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The sun shone brightly over Flower Fruit Mountain, trees swaying in the soft breeze. Five weeks had passed since the defeat of the Lady Bone Demon, the city quickly repairing, desperate to return to a sense of normalcy.
After a long talk and a lot of tears, MK and Wukong were back on good terms. Training resumed soon after, though it was more warm-ups and hangouts, the big fight with LBD having taken a lot out of both of them. Today was one of those hangout days, though it was more a chore day than anything in MK’s opinion. Wukong somehow convinced him to help organize the mess that was the treasure room. They sat a few feet away from each other, each with their own piles of junk. MK’s phone was off to the side, music playing through the speakers as they worked.
It was oddly relaxing.
“Ohhh, I remember this one!” Wukong exclaimed. “Man, I haven’t seen this in ages.”
MK rolled his eyes. “You say that, like, every five minutes,” he teased. “What’d you find?”
Wukong held up a pink gemstone for MK to see. “This, my dear student, is…” he trailed off, narrowing his eyes. “Uhhh… you know, I honestly have no idea what it’s called, so let’s just call it a Time Crystal.”
“Time Crystal?” MK parroted. “Is it like a clock or something?”
“If a clock could send you back in time, then yeah. It’s a clock.”
MK gasped, quickly crawling over to his mentor. “You have a time machine?!”
“Time Crystal,” the ginger repeated, subconsciously wrapping his tail around MK’s waist when he got close enough. “But yeah, I guess I do.”
He never really thought about it. He forgot he even had it. Half the things in his treasure room were only there because he deemed them too dangerous for anyone else to have in their possession, or he just thought they looked interesting. The crystal, though, just made him sad to look at. Wukong could so easily use it to see his friends again. He could go back to the Journey, back to his sworn brothers and his master.
Oh how he missed those days.
“Is it supposed to be glowing?”
Wukong barely had time to register the question before a bright flash of pink blinded them, static filling the air like a scream.
It stopped abruptly, the only sound being that of birds and bugs and wind.
Wukong blinked rapidly to readjust his vision. They were on a dirt path in a forest, the sun shining brightly through the trees overhead. MK was still with him, his tail wrapped tightly around the boy. “You okay, kid?”
MK rubbed his eyes, looking around. “Yeah, I think so. What happened?” He glanced at the crystal in Wukong’s hands. It was dimmer now, cracks appearing on all sides. Wukong followed his gaze just in time to see the crystal shatter completely, the shards crumbling to dust and blowing away in the wind.
He felt MK stiffen next to him. “...Did we just destroy our timeline?”
Wukong stood up, dragging the kid with him. “I don’t think so. From what I’ve heard, the Time Crystal makes a new dimension or timeline or whatever when it’s used.” He uncurled his tail from MK’s waist. “But, unfortunately, I have no idea when we are, or how to get back.” He had an inkling as to when they were, but he wanted to be wrong.
“What?!”
Wukong quickly put on a smile. “Hey, it’s fine though! The others will realize we’re missing within a day, call Macaque, and he’ll figure out how to get us home. Don’t worry.”
MK looked up at him with nervous eyes. “How long do you think that will take? For us to get home?”
Too long, in Wukong’s opinion. A day to be noticed missing, another day or two for them to decide to call Macaque, then… he honestly had no idea how long it would take the shadow to find a way to get them back, nor what that would involve. He wanted to lie to MK, make him feel better, but he promised the kid more honestly.
Wukong rubbed the back of his neck. “Uhh… a couple of weeks maybe?”
“Weeks?!”
Wukong put a hand on MK’s shoulder and squeezed. “We’ll be fine! We just gotta wait. And hey, we have a whole new world to explore now! Think of this as a field trip.”
MK brightened up at that. “A field trip?”
“Sure! I just gotta figure out when we are, then we can—” he cut off, ear twitching at the sound of leaves rustling. He faced the noise, pulling MK behind him. He felt an intimidating aura wash over them, one he recognized all too well.
“You have some nerve stealing my face, demon.” A younger Wukong stepped out from the bushes, golden fillet shining on his head, tiger pelt wrapped around his waist.
His inkling was right, then. They were in the Tang Dynasty. Back when he was on The Journey to the West.
Great.
Young Wukong pointed his staff at the duo. “Who are you? What was that flash of light?” he paused, looking them up and down. “And why do your clothes look like that?”
Wukong wasn’t surprised at that last question. Over a thousand years in the past, hoodies, sweats, and sneakers were bound to look odd.
He tried for an easygoing smile. “Long story short? I’m you, this is MK. We’re from the future."
Young Wukong snorted. “That’s a joke, right?”
“Nope. Just some real rotten luck,” Wukong shrugged. “You can use your gold vision if you don't believe me, which I doubt you do.”
Young Wukong—we’ll just call him Sun—frowned, activating his Eyes of Truth. The kid was mortal, though his soul seemed eerily similar to his own. He’d have to look into that later. The other had a glamour on, which Sun had expected. What he hadn’t expected, though, were the familiar red eyes, the amount of scars littering his body, the white streaks in his normally golden fur—which now looked darker and duller—and the deep bags under his eyes. He looked just like Sun, but worse.
But he was telling the truth.
He lowered his staff slowly. “Huh.”
Wukong relaxed for a second before going rigid again at the sound of another achingly familiar voice.
“Monkey!” Zhu Bajie yelled. He pushed through the foliage with a scowl on his face. “I told you to wait up!” His gaze snapped to the two newcomers, Wukong in particular, and raised his rake. “Shapeshifters?”
Sun noted the sad look that crossed Wukong’s face. He pushed the pig’s weapon down with a shake of his head. “Time travel, apparently.”
“What? And you just believe them?”
Sun smirked and flicked him on the forehead. “Eyes of Truth, piglet.”
Bajie smacked his hand away. “Great. Just what this world needs. Another you.” He nodded to the mortal. “Who’s the kid?”
Wukong just stared for a moment, so caught up in seeing his old brother that he hardly heard the question being asked until his successor stepped out from behind him.
He waved nervously. “Hi. I’m MK. It’s nice to meet you… again. Or would this technically be the first time?” He shook his head. He could worry about the confusing aspects of time travel later. “Anyway, this is perfect! We can just stay with you guys until Macaque—”
That got Wukong’s brain fully started again. “Wait, what?” He looked at the kid. “Bud, we can’t stay here.”
“Why not?”
When Wukong hesitated, MK crossed his arms, giving him a pointed look. “ You said it could take a couple weeks for Macaque to find us,” he reminded the monkey. “And, last time I checked, the Tang Dynasty was super dangerous. We also don’t have any food or water or a place to sleep. So it would be safer if we stayed with them, right?”
Wukong pressed his lips in a firm line. He knew the kid was right. He didn’t want him to be, but he was. If it was just him he’d be fine. It would be uncomfortable, but he didn’t need to eat or drink, and he could survive a demon attack just fine. MK, however, was very much mortal. He needed food and water and shelter. As much as he didn’t want to, they didn’t have a choice.
He let out a heavy sigh, slumping for dramatic effect.
MK lit up, turning to face the two celestials. “Can we stay with you guys? Just until our friends can bring us back to our time?”
The demons stared at MK in shock. Did this kid seriously just scold the Monkey King? And Wukong let him? Sun and Bajie shared a look.
The pig held his hands up, walking back to the bushes. “Nope. You get to explain this one to Master.”
--
The group had apparently made camp close by, deciding to settle for a few days. The others were understandably suspicious when the duo showed up, but after Sun vouched for them, and a quick introduction and explanation from MK (Wukong couldn’t look them in the eyes just yet), they were allowed to stay.
Once that was over, Wukong led his student to the furthest point of the clearing. He sat down with a groan, running a hand down his face. “Stupid crystal,” he muttered. “I knew I shouldn’t have kept that stupid thing.”
“Monkey King?” MK sat next to him, drawing lines in the dirt nervously. “Can I ask why you didn’t want to follow them? Aren’t they your friends?”
“I haven’t seen these guys in a millenia, bud,” he admitted quietly. “It’s a… bittersweet sorta thing, you know? Seeing them, but knowing I’ll have to say goodbye again.”
Guilt washed over MK’s face. “Oh, man, I didn’t even think of that. I-I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to—”
“It’s fine, bud,” Wukong cut him off, leaning back on his hands. “Besides, you were right. We have no idea when Mac is going to show up, so staying with them is the safest thing we can do.”
MK looked like he wanted to say something else, but was interrupted by Sun floating above them on his cloud.
“Sooo, how far into the future are we talking?” he asked, jumping down and landing crisscrossed in front of them. “‘Cause I have lots of questions, obviously.”
“We’re from the twenty-first century,” Wukong answered, happy to change the subject. “So around fourteen-hundred years? Give or take?”
Sun let out a low whistle. “Man, no wonder you two are dressed so weird.” MK pouted and looked at his jacket. Sun pointed to the boy. “And how exactly do you know future-me?”
MK looked back up. “Huh? Oh, I’m the Monkie Kid.”
Sun furrowed his brow in confusion. “Monkie Kid?”
Wukong summoned his cloud to lean back against, putting his arms behind his head and closing his eyes. “My successor. I’m retired.”
“Retired?” the younger monkey repeated.
“Yep!” MK pulled the staff from his ear and enlarged it to its normal size
Sun’s eyes widened. “You can carry the staff?!”
“Oh, I can do other stuff too!” MK started counting on one hand. “Let’s see. Clones, shapeshifting, gold vision, Monkey Mech, the telepath-o-whatchamacallit thing.”
“Telepathic communication,” Wukong supplied.
“Yeah, that. Oh! I also used the Flaming Fist of Fury one time.”
Wukong opened his eyes at that. “What? You didn’t tell me that.”
MK shrugged. “It was while you were gone. It just sorta… happened? Also kinda punched a hole in your house—”
“You what?”
“But I haven’t been able to do it since.” He paused and looked at his hand. “Then again, I haven’t really tried.”
He glanced at his younger self and had to stop himself from bursting out laughing. Sun’s jaw was practically on the floor at this point. “I think we made his brain explode.”
-----
It was obvious to the group that Wukong was much different in the future. They just didn’t realize how different until two nights later.
Most of them were already asleep, the only ones remaining awake being Tripitaka and the two monkeys. Wukong sat a bit farther away like he normally did as he gazed at the stars. MK was asleep a couple feet next to him, curled up with a blanket and pillow. Things were quiet for a while, the only sound coming from the crackle of wood as their fire slowly died.
Wukong was about to try and get some sleep himself when MK woke with a sharp gasp. He cursed under his breath, wasting no time crawling over to the panting boy. “Hey, hey, it’s okay,” he whispered. “You’re alright.”
MK shook his head, screwing his eyes shut. “She was—She was there,” he sobbed. “She came back. She came back and I-I couldn’t stop her! She-she took the staff, she—”
Wukong shushed him and pulled him close, cupping the back of his head as MK shoved his face into his shoulder. “You’re okay, bud. She’s gone. You’re safe, I promise.”
The other two stared in awe at the display, Sun most of all. He’d never been so open with comforting someone, nor was he any good at it, even when it came to Macaque or his troop. But Wukong did it like it was second nature, whispering reassurances as the boy cried, tail wrapped around him protectively.
It was an odd thing to see.
Wukong pulled away once MK’s breathing calmed down, though he kept an arm wrapped around his shoulders. “Do you wanna try to go back to sleep?”
MK quickly shook his head. “Not right now.”
“Okay, that’s fine.” Wukong glanced around, trying to think of something to do until the kid tired out. He glanced at the sky. “Want me to teach you the constellations?”
MK wiped his face and sniffled, looking at the monkey with watery eyes. “You know the constellations?”
Wukong smiled. “Sure do. Once you get as old as me, they get pretty easy to memorize.” He pointed to the sky, MK following his finger. “That one right there is the Vermilion Bird of the South.”
--
It didn’t take long for MK to fall asleep again, his head now resting on Wukong’s thigh. He was about to finally try and get some sleep when someone approached.
“Is he alright?”
Wukong turned to stare at Tripitaka for a moment, painful bittersweet memories swirling in his head. It wasn’t that he didn't want to talk to his master, quite the opposite. It was just like he told MK; he didn’t want to have to say goodbye again.
“Yeah,” he replied, voice cracking. He cleared his throat. “Yeah, he’s… he’s okay. Just a nightmare.”
“Does he get those often?”
Okay, I guess we’re just having a conversation now, Wukong thought, tail curling with nervousness. That’s fine. I can do that.
“He’s been getting them more recently, yeah.”
“Do you know why?”
“He…” Wukong looked down at the kid with a pang of guilt. “We had an intense battle a few weeks ago. Saving-the-world kind of stuff. Lots of bad things happened… to both of us,” His fur bristled at the memory of having her under his skin. “It was a lot for him. I know he’ll be okay eventually, but…”
“It’s still hard for you to see him like this,” his master finished.
Wukong sighed. “Yeah…”
Tripitaka hummed. “I’ve heard fatherhood can be quite stressful in that regard.”
Wukong whipped his head back at him. “What?”
Tripitaka tilted his head. “Is he not your son?”
“Oh, no, w-we’re not related.”
The monk gave him a knowing smile. “I never said you were.”
Wukong huffed a soft laugh through his nose, looking at the boy again. “No, I suppose not…” He ran his fingers through MK’s hair, earning a sleepy hum of approval from the boy. It made him smile. Yes, MK wasn’t his son, as much that disappointed him, but he still saw him as his kid in every other sense of the word.
Tripitaka stood there in silence, watching the scene unfold with a sense of pride. He’d never seen Wukong so peaceful while awake, let alone with someone laying on him. “He’s changed you.”
Wukong looked up at him. “What do you mean?”
“You’re different now. I know you're from far into the future, and I can’t be sure of what you were like before you met him, but it’s obvious he has made an impact on you. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you so at ease; so happy.” His eyes flicked to MK. “Am I wrong?”
Wukong followed his gaze, quiet as he thought of how to word his response. “I was alone for a long long time before MK came along,” he said quietly, his tail laying over the boy’s waist. “I’ve made a lot of mistakes. I’ve hurt a lot of people I care about. There are so many things I used to wish about taking back or doing over again.” He combed his claws through MK’s hair again, a feeling he couldn’t quite describe squeezing his heart. “But if it all happened that way just so I could meet MK, I wouldn’t change a thing.”
-----
The next time the group was made aware of Wukong’s protectiveness was a mere day later. It was early in the morning, the sky just beginning to brighten, when Wukong was awoken by the sound of yelling.
“There’s a demon!” Wujing wailed. “The kid is fighting it, but I don’t know how long he can handle—”
“What?!” Wukong jumped to his feet, the remnants of sleep leaving him immediately. “Why is MK fighting a demon?!”
Wujing began to explain—something about MK wanting to help him gather water— but Wukong barely retained any of it as he jumped on his nimbus and sped off, following the pull of MK’s magic. It didn’t take him long to find, the sight making his blood run cold.
A large water demon, a powerful water demon, had MK pinned to the ground with a large taloned hand. The kid wasn’t moving, face lax and unaware, his staff laying a few feet away. The demon grinned as it leaned forward, jaw opening to reveal rows of pointed teeth.
Wukong’s blood went from frozen to boiling as he raced forward without a second thought. “GET AWAY FROM HIM!!” he screamed, kicking the demon away and into a nearby tree. He crouched in front of MK, snarling loudly, fangs out on display.
A simple warning: you hurt him, you die.
Sun and Wujing appeared a second later, immediately entering the battle. With the demon distracted, Wukong whirled around. “MK!” He lifted the boy's head, earning a low groan. Using his true sight, he could see bruises and breaks all over his body, making the monkey’s stomach turn.
“Get him out of here!” Wujing called. “We’ll handle the demon!”
He didn’t need to be told twice. Wukong picked up MK carefully before hopping on his cloud and flying straight back to the others, grabbing the staff as he did. It took only a few seconds before he reached them, jumping to the ground and slowly lowering MK.
“Is he alright?” Tripitaka called out as he ran over, Ao Lie and Bajie keeping a watch on their surroundings.
Wukong didn’t answer. He moved the staff to the side and closed his eyes. He channeled his magic to his shaking hands, forcing himself to take deep controlled breaths.
You need to calm down, he told himself. You can’t afford to freak out right now.
He held his hands an inch above the boy's chest, letting the magic connect with his body. He felt it spread out, slowly rebuilding the damaged tissue and bone. Wukong hadn’t needed to use healing magic for anything above a bruise in a long time, so he needed to be careful. And on mortals he needed to be even more cautious. If he moved his energy too quickly or tried to heal too fast, it could cause damage to the soul directly. MK was his successor, which made it easier, their magic more attuned with one another, but he was mortal nonetheless.
He wasn’t sure how much time had passed when he finished, but he noted distantly that the sky was brighter, the sun rising over the horizon. He closed the connection and opened his eyes, leaning forward. “MK?” he called, his voice shaky.
No response.
Wukong fought down the panic that threatened to overtake him. He knew healing magic was hard for mortals and it was normal for them to be tired afterwards. He could also see that MK was no longer pale, color having returned to his cheeks, but he couldn’t stop himself from worrying. He needed to see his eyes, just for a second.
He cupped his cheek gently, pushing his hair back. “Bud? Can you hear me?”
MK twitched, a small groan escaping him. He opened his eyes to slits, blinking a few times before his bleary gaze landed on his mentor. “‘M’nkey Kin’?”
Wukong let out a harsh breath, a mix between a laugh and a sob. He felt tears stinging his eyes as he pulled the kid into a tight hug, his tail curling around them both. “Gods, MK, don’t you ever scare me like that again!”
“S’rry,” MK tried to hug back but couldn’t get his arms to respond. “Did’n mean to…” He rested his head on the monkey shoulder, eyes falling shut again. He mumbled something else, words slurred and unintelligible.
Wukong just held tighter. “Get some rest, kid. I gotcha.”
MK hummed, falling limp once more. Wukong breathed deep, struggling to push down his emotions. MK was safe. He was fine. He hadn’t even been close to dying and now he was fully healed. He just needed to sleep it off.
If I had gotten there even a second later, though…
Wukong cut that thought off in favor of growling, his eyes glowing dangerously as stared at the ground. “When I get my hands on that demon, I swear—”
“It’s already dead,” Sun said from somewhere off to the side, he and Wujing having gotten back a few minutes prior. “But others might have heard the fight, so we need to keep moving.”
Wukong allowed himself one last moment of peace, simply holding his successor in his arms, before standing up. He summoned his nimbus again, climbing on and positioning MK in his lap, his head supported against his chest. He wrapped his arms around the kid, squeezing tight before loosening his grip.
“Wukong?”
The king glanced at his master, forcing a small smile. “Ready when you guys are.”
“No, I mean—” Tripitaka frowned. “Are you okay?”
Wukong tensed, but simply smiled wider. “All good! MK’s gonna be fine too.”
“But you’re crying.”
Wukong’s smile fell. He touched his face, shocked at the wetness on his fingers when he pulled them back. How long had he been crying? How long had they seen him crying? An uncomfortable silence fell over the group, each too afraid to ask about it further. Wukong quickly wiped his eyes, throwing on another layer of glamour to hide the teartracks and puffiness. He plastered on another fake grin. “We should get moving.”
No one questioned him about it after that.
-----
MK kept glancing worriedly at the sleeping form of his mentor. It took another day for him to wake up after being healed, and once he was able to eat and drink the older monkey scolded him for leaving camp without him. MK knew he wasn't actually in trouble for what happened. His mentor had just been scared. So he sat through the lecture quietly and stuck close to the monkey for the rest of the day.
Now the sun was setting, Wukong having finally fallen asleep despite his best attempts to stay awake. MK knew it wouldn’t last that long, though.
“He’s not gonna disappear, you know.”
MK jumped at the sound of Sun’s voice, not having noticed him walk over. “What?”
Sun nodded to Wukong. “Future-me. You keep looking at him.”
MK fiddled with the cuff of his sleeve, glancing at Monkey King again. “He gets nightmares whenever I get hurt,” he explained quietly. “He’s gonna wake up soon, and I need to comfort him when he does.”
Out of all the responses Sun thought he’d get, that definitely wasn’t one of them. Each day that passed he got more and more convinced that this version of himself had to be from a different dimension entirely rather than from the future.
Still, he took pity on the kid. “Why don’t you just pulse your energy?”
MK looked at him. “Pulse my energy?”
“You know, like the thing I did when I found you two?” Sun scoffed. “You guys are this close and he never taught you how to do that? Seriously?” Macaque would always pulse his magic to calm him down after a nightmare. His older self treated MK like he was his son and he never told him that? Never showed him how?
The kid ignored the jab, instead sitting up straighter. “And that can help him?”
Sun shrugged. “If he’s me, then it should.”
“How do I do that?”
“Ya know, just…” He pushed his hands forward in a ‘pulsing’ motion. “Pulse.” Was there even a different way to explain it?
“Okay, but how?”
The monkey pouted and crossed his arms. “I don't know! He’s the teacher, not me. Figure it out.” He said it harshly, but MK didn’t seem to care, instead staring at his hands as he thought over his words.
He didn’t get to think for long before Wukong shot awake with a strangled cry. MK immediately crawled closer, not even batting an eye as he was pulled into Wukong’s arms, his claws nearly breaking skin with how tightly he was holding on.
Sun tilted his head as he watched MK hug back, the boy whispering, “It’s okay,” and, “I’m safe,” to the hyperventilating monkey.
Was he seriously him from the future?
-----
Wukong finally decided to start up MK’s training the next morning, taking him a bit aways from the group, Sun choosing to tag along to keep an eye on them. He’d planned for something simple like endurance or strength training, but MK had other plans.
“What does it mean to pulse your energy?”
Wukong wasn’t the smartest, but he wasn’t stupid. That’s how Mac used to calm him down from his nightmares, and he knew for a fact he never mentioned that to MK. He glanced at Sun, whom of which was pointedly looking away. He sighed and looked back at the kid, sitting crisscrossed. “An energy pulse is exactly what it sounds like,” he explained, MK sitting in front of him. “It’s where you release your magic outwards in a wave. It can be used in a lot of ways depending on the intent and output. You can use it in a fight and intimidate your opponent, or use it to comfort someone.”
“Can you teach me how?”
Sun laughed inwardly. To him, there was no easy way to explain an energy pulse, if a way to explain it at all.
When Wukong didn’t respond, MK tried to backtrack. “W-We can work on something else if you don’t—”
Wukong shook his head. “No, it’s fine. I’m just trying to think of how to word it.” It took him another minute before he landed on something he believed could work. “Okay, imagine your soul is like a lake and your energy is the water in it. Right now it’s surrounded by rocks to keep it contained. But, when you need to use it, you can remove the rocks to let it flow. Your powers are set paths and streams the water can flow into, giving you the energy to transform or use gold vision. But, if you remove a rock that doesn’t have a set path behind it, your energy can just flow freely.”
Sun was… shocked, to say the least. That was a surprisingly accurate way of explaining it.
MK still didn’t seem to understand though, scratching his head with a nervous laugh.
Wukong snorted, “Alright, let me use a different analogy. Uhh… let's say your soul is a faucet and the water is your energy, okay? If you turn on the faucet and fill a cup, that’s kinda like using your powers; you have a set purpose for that water. But, if you just turn the handle and let the water run, that's your energy flowing out. Make sense?”
It didn’t make the slightest bit of sense to Sun (what the heck was a faucet?), but MK nodded quickly.
“Good. Now, if you want to add your intent to it, that’s like adding a flavor packet into the water. Here, use your gold vision on me.”
MK did as told, ‘ooo’ing at the sight of Wukong’s soul shining brighter, faint gold wisps trickling off him.
“So, right now I just have the faucet on. And if I add the flavor…” The gold flickered, sending a wave of calm toward the boy. “I can control the intent.”
He deactivated his powers and nodded to MK. “Now you try. Just focus on releasing it first.”
MK nodded and closed his eyes, focusing his mind on his energy, face pinching in concentration. Wukong used his gold vision to watch his student’s process, grinning when he saw Sun not-so discreetly doing the same. It only took a few seconds for small wisps to appear, floating off of MK’s figure.
“Good job,” Wukong encouraged. “Now try adding your intent behind it.”
MK grunted, eyes squeezed shut. A tiny bit of nervous-aura flowed out, mixed with a forced calm. It didn’t feel comfortable and was hardly noticeable, but it made Wukong smile nonetheless.
MK let out a breath, the magic cutting off as he hung his head. “Ugh, that’s hard.”
“Still pretty good for your first try. Proud of you, bud.” He leaned forward and ruffled MK’s hair, earning a grin from the younger. “You keep that up, I’ll be right back.”
MK nodded as the monkey stood, closing his eyes and going back to training.
Wukong walked over to Sun, crossing his arms with a smirk. “Surprised I was able to explain it so well?”
Sun’s tail puffed in embarrassment. “No. Why would I be?”
“‘Cause I know how I was at this point.” He sat down, leaning back on his hands. “If someone had asked me back then how I use my powers, I’d have no idea how to explain it.”
“And now you do?”
Wukong shrugged. “It’s not the easiest thing, but I manage.”
The younger just huffed, the two of them watching MK train in silence for a few minutes. Then Sun spoke up again.
“So you still use a glamour.”
Wukong tensed, tail curling. He wasn’t surprised the younger could see through his magic, but he’d foolishly hoped he wouldn’t be able to.
“The scars I’m not surprised about, but the white fur? When did that happen?”
Wukong sighed as he sat up. “That’s more of a recent thing. Only a few weeks ago, actually.” He smiled bitterly. “Possession’s a bitch.”
Sun gawked at him. “You got possessed?”
“Yeah, it’s… not pleasant.” Wukong couldn’t stop the shiver that ran through him. He looked at Sun, eyes hard. “Word of advice: you run into the White Bone Spirit, Lady Bone Demon—whatever she calls herself, you kill her. No matter what Master says.” He looked back at MK, guilt churning in his stomach. “It’ll be better for everyone that way.”
Sun stared at him with a mixture of awe and horror. He got nightmares himself, but this Bone Demon must have been pretty bad to get such a serious response from the elder. He glanced at MK, noting the way Wukong relaxed the longer he stared at the kid.
He looked back to Wukong, not able to stop the question from tumbling out of his mouth. “Why is he so important to you?” He probably could have worded it better, but he just didn’t understand. How could a mortal of all things be such a major part of Wukong’s life?
Wukong didn’t seem surprised by the question. He opened his mouth to respond when a bright flash of gold came from MK, along with a calming aura, though there was still a hint of nervousness mixed in. The kid gasped dramatically, looking to his mentor.
“Monkey King! Did you see that? Did you feel it?
Wukong beamed, standing and running to his successor. “Sure did! That was awesome, bud!” He hugged MK, spinning him around as the boy laughed.
Sun frowned. He just couldn’t wrap his mind around it. Yes, MK was his successor, but there was obviously more to their relationship than the average student-mentor roles. It troubled him. He liked how his life was now. Sure, the fillet sucked, but he had his friends; his sworn brothers. He had his Master and Macaque, wherever he was. Why would he need anyone else?
He wasn’t sure he wanted to know the answer.
-----
They traveled for the next four days, each as uneventful as the last. No demon attacks, no training, and only ever stopping for small breaks and at night.
It was driving MK crazy.
During one of their breaks in the middle day, MK sighed while sitting next to his mentor on the grass. When Wukong didn't respond, MK sighed louder and leaned against him.
Wukong glanced at him with a grin. “Can I help you?”
“I’m dying,” MK said dramatically, sliding down to spread across the monkey’s lap. “The boredom is literally killing me.”
Wukong raised an eyebrow. “Oh, is it now?”
“I can feel myself fading away as we speak,” MK threw an arm over his forehead and closed his eyes. “I’m not sure how much longer I have left.”
“Oh nooo,” Wukong deadpanned, though he was still smiling. “Is there a cure?”
MK opened one eye. “I heard once that a friendly spar—and slash or training session—works quite well for this particular illness.”
Wukong rolled his eyes with a snort. “You’ve been spending too much time with Macaque. His dramatics are rubbing off on you.” He pushed MK off and stood, stretching his arms. “Fine, we can have one spar.”
MK shot to his feet and pulled out the staff. “Yes!”
“One small spar,” Wukong reiterated. “We have to keep walking once the break is over, and I don’t want you—”
“I know, I know!” MK was already running over to the rest of the group. “Guys! Who wants to see me fight Monkey King!”
--
The group sat a few feet away from the duo, each of them curious to see MK actually fight. They wouldn’t be going all out, of course, only striking and dodging, no powers, but it was still exciting to finally get to see the student and mentor in action.
The battle had been going for the past couple of minutes, and MK was handling himself pretty well. He hadn’t managed to actually land a hit on Wukong yet, but they hadn’t been expecting his speed, let alone the power behind his blows.
He really was the Monkie Kid.
Wukong, hands behind his back, easily dodged an attempted swing at his head and jumped over another aimed at his legs. He landed behind MK and swung his foot out, but was quickly blocked by the staff. The boy glanced at the pilgrims, for the umpteenth time, trying to gauge their reactions.
“Focus,” Wukong ordered, pushing off the staff and causing MK to stumble.
“I am!” he argued as he ran forward again with another swing.
“No, you’re not.” Wukong said, ducking under the attack. “You’re trying to show off.”
MK scoffed, leaning on his weapon to kick at the monkey with both feet. “Obviously!” Wukong easily blocked with his arm, twisting away and letting MK fall back to the ground. “This is, like, a once in a lifetime opportunity!”
Wukong rolled his eyes, sweeping MK’s feet out from under him. Thinking quick, MK extended the staff before he could hit the ground, launching him in the air. He peeked over at the group again, causing Wukong to sigh heavily. Once he was in range, the king wrapped his tail around MK’s waist, spinning him back up before slamming him down once more.
“Class in session!” he announced as the others moved closer to hear the exchange. He helped the groaning MK sit up and squatted in front of him. “You know the drill. How’d I win?”
MK rubbed the back of his head. “You grabbed me from midair?”
Wukong hummed in agreement. “Which is something you knew I could do, right? So why’d you go into the air in the first place?” When MK didn’t answer he sighed, helping his student stand. “You were trying to show off, which I understand. I know being here is exciting for you. But, if you want to show off, the best way to do that is to not show off.”
MK blinked, leaning on the staff. “I think I might be concussed, ‘cause that made no sense.”
“When you’re trying to show off, you’re distracting yourself, which causes you to make rash decisions,” Wukong explained. “If you focus fully on the fight, and not on your audience, you end up actually showing off ‘cause you’ll be making less mistakes.” He ruffled the kids' hair with a smile. “Still did pretty good, though.”
The others hadn’t expected any of that to come from Wukong. They assumed his training involved sparring and demonstrations, not actual lessons and explanations. It was surprising.
Wukong’s fur bristled at the feeling of eyes on him. He looked past the gang, noticing that Sun hadn’t moved from his spot to watch the spar. He locked eyes with Wukong and scowled.
That was… probably not good.
“I’ll be right back,” Wukong said. “Hey, kid, why don’t you tell them about the fight with Spider Queen? I’m sure they’d love to hear that.”
MK gasped and nodded, quickly delving into the story as Wukong made his way over to his younger self. He sat down next to him, tilting his head.
“Sooo, mind telling me why you’re giving me death-eyes?”
“This just doesn’t make any sense,” he growled.
He sounded angry, but it was a different kind of anger, a familiar kind. It was the kind of anger Wukong used while scolding MK after he got hurt; the kind he used to hide his fear and his worry.
The younger monkey was scared. But why?
“I retire? I get a successor?” Sun looked up, a deep frown set on his face. “What happened to the plan? What happened to fighting ‘till I drop?”
Wukong shrugged. “I followed the plan. The drop point just happened to be around fourteen-hundred years in the future. And the definition of ‘drop’ slightly changed.”
“And Macaque?” Sun questioned. “Does he not hate humans anymore? ‘Cause I can’t see him ever letting the kid on Flower Fruit Mountain.”
Wukong stiffened, eyes lowering to the ground. “Macaque doesn’t live on the mountain anymore.”
“What? Why?”
“We… aren’t exactly on the best of terms right now?” he admitted. “To be honest, I doubt MK even knows we used to be friends, let alone mates.”
Sun looked aghast. “What happened?”
He didn’t want to talk about it, but he knew he needed to. This was his chance to save Macaque. This was his one chance to change what happened. He couldn’t take back what he himself did, but he could stop Sun from making the same mistake.
Wukong sighed heavily, running a hand through his fur. “Macaque showed up during the journey. Within the next month or two from now, I think. And he was pissed. I know now he was more hurt than anything, but still pissed. Things got… messy. A fight broke out and I…” He trailed off. He didn’t need to tell Sun that, just needed to make sure it didn’t happen. His gaze grew sharp and serious. “When Mac shows up, you need to talk to him. Alone. Explain the situation. Ask Master to let you take him back to the mountain if possible, just don’t. Fight him. Please.”
The way Wukong spoke made Sun even more worried. He sounded so desperate, so scared. What could have happened to destroy their relationship that much?
Sun jerked a nod. “I’ll talk to him.”
The elder’s shoulders relaxed at that. “Good.”
They sat in silence for a bit, both of them watching MK animatedly retell his story, before Wukong spoke up again.
“And to answer your question, Macaque still doesn’t like humans, but I don’t think he fully hates them anymore.”
Sun raised a brow. “And MK?”
Wukong smiled. “He’s a fungus. He grows on everyone.”
-----
MK sat with Tripitaka, telling stories about Mei to Ao Lie as the journey continued. It’d been nine days since the duo fell through time and Wukong was beginning to allow himself to be more open with his old friends. He knew it’d hurt when they had to leave, but also knew he’d regret it even more if he tried to stay away.
So Wukong walked next to Bajie, answering anything he asked about the future or just talking about mundane things. The pig seemed confused at first, but continued the conversation with the Great Sage..
Wukong was in the middle of trying to explain what a video game was when MK interrupted him with a loud gasp.
“Monkey King!” he exclaimed, pointing to the side. “Can we go swimming?”
Wukong followed his finger to see a good sized pond close by. He shrugged. “I’m not the one in charge, kid.”
MK put on his best puppy-dog eyes, looking over his shoulder to look at the monk. “Mr. Tripitaka sir, can we go swimming? Just for a little bit?”
Tripitaka chuckled. “I suppose an early break couldn’t hurt.”
--
After making sure there were no demons in or around the water, MK wasted no time stripping his clothes, sans pants, and jumping in. Wujing and Bajie followed after him and Wukong sat near the edge, not going in but close enough to keep an eye on the kid. Sun, Tripitaka, and Ao Lie sat further away, talking between themselves.
Wukong had his eyes closed, enjoying the warmth of the sun when a large wave of water hit him, effectively soaking him. He sputtered, looking up to see MK cackling with his staff in hand, having used it to splash the monkey, his brothers laughing next to him. He could hear his master and younger self laughing behind him as well, though the monk at least had the decency to try and hide it.
Wukong smirked, flapping his hands to try and get some water off. “Oh, you wanna play games, huh?” He pulled out a hair and made a ball, throwing it directly at MK’s face.
The boy yelped and fell into the water. He quickly swam back up, staff now safely back in his ear, and threw the ball back just as hard. The two of them made a game of it, Wujing and Bajie eventually joining in as they all threw it back and forth at each other. It was fun.
Wukong had just thrown the ball toward Bajie when a sharp wind swept past him. It’d been windy off and on throughout the day, but now that he was wet it caused a shiver to run through him. And with that came a terrifying sense of anxiety.
It felt like her.
He knew it wasn’t. He knew he was just cold. He knew he was fine. His mind just couldn’t seem to get the memo.
Wukong flinched as the ball whizzed past his face. Right. They were still playing. He needed to act like everything was fine. Which it was. He was fine. Everything was fine.
He wondered how many times he’d have to say that for his brain to believe it.
“Monkey King?” MK called, quickly noticing his mentor’s unease. “Are you okay?”
Wukong forced a smile. “Yep!” His voice cracked. He turned around, ready to scoop the ball up when another gust hit him, sending another wave of chill and terror. He felt his breathing pick up, the familiar dread running through him enough to bring him to his knees. He registered panicked voices, but could barely hear them over the blood rushing through his ears. Why was he freaking out? It was just the wind and the water. It wasn’t her. She was dead.
Not here, his mind reminded him. She’s dead in the future, but she’s alive right now.
He let out a low whine, gripping the fur on his head tightly.
What if she was actually here? She prattled on and on about destiny and fate. Could she have foreseen Wukong and MK getting sent here? Could she have contacted her younger self somehow? Taught her how to take control of someone?
He knew deep down it was a ridiculous thought, but in the moment it was all he could think of. He was back on that battlefield. She was under his skin, controlling him like a puppet on strings. He could see the horror on MK’s face as he threw the first punch. He could see the absolute fear in Macaque’s eyes as he fought with no restraint. All he could feel was the overwhelming cold stretching over his body, numbing his limbs and mind. He didn’t want to hurt anyone. He couldn’t do this again. He couldn’t, he couldn’t, he couldn’t do this again!
A familiar aura washed over him, flavored with panic and worry.
“Dad!”
Wukong’s eyes flew open, the static in his ears quickly receding.
“...Monkey King?” the voice spoke again, quieter this time.
He forced himself to look up, meeting MK’s eyes. The kid offered a shaky smile.
“It’s just me,” he said. “You’re okay.”
He hadn’t realized he was hyperventilating until MK took an exaggerated breath, nodding for Wukong to follow along. He tried to, nearly choking in the attempt. He felt guilt and shame claw at him from the inside. He was MK’s mentor. He was supposed to be the one calming the kid down from panic attacks and nightmares, not the other way around. But he just couldn’t seem to get a handle on this stuff. He couldn’t get any of it right. He kept messing up, kept putting unnecessary weight on his student’s shoulders, kept hurting people; the people he cared about. Even when he tried to do good, he just kept fucking things up—
“Dad,” MK’s voice cut through the fog once more. He gently tugged Wukong’s hands off his fur, squeezing them tight. “You’re okay. Just focus on me.” The kid took another loud deep breath and Wukong found it easier to follow along this time. MK spoke between breaths to murmur assurances and encouragement, throwing in a ‘Dad’ every now and again to keep him grounded.
He didn’t want to admit how well it worked.
When his breathing finally evened out, Wukong pulled his hands away to wipe his eyes (when had he started crying?). He looked over MK’s shoulder, seeing the group farther away, their backs to the duo.
“I asked them to leave,” MK explained. “I didn’t want you to feel crowded.”
The king wrapped his arms around himself. “How long was I…?”
“Ten minutes, maybe?”
It felt like hours. Wukong sighed, falling back to lay in the warm grass. MK laid next to him, the two of them staring at the clouds in silence. He felt bad for worrying MK, and probably his old friends. He wanted to lie and say he was fine, or at least apologize, but he knew that’d make his successor more upset. So he stayed quiet, letting the sun melt off the chill he was still feeling.
Then he remembered the word MK used.
He turned his head. “Did you call me Dad?”
MK’s face turned bright red. “Yeah, well, uh, y-you weren’t really responding to anything else, so it just… slipped out? I-I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable or anything—”
“No, no, it’s fine,” Wukong said quickly, feeling just as awkward. “It was… nice. Hearing you say it, I mean.”
MK was quiet for a moment. “W—” He hesitated, scared to ask, but so desperately wanting an answer. He gave the monkey a nervous, hopeful look. “Would you be… cool with me calling you that?”
Wukong’s heart warmed, banishing the last of the cold. He felt something tighten in his chest painfully, though not in a bad way. It was new and intense and damn near terrifying, but he never wanted it to leave. He smiled wide, pulling the kid—his kid—closer to his side. “I’d be honored, bud.”
-----
Three days later, they were all gathered around a fire as the sun set and the stars came out.
“Hang on—demons and humans live together?” Bajie said in shock. “As in openly? No more demon attacks?”
MK shook his head. “Oh, there’s still demon attacks. Just not nearly as many. And there are still some demons who hide how they really look.”
“You said Spider Queen was there, right?” Sun said. “Is there anyone else we know?”
Wukong’s tail flicked in thought. “I think Yin and Jin are still lurking around somewhere in the city.”
“Oh, yeah, they trapped me in the calabash when I first met them.”
Wukong nearly got whiplash with how quickly he looked at his kid. “They what?!”
MK waved off his concern. “It’s fine! It didn’t work that well. They had Mei confess her love for me.” He made a gagging noise. “Wasn’t that hard to figure out something was up.”
“Mei? Seriously?” Wukong laughed. “Everyone knows you like Red Son.”
MK blushed, shoulders raising to his ears. “What?! N-No I don’t!”
“Who’s Red Son?” Tripitaka asked.
“He’s DBK’s son,” Wukong replied. “He hasn’t been born yet.”
Bajie gawked at MK. “You like the Bull King’s son?”
MK’s face burned brighter. “No! He’s just a friend!”
Wukong nudged his shoulder against the boy’s with a smirk. “You sure? ‘Cause you’re literally the same color as his hair right now.”
MK covered his face with a whine, earning a round of laughter from the others.
They continued the conversation for a while longer, the moon now in the sky. They were about to call it a night when pink sparks appeared behind Wukong and MK, followed by a voice.
“How many times have I told you not to mess with your stupid artifacts?”
The sparking opened into a full portal, revealing a tired and annoyed looking Macaque on the other side, standing in the clearing next to Wukong’s house.
MK stood quickly. “Macaque! You’re here!”
Macaque’s features softened. “Hey, kiddo. Sorry I’m late.”
“MK!" a new voice called somewhere next to Macaque.
MK gasped. “Mei!”
He jumped through just in time to be tackled by a young girl with green streaks in her hair, the two of them smiling as they hugged.
“Noodle Boy!” a red-haired demon appeared, a deep frown etched onto his face. “How dare you disappear like that!”
Mei grinned, pulling him into the hug. “Don’t let him fool you, MK. Red Boy here was worried sick.”
The demon’s hair flared with fire, his face just as bright. “I-I most certainly was not!”
More voices called out for the boy. Three others, human and demon alike, running and embracing the younger. Macque rolled his eyes at the display and looked back out the portal, tensing as he finally noticed the pilgrims, glaring at Sun in particular.
He scowled at Wukong. “Really?”
Wukong frowned, standing up. “Hey, I didn’t choose the Tang Dynasty.”
“You did! That’s literally what the artifact does!”
“Okay, well, I didn’t come here willingly!”
Macaque sighed heavily and pinched between his eyes. “Wukong, you have five seconds, or I swear I’m leaving you here.”
“Okay, okay. Don’t get your tail in a twist,” Wukong grumbled as he walked to the portal. He paused right before it, glancing back at his old friends. His old life. His gaze slowly rested on each of them, one at a time, burning their faces in his mind, before landing on his master.
The monk gave him a warm smile.
“Daaad!” MK called. “Come on!”
“Dad?” Everyone echoed.
“I thought you saw me as your father figure!” A human wailed.
“I’m still the cool uncle, right?” A blue demon asked.
“What about me, huh?” A pig demon protested. “What happened to Dadsy?”
Wukong chuckled, giving his old family a nod before turning and jumping through the portal. “Nope! I’m Dad now,” he said, wrapping an arm around MK’s shoulders. “I called dibs.”
“You can’t call dibs!” The pig snapped.
Wukong tapped his chin. “Hm. That’s weird. Pretty sure I just did.”
Sun couldn’t help but snicker as Wukong was chased by the familiar-looking demon with a spoon, the older monkey laughing as he kept jumping away and using MK as a shield, his friends laughing with him. He looked at ease.
He looked happy.
Macaque rolled his eyes again and lifted his arms to close the portal. The last thing the pilgrims saw was MK waving goodbye.
-----
Roughly 1400 Years Later
-----
It was market day, arguably one of Wukong’s favorite days. It was one of the few times he was able to convince Macaque to come into the city. Their main objective was to buy food, but Wukong always managed to drag his mate into sightseeing. They never stayed for very long, maybe a few hours at most, and market day was every couple of weeks, so there were never any huge changes within the city, but he still liked going.
He and Macaque were at different booths, the shadow looking for actual produce while the ginger looked at knickknacks. He was currently eyeballing a moon pendant, wondering if Macaque would like it. He turned to go ask but ended up running into something, or rather, something ran into him. It was a young boy, no older than six or seven, his clothes ratty, his hair disheveled and messy.
Wukong grabbed the boy’s shoulder on instinct before he could fall on his butt. “Whoa! Where’s the fire, bud?”
The boy smiled sheepishly. “Sorry! My friend and I are playing tag. I didn’t mean to run into you.”
Wukong grinned back. “Don’t worry about it. Just watch where you’re running next time, okay?”
“MK!” a young girl yelled from the direction the boy had been running. “Are we still playing?”
Wukong’s eyes widened at the name. He hadn’t heard it in over a millennia.
“Sorry, Mei!” The boy—MK—yelled back, slipping past the glamoured monkey. He waved over his shoulder. “Bye, mister! Sorry again!”
Wukong waved back slowly, watching as the two disappeared around a corner, their laughter slowly fading away. He couldn’t help the smile that slowly took over his face, memories resurfacing of a person he never thought he’d get to meet.
He made his way back to his mate, wrapping his arms around the darker’s waist and nuzzling into his neck.
Macaque stiffened at first, though relaxed quickly after realizing who it was. “What’s got you in such a lovey mood?” he teased.
Wukong rested his chin on his partner's shoulder, still smiling wide. “How do you feel about kids?”