Chapter Text
Wukong had been avoiding it for two months now.
He left his shirt at Macaques, and he doesn't want to go get it. He could always call it a loss, get a new one, or make one out of his fur again. But really, it would be a good excuse to check in on Bai He. He hasn't heard much about her from the others, not that he didn't ask. Wukong only spent maybe a few days with her, but they were special to him. He got to hang with and watch over the sweetest little girl in the whole realm, and Macaque didn't try to kill him afterwards! He even thanked him, which he'd be lying if he said those words hadn't at least echoed in his mind a few times. The only reason he didn't just fly over there when he first noticed his shirt missing was because going over there would mean having to talk with Macaque again. And he's still not quite sure where the two of them stand.
Surely, he must trust him enough to look after his home and Bai He, but he also didn't seem all too thrilled to disclose that information, keeping her hidden from him and saying he would "just be house sitting" while he was away. He's still a bit peeved at that. That must've meant that Wukong was a last choice. Wukong wasn't just a Plan B; he was a Plan Z, the last absolute option that Macaque would have chosen to watch Bai He. And that's really what it came down to, huh? Macaque didn't trust Wukong around Bai He. It was almost funny, if it hadn't also hurt tremendously. He couldn't stop thinking about how close they used to be compared to what they were. He just didn't understand Macaque anymore. What he wanted, why he did anything he did, and what he needed. Maybe he never did understand him from the start.
He didn't want to spend all day cooped up on his couch pondering his relationship with Macaque and the erratic trust they had in each other. He was putting too much thought into it. It was just going to get his shirt and come back and then see Macaque... whenever he decided to come back on the mountain. His visits have been so infrequent. He rarely got a chance to talk with him, not that Macaque would make much of an effort to speak with him as well. He wished his troop goodbye before transforming into a bird and flying to the mainland. He was just picking up a shirt. In and out. Simple. No need to overcomplicate things. He swooped past the colorful lights and buildings to the more desolate part. He almost lost track of Macaques Wuquan because the grass was actually cut.
He transformed back and landed in front of the door, all that was left to do was to knock... Just knock... yeah... so why wasn't he just knocking?!
Wukong's hand stayed frozen in the air, just above the door. Maybe... he should practice, just in case. He lowers his hand back down to his side as he paces back and forth in front of the door 'Hey Macaque! Long time no see! SO I left a shirt here' That way is too friendly for someone he was just on okay speaking terms with. 'I left my shirt here, I need to pick it up' but that's too standoffish, he's not trying to be a complete dick. He takes a deep breath, practicing was a bad idea. Just go for it already! His mental yelling seems to pay off as he finally knocks on the door. He hears a commotion of noise going on in the building before the door cracks open to see Macaque peering through. "Wukong" He doesn't sound surprised at all to see him, those damn six ears. "Yup. Me." Wukong only said two words, and he's overthinking. Did he sound too nervous? Too unbothered? Annoyed? Rude?! His seconds-long internal panic is cut short when Macaque speaks again, "And here I thought you had had enough of this place? I even told Bai He you never wanted to see her again. It broke her heart" He said with that same easy-going smirk that he always had when stirring shit "You did what?!" Wukong knew for sure he sounded panicked now.
Macaque's not-so-quiet snickers are cut short when he feels a pair of small hands punch at his back. "Don't lie about me like that!" Bai He said, annoyed, with her cheeks puffed up in anger. She pokes her head from behind Macaque and smiles when she sees Wukong, "Monkey King! You're here again!" Wukong feels instant relief when it's revealed that Macaque was just lying to get a reaction out of him. "Hey there kid!" He raises his hand lower so she could run over and meet him in a high-five. Macaque watches the two's reunions with his arms crossed over his chest. Bai He is already running back in the Wuquan, leaving the two adults to themself. "I take it you want to come inside?" Wukong silently nodded his head, not trusting whatever his mouth could come up with.
Macaque stepped to the side and allowed Wukong back into his home. It's the same as it was before, though now it has a replacement punching bag! Wukong followed Macaque further into his home and saw Bai He running off into her room. "You're gonna trip one of these days if you keep running like that" Macaque called out to Bai He, who didn't respond. He turned back to Wukong "So, why are you here?" straight to the point. "Oh right- I forgot one of my shirts here, I was hoping you'd let me look for it?" Macaque raises a brow "...You waited two months just to come get a shirt?" "Yeah..." The two stand in silence. Macaque then groans, "Fine, but make it quick." Wukong doesn't waste any more time; he mutters a quick 'thanks' before returning to the living room and searching under the couch for his missing shirt.
"Whatcha doing?" Bai He asks, standing over Wukong, "Just looking for my shirt. I think I left it here last time." He was more focused on looking under the couch to see if it was there last time. "Oh, I have it right here" Bai He said, holding up the undershirt- and hey wait! "You found it! Thanks kiddo" Wukong pokes his dusty head from under the couch to see his undershirt just dangling from her hands. Macaque poked his head over, surprised, and he did his best not to show it on his face. "I thought you made sure not to leave anything behind?" He grumbled. Once Wukong left, he made sure that not a single thing of the great sage remained in his home; how did a single shirt slip past? Bai He just shrugged her shoulders as Wukong took the shirt back from her." 'Dunno, must've been hidden really well" she said, her gaze landing on the floor and her hands fiddling behind her back. Macaque narrowed his eyes at that.
"Well, I got my shirt back, I won't make a habit of dropping in uninvited" Wukong said, shoving the shirt in the pockets of his hoodie. Bai He is bouncing on the tips of her feet with her mouth stretched thin; she was making it obvious she wanted to say something. Wukong chuckles, "You look like your brain's gonna melt out of your head with all that thinking, something on your mind?" He finally prompted, and she then broke into an eager smile. "Weeeeeeeell, I was hoping you remember last time you were here, you promised to take me to the park once it was fixed... annnd it is now!" Ah, so that's why she already seemed to be dressed to go out. Wukong thought back, trying to remember when exactly he promised that, but it wouldn't be bad to hang out with "Sure thing kiddo, I don't have much planned today anyways. It'd be fun to hang out again-" "Ahem!" The two's excitement was quickly shut down by Macaque loudly clearing his throat, as if they forgot he was still in the room with them.
Bai He smiled nervously, the kind of smile you had when you knew you were in trouble, but were still hoping to be freed of consequence. "You guys just can't go whenever you want to wherever you want! Are you insane?" It was a rhetorical question; his tail lashed like an angry whip behind him against the floorboards, a stern expression on his face. Bai He pouted, her cheeks puffing out again in frustration "Mr Macaque, please! It's not like we're going anywhere bad! It's just the park! Plus, I want to hang out with Monkey King again" She begged, her eyes starry with hope. Macaque sighed, his expression remaining the same "If you really want to go to the park, we can, but I don't see why Monkey King has to come," He said, glaring daggers at Wukong. Rude. Wukong narrowed his eyes as well. "C'mon bud. Don't be such a buzz kill. It's just the park, it's not even that far from here." He tried to argue, but another stern look from Macaque made it evident that anything he would say would make it worse for their case. It was frustrating, here he was given a golden opportunity to finally see Bai He again, and it was being jeopardized all because of his and Macaque's rocky relationship.
"Please Mr Macaque! My room is clean, I've been good in school, and I promise I won't ask for anything ever again!" She pleaded, using the most potent pair of kitty cat eyes she could muster. Macaque was almost like a stone statue, stern expression and pose unmoving. "We both know that last part isn't true, so that's one point already invalid." The two continued to stare each other down. Neither said a word after that. It was the tensest, nonverbal, non-combat-related duel Wukong had seen in a while. He felt like he so much as moved a muscle, something bad would happen.
And then.
Someone caved.
With a tired groan, Macaque conceded, "Fine." Bai He's expression instantly lit up as she cheered with joy. Wukong also let out a breath he didn't know he was holding until now "But. I'm coming with. I want to keep an eye on both of you and make sure you're not going to be an awful influence." He jabbed Wukong in the chest. Wukong almost didn't even care; he was just happy he got to spend time with Bai He again. "Sounds to me like you just don't want her to be awesome like me" He chuckled as Macaque shot him yet another dirty look. "You two wait outside. I have some things I need to take care of before we go." Shadow clones were already sliding out from every crevice that cast a shadow and followed Macaque to his room. Wukong couldn't help but look over the hallway's corner as he watched Macaque enter his room. He couldn't help it. He flicked his golden eyes of truth on and saw something similar to last time. The seal was gone, but there was still an abnormal amount of thick, shadowy smoke, almost like a smog. The clone didn't help much either. He heard Bai He jumping around in excitement and decided to pay more attention to that. "Yes, yes! C'mon Monkey King, hurry! Let's go." She was already putting on her shoes and practically running out the door. He followed behind.
The two waited in front of the wuguan for a while; Bai He was tapping her foot impatiently against the pavement. He couldn't help but chuckle, "Energetic today?" He tried to match her smile, but she seemed too happy "I was thinking about hanging out with you all the time. None of my classmates believed me when I said that I hung out with the Monkey King. If any of them see me, can you act super cool in front of them to make me look cool?" She asked, tilting her head up at him. That got a full belly laugh out of him "You're too funny. You're already pretty cool on your own. You just gotta believe in it." He ruffled her hair and watched as she grumbled, fixing her headband. Silence fell upon the two as they waited for Macaque. Bai He would peer into a window to check where he was, and Wukong was left to ponder—a bad idea to leave him alone with his thoughts for too long.
"I'm a little curious. Do you ever get spooked by Macaques' shadowy stuff?" Little kids never exactly did well in the dark, especially Macaques' shadow clones. So silent and light, they weren't exactly made of anything, just the absence of light. They always creeped Wukong out. Bai he shook her head "Not really. I was a bit before. But now I'm just kinda used to it" Well, that made sense. But maybe it was because he was still thinking about the room with all that shadow smoke, but there was just something off about it all. He wasn't allowed to dwell too much on it as he saw Bai He perk up and Macaque finally exit the home, wearing a similar hoodie and pants to his "Wow, you own other clothes? And here I thought you were just stuck in the same outfit all the time" Wukong snickered. "Ha-ha. Very funny. Keep talking like that, and I'll cancel this whole trip" Macaque smirked as Wukong bit his tongue. Smug bastard knew exactly what he was doing.
The walk to the park wasn't long; Wukong remembered the route from the last time he and Bai He had gone night walking. The area was much more lively than it was at night. Cars were speeding past, unconcerned with the noise they were making. A group of friends were filming each other doing hoverboard tricks, and a father and mother were carrying their son by the arms, laughing along with him as his feet dangled in the air... Wukong turned his head back to make sure he wasn't staring too long. The park finally came into view, and Bai He broke away from both of their grasps to run over. "Don't run so far that I can't see you," Macaque called out to deaf ears, picking up the pace to catch up with Bai He. It was interesting to see Macaque fret over such a little thing as Bai He running too far away. Wukong couldn't help but snicker a little.
Macaque must've heard him, of course he did, as he snapped his head to look at Wukong. "Something funny?" He questions, Wukong just shakes his head, "Nope, just thinking over here." Macaque narrows his eyes at him for a second before scoffing in amusement, "Don't hurt yourself". Wukong's smile tightened as he watched Macaque finally catch up with Bai He, who was waiting at the edge of the park for Macaque and Wukong. "-Macaque, I promise I'm gonna be fine! I won't wander out of sight, now can I go already?" Macaques expression lightened at Bai He's playful words before patting her head "Yeah yeah just don't break a bone out there" Bai He smiled widely before looking over to see Wukong "Monkey King come look at the park!"
She ran up to him and grabbed his hand, pulling him along. "No need to tug kid. I'm comin', I'm comin'." In the corner of his eye, he saw Macaque move to sit on a bench in full view of the play area. Wukong rolled his eyes but let Bai He pull him along. It was a rather nice play area, it looked way better in the daytime with actual little kids zooming past him. "I've never actually been to one of these things. What do you even do around here?" Living on a mountain isolated from most of humanity's inventions will make you ask weird questions like that. "Just sorta play. The slide is the most boring" Despite her words, Bai He climbed up the steps to a blue tunnel slide and went down. Wukong watched with mild amusement as she disappeared for a few brief seconds, then reappeared with her hair all frizzy and messed up. "It's still kinda fun, but it gets old fast." She dusted her skirt and cardigan off. "So then what's the point?" He asked pointedly, "Well- the slide is for little little kids. I'm just getting too old for it, is all."
He laughed, "Oh, right. You're a big kid now. Too good for the slide now." She smiled as she led him to a set of bars "These are monkey bars. You kinda just climb and dangle them" she spoke as she was already climbing up the small things and pulled herself up the bars, her legs dangling as she did her best to hold herself up. "Monkey bars huh?" Wukong chuckled softly at the name, joining her on the bars as she climbed and pulled himself up on the top of the bars with ease "Show off" she said, her arms giving out as she landed the small distance on her feet. "Aw c'mon kid. I know you can do better than that!" He flipped on the bar dangling upside down by his legs, "Try copying me". She nodded before climbing up the bars like Wukong; she was already higher off the ground than she would've preferred. Wukong noticed her nervousness "What's with the look?" "...What if I fall?" she asked, clutching the bars just a bit tighter "Then get back up again! You just gotta believe in yourself" that advice usually worked with Mk, but maybe because she was younger, she still didn't seem all that convinced.
He hummed in thought for a second, "If you're really so worried about falling, I'll catch you. Simple." She looked at him with furrowed eyes "You promise?" She asked, her grip loosening, "Promise." He made sure to sound more sure of himself, even if he was silently wondering how he would catch her if she did fall. Bai He took a deep breath and finally shut her eyes tight, before letting go of the bar and letting herself fall. She was expecting to meet the ground with a thud and hit her head, but the thud never came. She cracked an eye open and saw the world hung upside down; the sky was the grass, and the grass was the sky. "Woah, the world looks weird upside down" She mentioned, fully opening her eyes, Wukong couldn't help but laugh at how adorable her reaction was "Yeah, I guess it is pretty fun" He watched as her headband threaten to fall of her head "I feel like a vampire... or like a bat" She mentioned hugging her cardigan closer to her arms, playing around like they were bat wings. "Just as long as you don't try to suck my blood, I feel like you'd make a great vampire so far" she giggled at his comment.
After a sufficient amount of time hanging upside down he finally pulled himself up, and helped Bai He pull herself up as well "Ughhnn Everything is dizzy now" Bai He mentioned, her hand coming to rest on her forehead "Yeah, that'll happen if you hang upside down for too long" Wukong chuckled. They waited for Bai He's dizzy spell to be over before climbing back down from the monkey bars. It only made sense to run over to the roundabout next. Bai He grabbed hold of the handles and used her leg to get the momentum started "Monkey King, can you spin the thing faster? I wanna see how long I can hold on for" She smiled determinedly, gripping tightly on the handles, a few other kids noticed and held on as well. Wukong looked at the small group of kids and Bai He before smirking, "Alright, but don't blame me if you can't hold on long enough". He pushed the rounding about not too hard, can't send every kid flying off the machine before it even starts. They screamed and yelled for him to go faster, and who was he to deny? He continued pushing, watching as it started spinning faster.
A smile crept up on his face as he watched the kids all yell and scream for him to go faster, though some had the unfornance of being unable to hold on, falling off. They just bounced back as if nothing had happened. He saw Bai He cheering in happiness as she still held on better than most of the kids, even going so far as to wrap her arms around the handle for a better grip. "You having fun kiddo?" He asked, a slight chuckle escaping him, "YESSS!!" She screamed out before the final kid fell off the roundabout. "I win!" Bai He announced proudly attempting to stand up from the round about, only too immediately lose her balance and fall on her butt. "You sure did kid." He reached a hand up to help her stand up while the rest of the kids seemed to be going for another round on their own. "You doing alright?" He asked while she struggled to stand up straight, "Never better!" A large grin was plastered on her face. Well, he couldn't argue with that.
Thankfully, the final playground equipment didn't seem likely to make her dizzy again. A swingset, the one she was really eager about last time the two hung out, she sat down on the swing's seat and slowly pushed herself back, watching as she swung high into the air. "Hey, you said last time you could make me do two full 360s with a swing! Can you try now?" "I did?" Wukong questioned, good on her for having a better memory than he, because he does not remember making that promise. He glanced over to the bench where Macaque was and saw his gaze pinned directly on him and Bai He. "Uh- I dunno. Macaques watching, and I think he'd try to kill me if I did that" he hoped she wasn't too disappointed. Bai He's face fell a little "Aw man... Can you at least push me so I can go higher?" she asked more hopefully "That's something I can do," A fond feeling bubbled in his chest as she lightened up, pushing her on the swings, watching her go higher and higher with each small push.
Macaque watched the two play with a diligent eye, his ears fanned out, making sure to listen to every word spoken by the two. Sure, he may be acting paranoid, but he just couldn't help himself. He just didn't understand why Bai He seemed to enjoy herself so much around Wukong. He still didn't want to fully trust Wukong, trust that he could handle Bai He with the care he believed she deserved. He watched as she slid down the slide and came back out with frizzy hair, a sharp reminder that he should brush her hair when they get back home. He watched as she and Wukong giggled as she hung upside down by her legs, pretending to be a vampire. It was cute to watch Wukong help her up the bars again. The roundabout made Macaques' nerves fry, worried she might fall off and get seriously hurt, but she just laughed it off, even when she fell. And now the swings. Bai He loved the swings; she mentioned that she liked going very high, and when she was younger, would jump from the swing while she was high in the air. She did it once with him and hurt her ankle pretty badly after that. He didn't want her doing dangerous stuff like that again.
He was focusing so hard on the two in the swingset that he didn't notice when an older woman sat down next to him "If I was mistaken, I'd think you were trying to kill that man with your mind" she giggled at his jumpy reaction. He briefly glanced over "Ah- Ms Zhou. You sure know how to creep up on people without them noticing" He mutters, focusing back on the two, watching as Wukong gets on one of the other swings and goes along with Bai He. Ms Zhou was an aquentence with Macaque, he met her a few times while coming to the park, and the two have occasionally run into each other when he went afterwards. She had two young boys of her own, and they would sometimes play with Bai He and the others. The two sat in silence as Macaque continued to watch the duo have fun, while he sat on the bench.
Ms Zhou followed Macaque's gaze to Bai He and Wukong. "You don't normally let other adults around your kids. Did you finally get a boyfriend?" she playfully teased. His face flushed a little before he scoffed, mumbling into his hand "He's not my boyfriend. Just a friend... a babysitter that Bai He really liked. He offered to take her to the park last time he was here, and so here we are..." His tail twisted around the bench's leg to prevent it from thumping against the ground in annoyance. She raised a brow at what he said, almost like he didn't believe him. "Just a friend, huh? You sounded quite unsure there. I take it it's complicated?" He sighed heavily, sinking into the bench "Very, very complicated". She hummed softly at his stress. "I see... is that why you aren't playing with Bai He now?" Ms Zhou said, looking over to see Bai He attempt to push Wukong on the swings now, but she wasn't very good. Macaque looked back at her "No, I'm just... really tired. I don't think I have much playing energy in me today," He said, trying not to slump in the bench. He had been exhausted the past few days, using his unstable shadows so frequently, not to mention the shadow clones currently all over his home; it was even a miracle he was keeping himself awake.
"...I think you should still try to play with her." It was a simple suggestion, but he looked at her skeptically, waiting for her to continue "It's just that. Your kids grow up so fast. One minute they're playing in sandboxes and swinging on the swings, next they're wanting to go out with their friends instead of staying home... I think you should cherish these moments while you still have them. You never know when the last day they want to go to the park will be." She seemed to be speaking from experience, her eyes landing on her own two kids on the monkey bars. Macaque's expression softened as he continued to watch Wukong and Bai He.
That's right, she was going to grow up one day, be an obnoxious teenager one day, then a fully independent adult. She was already 11 now, how fast could he blink, and she could be 16. Ageing was a thing he stopped worrying about many centuries ago, when he and Wukong shared their first immortal peach together. It was a taste so divine, made even better by who he shared it with. As a result, most thoughts of ageing escaped him until just now. She wasn't going to stay a little girl forever, and he was currently spending some of those precious moments letting another person play with her while he watched. He couldn't lose that. What if this was the last time she would ask to go to the park with him? No. He wasn't going to let that happen. Despite his body telling him to sit back down for some rest, he was already walking over to Wukong and Bai He on the playset. Ms Zhou just watched with amusement as he stumbled forward.
He saw Bai He on top of the play set while Wukong looked up at her "What've you guys been playing?" He asked a bit awkwardly, scratching the back of his head. Before Wukong could question Macaques' sudden interest, Bai He spoke up, "We're playing pretend. I'm pretending to be a ballerina princess, and Monkey King is going to be the bad guy" She said in her cheery tone. Macaque couldn't help but smirk at Wukong's confusion "And! To make it even better, you can be my knight" she said, moving over to Macaque's side. Macaque was familiar with this game, apparently she played it a lot when she was younger with her dad at a different park "Well what if I don't want to be the knight?" He asked his tone not holding much seriousness, she huffed, "Knights don't get to object." "Fair enough I guess, sorry princess" he heard Wukong snickering at him, but he decided to pay it no mind.
"As my knight, I demand you take me to my castle, away from the evil king!" He rolled his eyes affectionately as he took her over her shoulders "Mind pointing out where the castle is then?" He asked. Bai He pointed to one of the tall trees that surrounded the playground "Of course, princess, I'll get you the safety. Can't have the nasty evil king catch us." He didn't miss the chance to take a jab at Wukong. "Not if I can help it!" Wukong announced with a poor attempt at an evil laugh as he chased after the two. "You won't catch us!" Bai He taunted from Macaques' shoulders. Despite being bone tired, he still made an effort to run towards the tree and help Bai He climb up. They made their way to one of the sturdier branches and watched Wukong from below "Can't get us up here now!" she taunted.
Though maybe challenging a monkey to tree climbing might've been a bad idea because Wukong laughed, already scaling up the tree. "That's what you think. I'm coming for both of you!" Bai He yelped before she and Macaque continued up the tree, climbing higher and higher. Macaque didn't really get the game itself, but he was just happy to see Bai He laugh and smile freely. They were reaching the top of the tree, and the branches were getting just a bit thinner. Bai He seemed fine, sitting on the very top and smiling down at the two monkeys chasing after her. It must have looked like quite a sight to passersby. Macaque was distracted, though. He looked up at Bai He, smiling down as he placed his foot on one of the thinner branches.
He used to have better reaction time, maybe this was a sign he was getting weaker, or he was too tired to do something as basic as react in time, but he didn't immediately react when he felt himself losing his footing. On a better day, he would've just made a shadow gate under his feet and reappeared fine, or just grabbed hold of a stronger branch to support himself. How embarrassing was it then when he just started falling? He heard Bai He gasp, attempting to grab his hand, but she wouldn't even have the strength to hold him up; she'd just get dragged along as well. Thankfully, she missed his hand. Unluckily for him, he was still falling. Just waiting to smash into numerous amounts of branches before hurting his back by falling to the ground.
Instead, he felt a pair of arms catch him, holding him tightly- like way too tightly. He froze up upon seeing who caught him, of course, it had to be that peach-brained bastard, looking down at him with an expression Macaque couldn't understand entirely. Concern? It couldn't be. He had no reason to be; Macaque's taken much worse hits and has been fine. Besides, why would he ever be concerned with him? He knew they were playing pretend, but that didn't mean he could just go looking at him like that. Wukong seemed to have realized he was holding Macaque for too long and let the other go, looking away nervously and mumbling an apology. Macaque didn't care what he had to say. He looked up and saw Bai He's scared expression, a heavy dose of guilt in her mannerisms, and the way she closed in on herself. He didn't want her to panic over nothing "I'm fine kiddo! Don't stress too much" He said in an easy tone, a smirk on his face.
He didn't see the way Wukong raised a brow at his easy-going reassurance, more for Bai He's sake than anything. Bai He slowly let out a sigh of relief "Okay!... Um... I think I'm done playing pretend. It wasn't as fun as I remember." Her tone was not as happy as it was before. Macaque tried to ignore the way her downcast expression squeezed at his heart "That's fine. Want to jump down then?" He waited for her to carefully climb back down before taking her in his arms. "Yeah! I'm kinda all pretend out as well. Playing a villain just doesn't suit me." Wukong tried joking to lighten the mood. Macaque made sure to check Bai He for any scratches or cuts on her face or legs. He still couldn't believe he fell like that. The second he wanted to join in and play with Bai He, he ruined the game and left the atmosphere tense.
Wukong felt very uncomfortable now watching Macaque fret over Bai He while her expression was downcast. He didn't want to leave on a bad note, so he just patted Bai He on the head "Don't look so down kid! Why don't we... Get something to eat! Yeah. That cheers me up" He smiled down at her. She seemed to pause "I mean... I am kinda hungry... Mr Macaque, can we get ice cream?" Bai He asked, tilting her head back up at him. Macaque seemed taken aback by the request, "I don't know about that kiddo..." The way he spoke made both Wukong and Bai He deflate. One set of puppy eyes was bad enough, but a second was even worse. He tsked at the sight, he didn't exactly have the pocket change to just willy nilly get ice cream 'The things I do to make this little girl happy' "Fine, but I'm only paying for our ice cream. You're buying your own Wukong," He sighed out, watching as the two moods lit up right then and there.
He sighed, a small smile forming at the scene, watching Bai He and Wukong cheer like that. Bai He was... thrilled. She was grinning so much he could see the way the muscles in her face were starting to hurt. And all because of... him. It felt nice to see the two so happy, over something so trivial as ice cream. A part of him felt he should thank Wukong in some way for catching him when he fell, and also for making Bai He so happy. But another part of him felt a pit in his stomach at the thought of Bai He growing close to Wukong, just for her to get hurt again. It wouldn't be the first time. He quickly cleared his throat to get their attention "Alright, c'mon, I'm not gonna waste a shadow portal for a shop down the street". He held out his hand for Bai He, but it never came. She was instead dragging Wukong ahead by the hand, stars in her eyes.
He must've looked like an idiot, his hand outstretched for no one to grab. That kept happening, huh? He quickly shoved his hand in his pocket and followed next to Bai He, his ears pinned to the side of his head, as there were a lot more people outside this time around, which meant more noise. "What flavor are you gonna get Monkey King?" Bai He asked as she finally let go of Wukong's hand to skip ahead of the two. Wukong just laughed a bit nervously, "Anything that's vegan friendly, I guess." "That's the one where you don't eat meat, right?" She asked, "Yeah, sorta. It's anything that has animal products in it" He corrected.
Macaque stood in line with Bai He by his side. Opening his wallet and looking down at what he had... He didn't have enough for everyone. He mentally sighed, scolding himself for promising something even when he was tight on money. He was doing mental math, seeing what he could get with the amount he had on hand... It was just enough for a medium serving and two small ones. Guess he was skipping out today.
Wukong stood in Line with Bai He and Macaque by his side. The line wasn't too long, just a few families and the odd couple getting ice cream together. He briefly mused on the thought that he, Bai He, and Macaque might look like a family to an outsider. He had already seen Macaque talking with a woman on the park benches earlier. He didn't have Macaques' six ears to hear to the corners of the world, so he didn't pick up on what they were talking about. However, a more egotistical part of him was wondering if they were talking about him and Bai He. He felt giddy at the thought. This already seemed to be a good outing, even getting to catch Macaque and hold onto him, how long has it been since they did that? He could still feel the phantom weight of the other in his arms.
Wukong looked over to Macaquee was placing his order "1 medium cookies and cream, and 2 small vanilla" He said, sliding over the last remaining bills in his wallet to the person over the counter. Wukong piped in, "Do you have anything vegan or vegetarian?" he asked a bit hopefully. These kinds of places never really had many options for him in that regard "We have a new vanilla flavor that should meet that requirement" the worker spoke calmly "That'll do". The three waited off in the side for their orders to be done. "Buying two ice creams for yourself? You must want Bai He to strave." Wukong chuckled. Macaque just rolled his eyes "Aren't you supposed to be paying for your own stuff right now?" "Oh right..." The three of them waited a bit more until they were given their ice creams, eating and walking back home.
Bai He was once again skipping ahead as Macaque was holding the two uneaten small cups of ice cream. Wukong watched as they slowly melted "Ice cream isn't as good if you let it melt" he helpfully reminded the other through a mouthful of his own treat. Macaque just shrugged, "I like it better that way." Wukong just raised a brow; he wanted to point out that Macaque was lying, but he bit his tongue. Why lie about that? It's just sometimes so small it should be inconsequential. Macaque seemed to take great pleasure in watching others squirm and get tangled in his words. Wukong thought it was endlessly frustrating.
He watched Bai He throw her empty container in a public trash can, with him following soon. Macaques' place wasn't too far out now. He watched as Bai Hes' steps seemed to turn from overly energetic skips to a slower stumble. She must've been tired. The home slowly came into view and the three of them walked back in until they were in the living room "You should shower. You and your clothes are all dirty" macaque mentioned to Bai He "Alright. It was nice seeing you again Monkey King!" despite Macaques earlier comments about being dirty, she ignored them as she wrapped Wukongs lower body in a hug. Wukong was briefly caught off guard but returned it with a bright grin "Of course! It was nice seeing you too! Don't be a stranger now. Go get cleaned up now" He ushered away. There was the faint sound of footsteps before the bathroom door clicked.
Now it was just the two of them in the living room. The silence rang heavy, and Wukong was never a fan of silence. "...That was fun." He spoke, trying to ease the slight tension. Macaque didn't respond right away. Instead, he moved towards the kitchen, placing the almost-soup ice creams in the freezer. Wukong followed after, "I mean it! Bai He seemed to be having fun until you ... your welcome for that by the way." Wukong muttered the last part, not even bothering to look at Macaque as he stared at the empty countertop. "Bai He really likes you." Macaque said flatly, his usual snark in tone gone. It was spoken as if it were a matter of fact, which caught Wukong off guard. "Yeah, I guess she does." Wukong scratched the back of his neck. What was Macaque getting at? "...I was watching you two play. She hasn't smiled like that in a while." Now Wukong was really curious what Macaque's expression was.
"Well I'm glad I got to make her happy." He wondered if Macaque could hear the smile in his tone. Macaque went silent again. Hauntingly so "...Bud-" "Don't." Any words Wukong was going to say died in his throat. The silence remained, and Wukong was starting to wonder if he should leave now. "If I..." What was Macaque getting choked up about? "If I let you two hang out, do you promise to keep making her happy?" His voice was barely above a whisper when he spoke, as if even the air between them was too fragile to hold them. "You... Actually mean that?" Wukong was wondering if this was just another one of Macaque's attempts to get a reaction out of him. "That doesn't answer my question." Macaque's tone was sharper. Wukong nodded his head, "Y-Yeah! I promise!" He didn't mean to stammer, but he really didn't want to mess this up.
"I can't control whatever happens between the two of you. As much as I didn't want you near you at all" Macaques finally moved, seeming to try and distract himself with cooking. Reaching into the cabinets for something easy for dinner. Wukong frowned "Do you seriously distrust me that much?" It sounded like such a stupid question, but Wukong felt the need to voice it anyhow. Macaque didn't answer him immediately. The only sound being echoed was the sound of running faucet water. "Don't you have training tomorrow with Mk? You should leave so as not to get home so late." It wasn't so much a suggestion as a subtle demand to leave. Wukong didn't want to. He wanted to stay and question Macaques' strange behaviour, to just talk. But Macaque didn't. He sighed heavily, turning heel "Right. Yeah. I'll get going then... It was nice seeing you. And tell Bai He I said bye as well." Macaque gave a small nod, and so Wukong took his final steps towards the door and clicked it behind him.
Macaque waited until he heard Wukong transform into a bird before letting his head fall into his hands. Wiping away tears he didn't dare let shed. He let out a sigh of relief that sounded shakier than he wanted it to. Admitting that Wukong made Bai He happy made his stomach churn with worry beyond. Wukong made him happy at some point. He was his sun. His sole reason for even clinging to hope to begin with. He made him feel as light as a cloud and made him smile wider than anyone else could. He doesn't want Bai He to fall into that same pitfall. Wukong had changed. He had seen that. But he just couldn't risk Bai He getting hurt like he did. He can't have her turn into him. A broken fool that's still stuck in the past. He tries to focus on dinner. Because that's easier to think about.
Unbeknownst to the two monkeys in the living room. Bai He had pressed her head against the wall, her hands lightly gripping the wall for support as she heard their exchange. She heard the way Macaque agreed to let the two interact more, and she heard the way Monkey King sounded so sad when he asked if Macaque distrusted him. She stood there silently, not knowing what to think. They were fighting over her, it seemed. She slowly slid down the wall till her knees met her chest. Was that just how it always had to be? The people she cares about fighting and arguing with? All over her. She should be happy. But how can she when her happiness seems to keep coming at others' expense?
She pulled her pink headband out of her hair and saw how dirty it had gotten. Her fingers were trying to rub the dirt out. It only made it worse. Small tears fell down her cheeks. That didn't help her mood at all. She stood back up and left her headband on the bathroom sink. Turning on the shower to let it drown out any sniffling she was doing. Bai He knew Macaque could hear her if she did cry, and then he would worry over her. She didn't want him to worry. It was suffocating to both of them. She was suffocating. She grabbed a towel and looked at the mirror. She smiled. Watched as it smiled back, before turning her head away. She didn't want to see her when she wasn't feeling her best.