurt the kids. He stops him, no hesitation, and at the end of the season he even snaps at him, using Li Jing's own controlling rhetoric against him.

They could've used this in the season, that Nezha without hesitation will violate his orders to protect the kids. This is good characterization, considering the fact he was basically a soldier as a child, himself, and he had nobody to protect him. Even in the special at the end of season 3, when Nezha barely knows MK, he's still leaping to protect him from the mind-controlled Wukong.

Nezha tends to be treated as a warrior or a soldier by his peers, when in reality, he's a guardian. A protector. And this duty will take priority even over the fear he has for his father. He's been conditioned to believe the celestials and their leaders are above all, but his protective nature breaks this programming instantly.

Season 5 would've been better if Li Jing hadn't stopped to listen, because we would've seen this characterization front and center. We could've gotten Nezha fighting his dad (who Wukong commented was "a little stronger than Nezh-ie") and it would've been such a powerful moment, for all of the characters, too. This destiny stuff is assigned by the Heavens, and Nezha fighting against them on MK's side will show that MK should be against these pompous fuckers.

Li Jing could've been a major villain. We can have the Nine-Headed Demon as a major villain, too. Extremists on both sides, and it's up to MK to find that balance between order and chaos. MK represents the concepts of choice and will in this conflict. Willpower is a great mixture between chaos and order, because it defies the control others give and it fights the chaos trying to shatter it.

Back to the topic of Nezha and Li Jing, we could get Nezha becoming part of the group, and he and Pigsy could have a cool dynamic because Pigsy doesn't trust the gods, and he's a very unconventional father in comparison to King Li Jing. They'll disagree, question things, and idk maybe Nezha becomes like a big brother to MK, just wishful thinking there. Either way, Nezha and Pigsy would not get along (at least at first) and it would be really funny and interesting.

All I'm saying is that Nezha has the potential for dynamics with everyone. He and Wukong could also reference the fact that Au Guang (the Great Grand Dragon of the East, he was in season 3) kinda hates both of them. Idk, again, just some fanfic-y things. Maybe the show wouldn't write these things, maybe it would just stay plot-relevant, either way, there's lots of character dynamics to explore

#lmk #lmk season 5 #lmk season 5 spoilers #lmk season 5 rewrite #kinda?#just spitballing ideas tbh #lmk nezha

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likeburningcoal · 6 months ago

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LMK season 5 episodes 7-8 spoilers below the cut!!

Gonna finish the season today! I will never skip this intro BTW

“M-m-m-m-monkey king?!?”

Scooby doo doors!!

Giggly MK

Mo in the chest!

“I can feel it in my monkey bones!”

Tang has pretty eyes!!

Tang!MK

They all do the Tang impression!! Even Mo!

Tang without glasses look weird

“And ignoring the terrible impression” “ya nailed it MK”

“Big giant world ending consequences baby steps”

Creepy eye

Baby MK!!!

Also MK backstory?! Now?!

“Where are his parents?” Pigsy fed him so he’s pigsys now (that how it works with cats so it can work with random children as well)

“MK’s not a name” yes it is Tang!

“It’s short for…”

“The first season of my discontent”

Lots of good quotes in this one.

Creepy LBD!! Bringing back all MK’s trauma!

Oh! Oh! They’re all living through their memories!! “Stop! Don’t make me do this!” If LBD is MK’s biggest trauma moment does that mean killing Mac is SWK’s?!?

Mac busted him out!!

“Fun memory?” “…no…”

“Kinda waisted my whole ‘sacrifice’ thing Wukong” nobody asked you to do that Mac. They were all very upset.

Pigsy immediately saving Tang! Now somebody save Sandy because he doesn’t deserve to relive his trauma.

Mo was remembering the ginseng fruit episode.

Mo saved Sandy!

MK is not having a good time.

MK backstory!!!!

If anybody (Nüwa) insists MK has to sacrifice himself they’ll have to answer to like, two very angry monkeys, a guy with scrawny ankles, a dragon, a dude who’s only scary when his family is threatened, and a pig who will stop at nothing to keep MK safe. Good luck.

Everyone being so willing to jump in to save MK!!

I am not okay, but team hug!!

*scoops Mac up too* “woah”

MK, maybe like, talk to someone about this?

Seasons 1-4: SWK doesn’t communicate well season 5: MK learned not to talk about his problems (JK he’s been bottling it up since season one. Holding too much of those breadstick shoulders of his)

Ooooh, that black and white moment at the end was nice!

I’m gonna need some nice chill “team gets downtime and therapy” fics after this season. I can tell.

Episode 8!!

Is there a SWK saying “kid” counter for this season? Cause he’s saying it A LOT.

SWK walking through the fillet spell to fight Li Jing for MK!!!!!

“He is not the enemy” “he sure seems like it”

Nezha is the best

“Did you just teleport?” “Okay, did anyone else know that he could do that?” Mei and Pigsy are getting some funny dialogue together this season.

Pigsy hugs!

Spooky dude shows up! Why don’t we sacrifice him instead?!

“Hey, monkey king, who is this guy?” “I…have no idea.”

“Or like your ex best friend” Mac: o.o

Monkey MK!!!!

Also this dude is both amusing and very OP

“I’m not a MONSTER!” You kinda are dude.

Ooooh! Foil to MK’s “you like it” moment.

Lots less commentary because I’m really focused on the episode.

SWK’s…”no”…

“Leave the world a little better than you found it, right?” Ouch. As a critical role fan this has a double ouch.

Someone needs to talk to like 90% of this cast about self sacrificing tendencies. It’s not healthy.

The voice acting this season is GUT WRENCHINGLY good.

Two more episodes to go! I am not ready!

#lmk season 5 spoilers #lmk season 5 #lmk #lego monkie kid season 5 #lego monkie kid #Lego monkie kid season 5 spoilers #Rav watches LMK

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lollythelazyperson · 6 months ago

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MAJOR SPOILERS FOR LEGO MONKIE KID SEASON 5

so I’ve finally finished watching all of lmk season 5, and…

…I WAS NOT PREPARED FOR THAT SHIT… 😭😭😭

LIKE- (starting w/ ep. 7 here since ep. 6 doesn’t have much happen in it iirc) we FINALLY get to learn what MK is/how he was created, LBD sorta shows up and the eye demon guy reveals to mk what all those visions meant(yk, mk literally sacrificing himself for the world n all), the show references wukong and macaque’s fight thingymajigy in jttw, then in ep. 8 mk can control the jade emperor’s power(or was that ep. 7? idrk man), the fuckin uh snake demon guy reveals the first two things i said to everybody else, but he also reveals/mk figures out that [snake guy] actually FREED MK FROM THE STONE WAAAAY EARLIER THAN NEEDED(snake guy also has some lore which kinda makes him interesting but that isn’t the point here)…

and in ep. 9, well- there’s no big lore drop except at the end, but so i’ll kinda summarize it instead. macaque first tries to stop mk from doin the whole sacrifice but fails, and eventually the others have to stop/stall snake guy while wukong tries to stop mk instead. he fails and mk encounters nuwa, who reveals the whole… “pillars in peril? pillars saved by mk? oh, well, that means the whole world has to start over cuz there are no more beings strong enough to handle the stones now, so the world’s gotta make new ones.” thing to him(which is the lore drop basically).

finally, in ep. 10, well(i shall also summarize this one)…

everyone thinks mk died(but macaque mutters “wukong”… 👀👀), meanwhile mk goes “NAH, IMMA DO MY OWN THING, ANS YOU CANT STOP ME!!!!!!!!” to nuwa basically, and comes out of the pillar alive. wukong catches mk when the latter starts to fall, so (mostly) everybody goes in for a group hug- but considering the world’s basically ending… they hold hands for the last time- and wukong is LEGIT ABOUT TO GET MACAQUE TO HOLD HIS HAND, WHEN FUCKIN SNAKE GUY INTERRUPTS THE MOMENT SJ2JZIWISIAOLAKAKAJQJSI LET THEM HAVE THEIR MOMENT SMH- …….oh right anyways. they(the others, not snake guy) decide to share the power of the stones with everyone due to mk convincing them of it, but then snake guy drags mk into the pillar- and they have a weird conversation that’s basically snake guy goin “…this has only just begun. good luck, kid. you’ll need it.” to mk and then literally pushing him off and back outta the pillar.

the last few minutes of the episode is basically the aftermath of that. people now have cool magic powers(nobody is gonna use em for bad, definitelyyyyy /hj /lh), flyingbark reference through a flying dog, and some of the monkie kids(everybody but the monkeys themselves basically) are just chillin n talkin. meanwhile, mk n wukong talk bout what’s gonna happen next or sum(can’t exactly remember what specifically, I just remember mk startin the convo like that) but when mk starts to cry wukong hugs him.

then, we get an outro-monologue thingy from tang- and what we see durin it is basically this;

1; macaque is in court with the ten kings(?)- his powers have been affected by snake guy.

2; pigsy n mk are just havin a nice time addin a new photo to the photo album.

3; nezha and his dad are helpin handlin stuff in the celestial realm,

4; finally, the monkie kids/mk’s crew + redson + the two monkeys are havin a lil celebration somewhere… but in the very end, macaque sees how mk’s staff is also affected by snake guy’s powers(?).

so like- YEAH, I WAS NOT PREPARED FOR THAT CLIFFHANGER. ……OR LEGIT ANYTHING THAT HAPPENED IN THE LATER HALF OF SEASON 5.

but it’s preeeeetty late for me rn and I cannot stay up(gotta wake up early tmr) today, so if I have anything else I wanna say I’ll probs just will do that in another post.

so gn! drink water, eat food, and have a great day/night! :D

cya’ll in the next post!

#lego monkie kid #lmk season 5 #lmk spoilers #meh im too lazy to add the character tags… someone remind me to later I’ve gotta hurry up anyways

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bloomneiya · 1 year ago

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alrighty here's a wip of my dragonfruit famous modern au !! :))

MK never talked about it, nor did he ever mention it. He always got jittery and answered nervously: "She's always been like that!" when that simply wasn't the case at all. Redson could tell something was off, and he was nosy — he hated doing so, but he has no other choice in this instance. Therefore, he always pushed MK to talk about it.

"Do you have her cashapp?"

"Wha.. of course I do! I'm just not giving it to you."

"Why not?"

"Because, It's just how she is!"

"Then gimme her step!"

"Oh my god, you are just not gonna stop asking me!!"

Redson was chasing MK around their apartment, it was a luxury that Redson was able to afford now that he was as big and popular as he was. Yet, MK refused to budge, he wasn't willing to give up this information. Which was reasonable, but why? Mei was usually so open, what stopped her from doing so now?

Redson huffed, stopping his movements, which warranted a worried stare from MK, who was curious as to why he stopped so suddenly. "You're..gonna stop chasing me?" MK questions, the response he would get was that of silence. Redson couldn't force anyone to give him information, and clearly this was important, and a touchy subject that MK was refusing to give in on. He could understand if Mei was going through hard times, he was questioning as to why she wanted nobody to help her. If she asked, he would help. Regardless, he was going to get to the answer by the end of the day. So later that night, he does.

He didn't realize it, but he had gotten a late night text from Mei. After wishing MK a good night, they both went to their bedrooms. He doesn't respond immediately, taking a moment to analyze her text message, especially with the photo that followed it.

"yooooo! late night recording?"

The photo followed behind it was of a bowl of sweet red buns resting in her lap, but her face was nowhere to be seen. The picture had her background in it, but nothing else could be seen but the fact that she was clearly in bed, and so was he. He had smiled to himself, find the image to be cute. 'Not tonight I don't feel like it." And he doesn't send a photo behind it, but this doesn't seem to deter Mei from stopping her constant photos. She responds back with speed, a picture right behind it just like the first time. 'welp, always tomorrow right? chilling with mk or wat?' this time with a photo of the TV she was watching — it was a random kdrama, something he remembered her mentioning before, and yet the name didn't linger in his head when seeing it.

'Naahhh..'

'He went to sleep early to go visit Pigsy and Tang since they're in the city over.'

'oh.'

'then you'll have all that free time for interviews and stuff right? don't you got things to do? you're HUUGGGE now!!'

She wasn't wrong, he had things to do, but he wanted nothing more than to clear his schedule and see what was wrong with her. What was going on with Mei? He couldn't find a way to bring it up without being straightforward and straight to the point. How could he? Redson had always been a straight forward person. She doesn't send a photo this time, and Redson could see that this time it was on purpose. They were talking about him now, but he really did want to see her.

'Can you send a photo of yourself?'

[ SENT ]

[ DELIVERED ]

[ READ ]

Ah, fuck. There's no going back from that now. He nearly throws his phone across his room, almost instantly turning it off and getting ready to lunge it towards his wall right besides his bedroom door. Until his phone buzzed. The vibration lingering in the palm of his hands, but he doesn't look immediately. Instead, he takes a deep breathe, feeling the burning sensation resting on his cheeks, his hands shaking almost slightly. He had never asked someone for something like that? Let alone a girl. Yeah, Mei was a friend, but he simply could only hoped she didn't send what he thought he sent — y'know, nudes? Yeah, he couldn't bare being the first to see Mei in such a state.

But maybe, just maybe. He could. Even so, he was hesitant to unlock his phone, the lockscreen photo being a picture of his mother hugging him tightly, then his home screen simply being a picture of her, as he said, but still the photo was more than he wanted. It showed Mei, of course, but it showed her standing in front of a mirror on the back of a door — it was clearly the front door, as he assumed.

Her figure was in a big T-shirt that seemed to swallow her whole, but it only stopped mid thigh. It was black, and it was short sleeved, and her hair was in two cute buns with her bangs hanging over along with a few loose strands. Her cheeks were a rosy red while one hand held her phone up to presumably take the photo as the other sat on her hip.

This photo was absolutely nothing, but it was absolutely demolishing him where he sat. He was swooning over the bare but of skin showing, over the cute pout the rested on her face, and hell, he even cringed at his own thoughts, but he didn't give a damn with the snarky response she sent as the following.

'is this better than getting panties and bras thrown at you on stage?'

The click of his tongue could be heard, and all of a sudden he realized what MK was talking about earlier, but he had to stay on track as to why he was talking to her in the first place. Despite this, he does save the photo, and he will put it as his home screen later.

'Are u going to tell me why tf u refuse to tell me why you have a 9 to 5 job with a 13$ an hour as a pay?'

'did mk tell you?'

'tell me what?'

...

.....

...

Then nothing. She stopped typing.

#lmk #lego monkie king #lmk mei #lmk dragonfruit #lmk red son #lmk mk #mei x red son

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thestarfilledsea · 2 years ago

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I've been meaning to ask about the Sleeping Sun AU! Mostly I was wondering if you could describe the different ways specific characters would hibernate. Like, do they have set routines they have gotten accustomed to over the centuries or is it possible someone could just go "eh this is fine" and then just start hibernating whenever and need people to cart them away before they get hurt because they chose the worst place to do so?

This is such a good question!!

Okay so like I mentioned before, there’s a couple of hibernation instincts that overarch above all magic users/demons.

That being the urge to eat a big warm meal, collect soft things and put them into the safe spot you’ve chosen, take care of those around you (especially if they’re younger), and gather shiny trinkets aka important stuff into a pile nearby the safe spot for safekeeping.

And you’ll notice I keep mentioning ‘safe spots’ when talking abt hibernation. A boiled down version is a place where a person/group designate as the place they go to sleep. Before hibernating there, it’s usual to put up a huge amount of protection spells and pillows in it beforehand yada yada

most people feel the urge to hibernate in their safe spots and it feels wrong to not do so. But shit happens. glances at the IKEA incident.

some peoples hibernation is off and sometimes you’re on the run and just have to do it anyways. It sucks but hey, it works.

OKAY ONTO MY FAVORITE BIT!!

What each character is like just before hibernation!

MK ,when faced with hibernation instincts, gets a tad snappy. (“A tad” that’s a lie he turns into a grumpy monster)

All of MK’s sass and annoyance all come boiling up before he hibernates

Macaque says one off thing and MK looks him dead in the eyes and flips him off.

Macaque is appalled.

MK’s also the type to quietly come up to you with glowing eyes, drape himself over you and fully fall into hibernation on your shoulder.

Wukong

HAHAHA

oof

Because of not hibernating for hundreds of years but getting the sleep debt sort of fixed, Wukong has what I call “sleepies.”

Sleepies are what Wukong experiences right before he hibernates due to the previous neglect. (He also does so monthly.)

Wukong gets clumsy, clingy, and borderline territorial. He’s not exactly in his right mind when he gets sleepie, which leads to shenanigans.

Mei

SUN. PUDDLES.

Mei’s dragon instincts start poking around during this time and she naturally wants to find a comfortable amount of warmth to sleep near

One time they found her nearby the sage spot sleeping in a sun puddle.

Pigsy

The man cooks like there’s no tomorrow. Like I said before, a warm meal is one of the instincts you wish to fulfill. And when I tell you that everybody in the house knows Pigsy needs to hibernate before he does.

They have to force him to go sleep some of the time.

Tang

Tang started needing to hibernate after he began using magic more frequently. He had no idea what was happening at first until MK complained about how off he felt just before hibernating. Everything clicked after that.

Tang is usually chill and hibernates with Pigsy every chance he gets.

Sandy

Cat cuddles, pillow fort and tea. he knows how to take care of himself.

Macaque

Okay, so It’s very common for demons to have a slight shift in personality before sleeping and it’s no different with Macaque.

Except that he hates his shift with a burning passion.

You see, before hibernation, Macaque gets skittish. And very much so.

He can’t help it, so he usually hides out somewhere where he can’t be found and waits for the gang to go to sleep normally so he can sneak into the kitchen and get stuff for his hibernation.

Macaque jumps at everything during this time.

He usually slips away to his safe spot no problem during these moment…but most of this AU takes place on a ship. So it’s kind of a no go.

Unlike Wukong’s (who laughs about it with them) nobody ever makes fun of Macaque’s sleepies. It’s too personal to him, too genuine of an insecurity to ever joke about.

Also! Bonus content! Macaque has an IKEA bear that he has with him usually when he hibernates. It helps with the skittishness when he can wrap himself around something soft and bury his face into it until he falls asleep.

(Her name is Night Knight and he loves her a lot.)

#lmk #lego monkie kid #monkie kid #lmk au #sleeping sun au #six eared macaque #the stars ask me stuff #lmk wukong #lmk monkey king #dude they’re all losers #I love them #i didn’t proofread because I’m tired lmao #lmk tang #lmk pigsy #lmk mei

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starsfic · 3 years ago

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Prompt for LMK

Mei looses control of her dragon form and fully transforms when MK was hurt.

Nobody can get close to her without the threat of mortality coming to get them

…Except for Monkey King.

(Dad-Wukong calming down his overprotective daughter)

Anon: Mei turning into a full on dragon for the first time

When she had first met Qi Xiaotian, Long Xiaojiao’s first thought was, “I need to protect you.”

They had met at a business party where the staff showed all the kids to their private party room. While the adults chatted about business, the kids got all the good snacks and danced. At least, that was what was supposed to happen. Xiaojiao, the second eldest out of everyone, had been bored out of her skull and chilling in a corner, counting down the seconds until she could go home.

Then there had been a small body next to hers and a quiet “I saved you a slice of cake.”

When Xiaojiao looked up, there had been the smallest child she had ever seen, looking almost like the fancy life-sized Tang dynasty child doll she had given once, holding out a slice of cake. The thought had popped into her head. Before she could say anything, the kid had plopped down next to her. Then they started talking.

Their name was super long, but they went by Qi Xiaotian.

That had been the day Long Xiaojiao met her best friend.

And Xiaojiao kept to that first thought.

She was the first one Xiaotian came out to. She was the one who picked him up when he called her in tears about his parents kicking him out. She was the one to give him a place to stay until he left, not wanting to be a burden. She was the one to scope out Pigsy and Tang to make sure Xiaotian was safe. She was the one who went after Xiaotian’s bad exes and stalkers.

And then Xiaotian had gotten the staff and then could protect himself.

And Xiaojiao didn’t feel bad about that. She didn’t! She was more… awestruck over his ability than anything else. Then she got the sword and…they were on the same level! Right?

Right.

But now…

Xiaotian was bleeding. The staff was gone. His powers were gone. He was bleeding. “Xiaojiao?” he gasped out.

Protect him.

The Samadhi fire roared around her body. If she were more herself at the moment, Xiaojiao would’ve been amazed at her new dragon form. Right now, she glared at the flames coming too close to comfort.

Don’t you touch him.

The flames retreated enough that Xiaotian would be safe.

Just like he should be. Who cared if they had seen each other in weeks if the flames around them were the reason why Xiaojiao left? It was her greatest desire to see him safe.

“Xiaojiao,” Xiaotian managed, sitting up. “I’m okay.” He wasn’t. “You’re okay.” She was. “Okay? How about you-”

“No.” she rumbled out, her tail pushing him closer. “Not safe. Hurt.” Xiaojiao could smell the blood on him. “Need to keep you close.”

“Yeah, I know. I feel the same.” Did he? That was sweet. “But, Xiaojiao, I don’t know if you notice-” The tail came close and gently pushed him down.

“Hush,” she ordered, wrapping her tail around and bringing Xiaotian closer. “Safe. Not hurt.” Not with her. Never with her. Xiaojiao was determined.

“But-”

She silenced him again, not caring about the flames drawing close again. As long as Xiaojiao had Xiaotian and nobody else-

“XIAOJIAO!”

Like him.

Sun Wukong stood at the edge of the flames, staring up at her. “Xiaojiao,” he said, taking a step forward. “I need you to-”

“NO!” Xiaojiao screeched, her voice echoing and flames rising even higher. Xiaotian shrieked and Wukong gasped, scrambling a few steps back. She ignored it to instead let out her own shriek. “NO! GO AWAY!” He wasn’t safe, never been safe!

“Xiaojiao, listen to me!” Wukong continued, at least not stepping forward. “You aren’t thinking clearly right now. The dragon and the Samadhi fire should have never been combined like this! You need to-”

“YOU DON’T TELL ME WHAT I NEED!” Stupid monkey, stupid king, stupid successor business! “YOU LEFT XIAOTIAN BEHIND! YOU PUT HIM IN DANGER!” Fury was bubbling her blood. “YOU HURT HIM!”

“I NEVER MEANT TO!”

She paused at the yell. Wukong had never raised his voice like this before. The flames died down a bit, allowing Xiaojiao a good look at his face. He looked determined…and oddly open. “What do you mean?” Her voice wasn’t coming out as a roar anymore.

Wukong took a deep breath and sat down. “I thought I would have forever to train Xiaotian,” he admitted. Xiaojiao could barely hear him but her voice was steady. “Xiaotian isn’t perfect and that’s okay. It took me years to learn all my powers. I expected him to take years too.” The flames died down even further. “I didn’t expect…her.” Her head ached with the memory of blue. “She’s not his responsibility. Xiaotian was powerful but he’s not ready for her. I should’ve told him that.”

Silence.

“Why didn’t you?” Xiaojiao and Wukong both looked down. Xiaotian, still gripped tight by her tail, stared at him.

The silence dragged on, only broken by the snap and crackle of the embers. Wukong stared at Xiaotian. Finally, he opened his mouth. “I need therapy, kid. I know that. I’ve known that for years. But instead of getting help, I thought it would be better to bottle everything up so it couldn’t hurt anyone. So it couldn’t hurt you.”

He looked up, right into Xiaojiao’s eyes.

“Or you.”

The flames had completely died out.

A odd noise broke the silence.

Oh. She was crying.

Wukong stood. He took a careful step forward. Then another. Then another. “Kid,” he said, “I am so proud of both of you.” He held out his hands. “And I know Ao Lie would be proud of you too, Xiaojiao. But, right now, I need you to come back down.”

Her head hurt.

Wukong’s arms were warm around her.

#LMK #Monkie Kid #Lego Monkie Kid #Long Xiaojiao #Sun Wukong #Qi Xiaotian #my writing.#my writing #prompt fill #prompt fic #fic #fanfic #fanfiction

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lunar-wandering · 4 years ago

Text

i don’t wanna fight alone anymore - Chapter 4

*(show host voice)* everybody welcome to the stage- Macaque!!!

Word Count: 1.8k

Read on Ao3

"What are you doing here?" Wukong hissed, struggling to push Macaque off of him.

"Well now, Wukong, is that any way to greet an old friend?" Macaque asked, a teasing lilt to his voice, and Wukong outright growled, grabbing hold of Macaque's arms and rolling over, pinning him to the ground. Macaque looked up at Wukong, a hint of fear flickering across his face for the briefest of moments, before it was once again replaced with the same old smug look.

"Ha! Nice scar." He laughed, and Wukong let go of one of Macaque's arms in order to use his hand to cover the notch on his eyebrow. "Oh, not to mention the scarf. Copying me huh? What, do you appreciate my style, or are you still jealous from when MK came to me for training, instead of you."

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Wukong hissed, glancing nervously over at the others, who still hadn't moved, mainly out of not being entirely sure what was happening. Macaque used the momentary distraction to flip their positions once again, putting himself on top of Wukong.

"Heh, either way, that's karma for you." He said, grin still evident on his face, and Wukong, seeing no other option, reached up and raked his claws against Macaque's cheek, drawing a small amount of blood. Macaque yelped, leaning back as he instinctively covered the wound, and Wukong sat up, immediately following up be headbutting the other monkey.

The headbutt, of course, ended up being a mistake, as both monkey's reared back, covering their foreheads as pain washed over them. (Wukong could help but feel that there's been something....off, something cold when they'd bumped heads but-)

"Enough." Pigsy said, suddenly standing beside them, holding a wooden spoon in between the two in order to separate them. "Wukong, what is going on?"

"Ask him." Wukong growled, still rubbing his aching forehead, "He's the one who suddenly appeared out of nowhere and tackled me."

"Yeah, I'm not going to apologize for that." Macaque said, crossing his arms. MK mentally noted that the shadow monkey had, thus far, made no attempt at standing up.

"Didn't expect you to, you bitch." Wukong said, accepting Mei's offered hand as she helped him stand back up. "Seriously, why are you here?"

"What, can't I drop in to check on my favorite student every now and again?" Macaque said, not so subtly gesturing at MK, who sighed.

"I keep telling you, I'm not your student." He said, sounding tired with this whole thing already. Macaque just smirked. In response, Mei kicked him in the leg, and Macaque yelped, bending over as he cradled his leg closer to himself, his fur bristling as he clenched his teeth.

"....I didn't even kick you that hard." Mei said, looking Macaque over again. There were no visible injuries, other than the scratch Wukong had left on his cheek, but she had encountered many a demon, she knew that just because she didn't see it didn't mean it wasn't there.

"Is that it?" Wukong asked, crossing his arms as he looked at Macaque in disapproval. "You got injured, so you came crawling to us?"

"No. I'm fine." Macaque hissed out, rather unconvincingly, considering he still hadn't come out of his curled up position. Pigsy sighed, sensing this would be a long day.

"Wukong, go get the first aid kit." He said, and Wukong, despite huffing in irritation, complied, turning around to go find it. "Sandy- just. Restrain him for now."

Sandy pulled out some rope, and started wrapping it around Macaque's waist, restraining him by tying the other end of the rope to the ship. He didn't wrap it around Macaque's arms, worried about potentially brushing against some unseen injury. Macaque, surprisingly, laughed in response to this treatment.

"What am I, some damsel in distress?" He asked, "You going to tie me to some train tracks next?"

"Don't tempt me." Wukong hissed, rolling his eyes as he came back, passing the first aid kit over to MK, who handed it over to Tang, who, despite Macaque's protests, started applying a bandage onto the scratch on the monkey's cheek.

"I can't treat the rest of your injuries if you won't let us see them." Tang said, after he finished treating the scratch.

"I told you already, I'm not injured. Besides, I don't remember asking for your help." Macaque said, looking away from Tang's face. Wukong, a smirk on his face, snuck up beside Macaque, before lightly poking the leg Mei had kicked. Macaque yelped again, pulling his leg away, an expression of pain flickering across his face. Wukong lightly giggled, then hissed as Pigsy hit him in the back of the head with the spoon.

"Wukong, why would you do that??" Pigsy asked, disapproval in his voice. Wukong couldn't help but feel a bit like a child being chided for doing something wrong.

"...He was being kind of stuck up?" He offered as a response, chuckling nervously when Pigsy's disapproving look only increased in intensity.

"Either way, he is injured." Tang said, "So, Macaque, are you going to let me treat your injuries or not?"

Macaque didn't answer for a few moments, before he reluctantly sighed, a look of concentration appearing on his face-

And then, just like that, a series of injuries appeared on his body. A long gash down his arm that looked only partially healed, a newer cut down his leg (and Mei winced, knowing she had made that injury worse), as well as his fur looking, overall, like a mess. Wukong sucked in a breath.

"What happened to you?" He asked. Macaque rolled his eyes.

"Like you'd care." He mumbled, looking down at the floor as Tang carefully tended to his injuries. MK subtly tugged on the edge of Wukong's scarf.

"Monkey King?" He asked, quietly. "Can I talk to you for a moment?"

"Sure, kid." Wukong said, letting MK lead him to the other side of the ship. He knew Macaque would probably still be able to hear them anyways, but the other monkey was distracted with Tang, so they should be okay for now. "What's up?"

"It's just....you- you don't think that she did that to him, do you?" MK asked, glancing over at Macaque, at Macaque's injuries.

"No way to know for sure." Wukong said, "He isn't the best at making friends. Could've been anyone."

Suddenly, the look in MK's eyes changed.

"You'd know all about how Macaque makes friends then?" He asked, crossing his arms. "Y'know, while you were on vacation, I ran into Macaque again."

"You what? Why didn't you tell me?" Wukong asked, concern in his voice. MK brushed it off.

"You were busy, remember? Anyways, Macaque said something....interesting." MK said, "He said you two used to be friends. Like, he straight up compared the both of you to the sun and moon."

"He was always over-dramatic like that-"

"And. He said you abandoned him." MK said, "That you forgot about him."

Wukong sighed.

"Is that still how he sees it?" He said, rubbing his arm. "It's- look it was complicated, okay? I, well to put thing's simply, time in heaven works... differently than time on earth, and then the whole 'Havoc in Heaven' thing happened- and just. I never really got the chance-"

"But you were friends?" MK asked, "He can't have been all that bad back then."

"Well- no. He wasn't." Wukong admitted, "...If this is some attempt of yours to get me to trust him, you're not going to succeed kiddo. Not that I'm sure why you'd do that-"

"That's not what I'm- okay, so it's a little bit like that." MK confessed, laughing a little as he rubbed the back of his neck. "It's just, he's injured, so we can't just let him leave. We should let him stay with us for a bit-"

"MK-"

"It'd be wrong to just let him leave, wouldn't it?" MK insisted, grabbing hold of Wukong's hand, looking up at him with pleading eyes. "C'mon, Monkey King, at least this way we can keep an eye on him!"

"....I can't argue with you on that, I guess." Wukong sighed, "Fine. But don't blame me when he ends up betraying us in the end."

"We'll pay very close attention to him." MK insisted, "He can't betray us if we know it's coming!"

He was going to betray them.

He was going to turn against them.

He would earn their fragile trust, and then shatter it like glass.

He would not let himself get attached.

Macaque kept this mental mantra to himself going as Mei quietly showed him to the room he'd be staying in. They had reluctantly untied him, letting him walk by himself so long as he had someone with him. They would allow him the privacy of his room, but that was it.

Macaque walked into the rather small, empty space, the only thing in there being a bed with plain sheets and a door to what he presumed to be a bathroom. He sighed as he heard Mei close the door behind him, before she turned and walked away, down the hall. He waited until her footsteps faded, and he was sure nobody would open the door unexpectedly.

Macaque went into the bathroom (it was just as small and plain as the bedroom), and let his glamor drop all the way.

They'd trusted him with this room. And that was a problem.

The kid and the others had trusted him, albeit by not much, but they were still going to let him stay.

Wukong, at least, clearly still distrusted him, if the glares he'd noticed were any indication.

Macaque sighed again as he looked in the mirror, trying to mentally prepare himself to play the long con.

He was going to betray them.

He was going to turn against them.

He would earn their fragile trust, and then shatter it like glass.

He would not let himself get attached.

Despite this, Macaque knew himself.

He knew he was going to get attached.

It would be inevitable really, that kid, MK, seemed to drag everyone into his little golden family sooner or later. He was sure that Wukong probably would've outright thrown him off the ship if it wasn't for the kid.

Macaque knew how easy it would be for the kid to drag him in, make him feel like a part of the group. He would resist it, but it would happen.

He tried to brace himself for how much the looks of betrayal on their faces would hurt. Tried to convince himself he would enjoy it. That this is what he wanted. That he chose to do this.

The shine of the blue circlet that wrapped around his head in a vice grip, reminded him that it wasn't his choice to make.

#Monkie Kid #my writing #Season 3 Fanfic

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dancingthesambaa · 3 years ago

Text

The Smell of Plum Blossom Tea Ch 12

Summary: Just like a butterfly wing, a single act of kindness can change the course of the future, it certainly did for MK as a black furred monkey put out a hand towards him.

Rating: Teen and up

Chapter 12: Communication is Key

A soft melodic noise was playing in the air as Yanyu and Bohai entered the open clearing. Both blinked for a moment and then a grim expression overtook them as they saw the rest of their friends with the same nervous looks.

“Okay, what the fuck happened with Makkie and whose head do I need to bust open?” Yanyu asked everyone as they watched him play the Dizi as he sat down crossed legged on a tree branch with his tail lazily hanging.

“I don’t know,” Minsheng whispered as they peaked out from behind the tree.

“He’s been like this since we got in an hour ago,” Ahmed continued as his tail swished behind him.

“He didn’t react once,” Mei hissed as her fingers clenched her arm.

“Really?” The jellyfish looked astonished.

“Other than the flicker of his ears when he arrived, nothing,” Daiyu commented as her feathers puffed up.

“He only play this sad shit when he’s feels absolutely terrible and no one knows what the fuck happened?” The bluenette looked at everyone, only to get shakes of heads and denial again. “Damn.”

“I do,” their heads snapped towards a wincing MK as he held a pair of headphones in hand. “But it’s kinda a long story.”

“Last time he got like this was when he blacked out cause a literal firework got shot right next to his ear,” the bunny demon deadpanned, “and that was after already coming close to a breakdown when he thought he lost the two of you when you guys set off that curse.”

“So what they're trying to say MK,” Mei dragged her brother by the shirt and brought him close, “is telling us whose ass do we need to kick?”

“Don’t think you can fight against an immortal,” he winced.

It was Ahmed who got it first as he too winced, “I take it that it went very badly.”

“So much yelling and fighting,” he groaned.

“Wait who-fuck,” Mei eyes narrowed, “Macaque and Monkey King met didn’t they.” At the clarification, everyone winced. They might not have been there to see the fight go down but they have known the black furred monkey long enough for him to trust them on telling the two relationships with each other.

“Yeahhh.”

“Tell us everything,” the bunny demon said.

“Everything?”

“Everything.” They all said together.

“Then you might want to sit down for this, it’s gonna be a long story.”

“That no good little-”

“Of course they're both idiots,” Bohai sighed as he rubbed his head.

“-how dare he even say that!”

“Two monkeys, both immortal, both friends for a long time, and yet neither of them have developed proper communication,” Yanyu groaned as she too felt a headache coming along.

“I swear I’m gonna grab that head and-”

“Should just be glad that the mountain is still standing,” the lion tried to look on the brighter side despite his claws slowly emerging and retreating.

“It’s kinda sad that this is the best side of all of this,” the vulture said.

“-then after I shave all the fur I will use that razor and-”

“Yeah, it’s pretty bad,” MK wrung his hands together.

“I think bad is an understatement kiddy,” the rabbit demon then looked back at a fuming Mei. “You thinking of stopping anytime soon?”

“No!” The group can almost see the faintest of green in her eyes as it twitched. “There will be a skinned immortal monkey before the month ends!”

“Easy there breezy,” she felt her head forcibly, but gently, lowered by a warm fuzzy hand. “Don’t need to plot the demise of Wukong just yet.”

“Why nottt,” she whined as he looked up at Macaque. “He should learn that nobody messes with you without facing some consequences.”

“And I can do that myself,” he emphasized as he ruffled her hair, but she fondly slapped it away. “But do remember that I also said some things unwarranted too and I also didn’t try to deescalate the fight, so he's not at total fault here.”

“Still was part of the problem,” Minsheng pointed out.

“And also said some things he shouldn’t have said,” Yanyu couldn't help but say.

“True, but some of those things do hold some truth.”

“What part are you talking about?” MK blurted out in confusion.

“I know that I have changed, I can truthfully admit that, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t still have a lot of issues in general.” Back then he would have never admitted this to anyone, not even on his deathbed, but as the years pass and as the seasons go on, he knows that he can comfortably say all this to them without fear.

“There are many times where I still question myself and whether or not if this is me or if I wear a facade for so long that I became it, especially if I even deserve to be called a father,” he said that last part lowly to himself, but everyone heard it. But he didn’t take any notice of it as he continued. “Regardless though, I do know one thing for certain, I appreciate you trying to look out for me.” He smirked as he ruffled his two kids' hair.

They begrudgingly let him with a small smile on their face.

“We always do,” Bohai grinned.

“You do the same for us doc,” the bluenette slapped his shoulder. “Like that one time where you forced us to rest after that little incident.”

“You mean the time where you all decided it was a good idea to have a little fight in a bunch of unknown plants and then you all got sick?” He raised his eyebrow.

“That’s the one!” Both rabbit and vulture said with matching grins.

“Why did I become friends with you guys again?” He uttered for the nth time since he met them.

“For our glowing personality,” the big cat gave a deep chuckle as he wrapped an arm around his shoulder and nuzzled his fur as he gave a few long licks to Macaque long mane.

The first time he had ever done this to the monkey, he had chucked him clean across the treetops before it was properly explained to him. This is apparently done with not just cubs, but other lions or demons in the pride to form a closer connection and to provide comfort and affection. After that he begrudgingly let him continue the process, though he couldn’t help but cringe at the first few times.

“Alright, alright I get it,” he gently pushed the muzzle away from him. “Imma whip up some food, didn’t even realize how hungry I was until now. Does a hotpot sound good to you all.”

“I can already feel myself drooling,” Yanyu licked her lips.

“You should probably get that checked out then,” Mei jokes.

“That’s why we have the old man here for.”

“I don’t get paid enough for that,” he deadpanned.

“You don’t get paid at all,” MK supplied.

“No I do not,” was the last thing he said before he climbed up a tree and headed over back to the oversized treehouse.

“So we are gonna take down the Monkey King or at least plan some vengeance upon him, yes,” Bohai mused as he slightly glowed.

“Ohohoho, like you wouldn’t believe it,” Daiyu puffed up her feathers. “Imma about to hurt a monkey.”

“Count me in,” Mei said with an eerie twitching smile.

“May not be the strongest, but I know a few ways to immobilize a simian,” Minsheng muttered.

“I’ll get the hot glue and tacks. Nobody fucks with my teacher and gets away with it alive,” Yanyu took out her phone and began furiously typing.

“At ease everyone, try not to let your anger fester. We’re here for Mac right now,” Ahmed said with a low growl.

“Says the one growling,” MK inputted as his own hands twitched violently as he clutched onto the staff.

“Touché.”

Both Tang and Pigsy were watching Mei moodily chomp down on her noodles as she was furiously typing something down. They look to the other side and see that MK, who was on break, was steadfastly ignoring his cooling noodles as he was drawing something down in his notebook.

“Did they get into a fight?” The historian asked as he slurped down his food.

“Not that I know of,” the chef shook his head, “all I know is that MK came in like this and a little later girlie came in with the same mood.”

“We aren’t fighting,” Mei grumbled as she stabbed the chopsticks down onto the counter. “There is just an…issue that has occured.”

“Issue, that’s one word,” MK muttered.

“Just be glad I’m putting it lightly.”

“So, no fight?” Tang asked.

“No,” they both replied.

“Well that’s good at least…does it have to do with Red Son? I know that both of you were worried about him when he didn’t show, he called back yet?”

This brought the two back from their anger filled mind as the two twenty year old looked at each other, then back to Pigsy and shook his head.

“Nothing,” he sighed as he looked through his phone.

“Not even a text back,” Mei included.

“That’s weird, the three of you have been basically stuck by the hip since you all knew each other, wonder what could have happened?” Tang went into a questioning pose.

Mei leaned over to MK as the two other adults talked and quietly whispered, “you think it has something to do with his parents?”

“No doubt in my mind,” he whispered back. The two of them knew some things about his home situation, but that was all they needed to know that his parents were absolute garbage. “I’ll give him two more weeks, if we still don’t get a reply back then we bust in there and grab him.”

“And we should definitely phone the old man about this, at least this would take his mind off…well that,” the Dragon heiress said.

“How about we put that idea on hold for now,” he winced as she shot him an incredulous expression, “I think we can handle it.”

“Okay, you are so spilling why you don’t want to ask Macaque for help,” this isn’t the first time he tried to avoid asking the monkey for help. It’s been a slow gradual thing, but she had just now begun to pick up that MK was hiding something.

“Uhhhh well look at the time,” he nervously swallowed down his food in one gulp, after choking for a bit, and grabbed his keys and a few orders that were just made. “My break is over, no time to talk!”

“MK!” She yelled out as he rushed out of the store. “You will talk one way or another!”

“Oh I can’t hear you! Call you later!” He yelled out as he dived into the car, with the food still safely placed, and quickly drove onto the street.

“You little-!”

“Byeee!”

“I’m back!” He announced as soon as he landed on the mountain. He had taken a few days away from training and while he was still upset at Monkey King, he didn’t truly hate him nor was he even held a grudge against him. Though it probably didn’t help that Mei would evilly chuckle whenever she was typing or scraping another plan, he still winced at her seventh one. That one looked almost painfully brutal and humiliating.

Small frustration and irritation, yes. But not the kind that would overwhelm him and let it take absolute control. Besides he knew that wasn’t who the monkey really was, arguments can bring out the worst in someone, whether it’s true or not. But he still optimistically believes that those two can become friends again.

“Monkey Ki-WHOA!” He managed to brace for impact as he was almost knocked over as a bunch of monkeys came barreling into him from above. “Hey! Hey! It's good to see you all too.” He laughed as he tried to carry as many as he could.

“They missed you kiddo,” he looked to the voice behind him and saw the Monkey King sporting a wide grin as he sat upon his cloud. “They wouldn’t stop talking about missing their playmate.”

“Awww,” he cooed as he hugged the ones in his arms, “I missed you guys too.”

“We all did kiddo,” he smirked, but it did soften when he saw that there was no hostility or resentment in his student eyes.

“Well I guess I missed you too,” he gave an exaggerated sigh.

“I’m just a bit surprised that you came back, not that I didn’t think that you wouldn’t, but more along the lines of not wanting to see me again. But I mean who wouldn’t want to train with the great Monkey King,” he let a bit of his nerves leak out unintentionally.

“Well Dad always advocates for my choice, so I just chose to be here. Besides I just needed to cool off for a few days after all that,” he grinned widely as he bared his teeth. “I’m not giving up just yet.”

Wukong, who can now clearly tell that MK did share the same grin as Mac, couldn’t help but share his enthusiasm. “Well let’s freshen up your knowledge of the basics, I’m afraid you might have forgotten it all these past days.”

“I did not just sit around and do nothing these past couple of days, for your information!”

“What’s the problem with being lazy?” He smirked as he jumped off his cloud. “Nothing is wrong with that.”

“Oh there isn’t, it’s just that when you have a whole entire forest to watch out for when Dad is taking care of his patients, it gets a little crazy. Especially since the one who usually keeps an eye on things had to focus on another problem entirely or was not even there, except for BaBa. She’s the only reason why I haven’t tied all those idiots together in a knot,” he grumbled in the last part. It does get more than a little hectic in the forest, especially when there are so many creatures and demons all living in that same area no matter how big the boundaries may be. There will always be some sort of dispute between the clans and it’s usually the more neutral group, like Macaque, Ní, BaBa, Kappa, and even some of the faeries, to keep the relative peace. Will true harmony ever be attained? Ha! No, but the way they are living now is just perfectly fine to all of them. Despite the chaos, fights, and craziness in general, no one is truly upset over their homes.

“Oh, so he has patients,” he curiously prodded, “I didn’t think moo-Macaque would willingly subject himself to interacting with people.”

Before MK could tell him that he is technically true, he can tolerate them at best, they both were startled when multitudes of loud screeches burst their ears wide open as all the monkeys were howling and jumping either on the Monkey King or back on MK.

“What the-” Wukong was fast enough to dodge their grapple, but he thought best if he just waited for now as they didn’t seem to be angry from what he could tell from all their voices talking at once, rather…surprised?

“Yeah, I know Macaque?” MK answered one of the monkeys, who managed to stuff fruit in her sibling's mouth to shut them up. “He’s my dad.”

It was silent for only a moment before they all went wild as the ones that were previously on Wukong jumped over to him and began to screech.

“AHHHH!”

“AHHHH?!” He confusedly screamed as well as he couldn’t understand them all when they yelled like this and, well, he was sorely unprepared for what was happening and just decided to copy them.

“Why are you screaming!” Wukong turned to him in confusion.

“I don’t know! Wait!” He looked down to the bunch that were still screeching wildly, “Are you the same ones that took in my Dad back then?!”

He received violent nodding of heads and/or a screech in afrimation.

“AWESOME!” His eyes sparkled as he gained a mischievous grin, “Then that must mean you know all types of embarrassing things he did back then.”

They all shared the same grin as him. It has been a long time since they have seen their missing tribe member, intellectually they knew that he wasn’t around because of a dispute with their King. But they instinctively knew that their King had missed their mate for a long time now, and while some are a bit miffed that he has left, they all have deeply missed a member of their own. And now they have confirmation that not only is he alive, but he has taken in a new infant of his own?! This is a cause for a celebration.

One of the monkeys does turn to Wukong and gives him the stink eye as she glared at him for not telling them.

“Okay to be fair, I didn’t really expect it to happen,” he held up his hands in apology.

The stink eye intensified.

“And I’m sorry.”

The stare remained.

“And I’ll give you some of the sweet peaches.”

She was satisfied as she went back to picking through the child's hair. Maybe that would teach their King twice before not saying anything again…though she highly doubts it.

“But I’m surprised MK,” he casually watched the cute scene of all of the monkeys snuggling, playing, or just hanging all over his student body. “I didn’t know you could understand them.”

“Well I do have a demon monkey for a dad and I frequently talk to the ones in the forest,” he deadpanned.

“Yeah that makes sense,” he stretched his arms as he casually sat down next to him. “Speaking of forest he-you guys really live in the Plum Blossom Forest?”

“Yep!” He grinned as most of the monkeys finally decided to get off him and play around the area, the only one left was the one who glared at Wukong.

“Can you tell me more about it? I never visited there despite it popping up a couple hundred years ago.”

“Well I can tell you some, but dad knows that place like the back of his hand. He made it after all,” he absentmindedly said as he scratched the back of the monkey's head.

“He made it?” He emphasized his last point, “Are you talking about the forest?”

“Yup!”

“Why?!” And just when he thought he couldn’t be more shocked about his friend, life apparently throws him in for another loop.

“Well Ping-,” he paused and decided otherwise, “actually it’s kinda personal, way above my level.You should just ask dad about it when you have the chance.”

“Ping again,” he couldn’t help but mutter the name, “he must have been real special to Mac if you keep bringing it up.”

“Well I don’t know about special, but dad always says that he is just a regular human that just somehow doesn’t even blink at the most abnormal things that come his way, no matter how bizarre and crazy it may be,” he summarized.

“Must be some human then if he became so interested in him,” the Monkey King casually said as his tail silently moved back and forth just a bit quicker.

“Yup! Dad may never say it, but he really looks up to him and really is grateful for taking him in when he needed it the most,” he unknowingly blurted out, because right after he began to curse himself in his head over this as he froze. But before he could stutter out a flimsy question to redirect the focus away from the mess up he just created, he stilled once more as he felt a furry hand ruffle his head.

“I’m glad,” Wukong let a small grin envelop his face and he said nothing more.

MK took a few moments to process this and just nodded his head.

“Well I think we sat down for long enough,” the sage commented as he began to stand up. “I think it’s time we get to training. Are you ready?”

MK smiled as he let go of the monkey on his lap and jumped up. “I always am!”

“Mmmm I don’t think so I mean,” he held out a purple headband in his grasp, “you obviously forgot to keep watch of your surroundings.”

“My headband! Why is it always my headband!” He fumed and readied his stance for the chase.

“Like I always say, you can’t let your guard down,” and with that he jumped up and began to rapidly climb the mountain. “No matter what the situation may be.”

“We were having a moment!” He yelled out as he quickly followed behind him.

“With emotions? Ew, I’m allergic to that.”

“That’s not a thing!”

“Says you, I for one have been alive for far longer and I can see some things and experienced just as many, so obviously this is totally a thing that can happen.”

“I am a literal physician in training, I am literally learning under the same monkey who has seen and done just as much shit as you have!”

“And he would agree,” he chirped.

“No he would not!”

“Thanks again for the meal,” Pigsy said as he took a sip of his drink as he gently scratched Tang's head on his lap, “I may love to cook, but it’s nice not having to cook once in a while.”

“I feel you there,” Macaque gave a grin as he laid a blanket on both Mei and MK, who were passed out asleep on the couch. “When I am just swamped with work, I would just order some takeout and have one of my clones bring it here.”

“Don’t forget the tea,” Sandy added as he sipped his cup. “Also, are you sure you don’t mind us staying the night?”

“Please, I have more than enough rooms for everyone here and then some,” he waved him off as he spotted another letter on the counter and promptly tore it up and threw it in the trash after he saw what it was, “it’s no problem.”

“Junk mail,” the blue giant absentmindedly said.

“Heh, yeah it is,” he snorted in amusement for some reason as he sat down on the couch.

“So you really just helped the travelers out of spite cause of who they were running from?” Tang couldn’t help but jump back to their previous conversation they had on some of the stories Macaque had shared during his travels.

“Yep.”

“And not out of some benevolent goodwill to them?”

“Not really, I know first hand just how annoying a Yuki-onna, especially that bitch in particular,” he couldn’t stop the disgust in his tone.

“You know her?” Sandy asked.

“Unfortunately, let’s just say I was in the area one time during a snowstorm, cold and starving, did I meet her. She lulled into a false sense of security until I realized that I didn’t hear and then saw that I was half frozen. I got out of there so fast that I didn’t even contemplate my revenge until I could finally feel my feet again.”

“And what happened when you did meet again?” Tang questioned then raised his brow at the monkey's malicious grin.

“Well let’s just say that she dares not to show her face for a long time.”

“Meaning?” Pigsy was almost afraid to ask.

“I made her bald and used a special type of paint to make her skin purple, permanently,” he bluntly stated.

That actually made Sandy choke on his tea as both Tang and Pigsy busted out laughing at the image, though the historian did seem to be leaning more on the hysterical side.

“It shouldn’t be possible to leave a mark on a spirit skin unless it has dealt with tools to banish them, let alone ridding someone of their hair unless they can shapeshift?!”

“Goes to show what you know, I’ve been around quite a bit longer than you and trust me, we are well past the stage of simple banishing.”

“When did that happen? Who even thought of the idea?!”

He opted to say nothing, he wasn’t about to tell anyone that both he and Wukong created this after this one river spirit was getting on both of their nerves. They didn’t want to outright kill them, but to humiliate them enough to make them regret even showing their faces to the sky.

“Back to the merchants,” Sandy redirected the attention, “I know you also briefly mentioned that you helped heal them, have you been a physician for that long?”

“Give or take a couple of years.”

“So you really did go around healing others,” the historian amusedly said as he had broken from his previous hysteria.

Macaque rolled his eyes, “Just when I feel like it.”

“Now I’m curious, how did you decide to become a doctor in the first place?” Pigsy asked.

“Is it cause I sometimes look like either a teenager in their emo phase or too feminine?” He curiously asked. He had been mistaken for both before, though he guess it sometimes doesn’t help that he likes to paint his nails black or keep his mane long and wear feminine style clothing. He’s not complaining though, he didn’t really care about anyone opinion in the way he dress, clothing should not be biased to one gender and he feels good when he can wear whatever the fuck he want.

“No? Just curious,” though that does bring up some more questions on why he asked that.

“Just happened to learn it off of a human a few centuries back and it just didn’t stop,” he shrugged.

“That’s it?”

“That’s it.”

“Well that’s a bit anticlimactic,” Tang pouted.

“Sucks to suck, but I can truthfully say that I have no regrets learning medicine.”

“Really? Even when things go sideways?” The gentle giant gently prodded.

“Those times are hard, but no no regrets. Especially since it helped bring MK to me,” he nostalgically smiled.

“How so?”

“Well I was actually out of bandages one day and went to the city to pick up some more and I decided to take my time walking back and then I saw him and the rest is history.” He can still remember just how small starlight was and just how tired, both physically and mentally, he was. If he closes his eyes, he can still draw out every scar, bump, bruise or rib that looked too harsh on his bright child. “He really brought a new spark in my life.”

“And you to him as well,” Sandy smiled.

Mac snorted and shook his head, “He would have still been his same kind, bright and enthusiastic self even without me.”

“Maybe, but I’m glad that he didn’t have to suffer for it,” the pig demon added. It may not be obvious at first glance, but there is a spark in both, hell even Mei, eyes whenever they see the other. He couldn’t tell if it was from relief, safety, comfort or all of the above, but just when they are with each other, everything seems to fall into place. “And besides, I think you did a damn good job raising him.”

Both demon and human nodded in agreement.

The monkey demon couldn’t help the small smile forming on his lips. Pigsy words may have been brief, but for some reason, he felt his lingering doubts and dread, that has been flooding his mind since the confrontation, ease up.

They all continued to quietly talk to one another as the night continued on as one by one they all slowly let the night air drift them off to sleep.

“It seems rather slow today,” Tang mentioned as he looked around the empty shop.

“You're telling me,” Pigsy muttered as he wiped down the already clean counter. “Not a single person nor demon stepped in since the lunch rush.”

“Which means less work for me,” the MK clone said as he lounged on the booth.

“Why I outta,” he said before Tang continued.

“That is a bit strange, but it’s not quite so bad,” he said with a coy smile.

“What is that supposed to me-” he was once more cut off as the historian surprised him with a long kiss on the lips. “Oh, I guess that’s not so bad,” he muttered when they came back for air and leaned in once more.

Unfortunately they were rudely interrupted when Mei and Sandy burst through the doors and closed it with a loud bang.

“GUYS! HE’S BACK!”

“GHA!” Tang was startled enough to fall out of his chair.

“What the-what's the big idea you guys!” Pigsy gripped the counter as he glared at them, but then it turned to confusion as he saw that both human and demon were strangely in disarray with their clothes torn and scratched on their bodies.

“Are you guys okay?” The historian asked when he too saw a good look at them.

“We have a huge problem!” Mei paused as she quickly closed the blinds and glanced out the window.

“Big problem!”

“What happened?! What’s going on?”

“Demon Bull King is back,” the pigtailed girl continued.

“What!”

“And his clones have been terrorizing everyone and destroying the city!” The blue giant continued as he patted the frazzled cat on his shoulder.

“WHAT!”

“It’s mad chaos out there,” she dramatically said, “even Mac is out there blowing those machines to bits, and trying to get people to safety, but it doesn’t seem like it’s gonna stop. Wait-,” she eyed the relaxed clone and her eyes twitched. “Please don’t tell me-”

“Training with the Monkey King,” Tang and Pigsy simultaneously said.

“Damn it!” She facepalm, “well we’re just gonna have to hold them off until he gets here.”

Everyone, except the clone, nodded in determination as they got prepared for the coming battle.

“I think we need a little wardrobe change, some of us more than others,” Tang said as he eyed both Mei and Sandy clothes.

“Tang, do you really think we have time for this?” The pink demon questioned.

“Oh honey,” his glasses glinted as he held up a needle and thread, “there is always time for a wardrobe change.”

“Eh why not,” Sandy shrugged.

“I’m done for it,” she grinned, “but make sure it’s cool.”

“One apocalyptic style clothes coming right up,” he eagerly said as he made quick work of all their clothing.

“We’re gonna die,” clone MK boredly said as he flipped through the magazine.

Pigsy couldn’t say anything as he sighed and continued to get the weapons.

#lego monkie kid #monkie kid #mk #macaque #six eared macaque #monkey king

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strange-lace · 4 years ago

Text

Concert State of Consciousness

IT’S FINALLY DONE! I HAVE NOW MADE A FANFIC FOR THIS ROLESWAP AU! I didn’t expect this damn thing to get this long but here I am, once again! Kind of happy with how everyone’s characterized, though Demon Kid ended up a bit more sinister than I intended. I definitely had fun writing the dynamic between Mei and Green though.

Hope y’all like it!

To say the city was abuzz with excitement would be an understatement.

For the past couple of months, the name DJ Horns has been spoken with increasing interest as his music suddenly began to be played on the radio constantly. And most people wouldn’t deny that it was good, electronic yet incredibly varied depending on the song. But what interested people the most about the musician was how mysterious he was, active on social media and yet nobody knew his face and only the barest of personal details. Even his voice was a matter of debate with him using a voice synthesizer even when talking normally on his social media.

It was the perfect storm to allow DJ Horns fanbase to start from nothing to practically explode over time.

And the same musician had just announced that he would be doing a live concert right at the heart of the city, even playing “secret tracks” that he had yet to let anyone hear until now.

People were practically fighting to get themselves tickets, Mei herself included that chaos. She had been swept up in the excitement of DJ horns since the very beginning and was willing to do whatever she had to get tickets for her and Green to that concert.

Leading her to the unfortunate situation she was in now. Kicked out of the ticket venue and by the time the ban would be lifted, she knew all the concert tickets would be sold out. Oh and Green had to bail her out from getting in trouble with the security guys.

“I don’t get what the big deal was, everyone was fighting dirty to get first pick at those tickets!” Even with his shades, she could tell that Green was rolling his eyes at her.

“Oh gee, I don’t know Mei. Maybe it’s because you nearly tore a guy’s hair out!”

“That’s what he gets for trying to say I was only a fan to get the attention of other guys! Now I’m gonna miss the concert of a lifetime,” Mei groaned, a pout on her lips. Green’s scowl of disappointment softened as they walked into Pigsy’s Noodles, starting to feel bad. It’s not like the guy wasn’t being a jerk after all.

“I suppose I could see about pulling some strings to get us some decent seats, if it means that much-” He was cut off by a crushing hug from Mei, who easily lifted Green off of his feet and began to twirl them both around in sheer jubilation.

“You’d do that for me?! Thank you so much Green, you’re the absolute best!”

“Yes, yes, your appreciation is very evident now please put me down before you crush my rib cage,” he wheezed, letting in a deep gulp of air once he was freed. Mei appeared sheepish at the unintentional show of strength. “As I was saying, there’s probably a couple scalpers I could cough two tickets out of without much trouble.”

“I still question how you have the money to just do stuff like that casually, make hundreds of gadgets, and build our secret base.”

“You have your mysterious ways and I have mine Mei.” Before Mei could question further, Pigsy voice interrupted them both, looking a fair bit of a mess.

“There you are kid, we got a mountain of orders for you to deliver! Oh, and this came for you and Green in mail while you were gone, no return address though weirdly enough,” he said, shoving a load of noodle orders in Mei’s arms alongside two unmarked envelopes: one orange and the other green. The sound of something crashing in the kitchen tore Pigsy’s attention away, causing him to let out a string of curses as he went back into what sounded like chaos.

Green took the envelopes off Mei’s hands while she struggled with balancing all the orders in her arms, studying them with interest. Upon closer inspection, each envelope simply had “To My Heroes” scrawled on the front in elegant writing and sealed with a black wax seal on the back. He found himself impressed at all the sheer amount of effort put in.

“Fancy,” he commented before gently opening the green envelope. His eyes widened at what he found inside. “Looks like I won’t need to pay any scalpers for tickets.”

“Wait what do you mean? Gimme that!” Mei said, putting the orders down on the table to snatch the orange envelope and tear into it with desperate ferocity. There were practically stars once she took in what was inside: front row tickets to the DJ Horns concert and even VIP passes.

The windows of the restaurant rattled the slightest bit as the sheer force of her screams of joy.

Green didn’t even flinch as his ears were assaulted, used to this level of volume, while unfortunate bystanders winced in pain or jumped in surprise. He found a handwritten behind the ticket in his own envelope and curiosity getting the better of him, began to read it.

“As a token of thanks for always keeping this city safe, here’s free front row tickets on me! Can’t wait to see you both tonight in front of the crowd! ♡♡♡

- DJ Horns”

“How… suspiciously generous of him,” Green drawled, an eyebrow raised at such a note.

“What’s suspicious about it? We do save the city a lot and somebody’s just showing their appreciation for it! I see no problem with it,” Mei argued, pausing in her celebrations, which involved her doing a handstand on one of the stools and didn’t even seem bothered holding the position.

“Mei, this implies that he hand delivered these here without anybody noticing. Why go through all that effort to be sneaky?” It just didn’t sit right in the pit of his stomach, something smelled rotten about this to him.

“Because he’s a mega famous celebrity, he’s probably worried that making a big deal out of us giving these could make people upset or something.” It made sense to Mei, who wouldn’t free tickets from their favorite music artist and be upset that someone else was given that opportunity? She did a small flip from the stool to land next to Green, wrapping her arm around his shoulders until they were close enough that their cheeks were squished together. Despite the closeness, Green looked more uncomfortable about being tugged down to Mei’s height than anything else. That and how blinding her smile was.

“C’mon Green, I get the skepticism but it’s just a concert. One night where we can be normal teens enjoying the fruits of our labor in protecting this place, what’s so bad about that? Plus, it’ll be fun! So how about it?” Mei said, almost sounding desperate. Green remained silent for a moment before letting out a defeated sigh, only giving her a tired smile as he returned the one armed hug.

“Oh alright, you win. I suppose a break sounds nice right about now considering how things went with Demon Kid last time. Why look a gift horse in the mouth?” He conceded, willing to let his suspicion aside for a night of just not having to worry about anything but having a good time and enjoying music. Especially after yesterday, Green was still amazed that the demon managed to make something like perfume into a weapon of mass annoyance.

“That’s the spirit! This is gonna be the night of our lives!”

At least that’s what she thought, until her trinkets were literally snatched out of her hands.

“After you finish your deliveries for the night kid,” Pigsy interrupted, looking a lot more put together now that whatever disaster that had been happening in the kitchen was under control. Excluding the number of stains on his apron that weren’t there before of course. It took Mei a moment to process that her precious tickets weren’t in her hands and she was quick to bring out the puppy dog eyes.

“But- but Pigsy-” Pigsy showed no sign of giving in, having years to build a resistance to all of Mei’s tricks.

“I’m sorry Mei, but we’re way too swamped to let you run off with no one to do all these deliveries. Once you have all the deliveries done, you can have these back. But only after, so you better get started,” he stated, leaving no room for argument. And even if Mei tried, the smell of something burning had Pigsy back in the kitchen just like that with even more fervent curses, this time with her tickets tucked into the pockets of his apron.

Mei let out a groan and smacked her forehead against the countertop in despair. Green merely patted her back in sympathy to her plight.

“There’s no way I’m gonna make all those deliveries and not miss like half of the concert! Unless…”

Oh no, he recognized that look in her eyes anywhere.

“Mei, no. I know exactly what you’re thinking and I’m telling you right now, no. No music is worth facing Pigsy’s wrath if he finds out you skipped out on work for a concert. Which is what exactly will happen, he always finds out,” Green warned her, even taking off his sunglasses to look her dead in the eyes to get his point across. Mei winced at that, remembering what had happened last time she tried to skimp on work.

The power of Pigsy’s “I’m not mad, just disappointed” is something even DBK should fear.

“Look, I’ll record whatever you miss if I don’t see you by the time it starts. Might not be the same but it’s better than nothing.” That offer seemed to perk Mei up from her bout of disappointment, hopeful eyes peeking through her thick hair bangs.

“Promise?”

“I promise. But if you don’t want to miss the whole thing, you’d better do what Pigsy says and get started on the deliveries. Especially since I think that pile has grown since we got here,” Green said, pointing to the small mountain of orders which indeed had gotten bigger since passed off to her. This time, he was more prepared for the bone crushing embrace which came his way and thankfully had his arms free enough to return it.

“Thanks Green, you’re the best! Hopefully I’ll see you there before it all starts!” And just like that, Mei was off like a whirlwind with all the noodle orders in her arms. She excitedly loaded them into the shop’s delivery cart and drove off with a strong stomp in the gas pedal, the cart’s tires squealing in distress before driving off.

With a weary sigh, Green took his leave as well though he couldn’t stop looking at the ticket and note in his hands.

Even with Mei’s assurances, something about the situation still did not sit right with him.

“For once, please let me be wrong,” Green whispered to himself, not noticing a suspiciously familiar monkey-shaped marionette creature eagerly watching him from the rooftops above. On the other side of the puppet’s eyes, her creator couldn’t help the manic grin off of his face as the pieces started to fall into place for his plan.

Green had to admit that he was expecting this many people packed into the area when he rolled up to the concert gates on his motorcycle, Mei still nowhere in sight. Though he certainly made sure to update him on how the deliveries were going.

A familiar ding sound on his phone made him pause, giving an exasperated smile at seeing another text from Mei.

“WHY ARE SO MANY PEOPLE ORDERING NOODLES TONIGHT??? got done w 3/4 of the orders, if i hurry i should be there before opening act’s done. if anybody tries to steal my seat, i give you permission to use lethal force. don’t let me down! <3”

“Maybe if you didn’t send me so many texts, you’d be getting the deliveries done faster Mei,” Green mumbled to himself fondly as he climbed off his bike, blissfully unaware of the stares being sent his way. As usual, his hair was a mess of black and pale green spikes as he pulled off his helmet and he let out a soft huff, attempting to put order to the mane that was his hair as he made his way inside.

Green let out a low whistle, impressed as he walked further in to discover the place was decorated head to toe with fluorescent neon lights, state of the art music equipment, and a giant disco ball hanging from the ceiling which added another layer of glitz. It was almost disorientating, the onslaught of neon colors, lights, and music from all sides but in a way that was also exhilarating. The harsh glow of red, orange, and purple was a bit much for Green but at the same time it filled him with a sense of giddiness that made him begin to understand Mei’s desperation to be here.

His heart did a slight leap of excitement once he found his seat. It was one thing to read he had a front row seat and another thing entirely to see how close he was to the stage. And a completely separate thing to see a note on the seat, scrawled with a familiar extravagant writing which welcomed him and Mei with hopes that they would enjoy the show.

All too soon, all the lights went out and Green could feel his breath pause before they returned with full force alongside familiar music which seemed to make the entire room pulsate with its vibrations. Multiple spotlights shined on the stage and the crowd went wild with cheering as DJ Horns finally showed, looking just as bombastic as his set up.

He wore an ornate metallic helmet decorated with large horns that protruded from the forehead which shined a rainbow of colors under the neon lights. A dark fur lined coat was draped over his shoulders with a matching suit underneath and metal lined gloves on his hands. Overall, he looked like quite a character to Green though there was niggling in the back of his head that this should be someone that he could recognize. The grip on the arms of his seat tightened.

His eyes took in the still empty seat to his right and he began to gnaw his lip in worry.

“Where are you Mei?” Green asked himself before the synthesized voice of DJ Horns interrupted his thoughts.

“What is up everybody? You all ready for the show of a lifetime?!” A loud cacophonous roar of cheers answered him, which he soaked in without a hint of shame in his posture. “That’s what I like to hear! And we have some very special guests tonight right in the front row, the Monkie Kid herself and her partner, the Green Dragon!”

Green couldn’t help the flinch when a spotlight suddenly shined down on him, leaving him feeling exposed to hundreds upon thousands of eyes which zeroed in on him the vacant seat next to him. Yet he still forced on a smile which was more teeth than anything else, not quite appreciating being put on the spot like this. The musician’s shoulders seemed to tense in disappointment once he also noticed being down one of his special guests, yet he was quick to shake it off.

“Seems it’s more like one special guest, but no matter! We’re still going to make this a night that the city itself won’t ever forget! The first and unfortunately, only, live concert by the one and only DJ Horns!” He was met with gasps of surprise and even a couple cries of despair at this bombshell. “I know, I know! But there’s a reason for this, my dear fans. Because after tonight, you’ll all know the man behind the mask and I’m sure you’ve all been dying to know who it is. Am right?!” DJ Horns teased, hands reaching for his helmet.

The manic energy of the entire building seemed to escalate to almost out of control levels at that announcement, people scrambling for their phones to get the chance of capturing his face before anyone else. Green would have been among them if that uneasy feeling hadn’t begun to grow into full on paranoia, as if his very being could sense that the other shoe was about to drop. He was so tense that Green felt like he couldn’t breathe.

“Please let me be wrong, please let me be wrong, please let me be wrong,” he chanted to himself, his grip tightening to an unbearable degree as DJ Horns finally pulled off his helmet.

Unfortunately for him and everyone else, he wasn’t wrong.

His heart practically stopped as his eyes were welcomed by an unfortunately familiar face: spiked brown hair held up by a golden circlet styled like horns, dark eyes framed in orange and red pigment, and a fanged grin that promised nothing but trouble.

Demon Kid.

And his grin only became larger once he took in the shocked silence, particularly Green’s horror ridden face. He looked extremely pleased with himself as he took advantage of everyone struggling to process what was going on to prepare for the final phase of his plan.

And would it be a sweet victory for him.

��Oh, I’m going to treasure that look on your face for the rest of my life, Dragon Boy. It’s certainly a shame that the Noodle Girl couldn’t join in on the party but, eh, she’ll come eventually.” Green had finally overcome his horror, sword in his hands and making a mad dash towards Demon Kid on the stage. Yet the demon remained unaffected as he put on the finishing touches. “Because by the time I’m done, everyone in this whole city will be dancing for my king like my puppets. Starting with all you!”

And with that, Demon Kid put the volume at max and blasted the entire building with his music. The sheer force of the sound sent Green flying back, crashing into now abandoned seats as people attempted to escape. However, to their horror, all the doors were locked and barricaded. Leaving them trapped and at the mercy of the music assaulting their ears from all sides and one by one, civilians fell to the floor as they tried their hardest to muffle the noise. Yet as if a sentient force, the melody managed to slither its way in and overwhelmed people’s senses like a tidal wave with one simple but overpowering command.

And that command was to obey.

Green climbed to his feet in a daze, struggling to focus with the sheer volume and the strange whispering that seemed to be coming from nowhere and everywhere. And already Green could feel his mental walls crumbling, he wasn’t going to last long before he succumbed to the strange power.

Mei.

He had to warn Mei.

He scrambled for his phone, barely able to take him the most recent message from Mei stating she was heading back to get her ticket back from Pigsy. Clumsy fingers fumbled to type out a warning and relief flooded his nerves once the message was sent.

And just in time as Green found himself being dogpiled by multiple people, their eyes glowing a hollow and ominous red. He struggled yet the mental strain of fighting to keep control left him weak and vulnerable, sword just out of his reach. Impish chuckling invaded his ears and before he knew it, Demon Kid was right there. And while the demon typically only had a couple inches on Green, now he downright loomed over him and radiating smugness.

“Still fighting huh Dragon Boy? Almost impressive! But there’s no point in fighting anymore, the spell will wear you down one way or another. So save your energy, you’ll need it when you and Noodle Girl help me conquer this city in the name of my king. It’ll be awesome, just you wait!” The childlike giddiness would almost be endearing if Green wasn’t fighting a mental battle that he had no chance in winning, not against this kind of magic.

“Mei’ll stop you, she always does,” he grit out, eyes already taking on a faint red glow.

“Oh I wouldn’t be so sure of that, after all I’d like to see her fight against her best friend when he’s under my control. But that’s not for you to worry about. Now, give in Dragon Boy,” Demon Kid commanded and like that, Green found himself being pulled under into a strange haze, only able to think of obeying the commands of his puppetmaster. The demon couldn’t help the joyous laugh as he watched Green’s eyes become red much like the rest of his little army.

Mei had been driving like a madwoman towards the concert the moment she read Green’s text.

“it’s demon kid using spell to hypnotize people don’t have time can already feel control slipping need to destroy his set up and stop the music before he gets city”

“I swear if he’s hurt Green, I will make him wish he stuck with making music,” she hissed to herself before letting out a growl at another red light slowing her down. “To hell with this.” Mei summoned the staff, slamming one end against the street and keeping a tight grip as the staff extended, sending her and the cart sailing above the streets below.

Mei barely flinched at the rough landing in front of the building, only feeling a flash of guilt at the state of the cart. She could pay Pigsy back for the damages later. Staff held tight in her grip and headphones on to buy herself time, Mei was ready for anything. And upon taking notice that all the doors appeared to be either locked or blocked, she did the next best thing to get inside.

Pole vault and smash her way through a window, miraculously not cutting herself on the glass.

She tumbled forward upon landing and took in the scene before her.

Her headphones certainly didn’t stop her from feeling the bass practically rock the foundation of the place yet what Mei found more worrisome were the people. Instead of rushing to attack her, they were all dancing to the beat of the song and looked almost perfectly normal. Except they were all too in sync and choreographed, as if Mei found herself in a music video than anything else. A shiver traveled down her spine as they all seemed to be watching her yet gave her a wide berth to catch sight of the stage.

Her blood boiled at the sight of Demon Kid, perched at his station but wiggling about showing he was barely able to sit still in anticipation.

“There you are, you had me waiting forever for you to get here!” He exclaimed, almost happy to see Mei before he caught himself and schooled his expression back to a businesslike indifference. “Not that it matters, you’ll be joining the Dragon Boy soon enough and we can start taking over this city!”

“Not while I have these headphones on, asshole!” Mei screamed over the music before rushing towards the stage, ready to smash Demon Kid’s equipment to pieces. It was only out of a vague sense of danger which flared in the back of her head and dodging at the right time that she managed to evade being skewered in the side by a sword.

The sight of Green, eyes lifeless red and moving around as if a stiff marionette being led around on strings, was definitely one that Mei was going to see in her nightmares for who knows how long.

Leaping to dodge another swipe of Green’s sword, Demon Kid’s cackle seemed to echo in sync with the music.

“Well then we’ll just have to rip those headphones off your pretty head ourselves! Minions, if you please!” Following the demon’s command, the hypnotized civilians stopped their dancing and attacked.

And Mei soon found herself swarmed and being attacked on all sides. It soon became more of a deadly game of tag, keeping herself out of the reach of her countless pursuers and evading Green’s relentless attacks. She was running out of time and space, she needed to think of a plan.

Fast.

Her eyes soon caught sight of the stage lighting above Demon Kid’s set and it was as if a lightbulb went off in her head.

It was risky and she only had one shot.

But Mei was always one for risk.

With a quick change in direction, Mei dashed towards the center of the swarm and just before she was pulled in, she took aim and threw the staff towards the stage lights. She could only be left to hope that she didn’t miss as a hand grabbed her ankle, only to be face to face with Green. His blank face now alight with a victorious grin before they were left tumbling along the floor in a desperate bid to grab one another.

Mei grunted as she found herself pinned down by Green, the neon lights causing his sword to gleam with menace as he held the tip to her throat. His other hand ripped off her headphones without mercy and her own ears were overwhelmed by the music.

“C’mon staff, don’t let me down,” she said, doing her best to fight as the spell soon attempted to creep its way in her head too.

“Well done, my dear puppet,” Demon Kid congratulated Green, pride practically emanating from his being. “Any last words, Noodle Girl?” His victory was practically guaranteed now and he couldn’t wait to see the look on his king’s face.

Which only made the demon confused at the sight of Mei’s smirk, her eyes focused upwards.

“Yeah. Might want to look above.”

“What?” Demon Kid did so and his heart stuttered at the sight of the spinning staff pinballing across the walls before colliding with the heavy duty wires which held the stage lights.

And cut through them without ease.

Without any suspension, the stage light rig surrendered to the forces of gravity. Demon Kid hurriedly dived off the stage to save himself, narrowly missed being squished by the rig. Unfortunately, his music equipment was not granted the same luck and was crushed in a shower of sparks, cutting off the music.

Blissful silence took over the area and Mei let out a sigh of relief as the sensation of something prying at her mind vanished like mist. And she couldn’t help a smile as the red vanished from Green’s eyes, signifying the end of Demon Kid’s control on him. He let out a groan, crawling back to consciousness as if waking up from the world’s worst nap, before realizing where he was.

“Mei? What happened? Are you okay?” Green was quick to get off Mei and help her back to her feet. She simply gave him a hug, content to see him safe and sound now. He accepted the hug without complaint, feeling less like he was struggling to gather his ability for free will again after having it ripped away. They were quick to break away as flames licked at their backs and they were faced with Demon Kid, his hair now flames as he took in his now ruined DJ equipment.

The duo took fighting stances, only for the demon to take a deep breath and have his hair to return to normal.

“Well, looks like you both got me beat this time. Here I thought I had it all in the bag but then you pulled that off-the-wall solution out of nowhere! And I admit, it looked cool as hell! I’ll give you two this win, here’s a little something for it,” Demon Kid said before tossing a bundle their way, which Mei caught with a look of caution from Green before they unwrapped it. To their mutual surprise, it was two letterman jackets emblazoned with the DJ Horns logo on the back and sleeves.

Before they could question him on this, Demon Kid gave the two a cheeky week before vanishing in a whirlwind of fire and smoke.

After a moment of stunned silence, Mei wordlessly took one of the jackets and put it on.

“After all that, you’re still willing to wear anything associated with DJ Horns?”

“Hey, this is merch I’ve never seen before and you gotta admit, we’d make this look good.” She even struck a pose to prove her point.

With a resigned groan, Green followed suit by putting on the other jacket and silently agreed that the jackets did make them look pretty good.

#lego monkie kid #monkie kid #mei #mk #red son #roleswap au #traffic light trio #fanfiction #my writing

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purble-turble · 4 years ago

Note

I wonder though, since Yandere MK is still the Monkie Kid and now doing so full-time, would the city slowly start to realize their "hero" isn't all that he seems? Like would we have a "villain with good publicity" scenario where MK uses his status as a hero to turn the city against his former friends and family unless they give him back Red Son?

Yandere MK definitely has that whole hero persona down to a T. He gets great publicity as a hero of the city and nobody knows the things he did to Red Son. And even if they did, people probably wouldn’t believe him. Think about it- Red Son is the son of DBK and a few months prior he was destroying the entire city with the intention of plunging the world into darkness (his words) so he hasn’t exactly endeared himself to the populace. MK’s friends would probably have a bit more credibility, but at the same time since they’ve been seen around Red Son more than MK lately, any lies MK has to tell about how they betrayed him and joined the side of evil will probably fly a lot better than the actual truth.

Pigsy’s Noodles is the first casualty. Pigsy refuses to tell MK where Red Son is hiding and attempts to talk his kid down, wanting to get to the bottom of why he’s acting like this. Even though he’s a literal demon and a villain, Pigsy knows that his kid knows better than to treat a person like how he’s treated Red. MK doesn’t respond in the moment, he just walks away from the conversation. His real response comes later, when Pigsy’s app is suddenly flooded with negative reviews.. rumors start circulating that the noodle shop is some kind of front for the demons plaguing the city, and before too long he’s struggling to stay above water.

Sandy’s shipping company comes next. He’s certain he can get MK to just talk out his issues if he’ll only come have tea with him. Maybe they could do some yoga and meditate on why he feels the need to control the person he says he loves... MK doesn’t take kindly to his interference. He doesn’t want to be talked down to about his feelings for Red, and he does NOT need to meditate. He just needs Red!!! And if Sandy actually wants to help him, he’ll get his boyfriend back. But of course Sandy won’t help MK hurt Red again... so soon after his shipments start to disappear. His boat starts springing leaks more and more often, seemingly out of nowhere, and some of his bigget clients start asking about misuse of their technology... he might be facing some legal trouble.

At long last Tang sits down with MK to have a chat. He tries to teach him a lesson about his own behavior using an allegory with the Monkey King and his chaotic nature hurting the people around him and how he learned to be better... MK doesn’t listen. MK doesn’t want to be better. He tells Tang he’s lived his whole life worrying about what other people want and trying to please people so they’ll keep him around, but when he finally finds the one thing, the one person that he wants above anything else, that he’ll do anything to keep.. everyone else decides that he’s not allowed to have him? No, he’s sick of letting other people decide what’s the right thing for him to do. He’s the Monkie Kid now. He has the Monkey King’s staff! He can do anything he wants! And what he wants is Red Son. And if his friends try to stop MK from getting him, they’ll be sorry.... Tang, being a scholar, mostly makes his living off of his reputation getting him contracts and speaking fees for the topics he’s knowledgeable about... so it’s easy for MK to ruin that with a few nasty rumors. Which he does.

#ask #spicynoodleshipping #dark spicynoodles #yandere #yandere MK is so mean #I’m having fun with him #he’s very different from canon MK #yandere mk

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ninja-go-to-therapy · 4 years ago

Text

Shaken

Chapter 2

Summary: MK wakes up in the hospital. If there's one thing he knows, it's that he's got to get away.

Trigger Warnings: hospital, referenced abuse, mentioned death

2990 words

“—just started freaking out—”

“—swear, if this is more monkey madness you’re putting him through—”

“—not.”

Words and voices faded in and out. What was going on? His head felt like it was going to explode. Everything was fuzzy, and he hadn’t even opened his eyes yet.

Come to think of it, he probably shouldn’t open his eyes. He didn’t want them to know he was awake.

MK fought to keep his breathing even, just barely suppressing a groan.

He hadn’t escaped.

He was in the “hospital”, no doubt, completely surrounded by those fake shells of his friends. He had to get out of here.

“—think he’s waking up!”

“—id! Kid, can you hear me?”

Shit. They knew he was awake. There was no getting out of this.

He fluttered his eyes open, sitting up with great difficulty.

“MK? How are you feeling?” Fake Tang asked. He looked so real, too.

MK scanned the room as subtly as he could. The door wasn’t blocked. He had to make a run for it. It was a long shot, but if he could just get to his staff, then he could get out of here. But it was so far away.

Pretend Monkey King took a step closer, reaching out a hand to put on MK’s shoulder — or to kill him.

“Don’t touch me!” he demanded.

“Oh, kid—”

He scrambled off the bed and onto the opposite side, nearly collapsing entirely at the immediate searing pain that came from it. He’d forgotten about his leg.

“Shit, kid, sit back down!” Not-Pigsy said, like he was panicking and genuinely worried for MK’s safety and well-being.

As they advanced on him, MK backed away, using the wall for support. He had to get away.

He made it to the door, but immediately bumped into something — or someone. He turned around, stifling a pained gasp at the action. Pretend Sandy was there, almost totally blocking the doorway.

He looked back behind him, terror growing as he saw the concern etched on his not-friends faces. It looked so real, and that only made it worse.

He had to get out of here.

He faked left. As predicted, not-Sandy followed. MK quickly changed his direction, sliding past him and making a break for it down the hall.

The violent burning crawling up his leg was, quite literally, his downfall. His leg gave out, and he was sent sprawling to the floor, and then he was being surrounded, by nurses and his friends alike, and then… he didn’t remember much, after that.

He woke up again in the same blindingly white hospital room. It felt like he was missing more than he knew he was.

This time, he was alone.

Hope soared in his chest. If he wasn’t being watched, he could get out! He went to sit up, but was stopped short by straps that were holding him down.

“No,” he begged, tugging on them desperately. “No!”

He was trapped. Done for. They were going to kill him, and there would be nothing he could do about it.

Oh god, he was sure now that they’d make it extra slow and painful. Of course they would. They had to despise him, by now.

He heard someone approaching from the other side of the door, and immediately, he went limp, pretending to be asleep again.

The door opened.

“Oh, bud…” he heard pretend-Monkey-King say. “You’re gonna be okay.” they must have known MK was awake. There was no other reason they’d be spewing this bullshit. Maybe they could watch him even without a human puppet around.

MK couldn’t take it any longer. “Just drop it,” he said, staring numbly at the ceiling. “You don’t have to act anymore. The jig has been up for a long time.” he blinked back the tears that were pushing at his eyes. “So, who am I talking to? Jin or Yin? Or both? I don’t know how this Calabash shit works.”

MK couldn’t see not-Monkey King’s reaction to that. He just kept staring at the ceiling, blinking away his tears. His head was beginning to hurt.

“Those bastards? You think—? Oh, MK…”

Oh, great, now they were playing from this angle. When would they just give it up? He knew it was them.

“I don’t think. I know.”

“Oh, come on, bud, you don’t really think they could replicate my stunningly good looks, do you?”

In spite of himself, MK laughed. That was just like his mentor.

Monkey King smiled. “Really, bud, it’s me. Wukong.”

MK glared at the ceiling. “Nice try. The real one wasn’t… I wouldn’t have called the real one by that name.” he never had before. The demons clearly hadn’t done enough research.

Pretend Monkey King’s confusion was so fake it hurt. “What do you mean?”

“We’re not that close, you know. Hell, I doubt he even actually knows my name. Just — god. Kill me. Don’t try to make me believe it’s really them. Just get it over with!”

“Dammit, MK, we’re not going to kill you!”

“Whatever.”

For a moment, fake Monkey King looked genuinely upset. He sighed. “Get some rest, kid.”

And then he left.

MK spent the next few minutes in silence, struggling to get out of the restraints. But they were tough. Fucking hell.

But he didn’t give up. He couldn’t afford to. He had to get out of them, he had to get home, to his real friends. How long had he been in here, anyway? Pigsy would probably be pissed at him for missing work.

The door opened, and this time, it was the fake version of Mei. He didn’t even get the chance to wonder what she wanted before she spoke.

“Ask me something,” she demanded. “Monkey King told us what you think is going on, so ask me something. Something only you and I would know.”

Oh, so they could make it all worse by making him see just how much they knew about him? Hard pass.

At his lack of reply, Mei began to talk. “We’ve known each other since we were 13. Pigsy took you in a year or two after that. Your favorite season of Monkey King: the animated series is season 8, because you think whatshisname is hot.”

Okay, sue him, he had a thing for redheads! But that wasn’t important right now. “So what? Anyone could find out stuff like that!”

Mei huffed, continuing on. “Your favorite coping mechanism used to be writing fic about Monkey King adopting you. You wrote one of the biggest fics in the fandom ever.”

“And? That’s not that hard to figure out!”

Mei looked like she was about to scream. “Your parents were bad people.”

MK, who had been struggling, immediately went still.

“They were bad people, and they were even worse parents. You told me not to go after them, even after you got kicked out. Because you’re too good to have ever even considered it. What else do you want from me, MK? When you defeated DBK—”

MK had to admit, he’d almost begun to believe her. “You almost had me there,” he admitted, “I don’t know how the hell you found out about any of that, but if you didn’t notice, the DBK thing didn’t work last time either.”

“...What?”

“Oh my god, I’m not that dumb. I would remember locking away DBK if it had really happened.”

“But… it did?”

“Yeah, sure. I really did lock away the entire Demon Bull family, yeah. And Tang and Pigsy have some weird gay relationship going on, and Mo can just talk now, and Sandy is hosting romantic river cruises, of all things. And you,” he said, forcing down the vomit. “are in love with me!”

Mei made a face. “Ew! That’s disgusting. Wait, okay, I think I have one. What if I tell you what MK stands for? Then will you believe it’s me?”

MK rolled his eyes. Nobody knew what MK really stood for but the real Mei. Even demons would have a hard time figuring it out. Hopefully.

“Whatever.”

They were probably bluffing, anyway.

His name, what MK really stood for, was a nearly perfectly kept secret. Especially in… recent times.

“MK stands for Monkey King, “because he’s like, my hero! And doesn’t MK have this super cool and kinda mysterious edge to it?” she replied, imitating him badly and hardly missing a beat. “And, even though you think it’s a super cool name, you’re embarrassed about it, and keep it to yourself.”

MK glared at her. “I don’t know how you heard that—”

“What will get you to believe me?” she begged.

“Nothing! Absolutely nothing! I’m not falling for this bullshit again!”

“Ask me something! Anything! Please.”

MK thought for a moment. There was maybe one thing he could think of that they wouldn’t know. Something real. Something they would have no reason to.

He sighed, weighing it over in his mind. There was no downside, he supposed. “What did you say when I first told you about… me?”

Again, Mei didn’t even need a moment to think. “I told you that I was really happy that you were comfortable telling me, and that I would love to take you shopping sometime to get you some better clothes, and then I demanded to know where your father lived so that I could scoop his eyes out with a plastic spoon, because he doesn’t deserve to even be able to lay eyes on you. And then I said I would keep him alive, but only barely, because an asshole like that deserves to suffer.”

MK’s blood went cold. It was too oddly specific, and had happened years ago. There was no way they could have known. Which could only mean…

“Mei?”

“Yes!” she cried, nodding frantically.

He couldn’t help himself, the tears he’d been so desperate to hold back earlier finally beginning to fall. “It’s really you?” he sniffled.

Mei nodded. “It is, I swear.”

Carefully, she wrapped him in a hug. It felt so nice and comforting. For a moment, MK just let himself be swept away by it.

Until the door opened.

He pushed Mei away gently, wiping his eyes furiously.

“You uh… feeling alright, bud?” Monkey King… the real one…? asked.

“I’m okay.”

It was real. Pigsy and Tang, they were both real. And Sandy, and Monkey King, and Mei. God, he was so stupid.

“So… you thought you were in some evil magical illusion? Why?” Sandy asked.

“Because I was there before, and—” MK cut himself off. “Wait, no, this is still wrong. I would remember defeating DBK. That never happened.” But they knew — but he also would have remembered — he didn’t know what to believe. Oh god. How was he supposed to know for sure? How was he supposed to be confident in his decision? What was he supposed to do?

The others shared a look.

“You defeated them weeks ago,” Tang said, slowly.

“In like, April,” Mei added.

“It’s March,” MK corrected, his breathing picking up.

“It’s definitely May,” Pigsy said.

“I don’t… but…” MK took a deep breath, trying to ground himself. He didn’t feel so good. His head hurt so bad. He wanted it to stop.

His eyes were hurting, too. Was the world always so covered in little black spots?

“MK?” someone asked, their voice a thousand miles away. “Are you alright?”

The darkness fully overtook his vision, and MK didn’t have the chance to answer.

———

“—kill you, monkey asshole—”

“—do I have to do with this?”

“—our kid a — concussion!”

“—my fault?”

MK groaned, feeling faintly like he was going to vomit. He didn’t try to sit up, this time.

“MK, how are you?”

He eyed his maybe-friends warily. “Trying to figure out if I’m being tricked.”

“Yeah, about that. You’ve got a concussion, kiddo.”

Well, that was a lousy excuse. “I didn’t even hit my head,” he said, rolling his eyes. “Try again.”

“What about that earthquake earlier?” Sandy offered.

“That lasted for like, ten seconds.” Not even. It had been over before it had even actually begun. They needed to try harder than this to fool him. He’d almost fallen for their lies the last time he’d been awake. He couldn’t risk it happening again.

“It definitely lasted for longer than that,” Pigsy said.

“No?”

“Yeah?”

“I bet that’s what happened, then. You hit yourself on the head during the earthquake, forget some important shit — I mean, stuff — gave yourself a concussion, and then you went on a quest that I like to call how badly can I scare my parentals?” Pigsy said, all but yelling by the time he was done with his explanation.

Out of all of that, MK couldn’t help but hone in on one part of it. “...parentals?”

Mei sighed. “You’ve forgotten a lot.”

MK looked at her for a long moment. He still just wasn’t totally convinced. But if there was one thing he knew Yin and Jin would jump at, it was this. One last try. “You know what? I changed my mind. I am in love with you.”

“I — what the fuck, MK?” Mei asked, looking sick at the thought.

“Oh, thank god,” he said, sighing in relief. “Okay, I believe you now.”

Thinking about it, he supposed it all made sense. It didn’t make it much less disturbing, though. In fact, the growing sense of horror he was getting was almost worse than thinking he was inside the Calabash.

But god, it had all been so obvious. Besides the initial earthquake, there had been nothing else like it the entire day. No glitches, no inconsistencies, no random people surrounding him and insisting that this was completely and totally perfect. Yin and Jin would have probably jumped at the chance to gloat once he’d initially figured it out, too.

In short, MK was just… really fucking stupid.

Shit, it was really hitting him now. He must have seemed absolutely fucking crazy all day. Especially considering he’d never told anybody about his first experience in the Calabash.

His friends really had been concerned about him. And with good reason. To them, he’d just lost his mind out of nowhere.

He’d attacked them. He’d actually landed a hit on Mei. He’d been so sure that they weren’t really them. Oh god.

He couldn’t breathe.

He was so stupid. He’d freaked out over nothing, and had very obviously put his friends through enormous stress. All because of a little paranoia that had snowballed into — well. This.

He’d gotten a fucking concussion, broken something in his leg, he’d attacked Mei, he’d fought with everything in him against the people who were only trying to protect him. And all he had in response was to try to hurt them.

He was an idiot.

“C’mere, bud,” Monkey King said, crouching down beside the bed and wrapping MK in this sort of embrace that was all warm and soft and fuzzy. It was so comforting and nice, and probably more than he deserved. “I’ve got you.”

From the other side of the bed, Mei leaned over, hugging MK from behind.

The others, to the best of their ability with the limited space the hospital bed provided, joined in, however uncomfortably.

It was like being completely cocooned in warmth and love.

They… still wanted him around.

He’d completely flipped shit for no reason, had attacked them and screamed at them and done everything in his power to get away, but they still wanted him around. He’d been so sure they would be disappointed in him, would be angry that he’d fought them so viciously, or even hate him.

But if this was anything to go by, they didn’t.

In fact, he’d never felt so safe.

“You’re gonna be okay,” Tang assured from somewhere to his left.

For the first time in the last day (two days? more?), he actually believed it. His friends were real, they weren’t out to end him, and the danger, for the most part, was gone.

The Demon Bull family was gone, locked away under a mountain. Jin and Yin had nothing to do with it, this time.

Also, Pigsy had willingly referred to himself as MK’s parent figure, and wow was that strange.

Strange, but not unwelcome.

And, if the day’s interactions were anything to go by, it seemed like Monkey King didn’t just tolerate him, but actually… actually cared about him?

He wondered if he’d felt that way at the point in time where MK’s memory stopped.

It was startling to know that everyone else in the room was much better informed about… well, everything, than him. They knew about thoughts and feelings he’d had that he didn’t even recall experiencing. They knew about his greatest battle, about how his relationship with all of them had developed in that time, all of it.

And he didn’t.

There was an uncomfortable gaping hole in his mind that he hadn’t even known was there. He felt sort of… naked without it. Like he’d run to work without his pants on and for some reason or another, couldn’t get back up to grab a pair.

His stupid brain was locking the door so that he couldn’t retrieve his pants.

But it would be okay. Something deep within him told him it would be. Or maybe it was the pile of people crowding around him in a group-hug, who knew. Probably a little bit of both.

But really, he was somehow certain that it would work out. He would regain his memory, and in the meantime, the others could fill him in on everything that he’d missed.

It was all going to be fine. It would take some adjusting, and it would be hard, but they still wanted him around. That was, in of itself, a miracle.

“Wait, does this mean he doesn’t remember that Tang and Pigsy are together?”

“What?”

#yeah i dunno #monkie kid #hospital #referenced abuse #mentioned death #tw hospital #tw referenced abuse #tw mentioned death #kat writes #monkie kid fanfiction #angst #whump #fluff #not often I use that tag #I tried #amnesia #cross-posted on ao3

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