Chapter Text
It was another quiet afternoon under the Five Phases Mountain.
Wukong, being bored out of his mind, was grumbling to himself. The sound of his grumbling echoed through the inside of the mountain.
A dark portal appeared, and Macaque walked through it to sit down next to the wall where he was stuck in.
“Came back to gloat?” Wukong snickered, turning his head away from Macaque.
Macaque sighs and hugs his knees.
“I’m sorry.” His tail wraps around his waist.
“Oh really?!? Well, guess what? This obsessive demon doesn’t need your apology!” The orange monkey sneered.
“Wukong, look, I didn’t mean to say that. I was just so angry—“
Wukong's sarcastic laugh cuts him off.
“If that’s all you have to say, you can just leave now. I’m not going to hear your woes about my decision.”
Macaque clenches his teeth and quietly growls.
“Can you just shut up and listen! I’m going to stay with you! For whatever happens next, I’m staying by your side!” He huffed.
“Oh! What an honor! The six-eared Macaque is blessing me with his presence.” His said sarcastically.
“Why do you have to be like that!? I’m trying to be-”
“A damn coward! What are you so afraid you to be on your own that you make up excuses to be stay near me?!? Typical Macaque! Can’t live without being in my shadow! Well, news flash bud, I don’t need you like you need me!” He angrily shouted. He looked down at the dark fur monkey, expecting him to be furious but froze as he saw tears falling from Macaque’s golden eyes.
“How could you say such a thing? It was supposed to be us against the world remember?”
Macaque glared at Wukong with tears in his eyes. “Wow how stupid of me to think the you cared about me?” He got up from the floor to face Wukong while laughing through the pain. “Wukong I’m not sure if it cross your mind but I’m the only one who came looking for you. That I’m the only one that made a effort to find you instead of starting a new life without you! You know why?” He growled.
“It’s because I love you, you stupid monkey!” Macaque felt his face heat up; his heart was trembling.
“I never asked you to love me.” Wukong said before thinking, instantly regretting it as he saw the heartbroken expression on his companion’s face.
“Macaque I-”
“No, you made yourself crystal clear. I won’t bother you again.” The dark fur monkey wiped his tears away and made a portal that he could walk into.
“Mihou please! I didn’t mean it!” Wukong pleaded wishing he could embrace him. Wanting to stop him from leaving.
“Forget that I even came back here.” He said before disappearing in the portal.
“Mihou please! Hear me out!! Come back!! Please!!!” Wukong desperately shouted as the portal itself slowly vanished.
It was full Moon night, the sky was painted with stars and the sound of wind blowing gently through the forest.
Macaque was traveling for a couple of hours before he felt his heart couldn’t take it. His vision became blurry from the tears that were threatening to fall down his face.
He had to make a stop.
He found a small dark cave but he hadn’t gotten the chance to enter as his legs didn’t let him. He couldn’t hold it in anymore, falling to his knees and start sobbing, recalling Wukong’s words.
“That stupid monkey.” He wept.
Unknowingly to Macaque, someone else was already occupying the cave. A jade dragon opened his eyes to the sound of someone sobbing.
He noticed a crying monkey at the entrance of the cave. Unsure what to do with his visitor, he decided to talk to him.
Ao Lie nervously asked. “Are you okay?”
Macaque, not trying to make eye contact with this mysterious person behind him, didn't turn around towards the inside of the cave.
He just wanted to be alone.
He was tempted to say a snarky remark but decided to unload on this stranger as his heart couldn’t handle his sadness. “No, I’m not okay. I’m having the worst day of my life, that's what’s happening.” Macaque tried to laugh about the situation but just couldn’t stop sobbing.
Ao Lie frowned.
“You want to tell me about it? I sure have nothing else to do,” Ao Lie transformed into a human and made his way out of the cave and to the sobbing monkey.
Macaque, now a little curious about the sudden light behind him, turns around. He saw a man with long white hair with two strains of pale light green hair wearing a Hanfu that had different shades of green, white, and a bit of gold.
Ao Lie had a better view of his visitor. He felt his breath was taken away by the beauty of his creature in front of him. Enamored by his delicate face, lovely black hair and his gorgeous golden eyes that shone under the moonlight. He couldn’t help the goofy smile that appeared on his face.
Before he could get where the stranger was, he tripped and fell on his face. Macaque was surprised by this sudden action; raises a hand to his mouth to muffle his laugh.
“Ha, you saw that, fell and bonked my brain cage!” He said while laughing, hoping that he didn’t make himself look like a fool in front of this beautiful being.
“Your brain cage?” Macaque raised an eyebrow and smiled. This situation was so unexpected that he found this interaction somewhat uplifting.
“It’s good that you're smiling now!” Ao Lie said while getting up and sitting next to the Monkey.
“A Beautiful face like yours shouldn’t have a frown. Now- Oh wait! How silly of me! I should introduce myself, Ahem, My name is Ao Lie, the Dragon Prince of the West Sea.” He smiled with his eyes closed while one hand rubbed his forehead since it still stings from the fall.
The dark fur monkey blushed a bit at being called Beautiful. “Umm My name is Liu Er Mihou, the six-eared Macaque, but almost everyone I know calls me Macaque.” The Monkey shifts his gaze away from the dragon man, feeling a bit anxious about how to talk to others he doesn’t know.
“That’s a lovely name, could I call you Mihou?” Ao Lie cheerfully asked while fully admiring his appearance as he had never seen a Mystic Monkey before. “That’s fine.” Macaque returned the smile since he thought it was the appropriate expression to make.
“So do you want to talk about what got you so upset? I’m sure you’ll feel better after talking it out.” Ao Lie happily smiled and patiently waited for his monkey friend to speak. Macaque rubbed the fur on his neck unsure how to start.
“It’s a really long story.” Macaque sighed.
“I have the time, don't worry.” The dragon man persisted.
“Okay then….”
The dark fur monkey unloads the whole story, venting all his thoughts and feelings about what happened. For some parts of the story, Ao Lie just embraces Mihou as he sobs into his hands.
After telling the story, Macaque did feel somewhat better, but then again, his chest still hurts. He just tossed himself on the ground and looked up at the starry sky.
Ao Lie could tell that Mihou was still upset. So he decided to add his thoughts on the matter in the hope that his monkey friend would feel a little better.
“I think you're right to feel cautious about fighting the Jade Emperor, and your swo- former sworn brothers should have heard you out. I mean, look at where that leads to.” Macaque could feel more tears well up in his eyes; he quickly wiped away the tears before they had a chance to fall.
“You know, I think this could be a blessing in disguise.”
Macaque quickly sat back up and stared at the dragon man in shock. He was baffled and offended by his comment. “Huh? A blessing, how?” He growled.
Ao Lie was surprised by this response.
“I-I didn’t mean to offend you. It’s just that the way you talk about your experience with the brotherhood and the plan to defeat the Jade Emperor it sounds like you didn’t really enjoy their company and didn’t want to follow through with the plan.” He looks back at Mihou to see if he’s still listening, which he is but glaring.
Ao Lie could feel droplets of sweat forming on his face as he felt Mihou’s glare burning through him.
He continues speaking with caution “F-from an outside perspective, it looks like you only did those things for the love you have for this Wukong person?”
Macaque anger vanishes as this never fully crossed his mind. He didn’t know what to do or say with that information, he just sat there reflecting on what Ao Lie said.
The dragon man, hearing no negative or positive response, decided to continue to speak his mind.
“Now with Wukong gone. I want you to ask yourself, who is Mihou and what does Mihou want to do?”
“Oh… I never thought about it like that before… Ever since I could remember, I have always been with Wukong, following through almost all his plans. Now that I think of it, I guess I do feel weak without him there with me. Maybe he’s right about me.” Macaque frowned, his hands started fidgeting.
Ao Lie noticed this and sighed seeing that he didn’t make things better. “He’s not, don’t listen to his cruel words.” Ao Lie gently rubs the back of Mihou's head.
“You know I think I could understand where you're coming from, feeling weak. I can’t even control my powers as well as I want to, that’s kinda the reason why I left home. The dragon clan wants perfection and that’s a little hard for me to do. I just needed a break from the constant training and lectures.” He half heartedly smiled.
“You ran away? You're going back home right?” Macaque asked, being a bit concerned for Ao Lie.
“Oh yeah! I just need a break from home, I’ll go back once I feel like it. I’m sure my siblings and parents will give me an earful once I get back. I’m really not looking forward to that.” He nonchalantly mumbles as he remembers his parent's last lecture to him.
“Oh okay.” The dark fur monkey whispered.
Then it was quiet between them. The sounds of the forest were the only thing they had as background noise.
“Mihou, I have an idea!” Ao Lie proposed.
Macaque looked at the dragon man, who had a bright almost blinding smile.
“What is it?” Macaque hesitated.
“How about we travel the world together!”
“What!?!?” Macaque hair puffed up.
“Yeah, we travel together! I’m not in a hurry to go home, and it sounds like you've been to a lot of places that we could go to.” He immediately jumped up to stand and held out a hand that was still covered by his sleeve.
“What do you say, Mihou? You want to go on an adventure around the world with me?” The dragon man beamed.
Macaque stared at the man, uncertain about his idea.
‘Can’t live without being in my shadow!”
The dark fur monkey shook those words out of his mind. He gazed into Ao Lie's eyes with a newfound determination and grasped his clothed hand.
“Let’s do this!” He playfully smirked while being pulled from the ground onto his feet.
Ao Lie felt his face heat up.
“Y-you know how about we start now! The night is still young, what better time than the present!” He let go of Mihou's hand and ran out in the open space in front of them to transform back into his dragon form.
“Hop on.” He cheerfully said.
“Woah you look so cool Ao Lie!” Macaque was amazed by his new form.
“You know how to charm a guy, don’t you.” He teased as a faint blush appeared on his face.
“You're one to talk, calling me beautiful. If I didn’t know any better, I‘d say you were flirting with me.” He laughed. Jumping on his new dragon companion.
“Is it working?” He whispered.
“What?” He asked. He was so busy climbing the dragon that he didn’t catch what he had said.
“Nothing! Let's go!!” He yelped. “Hold on tight!”
The next second, they were off, soaring into the night sky.
“Nice view, right Mihou?” Ao Lie said, watching staring at the full moon and the stars that littered the sky.
“It sure is. Back where I live, there is a spot on a mountain with a great view almost like this.” Macaque cheerfully said.
“At some point, we should visit your home so we can compare views.” He smiled.
“Sure thing. Where I live is like a paradise.” The monkey relished at the thought of his home.
“Well I’m going to hold you to that.” The dragon chuckled.