Chapter Text
“AWH YEAHH, LETS GET THIS PORTY STARTED.”
Neon disco lights shine through the windows of Pigsy’s Noodles and bumpy hip-hop thumps throughout the establishment as your teammates gather for celebration and the power of friendship. Pigsy and Tang are chillin’ by the front counter, bickering (as usual); Sandy, Mei and Mo are trying (and failing) to set up some knock-off ‘shimmy shimmy rebellion’ game and your mentor, Macaque is brooding in the corner (again, as usual).
You stand with the Monkey King himself and MK near the snack table. Delicious treats, both sweet and savoury, are piled high, courtesy of the local pig demon chef. You sigh in exasperation as you and MK watch as Wukong tries to throw peach chips into his mouth.
Key word – tries.
“No- hang on- I got it, trust me-“ A peach chip bounces off his nose for the sixth time and clatters to the floor, joining its fallen brethren. MK cringes as it hits the floor with the other chips, brows furrowing slightly with stress. The young successor chuckles nervously, fiddling with his fingers as he observes the mess on the ground.
“Monkey king, you really should stop. Pigsy is gonna yell at you and – trust me, none of us want that.” You watch as Wukong tries to catch a chip with his mouth again, the stone monkey clearly oblivious everything around him - and to the irate Pig Demon glaring at him from across the room. You shrug nonchalantly, noting Pigsy’s decreasing mood with every broken chip cracked on the floor of his hard-earned establishment.
“I don’t know, MK. I can think of a few people who would love to see that.” You take a sip of your suspicious punch that Mei brought with her. The flavour is good, you just can’t taste what flavour it actually is – what you can taste though, is the alcohol. Which, at least to you, is the most important part. MK’s shoulders slump as he lets out a deep sigh, exasperated eyes glancing back at Mei and Sandy for a moment before averting to the dirty floor.
You observe his expression for a moment. It’s clear to you that hes trying to appear relaxed, but you clock his hands, drumming nervously against his thighs. He looks anxious, a common emotion for the young hero in recent times. Worry bubbles in your chest and your brows furrow as you note the bothered tendency, nudging his arm with your elbow as you lean in to speak softly.
“Hey, you okay? You seem a bit off.” MK snaps his distant gaze to meet yours, a bewildered look crossing his face for a moment as you voice your concern. He clears his throat into his fist, cheeks reddening with embarrassment as he chuckles softly, bringing a hand up to scratch at the back of his neck with a bashful expression.
“I’m uh-… I’m okay-“ MK might try and hide his nerves, but he can’t seem to hide them from you as he seems to sweat-drop at the unimpressed look you shoot his way. His shoulders sag with a troubled sigh and he looks away.
“-yeah, no. That’s not fooling anyone, uhmm…” MK fiddles with his fingers for a moment, seemingly struggling to find the right words. Hes clearly stuck on what to say, on how to express his worry without bothering those around him. Your chest aches for your friend as he goes to speak, his voice a soft, nervous tone.
“-I am okay, I guess. I’m just kind of tense, especially after what happened with…” MK trails off for a moment, gaze blurring and you decide to interject and spare him the struggle.
“-…with Azure.” MK’s breath seems to hitch in his throat for a moment, seemingly going to speak again before deciding to just nod, confirming your suspicions. You study MK’s face.
Ever since Azure’s death (though, you’re not sure ‘death’ is the right word), MK has been feeling all sorts of guilty - which is understandable to an extent. Though none of what happened was MK’s fault in any sense, Azure Lion was trying to do what he thought was best. He wanted to help people, to make the world a better place. Though, through bitterness and haste, he lost himself along the way and the consequences of his own actions caught up to him.
“I just-“ MK goes to speak again, his voice thick with emotion and his face betraying his dejectedness.
“-I don’t get why he would– and also why we’re basically celebrating his-“ MK’s shoulders hunch inward and you follow, leaning forward to see his face. His face twists with tension and guilt as he ponders the circumstances that lead you all to this point. You look at your dear friend, feeling a pang of sympathy for him.
Ever since you first met him, MK has always been an incredibly empathetic person. He has this uncanny ability to deeply understand people and their worries, even though he acts like an air-head. You shake your head, lifting your hand up to comfortingly pat his shoulders and open your mouth to speak before a loud shout intercepts you.
You barely have time to yank your hand away, before a rowdy Mei basically jumps onto MK’s back, wrapping her arms around his neck. You jerk away as the duo stumble forward and take a moment to mentally reprimand her as MK splutters for a moment, a surprised look crossing his face. Mei speaks up in an excited tone, ruffling MK’s dark hair with an animated laugh.
“Why wouldn’t we be celebrating, Monkey Man? We basically saved the world – AGAIN.” Mei tightened her arms around MK’s shoulders while turning, playfully blepping her tongue out at you. MK seems to almost relax in the company of his best friend, though judging by the tension in his shoulders and fiddling fingers; he clearly still has doubts. You nod your head at Mei in semi-agreement before looking away from her and into MK’s worried eyes. When you speak, you hope that your words reach him, no matter how many doubts he has.
“We did save the world, and we’re celebrating today in honour of all those we saved, as well as those who we lost. What happened, though unfortunate, wasn’t your fault, so try and relax – at least for today.” You flash MK a smile you hope comes across as comforting as you raise your cup to MK in a small mock toast. As Mei goes to drag him away. MK looks back at you with shining eyes.
While its clear to you he still has doubts, he seems to take in your words and gives you a shaky smile, though still twinged with a hint of distress. As Mei pulls him over to ‘Shimmy Shimmy Rebellion’ (who the fuck came up with that name?), he continues to glance at you from over his shoulders every now and then, flashing you small smiles as he listens to Mei babble about the game.
You give him an assured smile in return and then quickly shimmy shimmy out of the way as you see Pigsy rolling up his sleeves, preparing to storm up to a still oblivious Wukong for ‘dirtying up his precious establishment’. As Pigsy stomps over, you briefly lock eyes with Tang, who is trying in vail to calm Pigsy down. He adjusts his glasses on his face and gives you an exasperated half-smile which ends up looking more like a grimace as you internally pray for the scholar.
As you step away from the ensuing chaos, your eyes scan the room, looking over all your friends before landing on your prickly teacher along the back wall. Macaque’s scarf is thrown up around his head like a hood and he tensely grips onto a red solo cup, likely filled with the same unidentifiable alcohol-juice-punch that you also have. You guess from his body language, he isn’t uncomfortable, just feeling awkward. You observe your monkey mentor for a hot minute, thinking deeply about your options.
You need to discuss the next course of action for you eventually.
Who better to consult than your teacher?
You shuffle towards him into the quietest corner of the room. Macaque seems to be trying very hard to not complain, likely about the volume of the music or of your teammates. Your mentor quickly notices your approach, throwing you a lacklustre half-smile in greeting as you settle in against the wall next to him. You lean your back against the wall, lolling your head to the side to look at the grumpy monkey next to you as you converse.
“Soo… how are you liking the celebration? It sure feels weird to be included in the ‘hero’s’ celebration for once, huh?” You chortled to yourself in amusement, thinking about how just a few months ago, You and Macaque were trying to fight Wukong every other day. Macaque shoots you a half-hearted glare at your cheeky words before looking back towards the rowdier groups, adjusting his scarf-hood with a huff. You watch him, amused by his attitude and grumpy demeanour. You can see on his face that your mentor is clearly struggling to be polite about the whole gathering. You watch as he observes the rest of the room, watching the others jump around in celebration carefully before crossing his arms and speaking plainly.
“Its-… fine.” Macaque tightly purses his lips as he takes a small sip of his own drink and seems to grimace at the taste. You cross your own arms in front of you, an expecting eyebrow quirked up as you wait for him to continue – because you know he will.
“…I just think the music is a bit too loud, you know?” You snort down a laugh as Macaque continues to grumble about the volume. You uncross your arms with a smirk and slowly clap your hands, though making sure to do so carefully so spare your mentor’s poor six ears.
“Well, I commend you for not whining as soon as we entered. Such fantastic maturity from the Six Eared Macaque.” He shoots you a flat glare before looking away, avoiding your eyes as you smirk smugly at him. He lets out grumbly huff, hunching down further into himself as his tail reaches out and smacks the back of your knee, knocking you off balance and causing you at flail against the wall for a moment.
You glare icily at him as you steady yourself against the wall, Macaque’s cheeky tail going back to swaying languidly behind him. Your teacher snickers to himself, clearly amused by his own cheap trick and your struggle.
His chuckles abruptly stop, his rounded ears flicking as a stuttering yelp echoes through the room. All eyes, including that of your own and your mentor’s, turn towards its source. You stifle a chuckle. It seems like Pigsy has finally gotten his hands on Wukong for making a mess on his precious establishment’s floor. The great and powerful Monkey King half-heartedly defends against Pigsy’s attacks, arms bent over his head as the enraged pig demon beats at him with a straw broom.
“MK tried to tell him. All that power and his ears don’t even work right.” You huff, blowing air from your nose in amusement as you watch the stone monkey whine and grumble about his ‘unfair treatment’. You hear a scoff from your right and your gaze shifts from Wukong to your mentor next to you. Your eyes catch Macaque’s face contort and you feel his mood is instantly soured at the reminder of the stone monkey’s existence.
“The Great Monkey King seems to be having fun.” You can practically taste the bitterness wafting off of Macaque as he glared forward at Wukong. You stare at him, your expression deadpan and unimpressed as he seems to silently stew in his thoughts.
Suddenly, as swift as the wind, you kick your leg out. With all his combat prowess, he doesn’t seem to notice it coming and your foot connects with his ankle. He jolts, practically leaping up into the ear and curses – loudly and for a brief moment, Wukong and the others not-so-subtly glance over as you assault your Mentor. Macaque’s head snaps toward you, his expression suspended in disbelief at your audacity.
“Mother Fu- What was that for?” You reach out a hand and tug hard on his scarf, scoffing at him as he sats your hand away.
“You said you wouldn’t do this. The whole ‘oh woe is me, Wukong sucks’ shtick.” Macaque’s yellow eyes narrow, glaring at you somewhat icily before readjusting his scarf and sighing, crossing his arms all grumpy like.
“It’s not my fault hes an ass.” You tilt your head back with a groan, the sound low and exasperated and you bring a hand up to pinch the bridge of your nose, feeling very similar to a parent trying to corral their young, annoying kid. You bring your head down again, glaring back at Macaque and speak with an irritated lilt.
“Cut it out, you promised.” Macaque averts his gaze to the floor in front of him with a click of his teeth. Its clear to you that hes still grumpy and somewhat culpable – but, to your relief and his chagrin, at least hes not actively trying to kill Wukong with his bitter gaze. You take a moment to observe your mentor, who is now pointedly avoiding your gaze.
You think to yourself and come to a decision. Now is as good a time as any to bring up the thing you need to talk about – the thing you’ve been avoiding talking about.
You clear your throat and shuffle where you stand, straightening your shoulders and re-catching the attention of Macaque, who glances at you from the side of his eye. His gaze flickers over your face, his eyebrows furrowing as he takes in the sudden resignation in your now conflicted facial expression. His brows dip further as he looks at you with a questioning gaze, his long tail coming to a near still twitch. You tilt your head to the side and just decide to get it over with. Theres no point avoiding it any longer.
“Besides...” You worry your lip between your teeth, before continuing in an apprehensive tone.
“.. I actually have something I wanted to talk to you about.” You watch as barely concealed worry flashes across Macaque’s face. He, in turn, stands a little straighter against the wall, his rounded ears perked outwards and twisted towards you. You let out a breath, before starting to talk again. Your voice is hesitant and you struggle not to stumble over your words as you speak.
“So, you’ve been my teacher for a while.” Macaque gives you a questioning side glance, nodding slowly to show hes listening. You continue.
“You’ve been my teacher for a year- more than a year actually and, you know…“ Macaque’s gaze narrows slightly, turning his expression from worried mentor to suspicious parent. You continue to stumble over your words, your tongue feeling twisted in your mouth.
Immediately, this was not going how you thought it would. In your mind, you were confident and firm about what you wanted – and now you can barely get a sentence out without instantly overthinking it.
Fuck, why is this kind of hard?
“-I’m-… you’ve taught me a lot and I’m grateful for that. You know, you didn’t have to take me in as your student, but you did and that’s great.“ Hes still looking at you, his expression becoming more and more intense and unreadable. This time, you avert your eyes, suddenly unable to look at his face the longer you stretch this out.
What is wrong with you? Spit it out.
“-and well, while I am grateful for everything you’ve done for me and everything that you’ve taught me.. and I know we had plans for me to continue my training with you but-“
You take a breath, trying to calm yourself down from your own ridiculous rambling. Your collar feels hot all of a sudden, flushing with a nervousness you haven’t felt since your first ever job interview.
“-I was actually wanting to – kind of – go off on my own, I guess.” You let out a breath, those last few words coming out in a nervous exhale. You had been nervous to broach the topic, especially since you guys had already spoke about your future as Macaque’s student, but... you had been thinking about travelling on your own for a while now. The only hard part was telling him.
Its not that you don’t want to train with him anymore, Gods no. Becoming Macaque’s student was the best thing that had ever happened to you – even better than meeting MK or any of the others. You had always wanted to be more. More than just a retail worker, more than just another shambling zombie like all your ex-coworkers…
And to be honest?
You would rather die than admit it – and you would take this confession to the grave - but in the year (year and a half if you want to get technical) that Macaque has been training you, he has kind of become a sort of… pseudo-parent to you. You had a hunch that he felt a similar familial bond towards you (the monkey grooming and chirping towards you all spoke to the affirmative) but neither of you had ever explicitly brought up, so it’s understandable that you were nervous to tell him that you wanted to ‘fly and be free’.
You wanted the chance to really go and do something, instead of just waiting for the next big bad to come by and try and end the world.
But now, its out and you can’t take it back.
Fuck.
Maybe you should have waited until after the party-
You jolt out of your own thoughts by the sensation of a something fuzzy brushing your calf. Your gaze travels downwards and your eyes immediately find that Macaque’s tail is slowly winding around your lower leg - a soft, yet firm grip. You shift your eyes back up and see Macaque staring at you with a blank expression. The expression – while blank – is kind of intense. You’re good at reading your mentor, but now? You can’t seem to tell if hes angry, annoyed or just plain uninterested. He seems to be deep in thought, dull, yellow eyes shifting over your face as if trying to pick you apart with his gaze alone. You supress a shudder as sweat beads at the back of your neck. You cough into your hand, trying to break his intense concentration.
“uhm… Mac? Anybody home-?”
“-You want to leave?” His low voice cuts you off, leaving you freezing in place as you process the tone in his voice. The low edge in his voice catches you off guard, his intense gaze never leaving your face as he stares you down. For a moment, you think you can see a flicker of panic in his eyes, as if some horrible thought has suddenly struck him. A heavy feeling settles in your chest – something between guilt and dread. He hasn’t even said anything bad and you already feel like you’re being scolded. You go to speak, but you find that your mind has gone blank, unable to find the right words as you’re faced with such a weighty question.
“I mean- not forever. Obviously, I would come back; I would always come back. You’re my-... teacher.” You stumble over your words a moment, trying not to crack and give in to his sweltering stare. Macaque looks at you for another long moment, the slight glint of panic now seemingly gone. He regards you once with a near silent hum before curtly looking away, his expression shifting into something unreadable.
“Yeah, that’s not happening.” You blink at him for a moment; his sudden intensity giving you whiplash. A year and a half with this guy and you still can’t seem read him right. Your eyes widen in disbelief as he dismisses you, swiftly shutting you down. You gape at him for a moment, making incoherent noises as you try to formulate a sentence.
He seems so sure that you’re not going, you’re almost impressed by his audacity.
Keyword: almost.
You tilt your head at him, shocked and honestly? – kind of offended. When you speak, your voice cuts through the silence that had momentarily formed between you two.
“Excuse me?” He shrugs again, glancing into his cup like he didn’t just tell you what to do.
“You heard me. It’s not happening and you’re not ready.” You blink at him again in disbelief, shocked into stunned silence as he takes a casual sip from his red solo cup (the nerve of this mystic monkey man). You tilt your head, crossing your arms as your voice takes on a challenging lilt.
“Actually, that’s so interesting because I happen to think I am ready and I’m also a fully grown adult.” Macaque clicks his teeth, clearly biting back the urge to roll his eyes. He glares into the ground as the silence stretches on. After a moment of tension, he speaks up again. This time his voice takes on a resigned tone as his tail still keeps itself wound tightly around your leg.
“Trust me, bud – you’re not ready to travel on your own. You need to stay here for another year or so, then maybe after that, we can talk.” You scoff at him, feeling irritation bubble in your core as he dismisses you again.
Who does this guy think he is, talking to you like a child?
You’re a grown adult. You don’t need his condescension.
“No. You don’t get to speak to me like I’m a child and you don’t get to make decisions for me.” You narrow your eyes, snapping at Macaque. His ears flick harshly at your frustrated tone, his own irritation showing through the way his shoulders tense. He avoids your eyes, glaring down at the wooden floor in front of his feet. Rolling your eyes, you speak up again, shifting to put your hands on your hips in defiance.
“I don’t know why you’re so worried. Its not like you’re not my dad, Macaque.” There is a pregnant pause after your words, and you regret it the second they leave your mouth. Macaque’s whole body seems to still at your statement, ears drooping down toward his neck. Standing at his side, you can see the way his expression pinches, lips twisting into a hurt frown.
Your heart clenches in your chest as his tail twitches once, before dejectedly sliding off your leg.
You feel the urge to take it back, to explain that that isn’t what you meant – but you stay silent, unwilling – or unable – to admit that you might be wrong.
Ignoring the fact that you totally see him as your dad and that you’re sorry- you see Macaque’s ears twitch again, pinning back against his head as he crosses his arm over his chest, punch sloshing in his cup, threatening to spill. His demeanour has changed. The once casual, familial energy is gone now – replaced with a resigned professionalism that has never been his style. His gaze never leaves the ground as he speaks, a terse and firm slant in his voice.
“Yeah- but you are my apprentice. I don’t need you going off and getting killed.” The title ‘apprentice’ painfully strikes you somewhere soft, that same part of you that craves parental approval curling in on itself like a wounded animal. You bite back the hurt, scoffing and rolling your head back to rest against the wall as Macaque broods next to you, now unable to look at him as the painful reminder that you are just apprentice and master settled in, unwelcomed.
“You are being difficult,” You shrug, gesturing with your cup as you continue to try and persuade the sulking monkey. “That’s exactly why I would be fine. You trained me to be an expert in shadow magic and weaponry. I’m skilled enough to be able to handle myself.”
“I mean, it’s not like I’m going out and picking fights with people on purpose. I’m not stupid.” you let out an irate huff, rolling your eyes and turning your head slightly to look back at Macaque from the corner of your eye. The sight of him made you want to cringe.
His shoulders are slumped inwards; tail curled downwards around his own feet and his eyes remained stuck on the floor in front of him. You felt your expression soften ever so slightly at his dejected look.
This was not going how you imagined it would.
You’ve spent enough time working and training with Macaque that reading his body language is almost second nature, even if you’re unsure of his true feelings most of the time. Even though hes being prickly and dismissive of your wants, hes clearly worried about you.
You don’t know much about what hes been through, but you do know that it was clearly horrific enough to give him a permanent distrust of... pretty much everything.
The brief flickers of his glamour dropping during training, revealing fur permanently stained white and jagged, painful scarring...
You briefly note that you’re standing on his blind side, even though he’s clearly irritated and upset with you. It’s a thought that touches you, a reminder of the bond you share and it makes your shoulders relax as you take in the sight of your closest confidant.
His tail twitches by his feet as he seems to think hard about what he wants to say. A raspy, textured sigh flows out from his throat, familiar golden eyes burning a hole into the same spot on the wooden floor.
“I just-“ He starts, his voice combative before he stops himself and re-adjusts his tone. “…I don’t think you’re ready.” You watch as Macaque grinds his teeth, shuffling on his feet as he practically forces the words out of his mouth. You stare at him for a moment. It’s clear that despite what words have been said, hes trying to explain. You let out a soft exhale, pushing off the wall and turning your body toward him. He tenses for a moment at your sudden movements, before relaxing, drawing his gaze from the floor to finally look at you. You both observe each other for a long pause, with you seeing the weariness in his eyes and with him seeing the determination in your face.
“I know I’m ready, and I know you think so too.” For the first time in this conversation, your voice is clear and steady. Macaque tenses his shoulders, his expression tightening with grief and his clawed hand tightening around his cup as you call him out. Macaque seems to struggle for long moment, torn between arguing more and the agonising thought that he might have to talk about his feelings, before eventually giving in; his shoulders sagging with acceptance as he lowers his gaze, staring through you to something horrible only he can see.
“Look-… Kiddo, I just don’t want you to get hurt-“ A loud gasp interrupts Macaque, echoing from the opposite side of the room. Both you and your mentor tense for a moment before immediately springing to attention, heads snapped toward the disturbance almost in unison. The dramatic gasp came from Mei, who is pointing a surprised finger toward the front door, swung half open.
“OH EM GEE – NEZHA?” All attention is now on the protective deity standing just inside the doorway, dressed in casual celestial armour (how armour can be ‘casual’, you will never understand). You watch with a cautious eye as Nezha flushes at the sudden attention, averting their eyes awkwardly and coughing into their fist.
“Erhm… Hello… everyone.” They seem to cringe at their own unsure tone, shuffling on their feet as they awkwardly greet the room. After a long moment of silence, someone finally steps forward to speak. MK greets Nezha with a cheerful smile plastered into his face.
“Nezha, Hey! What’s up? Are you here for the porty?” MK smiles expectantly at Nezha as they in turn stare at him for a brief pause. Eventually, they shake their head, bringing a hand up and speaking into their fist.
“Unfortunately, no. I’ve come here on business.” The room suddenly gains a tense atmosphere. You can see Macaque tense even more next to you, his attention hyperfixated on Nezha. You watch MK visibly deflate for a moment, letting out a small ‘oh’ before shaking his head and planting his hands on his waist, standing up straight and giving Nezha a genuine, but strained smile once again. There is a slight twitch in his eye – a nervous tick you’ve been picking up on lately – as he speaks again.
“Alrighty then, everything okay? What’s going on?” MK questions the deity, who shakes their head.
“Actually…” Nezha rolls their shoulders, glancing hesitantly around the room before their eyes land on... you? They nod their head in your direction as they speak, their voice dropping to a more serious tone.
“I need to speak to them.”
Your collar suddenly feels very hot as everyone in the room turns to look at you. You freeze in place at the sudden attention, eyes flicking from MK to Nezha and the others in the area. You briefly consider that maybe its Macaque they’re talking about but you can see Macaque looking between Nezha and you repeatedly, his eyes just as wide and cautious as yours.
No, the Lotus Prince is staring directly at you. But – they can’t be. There is no reason for them to need to speak to you.
So, you ask.
You clear your throat, pointing a finger at yourself and questioning, cringing as your voice cracks with uncertainty.
“Me?” Your heart seizes in your chest as Nezha nods in agreement, their expression looking just as unsettled as you currently feel. Your mind starts to race, thinking of all the possible reasons why the Third Lotus Prince would want to speak to you directly.
Are you in trouble? You don’t remember doing anything bad – well, at least not recently.
Did you do something? You’ve done some questionable things, but never anything bad enough to warrant a visit from a literal deity.
Macaque seems to think so too, judging by the way his tail brushes against the back of your leg – an appreciated attempt to comfort you, but ultimately useless. Nezha jerks their head off to the side, gesturing off to the quieter side of the room.
“May we talk privately? I’ll try to make this quick so you can back to your celebrations.” You grind your teeth, nodding slowly and with great trepidation. As you step away from the wall, you pass off your cup to Macaque, who gives you a reassuring, but wary look. You feel Macaque’s tail softly drag down your back – a familiar reassuring gesture that has you stepping more confidently – albeit still shakily - as you walk with Nezha to the other darkened corner.
The others take a moment to observe you and Nezha, the air still tense from the deities unexpected arrival. Ultimately, they seem to shrug it off, trusting you to take care of whatever it is and going back to their excited party energy. As Nezha stops and turns to face you, you lean your shoulder against the wall, arms crossed and nervously tapping your fingers on your arm as they seem to mirror you. Arms crossed, leant against the wall. They’re more casual than you’ve ever seen them.
Granted, the last time you saw them, they got the shit kicked out of them by the Brotherhood and retreated with you all to plan your last stand against Azure.
“I’ll make this brief so you can go back to-… that.” Nezha glances, wary and confused at Mei and MK’s rough-housing. You nod to show you’re listening, opting to stay silent out of uneasy anticipation. Nezha shakes their head away from the chaos that is MK and Mei and looks back at you, slipping back into their typical professional attitude.
“As you know; the Jade Emperor is no longer with us. Because of this, we currently have no way of containing his power left behind when Azure died.” Your eyes flicker to MK at their words, your previous conversation resurfacing in your mind. Nezha continued, undeterred by your momentary lapse in attention, “However, we are working towards creating a celestial container to keep the remaining energy under control.” Nezha tilts their head towards you as they speak, your eyes sliding back to them when they pause.
“Okay. I’m following.” Your voice is wary, but you put your attention back on them, your brows furrowing in confusion as they continue.
“Currently we have all the raw materials needed for this box, except the Trigram Furnace. Are you familiar with this item?” As Nezha questions you, your eyes drift past their shoulder as you think. You’ve definitely heard of the divine item before. Naturally, from the Journey to the West, but also when you, the others and Red Son travelled to the celestial realm to find a cure for spider queen’s venom. You nod slowly before speaking, seeking to confirm your knowledge of the furnace to Nezha.
“Yeah, Lao Tzu’s furnace, right? The alchemist and philosopher?” Nezha’s expression seems to pinch slightly as they tilt their head and hesitantly nod. Its been a while since you brushed up on your Monkey King knowledge, but you hazard a guess that you’re probably close enough.
“That’s mostly correct. Since the events of the Spider Queen’s attempt to take over Megapolis, the furnace has been missing and ever since the events of the Lady Bone Demon-“ You wince at the mention of her name and turn your head away from Nezha just in time to catch Macaque’s head whip around to stare intensely at the two of you. You’re not surprised he can hear you; not with those six ears of his. You instead give MK a fleeting glance, knowing how personal that battle was to MK and making sure he didn’t overhear. Nezha seems to notice your aversion to the name, as they lower their voice as they keep explaining.
“-and Azure Lion’s assault on Heaven, we haven’t had a chance to locate it – until now.” You drag your gaze from MK back to the deity, nodding along to show that you’re still listening – though you are still thoroughly confused at your involvement in all of this. Nezha shifts on their feet, bringing one hand to plant it on their hip.
“To create this container, we need the furnace to melt the raw materials we have. However, due to the attack that Heaven took at the hands of the Brotherhood, we currently do not have the soldiers to spare to bring it back.” Nezha’s eyes on you turn intense, sending a slight prickling feeling down your spine. They nod at you, looking at you with a firm and determined gaze.
“So, we came up with the idea of outreaching to an external source for assistance. Someone with a good relationship with Heaven, with no prior track record of misdemeanours.” Nezha tilts their forward, looking at you pointedly as it suddenly clicks in your mind.
“You… want me to find the Furnace?” You raise your eye brows as you speak, pointing toward yourself with an incredulous tone. Nezha smirks slightly and nods, confirming your suspicions and seemingly please that you now understand. You lean back slightly, tilting your head to rest it against the wall as you look at the Lotus Prince.
“Why me though?” Your tone is understandably wary, and Nezha seems to understand, by the way they straighten their back, speaking in a sure tone.
“The generals in the Celestial Realm had a meeting and we discussed it. You are immensely talented in both magic and weaponry, despite being almost entirely mortal. Not to mention, you assisted in the battle against the Lady Bone Demon and Azure Lion. It wasn’t difficult to persuade them of your skills.” They shrug, nonchalantly turning their head to watch the chaos of the party going on in the background. You think over their words for a moment, trying to conceal a smug smirk.
“So... you told them I’d be a good fit for the job? I didn’t know the Great Lotus Prince was such a fan.” You hear a faint ‘snk’ from behind you, not even needing to turn back to know Macaque was already covering up his chuckle with a fake cough. Nezha’s nonchalant expression drops and is immediately replaced with a look of embarrassment, though they don’t say anything to deny it, instead choosing to continue to watch the others while stubbornly looking away from you.
You take the brief lull in conversation to briefly think over the request. It seems relatively straight forward, all things considered. The Celestials already know the location of the furnace, so all you would have to do it go get it and bring it back.
You tilt your head to the side, mirroring Nezha’s stance and absent-mindedly watching the party unfold in front of you. Your eyes seem to naturally gravitate to MK, ever the life of the party.
He seems to be enjoying himself, despite the bags under his eyes. He looks more carefree now than he has in the last few months. The sight makes a foreign feeling ache in your chest.
“…why not MK? I mean, don’t get me wrong- he definitely deserves a break, but he is Wukong’s successor.” You don’t want MK to go on this mission. It’s been so long since hes been so happy and relaxed., and you’d rather hold up the sky yourself than give him any more work. You see Nezha glancing at you from the corner of your eye, but you can’t take your eyes off your dear friend.
“…Heaven doesn’t have a great track record with Sun Wukong, as you surely know by now,” You get out a small ‘snk’. Oh boy, did you know it. “The rest of the Celestial Realm are still debating on the reliability of Sun Wukong having a successor.”
That makes sense, even if it does make a part of you sneer in defense of your friend. MK might be a bit of a hot mess sometimes, but he was the most reliable friend you’ve ever had.
You can feel eyes staring into the side of your head. You can see Macaque looking at you from your peripheral, his tail flicking harshly by his feet.
Its clear to you, he isn’t liking what hes overhearing…
It might be a pain to drag the damn thing all the way but it would also be a good excuse for you to be able to travel a bit. Maybe this would be a good starting point.
Maybe this would be a good way to prove to him that you can do it.
You click your teeth, your eyes still stuck on MK, laughing loudly with Mei’s arm swung around his shoulders. You slowly nod, turning your head back to face Nezha as you voice your acceptance at the challenge.
“Sure, I’ll do it.” You shrug your shoulders, shifting in place propping a hand on your waist as Nezha turns to look at you, their brows raise in surprise- as if they didn’t expect you to agree.
“It’s actually convenient that you would ask me now- I was just talking to Macaque about wanting to do some travelling, so this will be kind of perfect.” Your gaze shifts from the deity and back to your friends. Mei and MK are now attempting to dog pile Sandy while Pigsy, Tang and Wukong engage in awkward small talk over noodles. You look over your gaggle of dear friends, feeling that unfamiliar feeling of belonging before you speak again, more certain than before.
“I mean, MK has pretty much been doing all the work for everyone. It’s time we pick up the slack, you know?” Nezha is silent as they look at you. Their unusually hesitant silence strikes you as odd, and you can see from the corner of your eye that their expression grateful but… their expression is twisted, making suspicion bubble up in your mind. You tilt your head back toward them, brows furrowing at their silence and their conflicted expression. You tilt your head up at them, speaking in a pointed, accusing tone.
“I know what that face is. Theres more to this little trip,” Nezha’s shoulders tense, their expression pinching into one of guilt as you call them out on their suddenly strange behaviour. “What’s the catch?”
Nezha’s shoulders sag for a moment; they look hesitant and almost reluctant to speak.
“…You won’t be going on this trip alone, though I fear you may not like who you’ve been partnered with.” Nezha plants their hands on their hips, looking at you with a stern gaze. While they’re clearly not so sure about this course of action, their stubborn stare almost dares you to argue with them. You give them a once over, confusion and suspicion swimming in your mind.
“Well, let’s try not to jump to conclusions… who is it?” You ask, cocking your head to the side in wary anticipation. Nezha opens and closes their mouth a few times, almost wilting as they’re clearly unsure about how to break the news to you. Eventually they sigh, pushing off from the wall and standing rigidly straight, easily slipping into official business mode and ripping the metaphorical band-aid off as they speak in a curt, professional tone.
“Your partner for this mission will be Yellowtusk with Wise, and there will be no negotiation on the matter.” The air between you becomes silent as their words echo in your mind. Nezha stares at you with a firm gaze, undeterred by the very confused stare of your own.
Behind you, you can hear the stunned sputtering of your mentor.
…Yellowtusk the Wise?
You click your tongue, looking at the Lotus Prince with a confused and disbelieving expression.
“You mean… Yellowtusk?”
“Yes.” Nezha nods firmly, their gaze never leaving yours.
“…previous member of the Brotherhood…?”
“Yes.” They reaffirm again, putting more emphasis on the word, even as they seem to wither in place.
“…the same Yellowtusk who is an accomplice in the murder of the Jade Emperor?”
“…yes.” Nezha’s eye twitches as they attempt to maintain their firm stance on the matter. It’s clear by the furrow in their brow that they are equally unsure as you are. You can feel Macaque’s furious gaze burning into the back of your head like a hot brand. You nod slowly, humming as your mind processes the news.
Yellowtusk the Wise. You briefly remember him being taken prisoner by the remaining few of the Celestial Realm’s militia after the defeat of Azure Lion. Why would he be going with you? Did he even agree to this? How did Heaven to this?
Nezha, seemingly sensing your increasing confusion and apprehension, is quick to speak again, explaining the bizzare circumstances more clearly.
“The Bodhisattva, Guanyin has decided to send Yellowtusk with you on this journey for him to be able to prove himself and receive absolution for his crimes against the Celestial Realm.” You stare at Nezha blankly, still slowly nodding like you actually understand. You give them a slow blink before voicing your concerns.
“…absolution? For one of the guys who tried to destroy everything in all of existence?” Nezha’s expression hardens at the reminder, but you press on, jabbing a finger into your own chest to emphasise your next point.
“And I have to keep him in check?” The Third Lotus Prince clicks his teeth and sighs, shoulders sagging at your incredulous and stunned tone.
“…yes- look-…” Nezha sighs deeply, pinching the bridge of their nose as they take a moment to get themselves together. You stare at them as they compose themselves, mouth still agape with disbelief.
“Obviously, the Celestial realm will put in place precautions to ensure your safety and the success of the mission, and - As Sun Wukong has stated before - Yellowtusk is one of the most reasonable members of the Brotherhood. Hes not the type to recklessly attack for no good reason.” You raise your eyebrows, clearly still sceptical.
“Okaay… how does he feel about this?” You ask, your voice still hesitant. You feel a little more reassured at Nezha’s points, but this is still so unbelievably wild. Nezha bobs their head, sounding more certain than before as they relay Yellowtusk’s response to the task at hand.
“Yellowtusk has agreed to the terms for this mission. He also knows he will be going with one of the members of your group.” Nezha’s head jerks to the energetic group off to the side of you. MK and Mei are now hanging off Sandy’s arms like they’re a monkey gym, wildly swinging and attempting to kick each other off with exaggerated fighting sounds.
“He just isn’t aware of who exactly. At least, not yet.” You hum at their words, a contemplative expression resting on your face as you ponder your options.
Like Nezha and Wukong said, Yellowtusk is the least foolhardy of the criminal bunch. From the few brief moments you had to get a glimpse of him, he seems like a stoic yet reasonable person.
Sounds like someone else you know.
You tilted your head off to the side, staring out into nothing as you considered the situation.
The mission is relatively straight forward and it would be easier to transport the Trigram Furnace back to the Celestial Realm with such a behemoth of a warrior accompanying you.
Your brow furrowed in slight annoyance as you dwelled on it, letting out a hesitant hum.
Besides, just because you would be working together, doesn’t mean you have to like him. You don’t have to be friends - you can be professional.
You let out an huff of air, tilting your head back to look at Nezha. The Lotus Prince stares at you, clearly sensing your dismay. You sense Macaque staring into the back of your head – a disapproving glance, no doubt. You narrow your eyes at Nezha in contemplation. The thought of refusing their request flashes into your mind.
Macaque clearly isn’t happy about this, and honestly, neither is Nezha, but from what you saw of Azure during his final moments, the Jade Emperor’s power needs to be contained.
It doesn’t take a genius to realise what could happen if the situation is left to lie.
You let out a heaving sigh, before closing your eyes and nodding your head.
“…fine- yeah, I’ll uhm… I’ll go with Yellowtusk.” The glare Macaque is drilling into your head gets icier as you concur, a fresh shiver running down your spine. On the flipside, Nezha perks up almost immediately at your words. Though, their eyes go wide as they flush, coughing into their hand – trying to mask their relief at your agreement.
You pointedly ignore Macaque’s piercing gaze as Nezha straightens their spine, taking on their more professional role.
“That’s great to hear. I’ll be in touch with more information soon. Is there anything else you would like to ask of me?” You click your teeth, pondering for a moment before shaking your head ‘no’. Nezha dips their head in a shallow nod before turning to leave, speaking to you over their shoulder.
“Then I will be on my way. I have to prepare Yellowtusk for releasement.” Nezha pauses for a moment before shifting back to turn and face you. Their mouth opens and closes for a second, before they shape up, tilting their chin up and give you a slight smile and a fond nod.
“…Thank you, for doing this. I’m-…” Nezha blanks, floundering for a moment before clearing their throat into their fist.
“-… All of Heaven will be grateful for the good news” You nod at their words, flashing them a hesitant, but ultimately genuine smile. For a long moment, you both stare at each other, a deep flush slowly creeping up their neck before they abruptly turn and speedwalk out of the room.
As the Lotus Prince leaves, your eyes meet Macaque’s from across the room. His stare is disapproving and wary, sending a prickling feeling of dread and guilt down your back. You’re not looking forward to what he has to say about this whole ordeal later.
Your brows pinch as you sigh and turn your gaze to your friends, all cheer and free-spiritedness. The first place you’ve ever truly belonged…
This following journey is going to be very interesting.