#hcfanfics
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A Tiger on the Mountain (a @semisolidmind Fanfic)
Here it is ! Another one. I made up a creature specifically so I could play out a scenario in my head and lead into another fic after this one. This is not a two parter but it leaves it open for a follow up!
TW: Blood and Violence and allusions to torture at the end. (Not of Peaches SHES fine)
“Get out before you become a new rug for me to wipe my feet upon.” Sun Wukong snarled over the table, his staff in his hands. The Nine Tiger Demon took a step backward at the fury. The expedition to this kingdom of monkeys and flowers had been a fools mission. Zari, The Nine Tiger Demon- Lord of the Eastern Waste and Terror of the Snowy Steppes, dipped his head cordially.
“As you wish, my Lord.” The tiger smiled and stepped out of the council room, his great black cape swirling as he exited in a flourish. He had made a jab at the Monkey Kings pride by calling him Lord. He knew that his patience was wearing thin with him. Especially after he had eluded to the weakness of mortal Ally’s.
“It is necessary to procure some of the goods they produce.” Wukong had waved the complaint aside. As if waving a fly. Zari was a lord of a snowy country where resources were few and blood was spilt as common as the snowfall. His kind had been hunted by poachers for their pelts. For the magic quality in their stripped bodies. Bones, blood, tendons, fur, claws… Everything in a tigers body was hunted for medicine, magic and mayhem. To hear that the most feared creature west of his kingdom, the great demonic Monkey King who had challenged Heaven, had made treaties with humans…
Zari had licked his muzzle sensing weakness.
“Why treat when you can take?” The tiger lord had questioned. His attendants beside him fidgeted, their hands straying to the scimitars belted to their sides. A twitch of his tail tip called them off. A tiger was playing with a monkey to see what sort of prey it had between his claws.
“And cause further disharmony around me ? Mortal men are easily placated. It leaves me free to put my resources into more important things.” Here the monkey leaned forward, eyes glowing with the torchlight. “Like seeking new territories in the east.”
The threat was received but Zari didn’t rise to the bait. He was a patient creature. The scars on his stripped hands and body proved how many battles and hunters he had outwitted.
Of course Zari had only come to sieze up the competition in the West. He never had any intentions of swearing allegiance to the ape. To debase himself to an ape? Never. So it only took Wukong a few more verbal jousts to also know the game was at an end. He had dismissed the tiger with a threat. Zari kept his claws velveted. For now.
As he stepped out of the corridor he let the slightest bit of agitation show in his whiskered face. A twitch of a tail brought one of his attendants forward.
“Gather the lower Claw.” Zari whispered. “They need a good hunt.”
“Of course my King.” The lesser demon bowed and raced off, light as a feather in the wind. At least that would humble the foolish ape—
Zari came around the corner and bumped straight into something soft, and pliable. His claws caught it reflexively before the thing fell completely onto his black armor and ruined his perfect complexion. He hissed, about to snap at this new weaker underling of a foolish king when the scent hit the top of his mouth.
Human.
“I’m so sorry!” It was female. The women pulled from the tiger claws. Her eyes remained cast down. Simple peasant clothes. Hair tied up in a messy updo. Flushed cheeks, good proportions. The tigers eyes had been blown wide.
“Are you alright miss?” Zira smoothed the twitching of his whiskers, kept the lashing of his tail to a minimum. But his instincts roared and his mouth pooled. “I did not mean to bump into so harshly.”
A captured peasant girl? A pet of this monkey kings?
“Oh no it was my fault!” The women said. She finally looked up and the tiger demon got a good look at the curve of her throat. The hot pulse just inches from his fangs.
From further down the corridor someone called “PEACHES!” The girl stiffened a bit then smiled sheepishly.
Zira felt as if he was a wolf in the sheep pen.
“I should have been watching where I was going. Carry on!” She bowed and then quickly scuttled off.
“Well well well…”Zira smiled to himself as another monkey ran past and after the fleeing women. He felt his grin widen, the drool threatening to slip. “Look like I have some entertainment myself…”
For Zari, The Nine Tiger Demon- Lord of the Eastern Waste and Terror of the Snowy Steppes, was whispered and feared by mortals across his snowy slice of the world. Legends told of how he would slip in as silent as a ghost. How he would visit families and paint their walls in red crimson and spattered gore. For Zari was a man eater, a enjoyer of mortal flesh. And his favorite prey that he enjoyed devouring most was women.
This conquest just got a bit more interesting.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
“I Demand compensation.”
The threat would have come off more terrifying from the Monkey King if he had been dressed in his armor. However he was… not. Instead Wukong was at the present moment, begging on Peaches lap beneath a cherry tree. His face was a storm cloud as he lifted Peaches hands up to his head.
“I am afraid you won’t be getting any.” Peaches let her hand fall limply off. The stormy face broke into a beggars crocodile tears.
“PEACHESSSS!”
Macaque would have snickered at his sworn brother begging but he was also not getting any sort of touches from Peaches. He didn’t know why she had decided today of all days to deny both of them.
Why was she withholding scratches from her husbands? Well. For many reasons. For one, one of them startled her awake this morning by swooping her into his arms because he got a little too excited and woke her from her dreams. It also triggered a huge sort of panic because she has had enough of nightmares on being snatched away thank you.
Of course telling the one begging at her knees right now that his over exuberance this morning had been one of the reasons for no pats, would only lead to more exuberance.
A second reason she was including both and not just the one who scooped her ? Well because the day before Macaque thought it would be funny to pop one of his shadows beneath her while she was trying to brush her hair and in the fall the hairbrush - still tucked into her hair- wrenched. It had been painful and she had lost several bits of her own hair in it.
And thirdly? Because these two had, for all intensive purposes of the words, kidnapped her and forced her to live here upon the mountain. Yes she was still bitter about it. No she wouldn’t get over it. At least not today. Too many tricks were tugged and her personal space breached for her to simply let it go. A little bodily autonomy and boundary would be nice. Instead her two lovers would look at her as one would a family cat and go “awwwwwwww!” and scoop her up.
So two very peeved simians sat cross legged staring her down. Wukongs tail was lashing back and forth, his eyes narrowed like a cats. He reached forward and grabbed Peaches hand again. She had learned long ago that giving them the satisfaction of her resistance- how cute! They would say as she practically threw all manner of pellmell closet clutter at them- would only prolong their inevitable smothering of her.
Being impassive was her best weapon.
So she let her hand be limply lifted.
Just as limply it slid off the Monkey Kings head.
“Peaches! Come on!” Wukong groaned. He sounded like a kid begging for sweets. Peaches sniffed. The day was nice at least. She had made her way out of Water Curtain Cave and out onto the mountainside before her attendant could shove and stuff her into royal courtly attire. Not today! Peaches hadn’t wanted to attend court. She hadn’t wanted to be near that council room. Her accidental bump into that demon had been as close as she had gotten. A tiger demon? Now that was something she hadn’t seen yet.
Wukong laid himself over her lap, his face pouting up at her. He looked… adorable. It was almost enough for her to forget about his transgression this morning. It wasn’t enough. She turned her head away.
Only for Macaque to be there. He had somehow snuck up, as was his silent way, and pressed himself to her back. He slipped her into his lap, and Peaches felt a little spark of unease. Macaque was the slower of the two when it came to affection, sneaking it in or trying to tease it from her. Wukong was all action and joyful tugs and play. His was earnest and forward. Macaque was… sly. Teasing. A fox inside the chicken house.
“Sweet peach, come now.” His hands settled around her. His breath tickled the shell of her ear and Peaches fought the blush from rising in her face. Think of rocks and birds. What you will eat tonight. Anything but how his voice and how it feels rumbling against me.
“We just want to have a little comfort.” The dark furred monkey lifted her hand. He entwined his fingers in hers. They were so large. The practically swamped her own. The claws slide along the fingers as he lifted her hand and tugged it into his fur onto his cheek.
“Come on, little plumb.” His smile was as sweet as honey, as soft as downy feathers. If it had been any other day she would have mussed his fur and teased him back. However Macaque made a mistake of touching her hair with a free hand. Reminding Peaches that this little trickster had yanked some of her hair out.
She let her hand remain lax.
“No.”
“Then you leave both of us no choice.”
Macaque leaned back and with a woosh and gasp of air and black- they were back in their room. The pillow pit cushioned their fall, as did Macaque who lay beneath her. Peaches let out an indignant squeak as the demon monkey growled playfully in her ear.
“You have only a few moments before Wukong gets here. Do you want to tell me what’s up?”
“No.” Peaches sniffed. His hand was trailing along her skin, almost walking up her arm.
“Are you mad at him?” Macaque asked.
“Yes”
“Are You mad at me?”
“Yes.”
“Is it … a mad kind of day?”
She didn’t respond.
He tutted and tugged her hands free of where she had shoved them beneath her arms. He placed one against the side of his head, eyes gently closing. He kissed her palm, her wrist, her arm.
“Come on my sweet… just indulge us both..”
“No.”
“Little minx.” The purple eyes flashed along with that sharp toothed smile. Peaches felt her face flush. Macaque leaned in and over her now, his free hand twining in the hair on the back of her neck. The demon was angling her from being the one on top, to sliding her into the pillow pit with the dark haired monkey hovering above. He pulled her up and into him, and Peaches had the startling realization that she was so very very small and he was so very very large all of a sudden.
“What sins do I have to whisper into your ears ? What marks should I leave upon your skin to earn your affection again?” His eyes dipped to her lips. Peaches face felt like it was afire. “Should I sing your praises into your skin with my teeth?”
Oh dear.
And then the moment of tension was broken by a furious orange blur bursting into the room and tackling both of them. Peaches cried out while Macaques face looked deadpan at his sworn brother. The moment of tension, of turning Peaches pink as a lychee fruit, was over.
“MACAQUE! THATS NOT FAIR!” The monkey king was entangled with both of them as he grabbed the other hand and shoved it into his fur. Peaches only held onto them now as they jostled her. “HOW MANY HEADSCRATCHES DID YOU GET?”
“None…” His face was exasperated, his tail twitching at the tip.
“None?” Wukong echoed.
“None!” Macaque slammed his head closer to Wukong. Peaches was perfectly sandwiched between her husbands very bare and very exposed chests as the two brothers bristled at each other. She was loosing her own power of wills because … well. Peaches was only human. She could barely stay mad at one Monkey half dressed. Two half dressed and practically pressed cheek to pec against either side of your face ? It was a marvel her body didn’t burn up on the spot from how much she was blushing.
“Why you shouting at me then?!”
“You spoiled my sport before I could tease some out of her.”
“Oh?” Wukongs eyes shot downward. Peaches looked away, feeling like she got caught watching.
Oh no.
The two demons looked down on her. And Peaches felt like she was in danger. Not a you-will-die-and-be-disemboweled way. More of you-will-be-turned-into-a-second-sun-from-how-much-we-will-tease-you kind of way. They loomed over their mortal wife, ears perked forward and grins becoming sharp and feral.
Another burst through the door however saved Peaches from being turned into a puddle beneath the attentions of her husbands.
“Ugh what is it now?” Macaque sighed.
“My King! We are under attack!”
The two warlords changed from flirting devils to stiff and immovable stones as they stood. Macaques ears swished, forward and back, each set twitching as he confirmed it.
Wukong was across the room, his armor back on his body in a flash. His staff was plucked free from his ear, elongating in a flourish.
“Where?” The Sages voice was a silent rumble.
“Off the south slope- a band of panthers by the look of it.” The sentry’s tail was puffed in fear. Wukong nodded and was off in a flash of fur and fury.
Someone was attacking the mountain? They must be crazy. Insane. Or have a death wish.
Macaque set Peaches firmly in the Pillow pit, eyes somber.
“Love don’t move. Don’t leave this room. Understand ?” His face was pinched in worry bordering on fury. He was trying to maintain his composure for her, to hold back the anger that was threatening to bubble upward. Peaches may think of her boys a lot of way. They were selfish when they wanted her attention. They had taken her away reluctantly from her home. She had been forced to live her for the past decade or so. Her husbands were warlords, murderers and Demons.
They also cared for her a great deal, in a way that no mortal could compare. They clothed her in the finest garb but also gave her the option of comfort. They brought her to the Palace and laid laws down among the fellow demonic ally’s that she was to be respected and treated as an extension of Wukong and Macaques power. They brought her gifts from the outside world when they came back from expeditions, made her foods from the finest ingredients, told her stories of their travels. On nights when the past came back to rear it’s head she could find comfort in one or both of their arms.
And at times like this, she felt thankful that, of all the kidnapping creatures in the world, at least it had been these two.
That didn’t sound like a plus at all.
Macaque was waiting for her response. Peaches shook herself free of the cobwebs, of the past and back into the present. The mountain was under fire. Something was trying to earn the ire of the Monkey King and his People. As a very soft once mortal immortal now, Peaches had no sort of power to defend with or help. She was a liability, at least until she began her own cultivation, on the battlefield. So Peaches nodded.
“Yes.”
It was all Macaque needed. He pressed a kiss to her temple and whispered “Good girl.”
And he was gone, falling into shadow.
“Hellooooo?”
Peaches started awake at the voice. Disoriented she disentangled herself from the soft fur and pillows she had been wedged between. She must have fallen asleep some time in the day. The light coming from the windows was a burnished gold, sunset settling on the
“Someone help! Help me please…”
The voice was disjointed, the sound echoing from beyond the closed doors. It set her skin to crawling. Shouldn’t there be guards ? Shouldn’t there be someone outside the doors?
“HELP. SOMEONE HELP!”
The voice sounded like a baby! The shrill high note cut through the last hesitation Peaches had. She opened the door and rushing out into the corridor.
The echos of her footfalls bounced back to her from the stone walls. The cry came again, a baby monkey hooting in distress. It came from around corridors, downs passageways. Peaches raced forward until she had burst out of the cavern and into the dying light of the sun.
The grass swayed in the breeze. The shadows danced across the field, like stripes on a great tigers back.
She felt a shiver go up her spine. Something was terribly wrong. It felt off - the world felt off. The mountain was usually brimming with life and sound. Birds would be calling even at this late hour when day turns to night. The cicadas would be sonorously screaming their complaints to the night air. However…
Everything was still. Not a insect nor a bird called out. There were no generals or other monkeys present on the mountain. Usually sentries were littered about the fields and slopes. There was no one here at this moment.
That’s wrong. Completely wrong…
A faint gurgle, a dying cry of a baby monkey from somewhere just ahead.
“Where are You?” Peaches called. The child sounded in pain- and the sooner she got them inside the cave, the better. “You have to tell me where you are so I can help you.”
“Typical mortals.” The voice came from behind and peaches whipped around. A tiger demon, a creature of immense size and with terrifying teeth, toward behind her. Zira held the languid look of a cat with a full belly, tail swaying in the grass and claws meticulously being groomed. The blood from those long claws was the fresh scarlet of new blood.
“Your kind always come when lured by another— I was wondering if I should do a human baby or a mortal imitation but, seeing as you’ve been collared and tamed by monkeys, I thought that would be the easiest way to lure you out.” The tiger lord grinned. Peaches saw that he was fully armored. The black leather of his body was painted in dark splotches of red.
He’s … killed people. Who has he killed?? Where’s the baby ??
Peaches stepped cautiously back into the grass, heart racing. The tiger lords eyes grew round.
“Are you trying to run?” His voice was practically a pur as he stood straighter. “Please do. The chase will be good for me and clear this monstrous smell of ape blood.”
“What do you want?” Peaches needed to stall. To find a way to keep the beast talking. He liked to talk to full the silence. “Why are you here?”
“Those are boring questions dear morsel. Boring indeed. You mortals think all the same- but at least you taste better then your little brains think.” Zira stepped forward and into Peaches bubble- forcing her backward and further away from the cave. “Why am I Here ? Well to play. It’s been so long since I’ve had a chance to play with another demons pet.”
Another slow pace forward. Another hasty retreat from Peaches.
“I can understand. I play rough. It’s hard when you all … scream at the slightest break of bone. At the sudden loss of limb…” the tiger lords body seemed to grow, a secondary face appearing from its left cheek. The new muzzle opened and in horror peaches heard people crying, of mortal women begging for their children. The voices of men pleaded for wives and sons and daughters. Anguished cries, cries of pain. Voices from the past.
Dead voices.
“They never last long.” The tiger smirked, that new face along his left side turning upward as well.
“So when I came to see this terrifying demon lord who has challenged heaven I expected him to have a show of strength. What I didn’t expect was a pet like you.” Those eyes flashed.
“Why? Wukong is the strongest Why—“
“Why did I not expect you?” Zira snorted. “Because demons forget themselves when they stop consuming lesser beasts and start befriending them.”
Peaches looked about her. She wouldn’t be able to make a dash back to the caves. This tiger was driving her further and further from safety. She had been a fool to try and help, a damned fool. The next best thing she could do was to try and stay alive long enough. Long enough for her to call out. Wukong or Macaque would hear her. She had no doubt on that. There was also the willow tree just ten feet behind her. If she could get to it and climb she may be able to stall out this demon.
“Now dear. How would you like to die?” The tiger was closer now as Peaches kept stepping back. She was almost back pedaling, trying to stay out of the range of those claws. Of those red teeth. “I could kill you by fang or claw. Or maybe a sword would be better. But then… where’s the fun in it for me if you die so quickly ?”
Peaches spun on her heel and ran.
“HELP!” Her lungs filled with more air, to shout to the Heavens above. The grasses bent beneath her flight. She had almost made it to the tree, almost got enough air to scream again when something slammed into her shoulder. Bright hot pain bloomed and she fell to the dirt. Her hands reached up and came away with sticky blood.
“Calling for help is useless.” Zira licked the fresh blood clean from his claws, enjoying the taste of terror on his tongue. “My men have them busy against the farthest side of the mountain.”
Peaches rolled, to get up to get away she did not know. Her movement was stopped by a booted heel to her shoulder. The new pain elicited a scream to peak from her lips. It rang eerily off the mountain that was so still. So awfully still.
“The pain will only be temporary.” Zira knelt. The tiger reached down with his clawed hands. He cupped her face as she fought him. He smiled and opened his jaws wide to close over her throat.
The suns last dying ray cast a shadow as black as night over the grassy floor. It pooled beneath the mortal women and then, with a slip and tug, Ziras prey was swallowed by the black. The tiger snarled claws raking the soil in a vain attempt to dig her back out.
“So it was you.”
Zira turned.
There, leaning against his staff was the Monkey King. His clawed hands and golden armor were covered in black blood. Zira felt a worm of unease creep into his calm and cocky smile. Those warriors had been the best of his Claw- the best in the Snowy Steppes. There was no way they had failed—
“Ah King Wukong!” The tiger Lord began. If he could stall him out, lead him into a false sense of security, then that would be better. It would buy him time to get closer, to steal into range and pounce. “So nice to see you agai—-“
The tiger lord didn’t even see the moment. On second the orange monkey was standing before him and the next he felt a blooming pain cut along his secondary face. He roared in confusion as the sight from those eyes was lost in a shower of blood. The tiger had no time to reorient himself however. The neck blow was to one of his hands. Sun Wukong clasped one in hand and with a terrible crunch, shattered all the bones within.
Panic came traipsing up the tigers spine. This was not good. The monkey was moving incredibly fast - too fast- for him to counter. He reached for his Scimitar- the blade of Nine Tigers- to end the fight. This blade could cut mountain in half- it could cleave souls from bodies and leave the flesh whole.
“You come to my mountain…”
The staff slammed into the side of his head, casting several of the tigers teeth from his jaws. He was unbalanced but determined. He just had to grab his sword —
“You attack my home…”
Another blow to his middle sent him slamming into the willow tree. The force of it snapped the bark and collapsed the Willow behind him. Zira felt stars float in his vision, tasted his own blood. He had a hand on his sword now though. He drew the blade, cutting it across the insolent ape that towered over him. Wukongs soul would be cleaved, his body left behind for the flies to lay eggs in. He would be dead. The blade sliced —
And snapped in half.
“You tried to devour my wife…” Fear is not something a tiger experienced often. It raced over his stripes, twitched his crushed whiskers, and made his eyes widen. That had been his wife ? That common little dustmote ? Zira had miscalculated. A pet was one thing. But a wife —
“You took… a mortal… as a wife? Pa—“ Zira tried for bravado, tried to spit into the monkey lords face. The tiger was desperately clinging to what remained of his pride. He had chased a rabbit into a ravine and found wolves.
Zira opened his jaws to cast his last disrespect. Only for the claws of Wukong to cut along his jaw and crush it closed before he could finish.
“I will break every bone in your body before I let you die. You will wish you were dead before I’m done with you.”
The shadows swallowed Peaches and arms wrapped around her but she was still flailing. She grabbed at fur and skin and battered her fists and nails against it.
“Ow - PEACHES - PEACHES ITS ME!” Macaque voice cut over the adrenaline that floated high and fast in her blood. She blinked at him. They were back in their room, back inside Water Curtain Cave. Peaches hand was still curled in a fist, still raised up to beat along her captors face. Only. This wasn’t the tiger anymore. It was Macaque.
“It’s just me.”
“I’m not dead am I?” What stupid words to say but it was the first thing her numb mind could think on.
“What? No.” Macaques face was a sea of worry lines as he gently turned her shoulder to him. The blood was sopping beneath the cloth of her shirt. He gave it a sniff and murmured in soothing tones. Mostly to himself. “But I’m concerned for your shoulder. Let’s get that looked at alright ?”
Peaches nodded. Macaque used his claws to rip free the ruined cloth of the shirt and gain better access to the claw marks.
“It’s an ugly scratch but nothing deep.” She felt his hands, paper soft press along the skin. She hissed at the fiery pain as damaged nerves and sore skin protested. “Peaches you will have to be brave for me and let me stich it closed ok?”
She nodded. Her mind was still processing the events just moments ago. Of tiger teeth flashing to bite her throat. Of claws cutting her skin. Macaque returned to her and tugged her into him. She didn’t protest. Didn’t stop as he pulled her hand up to his face. She twined her fingers into the fur, needing the grounding almost, if not more, then he did. Macaque made soothing chirps and soft noises as he worked, pulling needle through flesh and closing it up.
It was only after a time, when Peaches own fear began to fall away, that he asked her.
“Why did you leave the room Peaches ?”
“I heard … it sounded like one of the babies Mac.” One of the little monkey babies all alone and crying for help. The haunting sound echoing off the stone and always just out of reach. “One of the littles in pain and hurt. I didn’t think. I just … acted.”
“Mmm.” Another stich pressed into her skin and she flinched. “You know this means you will have to have a day guard now yes?”
“Are you putting more restrictions on me after I almost got devoured ?” It was a bad attempt at humor but Peaches tried anyway. Whenever something happened to her - if it was an imagined insult from a courtier, a threat to her life because she tried something new and it didn’t agree with her- the boys would set new limits, new conditions. Macaque scowled at her and she bit her tongue from adding to the humor.
“Precautions. If I hadn’t heard you—“ His voice chocked at the end. Peaches looked back. Macaques ears were all low, dropping like flower petals. For all their faults, for their transgressions in taking her choices from her, they loved her. Peaches could see that love in Macs eyes as he imagined the possible outcomes that could have happened. She twirled her fingers around s patch of his fur, soothing him and herself with the confirmation that this was the reality now and not those flashing teeth.
“We can’t loose you Love. I — we — we were so afraid.” When Macaque had heard the strangled help in the heat of battle he had stopped. He had felt his heart give a lurch and Wukong had been of like mind. That battle was practically won. Between the two sworn brothers, nothing much could stand in their fury. But hearing Peaches— Peaches who they left back safe in their room, in the palace, calling for help—
“I was too.”
“When I tell you to stay inside - stay inside. Understand?”Anger laced Macaques words as he pinned her with a look.
“Yes.” It wasn’t good enough though. Not for him. It wouldn’t be for Wukong. The next time the mountain was under attack—if there was a next time— Macaque would lock the doors and the windows. He would shudder the room in shadow if he had to. But. A yes for now was the best he would get from her.
“Good. That’s all the chewing out I’ll give you because when Wukong gets here he’s going to have some very harsh words with you.” Peaches shoulders flinched a little.
“He’s mad at me?” There was genuine hurt and dismay in her voice. Wukong and Peaches had the toughest days when it came to their relationship. Some days she could forget he had taken her without her consent from all she knew- had wiped her village clear off the map. Other days she only saw the blood soaked Warlord in all his fury. On those days arguments ensued and the kings mood was ever sour.
“Never mad at You.” Macaque reassured. Wukong never was genuinely upset at their peach. How could he be when he was enamored with her so? Macaque couldn’t even keep his own anger at her negligence of self after todays events. All she had to do was look at him with that puppy dog look and he was wanting to tease and soothe her into smiles and comfort. “Never. Afraid for your life ? Absolutely. He has half a mind to keep you indoors from now on.”
“He said that ?”
“As we were racing to come get you yes.” Macaque finished the stitches with a pull and tug. The cord came free in his claws. He set about binding cotton gauze around the area to protect the stitches. In the morning he would let them breathe.
“But I think if you let him coddle you for a few days and you agree to a guard, he won’t take your outside privileges away.” Macaque teased and gave advice. Wukong could get a bit … territorial when it came to their Peach. He understood how important it was to give some sort of semblance of freedom to her. Peaches was like a flower- she needed light and air to thrive. If Wukong took that away, he wouldn’t like how she would wilt. Even though Macaque himself had half a mind to keep her inside forever. Especially after today.
Peaches head brushed beneath his chin suddenly and the monkey was jarred from his thoughts. She was nodding off, fighting sleep. Macaque gathered her up easily and set her into the bed they shared. He took care to arrange the pillows, to settle her into her most favorite blankets and soft things. It was a distraction from the rage that now was bubbling upward. For though Macaque had the calmest demeanor- he was just as bloody and furious as his brotherly counterpart.
“Go to sleep.” He commanded. Peaches yawned, catching the trailing end of his tail.
“You won’t leave me … will you?”
“I will be right here till Wukong gets back.”
It was hours later when Macaque heard his brother step into their rooms. Wukong had bathed and cleaned himself elsewhere from the smell of the water and floral oils coming off of him. They both knew how Peaches had an aversion to the scent of blood. The monkey king was across the room and hovering over the pillow pit where she slept.
“How is she?” Wukong asked. All the rage had gone from him. Only worry remained. His tiny little wife… he could still see the Tiger hovering above her, his jaws parted wide over her throat to devour. It made Wukong wish to break his muzzle again.
“Worn out. The cuts are superficial at best. I stitched them up.” The sheen of white medical gauze and cotton took over one lovely shoulder of Peaches back. Wukong felt his teeth beginning to grit in a threatening smile.
“Why would she go outside?! Peaches isn’t a fool.”
“And she wasn’t one.” Macaque soothed. He was standing now that Wukong was here, making his way to the door slowly. “She went outside because she heard the bastard imitate a baby cry.”
“A baby?”
“She thought it was one of the babies.” Wukongs heart gave a shudder. Of course she would throw caution to the wind. His Peaches loved the children of the mountain almost as much as he himself did. “Peaches said she went out to look and that’s when he leapt at her.”
Wukong felt a bit of his anger ebb. He was never angry at Peaches. He could never be. But anger around how she acted ? … yes. That was a possibility. Hearing how she didn’t go out until she thought it was a baby- well. He couldn’t fault her for that.
“The sentries are dead.” Wukong had come across their bodies after restraining the tiger demon. Seeing his peoples cut throats and crumpled bodies had not soothed his anger. He hoped the tiger healed quickly enough so he could repay them for each of his peoples lives. “The tiger killed them. He thought he could kill me by swinging his fancy sword. Too bad it snapped on the first try.”
“Did you leave him alive?” Macaque was at the door now, his fists uncurled.
“He’s somewhere beneath us in a wet cave. I broke all the bones in his body. But … I Left the tail for you.”
“Good.” The door opened and his brother was gone.
Wukong stared at Peaches as she slept for a moment. He had almost lost her today. He half wanted to wake her up and shake her and the other half just wanted to keep her tucked away and safe inside the mountain. Wukong would pull promises and such from her tomorrow. In fact, he may have to teach her some basic self defense. She would never be able to stop a full demonic beast. It would ease his mind however - it would sooth him and settle the fur that kept rising along his back- if she at least had an understanding of what tricks and traits demons used to tempt food out of hiding.
Wukong slid into the nest, settling himself so he didn’t jostle her awake. Tomorrow he could sit her down and tell her the new precautions he would have to merit out. A new guard, lessons in defense, maybe even a copy of him nearby or in the shape of some common item… Wukong could gift her a hairpin each morning and do her hair with a copy of himself. A magical copy that would have ears out for any mischief she may wind up falling into.
It would give her the illusion of freedom without telling her I put a spy on her person. That made Wukong feel better. For the next few days however, she wasn’t leaving his side. He didn’t care if she cried out or pouted or started to throw things. They had almost lost her.
Peaches half woke with a start as Wukong adjusted the blankets about her. Her face came upward, staring and trying to see all about.
“Wukong?”
“It’s just me… you can go back to sleep.”
To his astonishment Peaches shifted, settling herself into his chest. Wukong welcomed her tangle, twining has hands into her hair as she tugged on his fur. Her cheek was pressed to his chest where his heart must be hammering beneath. The Monkey king made soothing chirps and soft calls to her, a reassurance of safety and care. Soon enough her fingers relaxed again as she fell into sleep.
He kissed her temple and nose, twirling his fingers through her hair. It was just as soothing for him as it probably was for her.
Wukong was glad the tiger had been able to survive him. He couldn’t wait to gift his pelt to her when he was finished with him.
If Macaque didn’t kill him after all.
#hcwrites#hcfanfics#fanfic for semisolid#twice as bad au#bad end wukong#HERE YOU GO#again I could have made this longer but I was already at 6000 words and I did NOT want to go too overboard in detail#did I make up a tiger demon just to have an excuse for other things to come ? maaaaybeee#poor peaches#this probably is the only time this ever happens where the mountain is just not expecting some upstart demon to come swaggering by#you can bet Wukong laid waste to the snowy steppes#those are gone#and yes this one is a bit darker so read with a bit of caution#six eared macaque#jttw au#sun wukong#jttw tag#jttw fanfic#I See Mac as very support in times Like this while Wukongs gotta get his energy and rage out.#doesn’t mean that Mac isn’t capable of being a murder boy#just means he has more control#there is fluff in this I Promise I just wanted to write about a murdery tiger#and give peaches a reason to be afraid of tigers for#for future things 👀#jttw x reader#lmk#idk how to tag lmk stuff#lmk macaque#lmk wukong
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i have an unfinished fic thats like 2 chapters away from being done that i havent updated in 6 months. so instead of doing that i have been working on nothing but a percy jackson - hermitcraft AU for the past 3 days
frothing at the mouth about this AU btw. i have so many Plans, so many Details..
#pjo#hcfanfic#sjaij#<- tag for the fic#if you can guess the title from the abbreviation of words ill give u a digital cookie#anyway this planning doc is 16 pages already and ive done nothing but research greek gods for like 2-3 days
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Rift Between Foes
Coming soon to ao3
Keralis didn’t know what just happen, one minute he & dbubs was watching the shenanigans of the area 77 raid from his house the next, falling to what he thought was his first arrival back to hermitcraft. He realises he’s mistaken when a much serious Scar & Doc ‘greets’ him with crossbows cocked & tridents raised. Now Kralis must find a way to stop this on coming war between this much scarier Area 77 & hermits before it kills someone for real.
Let’s just hope that his shweshamy finds a way to get him ba-
Wait is that....?!
..
Yes, yes it is
..
This isn’t going to end well....
————————————————————
I got inspired by @mgeekingout HCS of Area 77 au (it’s awesome owo)which gave me an idea that once mapped out killed my soul. This fanfic is not going to be all happy fun times sorry :0
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Missing Flowers ( @semisolidmind Fanfic)
I wrote this because I was inspired by another bit of work. This one is sweet ans short and Mac centric. Inspired by this ask! Twice as Bad Au make brain go brrrr
Tw for some violence mentions and some allusions to intimate behaviour (it is not detailed at all - in fact you may miss it entirely - but it is alluded to thats why I mention this)
As the sweet scents of spring created on the wind, carrying blossoms and the soft buzzing bodies of bumblebees, Peaches felt a deep pang of loss. Outside in the spring air, walking along the edge of the mountains with the small attendants she was given, she looked out beyond the sparkling sea. Beyond the mountains and the sky and all that lay between. She imagined she was looking homeward. To her village.
She missed her village, missed her people who she knew as family and as friends. She missed the smell of the earth, the taste of the rain on her tongue and how the sun angled itself through her shuttered windows to cast the dust motes in startling detail as they passed through the beams. It had been over a decade now since her marriage of ‘demonic fashion’ to the rulers of Flower Fruit Mountain. The ache never would go away- it would linger like a hole in her smile, a tooth lost and never replaced.
However it wasn’t her village today that was making her homesick.
Peaches had a little patch of earth, maybe an acre large that she had dedicated to the propagation of flowers and fruits, vegetables and all manner of growing things. It had taken years of careful selection, of collecting seeds from far and wide, of dedicated research and late nights in the snow and the ice and the building of her greenhouse to gather the collection she had had.
Peaches had turned the soil, mixing it with her grass clippings, ash from the fire place, and the compost to enrich it. It had been years of careful and quiet work to build her collection of plants. The glass bits for her greenhouse had costed her years and years of hard work. She had been unable to have it as large as she wanted but it was enough. Within the wooden little wall sat her favorite flowers, the precious few she had bargained and hunted for, the seeds and clippings, were all here safe within the wooden walls.
All her work over the past few years gone in a flash of fire and a slash of violence. What had happened to her little home? Was the house standing? Rotting in its neglect of the years. Did someone take over her home if it was still standing?
The stairs would need replacing. The second one had been creaking before her kidnapping. The wood had been softening and she had her eyes on a tree just beyond her garden. She had planned to cut it free and carve a new replacement. What of her animals? She had had a small herd of goats, little bleating creatures of brown and white.
The goats had been her source of fresh milk, meat and weed control. Each had been given a name. Each had been loved.
Had they been able to get away?
Had they been burned in the fire?
Peaches knew that the flowers and fruits she had were gone. Those couldn’t have escaped the fire - or the human retribution that would follow from any survivors.
Would Wukong have left survivors ? The Sage had come home many a times from such violence. He had woken her with cold hands grasping and seeking her out. He buried them in her hair or twined them in her fingers. Wukong would pull her to him and away from her own makeshift nest within their bed. In those early days he had not learned that the smell of fire and blood would upset her.
Those nights his blood had been on fire from conquest and he wanted only to enjoy the comfort of one of his dearest prizes. Her. Wukong would touch and whisper love into her ears as he fell asleep, a peace only she could bring in the aftermath of those bloodbaths. Sometimes she would wake in the morning to find blood smeared along her cheeks and in her hair.
It had been one of the times Macaque had found her hyperventilating after such a morning covered in blood that wasn’t hers, confused to where it could be from, and the memories of the night when the drunk had invaded her home.
And her world had changed. She had been pulled to his arms, her own chest pressing to his. Instructed to follow his breathing, to listen to the air whoosh from his body. To hold. Then to fill again like the bellows of a blacksmiths forge. And then to deflate.
When her breathing did not sound like the frantic flapping of a broken birds wing, thats when Macaque had asked her what happened. What had triggered her memories. Peaches asked how he knew- and her second husband rubbed a thumb beneath her eyes and caught a tear.
“You were screaming. Telling me to stop burning the village.” The words sounded sad. Not remorseful. Never remorseful for the actions that led here here. That brought her to residency in the mountain. The sadness was instead about the scars left behind, the invisible wounds that their actions had created.
After that, Wukong never came to bed smelling of blood or fresh from a conquest.
Wukong would never leave survivors of the village. Not after what he thought was a slight to her, to his perception of what was his. An extension of his own self importance. No. That seemed wrong even as Peaches thought it. Maybe she was an extension of his grandeur. But she wasn’t just a prize to be turned and looked at. Somehow, in some way, he had fallen in love with her.
Love for Wukong- for Macaque- was not like human love. Just as two peach trees could produce different fruits. Peaches knew that love between people was more of a communication, a build up to a relationship. At least in the best situations. Demons however … it was more draconic in a sense. To claim and catch, to conquer before another could take the prize between its claws and keep for themselves. Like dogs fighting over scraps, love was something to catch and hoard and keep.
Maybe it wasn’t so different from humans. Stories and mythologies had been woven of love like this. Men had gone to war and killed thousands of others in the name of one paramour, one love.
Wukong had done that. He had taken a conceived obstacle and removed it. He had snatched her as a wolf would steal a lamb in the cold of winter, taking her back to the mountain. Devouring her freedom to secure his happiness. When his brother came to see, to wonder at why their paramour was here. It hadn’t taken much convincing. It was as natural as breathing to take in their world.
Peaches attendants, those young ladies, waited patiently. Peaches stared out across the world and wished she had the eyes of eagles to stare and devour the miles so she could see for herself.
Was her garden truly gone? Had anything wild had been left behind ?
Had the apple trees gone wild? Were green granny smiths now growing wild among the pink ladys and dorsett goldens? Were the nectarines falling from the trees to rot beautifully in a horrid flash of sweet sick decay? Did the bees still pollinate whatever roses and hydrangeas survived ?
Had the fire consumed everything?
She missed her garden. Her plants. She missed her home.
She had been so lost in thought that she didn’t notice how her Ladies in waiting called out- she didn’t notice the shadow length beneath her feet. Until suddenly the ground was not ground at all but a gaping black hole- and she fell screaming.
Right into a warm embrace and soft fur that smelled like orange blossoms and plum wine. Laughter bubbled out of Macaque bare chest. “I would think the Queen would be more aware of her surroundings by now.”
Peaches pulled away enough to hook her husband with a scowl. It was half hearted as the demonic monkey dipped downward and pressed his lips to the side of her face in soft peppered kisses. Peaches laughed at the affection, able to ease into the comfort that the six eared macaque had grown between them. The chestnut trees above them rattled like ladies whispering as casting the sunlight like dice over a game.
“Some brutes don’t walk - some slink in shadows.” Peaches teased back. She lifted a hand up and along Macaques face. Her fingers touched his ears- all six on display today instead of being glamoured and hidden. The large clawed hand tightened beneath her as she brushed her hands over them. Macaque leaned into her touch, pressing his face, and her hand, into hers.
“Slink?” The monkey teased. They were beneath a cluster of chestnut and beech trees. A whole new position upon the mountain - possibly leagues across the great kingdom.
“Slink?” Macaque nipped her ear and she yelped in surprise- cheeky like. “I do not slink.”
And then the stomach flip as the magic pulled them in. The very shadows that seemed to seep and flow through macaques black fur, the ebbing of ocean currents between the jetties of his being. The cold kissed her nose, the sun flashed. Peaches blinked as the orientation of the sky reasserted itself. They were closer to Water Curtain cave now. The mosses and lichens that grew in the soft moisture were tell tale signs.
“I merely use what I have to my advantage.”The Six Eared Macaque pulled his wife into himself as he began to walk. In her decade here she had begun to see the mountain like a second skin. Each turn of stone was becoming like a new crease in her skin. Here she understood that, even though the forest was near the palace, it was no where she had treaded recently.
Her husband was taking her somewhere. But where ?
“You left my ladies in distress.” Peaches asked. The steps against the forest floor were soothing. Would she allow herself to be soothed ? It was easier for Peaches to forget the scars that marred her when it was Macaque. With Wukong …
It would always be a sore spot. Always be cut that had healed too thin and the scar left behind would ache in the cold.
“I left them with a note that said I was taking my wife for a moment.”
How different the world would be if they had just asked her to come with them. Had the two brothers even floated the idea between each other? Thought to show her the beautiful mountain and let her fall into it and in love with it ? Peaches knew she would have come. The beauty here was unmatched - the fruits and flowers and plants and growing things would have stolen her away faster then a demons courting could ever achieve. If her boys had only asked her… only shown her….
“How are you Peaches ?” Macaques voice was soft.
“I am… far away.” She decided to be honest.
“The memories again?” Soft, gentle. Her sweet boy was still there. Still within this … sorrow. Peaches had found the little monkey bleeding among her hydrangeas and honeysuckle. The white and purple petals were turned crimson and crushed beneath the tiny body. Of course he had been a wild thing, a furious flash of teeth and claws. Any animal would be. So when the weak little monkey bit into her hand she hadn’t flinched. Instead she had waited, taking a blanket to scoop the poor creature up and into her arms- and to contain those claws. The bite was foolish- what she did was foolish- but… she was a foolish women.
The bite was deep, the pain a lance in her mind. Those teeth were large enough, sabers in gums - knives of nature that cut into the soft pad of her flesh. He didn’t let go, he didn’t release her hand until the blood on his flank was cleaned. Until the gash in his side had been sewed shut. He was too weak to worry her flesh into ruin. To take his pain and tear her apart. He could have. Though small, though at a disadvantage, the little was gifted with weapons where Peaches had been gifted none. She was soft handed, soft as a magnolia flower. No claws no teeth no strength.
Yet he did not tear her apart. The tiny monkey was left alone after he was patched up. A bowl of water, a small basket of peeled mandarins. And the window- left open to let in the wet jungle air. Her kindness had cost her her hand- the day after it was purple and swollen. It was hard to work in the soil- to work in the garden and her little farm. She had carrots to pull, goats to milk, and trees to prune. By the end of the day she could barely close the hand and it had grown yellow on top of the purple. Like a plum trampled enough to ruin the flesh but not enough to break it open.
The next morning however, when she unwrapped to tend the wound and let it breath… she found the wrappings clean. The swelling was gone. The punctures were still there. But…. They had healed over.
She had been a fool. Peaches had thought it was from her tending that the wound had healed up. She had been a fool. Who would have known that her foolish heart would lead to this future?
“Its not just the memories- its a memory.” They had stopped walking now.
“Which one?” The leaves rustled above them. The air smelled of water and earth and stone. It was … calming. So the memory coming forward now wasn’t cast in sorrow. But in calm.
“Of you.” She reached up and pressed a finger to the very tip of his nose. “Of the garden. When we first met.”
Macaque grimaced.
“Not my best introduction...” He looked down at her hand. The scar was still there, silver moons along her skin.
“Are you embarrassed?”Peaches teased. Macaque paused. He set her down onto her feet, kneeling. His hands caught her wrist- the one he had scared all those years ago- and brought it to his face.
“Truly I am. I mauled your hand.”He kissed it, rubbed a claw over the scars, worried at it with his lips and his tender forehead brushes.
“You were in pain. And you healed it.” Peaches pulled him up. Off his knees. In these moments, these tender touches, was the sweetness that had grown between them. There was the flash of that little monkey she had saved. Who had slowly begun to bring her gifts and treasures. His first gift had never been showed. Macaque had never been talked about- as it had required secrecy.
“Lao Tzi had chased me out.” The simian smiled into her face, teeth flashing like moonlight. “Heaven was in an uproar over my thievery. But … they thought I was Wukong.”
“Mac!” She beat on his shoulder in play. Roaring laughter was rewarded to her as the trickier of the two loomed over and draped his arms over her front, pressing her back to his chest.
“I couldn’t let them know it was me!” His teeth were in her hair, soft croons and gentle nips being pressed to her skin. “I was in a bit of a hurry.”
Her cheeky six eared husband then began to press her and tease her in a very flirtatious fashion that turned Peaches skin flushed and burning. It was long moments and minutes after the teasing and the stolen presses of kisses and promises for later, that Peaches decided to open her heart a bit more to him.
“I miss it all. I miss the house and the village and …. I miss the garden the most. All my plants. My animals…” Peaches rested her face in his arm, drinking in the plum wine and orange blossom smell that was so thickly wrapped in his fur.
“All the growing things… do you think they are still there ?” It was easy to think of it here, when Macaque had been kind and soft to her. When he understood what emotional wounds were still healing, still painfully sore. The rush of his heart was against her ear was nice.
“Have they gone wild and returned to the woods ? What of the roses- they are the hardest here to tend. And the magnolia trees….” A bird flitted and flew its way between the emerald leaves. A dolphin flying through a sea of emerald green.
Macaque spun her suddenly, his hand gripping hers, his tail flicking. She was pulled along, hands grasping his as they walked faster.
“Lets walk. We will go and see the orchards and you will tell me all the flowers you had and loved and never got to tend.”
“I would tell you anyway.” Peaches laughed softly. “I loved my flowers.”
The look of serious thought didn’t alleviate in the wake of her laughter.
“You will tell me in detail and what seasons they grow- and what habitats they grow in. Who the traders were that gave you the seeds and the clippings.” They rounded the corner of a stone outcropping, the path before them becoming more well trodden. The path to the orchards.
“And I want you to find a piece of the mountain- get that foolish orange orangutang of my brother to help you clear it and drain it and turn its soil rich.”
The realization was dawning on Peaches then.
“Ma-Macaque…” Was he suggesting what her heart was starting to hope?
“You get the land ready.” His fingers squeezed hers. “I will collect the seeds in my journeys. I will find the best lines and horticulturists and gather you a collection that will rival the one we foolishly took from you.”
His eyes held hers. It had the same effect that a sunrise had on a snow trapped forest. The light in them was refracted and doubled as Peaches felt her heart fill. She didn’t realize that tears were dripping until Macaque was reaching up to coo and rub them free, calling to her in comforting familial tones a monkey would use to soothe an create comfort.
“And I will be able to play within your garden and see you smile like you just did. I would bring down the lunar gardens to see you smile again… as you did when i first saw you in that garden. ”
#hcwrites#hcfanfics#writing stuff#twice as bad au#bad end wukong#fanfic for semisolid#HERE YOU GO. A SWEET ONE#A MAC CENTRIC ONE#I see mac as a sweetheart#hes a good boy even though hes just as murdery and violence filled as his brother#jttw au#jttw tag#sun wukong#jttw fanfic#lmk#lmk fanfiction#six eared macaque#sem#bad end wukong weeeeee#this one was nice to pull out some other language i never use#just a fun little one#THIS IS NOT THE ONE FOLLOWING UP TO THE TIGER ON THE MOUNTAIN#I just wanted to write Mac pledging to get Peaches her garden back#because of course he would also love that garden- and her having come upon him#yes i think mac would have stolen some sort of healing potion or pill from the immortals#i mean#he did bite the fuck out of her hand#and those teeth?!!#peaches is glad he wasnt at any sort of mental place to shake and tear apart her skin#like a shark she would have been torn apart
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Good Memories
(a @semisolidmind Twice as Bad Au Fic)
Ok I wrote another one. This one I focused more on Wukongs perspective ! A happier memory, a happier moment- even in this twisted and messed up bad ending. Because there has to be some sweet moments … right ?
Inspired by this ask!
The noise of the stone corridor was quiet. The silence was a peaceful breath of welcome here where Peaches hardly got a moment of true peace. The roar of the waterfall drowned much conversation here so the foot traffic of the mountains subjects was lessened. Except for the patrols of troops, the top ranking officials and guards, the eyes here were light.
A chance to escape had come. Of course escape wasn’t to leave the mountain. Peaches had learned that long ago. To attempt to get down the mountain- to get to the sea that kissed the beaches below- was foolhardy. She had tired once. Once in that far away time when the trauma of abduction has been fresh, when the desire to be anywhere but here drover her to staying awake at night and planning.
Now, years later, the escape was not to leave Flower Fruit Mountain. Though she desperately longed to do such a thing. Hope though was a hard bird to kill even when caged and clipped. So, to circumvent the need to escape- to release some of the pent up agitation- she had found another way to escape.
The patrol passed the alcove Peaches had huddled herself into without a look. She waited. One. Two. Three. Once they rounded the bend she made her move. Peaches snuck out of one of the many side entrances of Water Curtain Cave. She slunked from shadow to tree, avoiding the eyes as best she could. Once beyond the courtyard, beyond the orchards she felt her spirit take wing. It was the bubble of freedom that she had to take as medicine for the true longing she couldn’t - wouldn’t- ever feel.
Not as long as she had her husbands about.
Like a horse turned to pasture, Peaches kicked up her own heels and ran. She ran for the joy of it and for the enjoyment of it. She let herself believe that she was back in the village. That she was back in her home, beneath its peach trees and with its terribly creaking timbers. That this was only a jaunt out to the woods to enjoy the day foraging and finding morsels.
It was a delusion but it was like a balm to her soul. Too much time inside the mountain and among the talks of conquests and bloodshed dampened her. Her husbands never demanded that she attend councils between other Immortals or Demons but Peaches knew when she attended there was far less work for the servants to do. For one, there was less blood to be cleaned from the stone floors. Of course it would take some of her own energy to be apart of these conversations.
Peaches would dress in the courtly and lordly garments bestowed upon her by The Monkey King and The Six Eared Macaque. Gifts they called them. Blood gifts, Peaches knew. Dressing the part as Queen always put the two demonic monkeys into better moods. Of course, whenever she was present it also became a game of keeping.
This game all depended upon the placement of the two heads of Flower Fruit Mountain. They always were placed in strategic spots- to better intimidate or to better please whatever guest they were entertaining. If there was a demon of hungry standing there was always roasted meat and wine a plenty to drink upon. These times, Sun Wukong would be seated closest to the doors. If she entered the room he would catch her wrists, her hand, her waist. Those claws would grip and tug, and she would be in his lap. Wukong would keep her there. If the King was in the middle of a conversation he would simply stop and lavish compliments upon her. Wukong was more of a earnest love then his darker counterpart. She would be forced to stay in his lap, feeling his hands and the soft admonishments if she tried to move, as the conversation continued.
Peaches wished she could have said it was always unpleasant. In the years of captivity, in the moments of stuck between hope and despair, she had come to find a balance of some sort. After so long being molded and worn down by their attentions, Peaches had begun to tolerate the attention. Wukongs attentions helped establish her as something of importance and a person not to be touched. It helped when those demons had an inclination for human flesh.
Too many times she had been told not to touch the food, the meat, when it was presented on the council table.
If the sworn brothers were entertaining an immortal being with no bloodlust for humans the positioning was different. More lax in some ways but no less imposing. Sometimes Peaches would be able to actually sit in a seat beside or between the monkeys. Other times, Wukong would claim her to his lap and tug and tease at her, a game to turn her to blushing of what things he would whisper into her ear. And, in those moments when Wukong did not claim her it was Macaque who stole her into his seat. He was more touching, less outwardly loud praise. But still enough to burn her cheeks, to make her wish to dissolve.
Water Curtain Cave fell behind her as Peaches rushed forward into the woods and away from her husbands. Macaque was away, on some errand or other again. Wukong would be occupied until late into the evening. A conglomerate of would be allies wished to pledge themselves to the King today, and it would take much of her rowdy husbands time and energy to entertain. It would also boost his ego and, with no worry of bloodshed (unless someone was foolish enough to insult) Peaches had taken her leave.
She rarely got moments alone and she laughed, some of the tension sloughing off like snow in a spring melt.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Sun Wukong rarely had patience with beings that held incompetence. He was seated in his spot in the council room, upon his golden gilded throne. The warlord was in full regalia, armour polished to a blinding sheen and staff set beside him. However all the splendour about Wukong couldn’t distract from the loathsome thing huddled at the foot of his dais, blubbering and sniffling like a slug.
The demonic monkey felt his teeth grind and clip in his mouth as the weakling worm of a dragon sniffled and bowed its head in a kowtow. Disgusting. This beast had come asking him to slay his brothers and sisters in the western sea so he could be appointed heir. Wukong raked his eyes over the diminutive fellow, taking stock.
Scales as thin as moonbeams. Teeth as square as a cows. Mane bedraggled and unclean. How filthy. This little worm couldn’t even clean himself before grovelling for my help.
A poor ally if he choose to anger dragons in an ocean a world away. Weak of claw and fang.
“It’s obvious you cannot even keep yourself fit let alone keep a kingdom if I gave it to you.”Wukong waved his hand, bored. “Leave my sight. Maybe once you’ve actually wet your muzzle and had a scrap or two I’ll consider. Get out.”
“But -“
Was this Dragon also weak of hearing? Was it slow of wit? He had dismissed the stupid beast. His eyes flashed.
“Get. Out.”
The thing moved now, scattering loose scales in its speed to escape. They fell like toenail clippings and Wukong hissed in disgust. He rubbed at the bridge of his nose and felt the patience in his body diminish. The king raised a bell and gave it a ring, summoning several servants - not monkeys these creatures were those foolish demons that had imposed themselves in the paths of Flower Fruit Mountains conquests- to clean up the mess of scales.
Wukong had a full itinerary for the day. He had already met with his southern vassals and those positioned in the East. They were reporting movement from a would be upstart exorcist, one that deemed himself a demon slayer. A blood hungry pup. If it was blood he craved then Wukong would deliver it to him. He had set Macaque to the East, tasking him with bringing the man to heel. He had given his brother free reign. If the six eared demon wanted, Wukong wouldn’t stop him from making the exorcist into a gift - of flesh. Maybe I should have sent this whining worm to the East. Macaque would have shown him the ropes of turning an enemy into a boon.
“Foolish idiots.” Wukong grumbled, irritated. The other appointments had been his people which he took gladly. His own residents of the mountain were precious to him. They only asked for the numbers to help in the forest grove harvest. It was apple harvesting time and some of the trees were showing signs of damage from the deer and other beasts. The other group had been some now turned immortals begging for teaching in the east of shape changing. Wukong had dispatched them with ease, tossing their heads to the sea. He would send their corpses off to the visiting Swallow Heart- an upstart creature with a good three hundred beastly birds- as a peace offering.
His mood would have been better if his Wife had attended his talks. Wukong had kept glancing to the side, looking to the opulent doors and hoping they would open. Or her scent would waft in from the corridor, announcing her approach. Wukong felt his mouth salivate a bit at the thought of her. Oh he was lucky. His little Peach. Wukong and Macaques of course. Not just his morsel. Though today… with Macaque away. ..
She was all his to adore and hold and to make squirm with his praises and his demands.
“Trouble my King?”
An attendant asked of him, waking him from his daydreams. The monkey was by his side, face curled in worry. Wukong let the thinly held patience fall away as he gave into rubbing his head. Too much courtly affairs. He usually didn’t mind the task. In fact, he enjoyed pitting his mind against that of the estate he ran, the duty he held. Wukong had an iron will for ruling. He enjoyed the fruits of that labour, the rewards of conquest. One of the best rewards was here in the caves, walking the halls all alone …
“Trouble that can be easily cast off.”
Thoughts of his Peaches, and the irritation of his last meeting, decided it for him. Wukong rose out of his throne and stretched. Though he was a monkey originally of stone it didn’t mean he didn’t get sore in his throne. Popping his back, Wukong motioned to the door. “Walk with me.”
“Yes my King.” The servant walked beside Wukong as he stalked down the Halls. His people dipped and bowed. The servants who had been brought to the mountain and had been forced to serve kept their eyes downcast. Wukong paid them no heed. He had one goal.
“Peaches!” Wukong sang through the palace. He looked in her usual haunts. She had a tendency to stick to habit and Wukong made it his goal to know all of his little sweets habits and places of hiding. The kitchens, the scroll rooms, the bedroom and other such places deep beneath the mountains stone.
“Peaches?” Wukong now questioned. Usually she was so near he could hear and track her just from knowledge of her habitual motions. But there was a lack of her today in Water Curtain Cave.
“Where has my wife gotten to?” He mused aloud. Wukong would have been more worried in the early days of her life on the mountain. Peaches had a tendency back then to plot and scheme and attempt every sort of trickery to escape the brothers. She had tried tricking (Macaque had been present for that one where he had kept her trapped in a riddle game for hours), sneaking (again a foolish thing due to the number of ears between her husbands numbered eight), drugging (Wukong had thought it cute to see her try and ply him with so much wine he became inebriated. That had led to … other things however.) and finally just running.
Running had led to chasing. Wukong had tried to terrorize her just a small bit to discourage the action. Having her run off while he was in the middle of meeting and for him to rise and say “Excuse me gentlemen” and then rush off had first been an inconvenience. He would never punish his Peaches. No, never. When he talked of the terror it had been more to scare her of what could snatch her up. Tigers, leopards, wolves and their ilk. Taking her back to their rooms and tucking her in and locking the door was the most he did. If he had time, if he could ignore the work of the day he would wear her out in other ways. It would either be both or one and the other who would keep her attention. Wukong was a King but he wasn’t a tyrant.
This didn’t deter his little wife. She seemed … more determined, however, to attempt it. Peaches had learned over the years that running away was useless but that didn’t stop her from taking to flights of fancy. Which lead to a different kind of chasing. A pursuit that called to the raging hunger inside him, to that predator. Peaches had given him and Macaque a new game- a game he craved almost as much as he craved her scent in his nose and her body in his arms.
After opening their closet and seeing the small little nest she kept in there empty as well, Wukong felt his tail give an excited lash. The fur on his spine began to rise up in anticipation. It practically shook through his blood. Made his mouth grin and his body begin to buzz as if drunk upon fruit wine.
“A game is afoot. A game all for myself~” Usually these games of hide and seek with their wife became a race between him and his sworn brother. Macaque would enjoy the competition as he had a unfair disadvantage. His keen hearing compounded on his shadow ability let him take a lead that Wukong wouldn’t be able to close normally. But with his brother away from the mountain… Wukong laughed to himself, beginning to shed his courtly attire.
“Do you require anything, my king?” The servant asked from his shoulder. Wukong passed the servant his crown and those few glittery vestments he bore to impress the lesser demons who came to grovel for his power.
“Clear the rest of my meetings for the evening.” Wukong commanded. Where could my sweet have gone off to? To the grove? The stream? Did she perchance head to the woods? The thought of the hunt was already consuming his mind.
“My King that would mean dismissing the Swallow Heart Demon and his Entourage.” The servant set the items delicately on Peaches armoire, being careful to not tip any of the bottles, brushes or powders there. Macaque had sent for that armoire for their Wife. It had cost a pretty penny to have it brought in with the paints and brushes.
It was a warm memory in Wukongs mind, seeing the pure delight in her eyes. That night had been filled with the boys teaching her how to use the more expensive bits of makeup and had led to her learning to paint war paint upon their faces. The warm memory set a second shiver up his spine. When he caught Peaches he wouldn’t let her go- he would let her know how much he cherished her. The happy memories of her face were becoming more numerous now. It set his tail to swaying like a cat who had caught a canary.
“They are birds yes? Tell them to find another place to roost for the evening.” Wukong stretched his legs one at a time. He waved one hand to the servant, trying to rush the discussion along. He had a wife to find.
“I will meet them in the morning when my mood returns to better and more … harmonious thoughts.” All he could see in his head was her. Her skin shining in the light, her hair in his hands so soft. The rush of feeling hit him low in the gut. Was it love ? Was it possessiveness ? Was it possession? He didn’t know but it had his heart thundering. To think a mortal women could bring such a change through him so rapidly…
“I will see it done sir.” The servant bowed.
“Good.” Wukong stretched his arms, pulled his back straight. He had removed all but the trousers he wore. The glory of Sun Wukong had been set aside. Armour wouldn’t slow him- he was the Sage that had rebelled against Heaven. Had almost won. Armour was little hinderance in his silence or his ability to move. It would however limit him to capturing his intended target. Peaches was soft, pliable and would not like a tackle from her husband if he was wrapped all in his battle regalia.
He bounced on his heels. The excited energy wanted to be unleashed, to be set free. Wukong left the servant in their rooms, swiftly walking to the entrance of Water Curtain Cave. His generals saw him and bowed, continuing their rounds. Smaller monkeys, the children of his people came and clambered for his attention. He smiled at them and turned them back to their mothers promising attention later.
The waterfall came into sight and Wukong grinned. Just like he had when he first had been crowned King, the monkey lord bent low a palm pressed to the floor and launched himself through the torrent of water. He was out on the other side in a spray of water. Once on the ground again he looked, listened, smelled.
Wukong was an expert tracker. He could read the signs of his mountainous home. He knew every blade of grass every bend of the leaf in the trees above. Wukong looked for the signs, the telltale notes his wife would leave so lovingly in nature for him to find. There ,beneath the shadow of a tree. Wukong moved swiftly and lightly, faster then the long spotted cats to the far west. The press of foot too large to be a monkey, to heavy to be a cat.
I got you~
Wukong followed her path, enjoying the exertion and the feel of the sun on his fur.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Peaches had found herself a nice little patch in the wood, a small trickle of a stream ran through a copse of tightly packed willows. It had a few gooseberry bushes in its shade and she plucked them eagerly.
She had brought her small bit of knitting, a book, and a change of clothing if she wanted to take a dip in the water. The gooseberry’s were a plus, having been ripened and their red flesh sweet. Peaches didn’t have a snack- running into the kitchens would have alerted the staff she was going out and she did not want a retinue of guards on her tail. It was nice and pleasant to be alone. Hearing the soft babble of the water over the stones, the wind sighing in the leaves. It was peaceful. She could fall asleep. In fact a nap didn’t sound bad—
Snap.
Her head snapped up, eyes widening. That had been too loud to be a simple little bird or just the sound of a branch falling from the wind. She felt her calm wash away in a rush of icy fear. Though Flower Fruit Mountain was possibly the safest place in the world, it did still have the occasional predator. Bear or tiger were the largest creatures to have been spotted on the mountain. Wukong and Macaque assured that the worst of those beasts kept to the lower plains of the mountain.
But what if— what if I went too low?
Her ears strained, her eyes blown wide to see. Nothing revealed itself from the emerald green foliage or the berry bushes. Her hair stood on end as something shuffled in the undergrowth. Behind her. Peaches spun, holding a knitting needle out—
To air.
Another brushing sound, like that of claws across wood. Peaches took a step back, away from the sound. Her heart was in her throat and all the peace of the day was gone in the rush of animal instinct that screamed in her mind.
Freeze of Fly?
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Sun Wukong followed her trail easily to the copse of trees. His Peaches had much to learn if she wished to our pace him in his tracking ability. The path she took was such a massive trail he could see it from miles away. The demonic monkey crouched low, keeping close to the earth.
She was sitting next to the little stream at the foot of a great willow. His Peaches. Her fingers were red with gooseberry juice, her hair down in the heat. She was the picture of peaceful, the very image of serenity. Wukong felt a desire to grab her to hold her close, to take the juice of the berries off her fingers and hear her laughter and voice.
Gods he craved her.
He held off leaping, held off and observed. Magic would make it easier to drop in on her but he liked the challenge of keeping his current shape. So Wukong lay low, watching. The brothers had a practice of watching their Peaches when she thought she was alone. It was in those moments they learned the most about their mortal heart. How she would sigh, how she always got itchy if she wore too much of the powder upon her face. It was how Wukong learned Peaches preferred bangles over rings. How Macaque gleaned that her favourite foods involved a doughy treat called cinnamon rolls. Little things. Silly things. Treasured things that the brothers would go over and strategize on how to make their precious fruit the most comfortable. To win her favour. Her love. Her attention.
Sometimes she would cry in these moments and the game would have to be put on hold as they made themselves known beyond her field of vision. Wukong hated when she was upset. He knew, somewhere in his twisted heart, that he had caused these tears. That he was to blame for the sorrow that weighed heavy on her.
I can make her happy. No one else saw her sparkle like we did. She’s ours. Forever if I have my way.
But right now he had a game he was in the middle of. The immortal peach he was keeping for her would have to wait. Wukong stalked forward, through the brush. Peaches had laid herself back, body flat to earth and completely relaxed.
Wukong took a branch in his hands and snapped it.
His Peaches lifted herself up and whipped her head in the direction. Wukong had already moved, speed on his side as he circled beyond and behind her. The terror on her face made something stir in him, a protective urge. He would sooth her worry when he caught her. He would pet her hair, hold her close and tell her how foolish she was to leave his safe embrace. She had nothing to fear from him. Only his little sweet fruit didn’t know it was him. Not yet at least.
Wukong let his tail tussle the dead leaves beside him then darted off. He raked his claws over a bit of bark and then zagged back to a new hiding spot. Peaches turned like a doe, alert and eyes wide. Her face was full of fear, full of such open prey-like terror that Wukong couldn’t resist anymore. He rumbled, mimicking the sound of a big cat. Sweet Peaches stared right at the spot he was hiding.
Run little wife, he urged. Come on. Run for me.
At his second snarl, she obliged him. She spun her back to him and took several vain attempts to run. Wukong smirked. And leapt.
He caught her in several bounds barreling full into her body and taking her off her feet. His hand had her by the back of the neck, the other about her middle. They rolled in the air but Wukong angled himself, curling her into him and taking most of the fall. Peaches cry rang in the trees and sent the birds flying. Wukongs laughter was loud and shook through his body as he landed with her. The demon caged her in, setting her hips between his legs so he straddled her. One hand had both her wrists held above her head. The other angled her face to him, the eyes firmly shut.
“Caught you~” He purred.
“WUKONG!” Peaches gasped, opening her eyes to stare right into his face. Wukong felt his heart give a squeeze as the fear melted into ease. Ease with him. It sent a trill of joy up his spine. “You gave me a heart attack. I thought you were some tiger.”
“No love.” Wukong mentally took note of her. No scrapes from their tumble, no bruises. A perfect capture. “A tiger wouldn’t have toyed with you like I did.” Here he stretched his free hand, claws on display.
Peaches laughed. A laugh for him. His tail was swaying, his face inching closer to hers. “I’m glad I’m not getting devoured then.” She said, breath still catching up with her shock.
“Oh my Peaches, I may not be a tiger but I’m going to devour you all the same~” he let the words sink into her, enjoying the blush that coloured her face before he bent down and kissed her. She tasted of gooseberries, of laughter and the earth and ever of peaches. Her lips were soft against his. Wukong moved away from her mouth, wanting to taste her throat, her cheeks, her nose. Kisses he planted along her most ticklish spot on her neck, eliciting giggles and cries of mercy.
The Monkey King felt like he was drinking wine, head getting lighter and lighter while his body relaxed over hers. Only with Peaches had he felt so at peace, so blissful. It’s why he could never let her go. To rob himself of this? Never. She was his and he was hers and that was it.
Peaches pressed a kiss to his nose and he swooped back down to capture her lips. How could someone so soft and small consume me so? He felt starved. He felt parched. Here Peaches was, a bountiful feast and and overflowing cup. He couldn’t get enough of her.
Wukong nipped her neck, tugging her into his teeth to elicit a squeal. She laughed and tried to worm her way out of his grip. “Wukong please! Let me up, let me up!”
“Only when you tell me how well I caught you. Lavish praises on me.” He grumbled. He didn’t want to let her out of his arms. If he could he would keep her here and live in this bubble of joy forever. Peaches blew hair out of her face.
“You’ve got to be kidding me…”
“I assure you I’m not. So tell me.”
“Wukong your pride is insufferable.”
“And your beauty is unconquerable.” He countered and was rewarded with a scarlet Peach. “Now tell me.”
“Ugh. You caught me. You startled me so badly I thought I had gone too low on the mountain.” That had Wukong grinning wide as he now rolled over taking her onto his chest.
“Go on~”
A snort. Peaches was open in only the brief times when his and Macaques earnest attentions had worn down her barriers and aversions to nothing. Here was his adoring and adorable wife. One he wanted to bring treasures and conquer worlds for. I would burn this whole place to the ground to please you.
They spent a time there, the two of them in that grove of trees. Wukong kissed the gooseberry juice from her fingers and Peaches tried to see the good in this moment. Wukong was, a murderer. He was a monster who had taken her from her village. He had killed the villagers. Laying on his arm, feeling his voice and laughter in her body, seeing the tender way he held and touched her…
His love was hard to deny. To match up to the truth she knew so well. He was a murder. The soft glow as his eyes alighted when a butterfly landed on his hand. Wukong would kill again. He set the butterfly on her hand and they both marveled at the changing colors.
Peaches felt a bit more of her resolve break. Wukong and Macaques love was an ocean slamming into her. It was eroding the coastal cliffs she had within her. It had been a constant, driving force these years. She didn’t … she couldn’t remain so indifferent in the wake of such attention. Of such open love. She would never fully be at peace here. However … she was finding a balance.
Maybe that was the closest she would be to the love she originally had showered them both in. Or maybe she would fall head first into that roaring surface and loose herself in their love.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Wukong tugged the brush through Peaches hair, listening to her sing softly in the night air of their bedroom.
Suddenly- the ground became black and Peaches squealed as she disappeared into the earth—
—and popped up in Macaques arms.
“Save some of her for me, Wukong.” Macaque drawled, hands wrapped around her middle in a possessive gesture. They were back in their room, the night air wafting cool tonight. Wukong and Peaches had spent the rest of the day in that copse of trees and upon the mountain. They had walked hand in hand, visited the monkeys and the new babies that had been born to the family’s farthest from the caves.
It had been a day of sweet gestures and, whenever Peaches had turned eyes inward or far off, he had pressed her with tender affection. Drawing her back to the present. If Wukong had learned anything over the decade it was to keep his Peaches in the present, to keep her away from the drifting worry of the past.
They had returned home only when the first stars had begun to spark in the dark sky. Wukong had carried his tired wife all the way back to Water Curtain Cave. He whispered how he would make a necklace of the stars and give them to her and teased out of her sleepy laughs.
Maybe tomorrow will be full of hardships. Maybe she will hate me for what I did. This though- I would kill a thousand villages if I could get a single day of joy like this.
Macaque had returned shortly after dinner, coming into their room to Wukong holding Peaches in his arms and biting more of her neck between brushes. Of course Mac had wanted a bit of her to himself after being gone for a day. Wukong obliged, not bothered one bit.
His brother in arms was still dressed in armour meaning he had probably just arrived back from the East. Not a speck of blood was on his clothing. Wukong would ask him later about how the trip went, when Peaches was asleep. This moment was meant to be a memory of joy. He would not drag kingly duties into this moment.
“I caught her fair and square.” Wukong sniffed, growing a bit jealous at Macaque. He had stolen his prize from beneath his nose- right when he was getting to Peaches too, in her sleepy state. Macaque blinked then stared between the two, his purple eyes flashing.
“You played the game without me?” Wukong heard the bit of hurt and, though he was sure part of it was drummed up for sympathy, felt a bit of guilt. Only a splinter of it. He didn’t regret acting on his own. The game was his to play when he was away. However it had the desired effect on their Wife.
“Oh Mac- no I didn’t know Wukong would be coming after me.” Peaches was so easily guilt tripped. She kissed the darker demons cheek. The sudden flash of confusion and delight passed over Macaque features. His eyes stole towards Wukong, questioning.
Is she happy? Is she giving without teasing? Wukong nodded, the smile on his face like the soft warm dawn. Peaches was happy and that’s all that mattered. She was happy and would give to them.
“He did have a full schedule of meetings.” She bemused. “What.. happened to them?”
“I cleared my evening.”
“Of course you did.” Macaque snorted, half heartedly irritated. His fingers were already brushing through Peaches hair, grooming.
“Nothing was getting done beyond my latest meeting.” At the raised eyebrow of his six eared brother, Wukong waved a hand. “I’ll tell you later but for now- why don’t we have another game of tag.”
“A-another one?” Peaches sat up a bit, looking outside to the dark and moonlight beyond.
“Well you owe Macaque a chance to catch you. And I want to compete again. We will give you … thirty minutes.” Wukong grinned. “No going outside. Just find one of your hidey holes in the Palace, Love.”
“What if I’m too tired for this game?” She pouted and Wukong smirked. Seeing her pout brought the urge to tug her close and erase that pout from her lips all the stronger. He had been hoping she would say it. It’s why he had one of his chefs cooking a very special sweet treat.
“If you play you’ll get a reward~” Wukong crooned.
“That sounds ominous.”
“It’s innocent. I have some delicious sweets being made as a treat. Just a few short rounds and all of them can be yours.”
“Are they …. Cinnamon rolls?”
The Monkey King felt like he had caught her all over again. “Yes”
“… two games. Then no more. I’m tired..”
Macaque kissed her temple and set her free. “Go on darling. When I find you first I will tell you of the sights I saw.”
“You have to get to her first brother.” Wukong challenged. When he got to Peaches he would make her laugh again, demand kisses and more.
“And I will!” The six eared demon grinned eyes flashing. Peaches stood a bit uncertainly until Macaque leaned forward and gave a kiss to her temple.
“Go Peaches. And don’t stop running till you are in one or both of our arms.”
Peaches ran.
#hcwrites#writing stuff#hcfanfics#twice as bad au#fanfic for semisolid#OK THIS ONES A BIT HAPPIER#I Hope i still captured the boys.#I wanted to write something more of a happy memory- even though in this bad end I don’t think there’s too many#did I make Peaches like cinnamon rolls ? yes#also I use peaches because it is nicer then using y/n. it just feels better#jttw au#jttw fanfic#jttw x reader#six eared macaque#this is the only SEM I let slide past me that I like#the other ones I know (stares at Kiri and Kaiju) are bastards#not saying this Macaque can’t be - but like. at least he has a redeeming quality.#wrote this with music yes. lord Huron love like ghosts was for the end but.#for the first part it was Rule27 drunk on pride by Fish in a Bird Cage#the best helped keep the tempo for what I wanted to convey#semi if I didn’t get it right tell me I will LEGIT FIX IT#I just have been meaning to write for you again but I got bogged down with stuff#good luck with college btw#yes this one’s more Wukong centric#sorry you Macaque lovers#it would have been too long to write if I included both of them#maybe I do a seperate one for y’all#jttw tag#bad end wukong#jttw sun wukong
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Too Close ( A @jttw-monkeybusiness Fanfic)
So this started as one thing and then It grew its own will and became another. I hope you enjoy!
TW: Blood and Gore- Violence as well. If these make you squeamish or can trigger you please read my other works instead!
It was supposed to just be a meal- a simple outing to the market square to buy up some noodles at a shop stand Pigsy had seen on the way through. It was supposed to be simple, easy day.
The market stall exploded in a shower of wood and porcelain as the monstrous thing rose from the stand. Sophie rolled, dodging the flying debris as best she could. A sliver of wood cut across her cheek but she felt nothing. Her mind only had one thing in it.
Oh shit that’s a massive snake.
But it wasn’t a snake. The head that toward from the market as the rest of the villagers fled, resembled a snake. It’s slitted eyes blinked and forked tongue tasted the air. Heat rippled outward from its body. The grasses dried in the damn soil. The earth that had moments ago been anointed with summer rain, cracked and snapped brittle in the sudden heat. Sophie felt her lips dry and her face chap in the change of temperature.
A grunt from nearby. Sophie turned to see Sandy rise from a cast off wall, a huddle Tripitaka in his arms. The snake head swayed, tongue tasting. It snapped its focus to Sandy and coiled its head back. A maw of pink and long silver teeth flew forward. The disciple threw up the discarded wall just in time for the things great teeth to be buried into wood instead of Flesh. Trip was no fool and at Sandy’s nod, escaped beneath his arm.
Sophie could hear Pigsy howling curses nearby from somewhere. The dust was still settling, the dried earth kicked upward as more of the things body was revealed. Fuck it had wings. Four black leathery wings grew from its back at disjointed angles. They beat unevenly. Their wind threw dirt and rocks into the air. The feel of it stung Sophie’s cheek. The Monk reached her then- hand outstretched. She caught it and he hauled her up off the dirt.
Run. Her heart seemed to thrash in her chest. Sophie saw more of the beast being revealed from the ruins of the market. An impossibly long coiled body- legs- more clawed legs. Six of them?- juxtaposed throughout its flesh at odd angles. She felt like she was moving too slow. Moving as if her blood was full of ice.
Those eyes blinked and the pupil widened. Sandy held the things face in his hands, the wooden wall king destroyed. The River demon strained as the thing bore down on him, all saliva and flashing fangs.
It could swallow him whole. Sophie felt a cold shiver run down her back as Trip and her fled. There was nothing either of them could do. They were mortals. This thing was beyond their ken. Beyond their ability. And it could swallow us whole.
Of course fleeing targets attract more attention then prey standing still. The great demonic beast of droughts shook off the irritable ant holding its fangs and dipped its head. The scent had been with the little thing before it but … it had moved. It smelled delectable. The tongue whipped out again, seeking. There- among the fleeing mortals this monster had disdainfully had been serving for the past years in hopes of devouring in return- was the taste. It was a man- a man hand in hand with a women. Two for the price of one. There was an irritable pain at its side but the Drought Bringer simply flicked one of its long claws and flapped its wings higher.
Into the air it rose- away from the sting of the weapons. The town with its simple huts and mud wall fell away. The demon rose up and angled itself. Heat radiated off, burring away the cloud cover and killing trees and greens all around it.
The monk would not get too far.
It coiled.
And struck out.
Sophie and Tripitaka were almost beyond the wall and into the rice fields. The heat had dried those up, killing crops and scattering the water into vapour. Villagers- merchants and Mothers, field workers and Fathers- all streamed to the exits.
They were almost out.
Sophie felt a prickle of fear, a new wave of apprehension swell in her mind. For what- for why- she didn’t know. What made Sophie turn her head then, to look back, she would never know. But she was glad for whatever spirit, god, or instinct made her look back.
A maw full of silvered fangs, of needle tips curved back and outward. An avalanche of heat and horror. She reacted and threw herself sideways. Tripataka, still holding her hand, was dragged with her.
The serpent struck the earth, sending an earthquake outward. Buildings shivered and collapsed. Children screamed and mothers called out. Sophie pulled the monk up beside her, trying to get him to rise. They didn’t have much time. She had bought them but a moment, but a second. They had to move had to get the fuck out of there.
“Trip get up-“ Sophie begged. The monk was trying- it looked like he had twisted something in his leg at the sudden fall. Up up up up up up get up please.
A angry hiss as the earth cracked more. The demon raised its head. It’s mouth was full of stone and dirt. And a few dangling limbs. The creature dropped these and angled it’s head again. It’s body coiled, it’s clawed and displaced legs curling.
Their second was up.
Sophie couldn’t look away- she wanted to- but it was the same feeling a rabbit, over exhausted and run down, experiences when cornered by a fox. The sense of frozen dread. She could no more look away then the rabbit could overcome its fear.
Of course the human mind is a strange thing for the only thing that Sophie could think on was, We didn’t even get to eat the damn noodles we paid for.
Something flashed, a glitter a bit above the serpents head. Like the flash of a moth wing in moonlight.
Wha—
A pillar of black and gold materialized where the flash had been. Such a small insignificant staff.
Sophie knew that staff.
The staff elongated over the monsters head. It slammed straight into the back of the snakes skull. The sound of iron against bone rang in the sky like a thunderclap. The demon cried in confusion and pain- an unholy scream that sent the air to shaking. The staff drove the things face down into the soil, just feet away from Sophie and Tripataka. Bones snapped, the sound of scale cracking beneath the iron rod as it drove down, down, down, down. The earth cracked with the impact.
The pressure was too great. The hide split as the earth could not give anymore and blood came in a spray of red.
The demon, the great Drought Bringer, rolled a bloodshot eye upward. A iron rod ? Was that what fell it ? Something so insignificant. A shadow loomed from the sunlight. Feet pressed on the demons head.
The demon knew this creature - this mild looking and bored Monkey- and felt the contents of its stomach turn to water. Those eyes slashed downward, making the serpent flinch.
The burning heat in this demons gaze—
Sun Wukong knelt on the dying beasts skull the iron staff of Ruyi Jingu Bang resting across one shoulder. Those yellow eyes went from flaming to disinterested as the demonic monkey looked at the mortals.
“I told you the market was a bad idea.”
The blond haired women who had avoided the great Drought Bringers strike, shot up on her legs from the rubble.
“ARE you SERIOUS?!”
“I am. I told you all it was a bad idea.”
“You couldn’t have said that there was a demonic flying snake?!?”
“Do you think the bastard pig would have listened to me if I had ?” Wukong huffed. He swung a foot languidly off the side of the serpents skull. Wukong tapped the golden circlet on his brow. “I would have gotten another headache by this dumb band.”
“WUKONG A WHOLE TOWN WAS DESTROYED!”
“Bah.” He waved his hand at that. “It was gonna be destroyed. This beast wouldn’t have waited any longer to eat again.”
The foot pressed into the gore in the back of the demons spine and a half gasp, half cough, of pain exhaled from between broken jaws. The serpent didn’t remove its eye from the Demon king above it.
It had heard stories. Legends of five hundred years ago when it had been but a hatchling, of a monkey of stone waging war against Heaven. Of almost succeeding in bending that great power into a kowtow.
“WUKONG WE ALMOST GOT SWALLOWED WHOLE BY A FUCKING BIG ASS SNAKE.” Sophie retorted.
“Naw. I had it all under control.” Wukong tapped the edge of his staff now onto the creatures head.
“Though it is taking awhile to die…”
The serpent felt the monkey lean forward. The burning gaze was back now that the simian wasn’t staring at the women.
“Tougher than I thought you were.” His voice had become softer. “Survive a blow - even to just bleed out like a bloody hog- is no easy feat with my staff.”
The pressure from his clawed feet pricked the broken scales long the serpents skin. Those claws were drawing blood. The monkey leaned down to whisper almost sweetly.
“You never were going to get your fangs into them you disgusting worm. Wanna know why? Because I’m Sun Wukong. I am the Great Sage. And your Tale-” the weight of the monkey felt oppressive, his claws digging harder into the tender broken scales. “-your insignificant little blip in history is at an end.”
The monkey foot was the last thing the serpent, the Feiwei, saw before the staff was driven down again into its eye. The blindness as the pupil exploded under the contact and the sharp pain as the staff drove through the eye socket and into the recesses of the skull were the serpents last feelings.
Demonic minds were not like mortals. They did not flit between two threads of disconjointed emotions. The Feiwei knew it’s end and bitterly died.
The demon gave a final strangled gasp as it twitched once, twice and then was no more. The remaining demons eye rolled in its head. Crimson blood wept from the exposed eye socket and the broken skull. It mixed with the dirt to make a black patch in the soil. At the serpents death the air stopped its dry repression and eased in its intense heat.
Wukong stepped off lightly from the dead serpents head. His feet crossed through the bloody wake and up to Sophie who still stood, a bit dumbfounded, over Tripataka.
That was brutal. Sophie thought.
Then her body remembered itself and her stomach seized at the scent of demon blood. Bile burned up the back of her throat.
Please please please don’t throw up. That was the last thing she needed. Sophie pulled Tripataka up.
The monk hissed and winced as his weight tried to take his foot. And crumpled.
“Is it broken?” Sophie worried. She didn’t see any tears in the skin- any blood. Blood.
Again she fought a wave of nausea. The back of the demons neck had been cut wide open- almost as if obliterated- by a single strike. The trauma of the loss of so much bodily mass to a central location, the skull, had been enough to kill it but it had lived on. Just long enough for Wukong to stab it in the eye.
“Not … not broken. Just sprained.” Trip smiled, sweat building on his brow. “Sophie .. thank —“
Tripatakas words died on his throat as he disciple came into full view. And he blanched.
“Stupid beast.” Wukong picked his claws, flicking some of the blood free from their tips. The stone monkey was absolutely painted in crimson, having delivered the blow and standing behind the beast as it fell. Dark ichor dripped from the side of his face, matting the fur in places that the blood was thickest in.
“See Master ?” Wukong grinned- not helping the two mortals as they both struggled with their aversions: Tripataka for violence and Sophie for blood.
“I almost died ….” Trip muttered, the shock coming over him then.
“There there Trip.” Sophie soothed - but she sounded wooden as she also felt her stomach heave. Gods and spirits the blood stank.
“Why does everything bad happen to me?”
“It’s ok Trip.”
“Why is it always devouring they try and accomplish?! Buddha it’s breath stank of rot.”
“Most human eating demons don’t have pretty breath.”
Wukong, oblivious or willfully blind to the mortal dilemmas unfolding before him, swaggered closer.
“Well! That’s another monstrosity down. Solved with violence.” Wukong barred his teeth. His mood was improved from when they had first arrived and none had taken his warning seriously. Not even Sophie. That was an insult. She was lulled in by Pigsy who kept regaling all with the tales of this unique little village.
Utter drivel. Wukong had seen real food wonders- Hell he came from the most fruitful mountain in the world! What could some boiled water and limp noodles compare to the tastes of flower fruit mountain?
Wukong turned, leaning against his staff as he rested it against the ground. “Sophie did ya see that ?”
“Yes.” Her voice was tight as she watched the blood drip off Wukong.
“You didn’t throw up?” He inquired with a flash of teeth.
“… no I didn’t.” Her stomach kept trying to make her mouth open up but Sophie was stronger then that.
“HA! Soft women don’t lie! You look just as pale as when that thing was diving at you!” Wukong laughed, his tail twitching in humor. “How would either of you get by without me?”
“Wukong maybe nows not the time—“ Sophie tried but was brushed over as Wukong puffed his chest up and grinned all the wider.
“I, the great Sun Wukong have saved my master again. Did I not do a great job dispatching the beast for you master ?” It was half mock, half fishing for compliments. He did just slay a demonic multi limbed serpent out of the sky.
“Wukong…”
“Not even praise ?!” Well that was dreadfully disappointing. He expected some sort of good job from the monk.
Sophie wanted to roll her eyes. Can’t he read the room?
“Wukong you did a fantastic job!” Sophie would try and smooth things over. While also not suffering from her flipping stomach. “Amazing. It’s just the — the blood— it stinks. Worse then normal. —“
“I know you are thankful because you have decent sense but I want to hear it from him!”
At this moment Tripataka stood straight suddenly. He calmly limped to one of the bushes. And promptly vomited.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Wukong huffed, irritable even in the hot springs warmth. He had a bucket in one hand and a washboard in the other, and had scrubbed the blood free of his clothes. Pants, shirt, tiger skin- it all had to be washed. Of course Wukong had pilfered some soap awhile back from the Market square the Pilgrims had passed through. He had set to work, scrubbing and pulling and worrying over the clothing until it was clean. He knew he had to clean it. He took pride in his looks and decorum. Wukong would have gone to the spring naturally on his own in time.
Wukong twitched the edge of his tail annoyed.
He was aware he was a bit unkempt after saving Sophie and Tripataka from the Feiwei. He had just batted the thing out of the air into the earth. There was bound to be blood and gore after a swing like that. Sophie had given him a brief berating of getting himself cleaned up- and when he had asked and demanded for what was rightly his - praise, thanks, AT LEAST A YOUR WELCOME- Sophie had promised him that she would lavish him in praise if he would just get clean.
Fine. If his Master wouldn’t spoil him in praise and was currently giving his attention to Sandy then the Monkey would wheedle it out of Reader.
Wukong sunk lower into the water, thinking. He hadn’t let the group go into the town without him. Though he had threatened and grumbled and said “fuck that” Wukong had set a double to follow from above, watching. Of course the Pig would follow his nose to the demons lair. Of course he would assure the others that there was no way this could be a demon.
Wukong swore the Pig was out to get them killed half the time.
Well the rest was predictable. As soon as that wiggling worm had taken one sniff of the monk, he had grown all greedy and hungry and hadn’t been able to keep its human disguise.
Wukong had the whole situation under control though- it had just - taken him a moment to wake up from his dozing. The snake had gotten a bit close. Maybe the invisible double had shoved the two mortals just a bit too hard. That twisted ankle of the Monks would take some time to heal. Luckily the village headman had given the group his home- a little but set back into a bit of shaded pine and with its own hot spring - to rest und for as long as needed. And while Wukong had endured the grating reprimand of Pigsy at being late, the monkey had felt a bit smug. His deeds had scored them nice lodgings.
Wukong wouldn’t care about where they slept. The Monkey King could simply find a nice patch anywhere and curl up. The boon I’m his cap though was the absolute excited light sweep into Sophie’s eyes at the mention of beds and pillows and a roof over their head.
Wukong pulled himself out of the water, the steam rising off of his body in the twilight air. It had been enough time since him washing his clothes to his longs soak that, in the summer sun, had dried enough. Maybe not the shirt but his trousers had. The rest would have to wait till morning. Wukong had a Reader to annoy now.
Sophie was in heaven. After the hellish day of demonic snakes and almost getting devoured, Sophie was comfortable and cozy and all too happy to rush to the futon that had been dragged into the center of her little room.
A bed. Clean clothes. A full belly. The horror of the day was an echo but it was still there. If she closed her eyes she could still hear it- still smell the hot breath blasting across their faces.
A knock on her door had her start from the memory.
Who’s that ?
It wouldn’t be Pigsy. The man had passed out hours ago after the steamed buns and broth the village headman had left for them. Maybe it was Sandy? That didn’t seem likely since he was currently nursing Tripitakas twisted ankle. It would be better after the swelling went down.
Did Wukong really take me up on my offer of praise?
“READER OPEN THE DOOR.”
Yep. There was only one stone monkey that sounded that annoyed yet still knocked with the politeness. Sophie stepped to the door and opened it.
And stared just a little.
She had been expecting to see a fully clothed Sun Wukong leaning against her door. What she hadn’t been expecting was a half dressed Wukong with his arms crossed over his chest. And emphasizing that he most certainly did not have a shirt on.
“Where’s your shirt?” Brilliant Sophie. Blurt the first thing that comes to mind. Wukong pushed off the doorframe and past her into the room, giving her a clear view of his pecs, his shoulders, his back.
Pull it together girl and get your mind out of the gutter.
“I had to clean it since you and the monk threw a sick fest at a little bit of blood.” The monkey sat down, crossing his legs beneath him. At least he knows how to make himself comfortable.
“Right…” Sophie watched as Wukong began to slide his fingers through the wet fur along his back, beside his face and over his arms. Grumbling as his nails seemed to catch and pull in the longer bits of his fur. Wukong flexed his arms to reach a spot. The ripple of muscle along his back was unexpected.
Sophie felt her face flame up. I’m glad he’s so wrapped into himself because if he saw what I looked like right now—
“Well I’m clean now but my fur is all snarled.” He snapped. The monkey was currently struggling with a knot of fire at the base of his neck.
“I have a brush you can borrow.” Anything to get my head out of that space and back in line with normal thinking. She crossed the mats and grabbed her bag. Sophie plucked her brush free from its place, walking back to Wukong. She was a bit startled he was watching her, his eyes half closed in thought.
“You know what… this wouldn’t have happened if you had just followed my warning women.”
“What?”
“A mess is what you and Pigsy and Trip caused.” Wukong leaned his head back and let the water still clinging to his fur, drip downward. “All because you didn’t listen to the warning I gave.”
What was she supposed to do? Sophie had been hungry, had been just as trusting of Pigsys judgment of what was mortal and what was maligned hungry demonic pretending to be mortal. She tried to pass the brush to Wukong, hoping that if she gave him what he wanted he would leave off his snippy comments.
The monkey raised an eyebrow at the brush.
“You can take it ya know- it’s as good as any comb you have.” Sophie lifted the brush and ran it through her hair in demonstration. Hers was a simple hairbrush with short bristles and a worn handle from use.
“Back on the mountain many female members of my kingdom would kowtow and beg for a chance I’m about to give you.” Wukong said.
Chance ?
The monkey king closed her hands over the handle. He turned, setting his hands on his knees as his back faced her now. “Not everyone gets the chance I am giving you- so be grateful.”
“You want me to… brush you?”
“Brush my fur.” It was more command then question.
“Alright.”
Sophie began at the tops of his shoulders. The short bristled brush caught in the hair and slide free, leaving it untangled. Wukongs fur was thick enough to be like her own hair and the brush carefully and methodically by Sophie’s hand, worked through the thickest patches of fur. At places she would have to switch to a comb, one Wukong slid soundlessly from his pocket and passed back to her. This was strangely nice… if not a bit intimate. The constant motion of the brush, of the task, was helping her still jittery mind calm and work through the events that had led up to them being here in a house. With her grooming Wukong.
“When did you know about the demon?” It came tumbling from her mouth before she could stop it.
“As soon as we came upon the village.” Wukong answered. He had his eyes closed, tail swaying against the wooden floor. “The townspeople stank of demon. Seems that beast has been feeding them up to try and cultivate some souls.”
“Sounds like how some insects raise other bugs” Like how ants raise aphids.
“Or like how mortals raise cattle.” Wukong commented.
“Mmm” Sophie felt her mind run through the memories again. The serpent lashing out- and her ability to drag Trip out of the way of that strike. Of the great snake lifting it’s head from the broken earth. Of it lunging a second time. We both could have been dead so fast. No one would have known. Wukong had been left behind, Pigsy had been thrown off somewhere. Only Sandy knew what may have happened to them. Sophie’s brushing slowed.
A snap of fingers made her blink out of the memories.
“Speak.”
“Speak?”
“Don’t parrot me.” Wukong opened his eye just a fraction to shoot her a glare. “ Something on your mind, you stupid women. Spit it out.”
“I thought… I thought we were dead..”
“You would have been if I hadn’t come!” Wukong reached back and took her hand in his. The Monkey king moved the brush up to his head where the fur was in a most disheveled state. Sophie started to gently untangle it, careful of how hard or how fast she worked. He may be able to burst from fires and come away without any lacerations but he may not take kindly to a mortal carelessly tugging at his fur. The wet strands moved slowly through the bristles as he talked. “Makes you want to take heed of a Kings words hmm?”
For all his boasting and puffing up, for all his prideful japes and comments… he almost had been too late. If she hadn’t yanked Trip. If they hadn’t run … “You almost weren’t there though…”
“Sophie.”
“Yea?”
He was turned about, facing her dead on before she could blink. Wukongs yellow eyes looked over her then. Little scrapes here and their. No major cuts. Except for the still red and puffy slice along her cheek. Wukong reached forward and ran a thumb over the slice. I should have sent more then one invisible douple.
“You wouldn’t have been eaten.” He would lessen her worry, and reaffirm his abilities. Had she forgotten? He was Sun Wukong- no demon could stop him. “I wouldn’t have let it happen. I would have torn the bastard apart before it got even a flick of spit on you. You or the monk.”
And next time I’ll make sure I leave them with two invisible doubles instead of one.
Sophie had frozen when he brushed his hand across her face. He was being kind, sensing her turmoil over it all. She was about to say something in kind, something to match that kindness.
“It’s my duty to protect the weak mortals on this quest. It would reflect badly on me as King of Flower Fruit Mountain if I let those under my care get devoured by some slimy worm.” Of course he couldn’t resist the opportunity to flaunt his importance.
“That almost sounds like reassurance.” Sophie sighed. She raised the brush up again in silent question.
“It is reassurance.” He affirmed. Wukong nodded once at the brush, spinning back around. “No harm comes to those that are in my care.”
“Well. Then if it only takes brushing your fur for that… I would be happy to do it every night.”
Wukongs tail gave a little flick. They spent the rest of the night talking, trading quips and jokes. As the of cicadas from beyond the doors blended with the soft swish of the brush, a feeling of contentment and camaraderie fell between the two. And something … more grew.
#hcwrites#hcfanfics#writing stuff#for jttw monkeybuisness#ITS DONE#I feel like I could polish and spiff it a bit more but if I did I’m afraid I would end up with 20 pages instead of the 16 this is#THIS FIC WAS SUPPOSED TO GO IN A DIFF DIRECTION SO THE NAME IT ORIGINALLY HAD DIDNT FIT#this is what happens when I wanna write big old monster and such#jttw MONKEYBUISNESS#jttw tag#sun wukong#sophie x Wukong#Wukong#sun wukong x reader#poor trip I felt so bad for the man#I DIDNT WRITE TOO MUCH PIGSY INTO HERE BECAUSE HE WOULD HAVE BEEN TALKING AND RIPPING WUKONG AND THAT WOULD HAVE ADDED TO THE PAGE LENGTH#I will include him in the next one more#THIS ONE WAS SUPPOSED TO BE ABOUT THEIR COMFORT FOODS#or their fave foods but it became something else.#sometimes that’s how it works#I listened to the ‘For the Throne’ albumin that was made for Game of thrones#ALBUMNIN?!? ALBUM YOU STUPID PHONE - I ain’t going back to fix mah spelling error PFTT I’m too far in#jttw au#jttw fanfic#did I talk about pretty backs ? maaaaaybeeee#maaaaybeee that’s my weakness#maybe you can’t prove it’s not just mine but OTHER peoples weakness as well#👀#in my defence Kiri draws muscles a little TOOO tempting#just like another person does and it ain’t fair man.
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Peach Flesh @jttw-monkeybusiness fic
Art by @jttw-monkeybusiness - characters by @jttw-monkeybusiness
TRIGGER WARNING. TRIGGER WARNING. THIS FIC IS 18+ THERE WILL BE GORE AND BLOOD, VIOLENCE AND SEX IN THIS. NON CON ELEMENTS TOO. PLS IF THIS TRIGGERS YOU READ ANY OF MY OTHER ITEMS. YOU HAVE BEEN FORWARNED.
Welcome to my fic! This is like a Filler between Kiris Wonderous comics of the Six eared monster and Wukongs eventual slaying of him. I had @celestialkiri help and brain to pick over as I asked them a slew of questions. They also proof read for me so I made sure i got their boy just right.
ALSO THIS IS A BAD MAN. A BAD MONKEY. I HAVE MAH SPRAY BOTTLE READY-HE WILL EAT YOU IN THE “DEAD FOREVER” KIND OF WAY.
(Though I may accidentally have tripped you all up with this one my bad friends.)
I am also just posting it to Ao3 so the tags can def warn people TWICE about whats in the fic.
ANYWAY ENJOY THE STINKY MAN HIMSELF. (Im sorry sophie i will write you happy i promise)
#hcwrites#writing stuff#hcfanfics#18+ post#for jttw monkeybuisness#six eared macaque#6 eared macaque#jttw au#jttw tag#jttw fanfic#adult fanfiction#sophie#tw blood#tw noncon#tw gore mention#tw gore detail#tw violence#jttw x reader#ALRIGHT THE BEAST IS DONE#THIS MONSTER IS OUT IN THE WORLD FOR ALL WHO ARE OLD ENOUGH TO SEE#pls Mac is so spooky man#as kiri was telling me i went ‘oh shit’#like he is NOT someone to fuck around with#he will kill you and mutilate your corpse and never think of you again#hes an asshole#a hoe#a cannabalistic hoe#six eared macaque at his most evil tbh.
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River (Jttw-Monkeybuisness)
Ok I wrote another thing for @jttw-monkeybusiness there art inspires me and makes my brain itch and honestly I love Sophie to death so here you go!
And yes I suck at naming things when they are snippets of stuff I just usually name it what it’s about.
‘Getting water should be easy’ Sophie thought.
However it seemed that whatever gods were watching their trek today through China must have been bored and made this their entertainment for the evening.
Force the girl Buddha had plucked out of time to get water. Well it was unfair to assume it was the Buddha but whatever magical force actually had pulled her out of her time? Well that being was a massive dick. Sophie strained her arm, feeling the sway of the tree branch she clung to bobbed under her weight.
The banks of this river were steep as Trip and the group were making their way through mountains. The steep sides slide right into the dark water, rushing by in silent swirls of black- and offering no safe place for any traveler to easily reach it. The tree branch that Sophie now climbed upon, hung low enough off the steep riverbank, almost kissing the water with its bark. Moss had begun to grow from its limbs from the constant moisture. It offered Sophie a perfect opportunity.
She had both legs and arm hooked around the branch as it swayed, one free hand straining forward and dipping the water skins into the dark flow.
Jesus it’s freezing, she thought as her fingers dipped beneath the black current. Must be a runoff from a snow melt… If she fell into it she would be soaked and cold to the bone. Sophie shook herself, scattering that intrusive thought.
‘Only two more skins to go…’. She yanked the first one up, muscles burning. She lay flat, stomach hugging the branch and trying not to slip. Sophie wasn’t the most athletic person but she wasn’t a pushover either. Getting water was something she could do. Maybe she couldn’t fight Gods and humble the heavens like Wukong. Maybe she couldn’t breathe underwater and spear demons like Sandy.
Pigsy- well he was a fighter but mostly she had seen him run either away from a fight, pick a fight with Wukong, or fight to run towards women. Most of the time those women were demons in disguise that Wukong warned about. Sandy and her had a betting game going on silently between themselves as to which women were women and which were demons that wanted to devour Trip or herself. Mostly Trip but sometimes she would be mentioned.
So far the score was tipping in Sandy’s favor(who guessed mostly that the women they ran into were real women)- but only because the last village they had been in had been plagued by a child devouring rat demon. It was a morbid kind of way to make light of a situation that just kept recurring as Pisgy never learned.
Tripitaka even had his own abilities to commend, if some of those abilities didn’t translate over to combat. Staying still, meditating, being able to see the good in everyone - Sophie could hear Wukong now, thoroughly ripping into Trip for that belief- those were all traits that helped.
Sophie- a Girl out of time- was determined to have her own uses.
And if that was just doing minimal tasks then she would be GRAND at them!
She uncorked the last water skin and dipped it beneath the water as twilight began to descend into the gorge. The water turned black by the lack of light made Sophie’s stomach twist just a bit. There’s nothing in the water Sophie- nothing at all.
Her reassurances fell short. She had seen too much of demons and gods and magical mojo to really believe that nothing was staring up at her.
What happened next was a factor of several things. The first of those things we can lay blame at the feet of one Monkey King.
Sun Wukong had been given the task of collecting some fresh meat for the stew Trip was preparing and had sent Wukong to find some. The meat was mostly for Sophie and the rest but Trip would also partake. Being a Buddhist he usually kept to a strict vegetarian diet of noodles and soups. However, even he understood that on the road the pilgrims did not have much choice in diet.
So Wukong had gone, easily catching several rabbits and a large goose from further down the river. After his return and depositing them at Pigsys feet to be cleaned and prepped, Wukong was disappointed in the lack of praise. Usually bringing in a haul of food would give him some thanks- however the person that usually did the thanking was … missing.
“Where is the Reader?” Wukong demanded, arms crossing and tail lashing in annoyance.
Pigsy looked up at him from beneath bushy eyebrows. “Sophie,” Pigsy drawled, taking the first rabbit and cutting it clean of its pelt, “went to fill the water skins.”
“Alone? No one thought to go with her?” Wukong made a scoffing noise. Between her and the Monk there had been too many occasions where a demon had taken them as bait to lure out the infamous Monkey King. Didn’t she know by now that she couldn’t just wander off?
“She is not a Child, Brother.” Sandy interjected. The great water demon was sitting cross legged at the fire, stirring the pot. As Pigsy quickly and methodically cleaned the animals, Sandy was just as quick in adding them to the stew. The aroma was already becoming tantalizing. “She wanted a task and was given one. You know she does not like to be idle when there are things to do.”
“I wasn’t saying idleness was the correct answer.” Wukong picked at an invisible dust mote on his sleeve and flicked it away. He was feigning boredom when in reality he felt an itch under his fur. It was his responsibility to keep the mortals safe on this quest.
That included Trip and Sophie. The monk was easy to keep in one place, unless there were people that kept begging for help. Which - happened more than Wukong would care to admit.Sophie was … not so easily manageable.
That stupid women wanted to be as helpful as possible. Whether that be fetching supplies in town, carrying messages for the monk, or even tending to Yulong, she was always trying to keep busy. Which wouldn’t have been a problem for the Monkey King if it didn’t make his fur itch terribly so.
The itching would only go away after he knew she hadn’t gotten eaten by some wannabe river god.
“She needs to wait until I am back. Then she could have asked me for my help and I would have obliged.”
“I think the monkey likes Sophie.” Pigsy mock stage whispered, earning a murderous glare from Wukong. Pigsy flinched back, rubbing at the phantom pain on his head from the last time he had egged Wukong on a bit too much.
“She is only down by the river.” Sandy peacefully interjected before Wukong to react to Pigsys tone. “Just past the bend- I made sure she knew not to go farther.”
At least Sandy knew how danger inclined the mortals in their group were.
Wukong turned and left the camp, walking to the river not far off. The women wasn’t too far away to warrant an escort- she had learned from the last couple of times of almost being devoured or snatched up to not wander so far- but his fur wouldn’t lie flat on his shoulders. It itched terribly so. The sooner he could see her, the sooner the itching would go away.
As he came around the bend he saw her. Sophie was clinging to a tree that looked like it could be swept away into the river at any moment, legs hugging the branch as one hand dipped into the water. Her hair hung down, almost skimming the black surface. Wukongs fur stopped itching and he smoothed it down. Since no one but he was near Sophie to see, and she being too occupied by the river to even notice, he decided to indulge himself and stared openly.
When she had first joined their pilgrimage he had been pissed. Another human to take care of, to babysit, to feed was not what Sun Wukong, Great Sage Equal to Heaven, had signed up for. If he was being honest with himself, none of this pilgrimage was what Wukong had voluntarily signed up for.
Sophie was strange to boot. Fair of skin, eyes and hair, she looked like a spirit from some heavenly court. However she did not act like any women in the Jade Emperor's Palace, because on one of the more ridiculous of their days where The monk had almost been married to a demon queen and Wukong had to break through and kill a little too much, Sophie had let loose a string of curses that were so foreign and colorful that the Monkey King had been momentarily shaken from his indifference at her to turn and inquire to what those phrases even meant.
It had been the start to something Wukong would never admit openly to. It had grown since that day as he learned that, while she may look pretty, she was no women in courtly garb or village outpost. She had a sharp mind, always asking questions and trying to figure out the why and the how of everything. Why did Wukong have a staff that could shrink and be tucked in his ear? Where had Wukong learned to shapeshifter? How had he been able to master duplicating himself with just a bit of fur and spit?
Sophie was open about questions of herself- where she had come from, what she had done before (something about being an artist) and why she looked the way she did (this last bit was rude on Wukongs part and had had the monk use the circlet around his brow as a reprimand. ‘We don’t ask why they look a certain way Wukong," he had said. The Monkey king had not meant it rudley- more or less he just wanted to know where in the world other people like her existed - that looked like her.)
She didn’t like blood so that was a bit of a downside. But an upside was she wasn’t afraid to go toe to toe when the Monk was being so incredibly and unreasonably unfair in his punishments. Wukong didn’t kill too much. Just enough.
Wukong hadn’t had anyone stick up for him like that.
So Sun Wukong decided to play- though no one else would see it as such. Tormenting and teasing and egging and goading were usually not considered human equivalencies of play. On Flower Fruit Mountain those had been the height of games and pastimes. Finding the little things that would itch someone’s skin, that could in turn get right beneath the armor of good words and embarrass the person enough to stumble out of their rehearsed facade and reveal the true self was a specialty of the Monkey Kings. He had done so with all the attendants in Heaven, with all the would-be demon conquerors that marched onto his doorstep. Dig at something long enough and you will find what makes them tick
So Wukong poked at Sophie’s person. He took things from her bag when bored and kept them away (it wasn’t hard and he didn’t have to even make himself bigger to do so). Wukong would try and goad her into playing pranks with him, sometimes even dragging her halfway through one before letting her know that it was a prank. He would answer her questions, insult her intelligence by calling her stupid women, and challenge her on her moral standings. He did everything in the monkey fashion that would be considered teasing and mildly bullying to figure out who she was.
He didn’t realize till it was too late that this had become more than a game to him. He was enjoying this.
Wukong didn’t get to watch her openly. Pigsy would think him infatuated with her and then he would become insufferable. That couldn’t happen. So Wukong would steal glimpses, brush shoulders, take hidden moments like when Sophie had turned to him, eyes shining and bright, and had begged to be lifted up so she could pet a few monkeys perched within a tree. Wukong could still feel the weight of her on his arm, the smell of her. She had been so enamored with the monkeys above that he didn’t have to worry. He could watch her without disguise.
Like he was now. Her face was screwed up in concentration, lip between her teeth as she corked the water skin and swung it onto the bank. She may be a weak mortal but she had good aim. Sophie placed the last one in the water, blue eyes glittering in the twilight. He would have to teach her how to properly hang. She was so limited in movement on that branch, clinging to it like a cat. It was improper and she could still easily slip into the water and be lost. It was a good thing Wukong was here then.
So it was, in part, the Monkey Kings fault for what happened next. And in part, Sophie’s mind is at fault. Wukong was as silent as a tiger, walking up and onto the tree without a sound. And as he was silent and watching, Sophie’s mind was loud and preoccupied.
She only had one more skin to fill but her mind wouldn’t let go of the thought of there being some beast or creature watching her. Waiting for her. It was just like the irrational fear children get when they swim into the deep part of a swimming pool- that somehow someway a shark would come from the clear cemented depths and devour them.
Only- this wasn’t a clear swimming pool. And this wasn’t some childhood fear anymore. Sophie had seen Tripataka almost go underwater from a river monsters grasping hands. If it hadn’t been for Sandy at that time, the monk would have drowned. She shivered. The sooner she got back to camp and away from the spooky dark water and the night, the better.
“There!” She felt the weight was sufficient enough and quickly corked the water skin. Sophie could get down now, off this tree and back into the warm and comforting light of the fire. Maybe she could ask Wukong for another of his stories- well histories as he called them. He was good at telling stories- if they were centered around himself. She went to throw the water skin, already calming down—
Eyes.
Glowing eyes watching her from above. Something human shaped in the foliage—
“Fucking shit!”
Panic set in and instinct. She flinched back, dropping the skin—
And slipping headfirst into the water. The cold shocked her body, screaming for her to get UP GET OUT DANGER- and she kicked back to the surface, spluttering. The current however was stronger than she thought and was already yanking her down to begin with. Her clothes were a weight that the water happily tugged down, mangling it with the current.
Something shot out and grabbed her around the middle and pulled.
OH GODS THERE IS A WATER DEMON THATS IN HERE! Sophie swung out, flailing wildly to get free. Her hands hit something but it was like hitting stone. She would not end up as someone’s meal or bride or servant or anything else. The thing that had a grip on her didn’t let go. But it didn’t haul her under- it hauled her up. As she breached the surface, she spat water from between her lips, her hair blocking her face.
She breathed in just enough air to start threatening.
“WHOEVER OR WHATEVER YOU ARE, JUST KNOW IF YOU EAT ME YOU WILL REGRET IT.” Sophie breathed in more air so she could get louder- if she was loud enough maybe Sandy or Pigsy would hear. If Wukong was back he would definitely hear her. She had to fight until she could get enough air in her lungs to holler louder. She swung again, connecting to what felt like a face- but it was like runing her hand into a brick wall. “I HAVE A FRIEND WHOS THE BEST MONKEY IN THE WHOLE WORLD WHO WILL SKIN YOU—“
Another hand caught her wrist, holding away. Sophie would just have to swing her free hand around and —
“Stop fucking flailing women you will bring the whole branch back into the river !” The person hissed and Sophie paused. She pulled the wet hair out of her face with her free hand.
“Wukong?”
The Monkey King was holding her close, one arm wrapped around her middle and the other holding one of her previously flailing wrists. His eyes were narrowed to angry yellow slits.
“You idiot who else would it be ?” His face was wet from where Sophie must have obviously punched him and splashed water at him.
“What are you doing out here- I thought-“
“I came to fetch you since you were taking so long and everyone was worrying about you.” He adjusted his grip, and hopped off the branch and back onto solid earth. “Then you had to go and dunk yourself into the river like a fool and I had to fish you out. I was also able to get the water skin you almost lost. ” He held up the skin, tossing it onto the bank.
“I didn’t dunk myself in the river !” Sophie pushed off of Wukong and he let her go, crossing his arms. “If you weren’t spookily hiding in the branches with your glowing eyes I wouldn’t have panicked and lost my grip!”
“I can’t believe you hit me…”
“Of course I would hit you! I DIDN'T KNOW IT WAS YOU!” Sophie shouted.
“You should know me enough by now that I’m not like every other gripping demon out there!”
“Wukong how would I know when I’m half drowning in the water and I can’t see you?!” Sophie countered. He rolled his eyes, collecting the cast off water skins she had thrown onto the bank, grumbling about mortals and being blind.
“What were you doing?”
Wukong didn’t reply to her, his tail twitching agitatedly. Sophie looked down at herself. She was drenched from head to bare foot in water. Her skin was already starting to break out in goosebumps as the sun sank behind the mountains, casting the gorge into shadow.
“Why were you hiding in the branches?” Sophie pressed, collecting her shoes and holding them in hand. She would have to be careful walking back not to step on anything. Putting her shoes on now would only get them wet from her pant legs being sodden. Wet shoes were also not fun to walk in and they had a long trek tomorrow. Trip wanted to get to the next monastery and have as he liked to call it “an honest meal” which mostly consisted of mushrooms, noodles and broth. Trip was a vegetarian by nature but on the journey he did at times have to make sacrifices.
“Again I wasn’t hiding. The great Sun Wukong doesn’t hide.” Wukong replied, combing his wet fur back into place. “I was coming to fetch you and bring you back for supper. It’s not my fault you didn’t hear me.”
“Did you call out to me?”
“I was making enough noise a deaf and blind beggar could have heard me!” Wukong patted his pant leg where the majority of the water had gotten onto him. It wasn’t as bad as the full drenching Sophie had taken.
Sophie could smell the lie even as Wukong ignored her angry glower.
“Bull-bull s-shit!” She challenged but it came out between chattering teeth. Fuck it got cold fast.
Wukong paused in his own musings, hands pausing in inspecting himself and turned. He peered up into Sophie’s face, so close that he was almost nose to nose. The Monkey King looked at her eyes, down to her lips, then across the rest of her.
“Um… Wukong?”
“You're cold.” Wukong tapped his own lips, and pointed out the raised goose flesh on her arms. “Blue lips and bumps mean cold” His voice was much softer now. “Stupid women.”
He stepped back, hands crossing over his chest again. He looked her up and down then demanded “Take that off.”
“Excuse me?!”
“I’ll turn around, just take off your wet shirt!” Wukong shouted back. “You have those dry … er, shorts right?”
“Yes back in my bag.”
Wukong nodded once.
“Good. Take off your shirt.” He turned around, good to his word.
Sophie did so- shivering as the cold air clung to her skin. The cloth was heavy with water and she sighed. It wouldn’t be dry until well into tomorrow- she would be forced to wear her ‘otherworldly’ clothing. It was fine by her but if they stopped by a village it also meant she would have to wait outside. Sophie had learned the last time that walking into a village with odd clothes could be one of several different reactions, all mostly negative and involving the villagers calling her a demon or witch. Or throwing rocks at her. As she peeled herself free from the sodden clothing the night air kissed her skin and sent her teeth chattering harder. “D-done.”
Wukong hadn’t turned around but he had divested himself of his own robed shirt, holding it out and behind himself. Sophie tried not to stare at his back too long.
“Put it on.” It was kindness Sophie wasn’t expecting. Wukong, the last time he had given her his shirt to wear, had been an order from Tripataka. She had to wash her clothes after a heavy rainstorm had her falling in mud. Of course she had had no spare tops- they all needed to be washed from the travel smell and the dirt. So Trip had ordered Wukong to give up his shirt. It hadn’t been willing kindness but Sophie had still taken it as that.
But this? This was unexpected. Sophie opened her mouth to reply when Wukong continued, “I can’t believe I’m going to have to wash it again of your stink.”
Well so much for kindness. Sophie thought. First the monkey had scared her into the river. Then he had rescued her and blamed her for falling in? All because she couldn’t hear him? She didn’t believe that- not for a second. Great Sage Equal to Heaven Sun Wukong had not been walking loudly. He hadn’t even tried to call out to her to get her attention. What had he been doing when he was on the branch? How long had he been there?
Well, Sophie thought, I should be more aware of my surroundings- or at least not let my mind run away with the rest of my senses.
Though in all fairness if Wukong had wanted to sneak up on her, she would never have known. He was too quiet for his own good and it played into how well he could slip frogs into Pigsys blanket roll.
Sophie shrugged the shirt up and over her head, feeling the residual warmth from Wukong already transferring to her skin.
“At least you won’t get sick and worry the Monk.” Wukong said. Sophie tapped his shoulder and he turned. Without asking, he grabbed her sodden shirt and held it out in front of him.
He may have caused her to fall in. He may have been trying to scare her or something else. But he had pulled her out of the river. He had given her his shirt- free of an order. Sophie was beginning to read the guilt through his actions. Whatever Wukong had meant to do- he hadn’t meant to do that.
“…. Thank you Wukong.”
He grunted, holding Sophie’s shirt in one hand like someone would hold a gross bug.
“What would you do without me? You are completely incapable of keeping yourself safe. Too weak to fight, and too uncoordinated to even balance properly. What were you doing using only one arm for the water? You should have hooked your legs over the trunk instead. ” Wukong walked only a pace ahead of Sophie, slowing whenever she winced over the ground. At least the ground was only slightly rocky here.
“Maybe I wouldn’t fall in rivers because the person that is so worried about my safety didn’t just scare me half to death.” She shot and Wukong merely grinned wider.
“ It seems you forget how to say ‘You are Welcome Wukong’ ! It was just a dip in the water and I was right there to keep you from drowning.”
“Uh huh.”
“ It was needed.” He sniffed the drenched clothing and grimaced, a twinkle of mischief in his eyes. “You did stink.”
“Oh hahaha let me laugh it up- not like there’s soap and a bathtub waiting at every spot we stop.” Sophie rubbed her arms, pulling her hair back from her face to tuck behind her ears. “You stink too when you come back from slaughtering half a hoard of demons ya know?”
“I take care of myself. Unlike you.”
“I thought you were some river monster coming to drown me and eat my bones you ass.” Sophie tilted her head and squeezed some water off the edges of her hair. She was going to need a brush, the bits of hair already curling and tangling together. “Lurking in the shadows above me is not a way to reassure a girl you aren’t there to devour them.”
“All the more reason,” Wukong crowed, “Not to go without an escort. If you are going to go anywhere, you have to take me with you. You are in a King's care after all. It reflects badly upon my own standing as King and guardian of this pilgrimage if you end up between the teeth of some demon. Mortals like you and the Monk should know this by now.”
“Sandy knew where I was.”
“And look at the good that did you.”
There was no popping Sun Wukongs bubble of pride- he had already wrapped this story up as a great rescue of some kind. He didn’t grin about it, but Sophie could see he was indifferent to the chaos he had caused her. She wished she could throw him sometimes. Maybe he would think twice about scaring her if she could dunk him in a river.
“…stupid monkey.”
Wukong turned at that, grinning now with all teeth. The game was afoot now in full force and he felt it.
“What we’re you saying as I pulled you up? Something like “A friend whos the best monkey in the world?’”
“If he really was the best he wouldn’t have half drowned me.” Sophie pointed out, sniffing. They were nearing the fire, and the smell of Sandy’s stew was enough to make her stomach give an audible gurgle.
“I didn’t.” Wukong corrected, helping her over a bit of prickly thorn bushes without being promoted. Maybe he did feel a smidge guilty then. He usually had to be begged to assist - or ordered by Trip. “ You slipped. It’s not my fault you can’t hear or see, stupid women.”
“Keep telling yourself that Wukong. Maybe you’ll make it true.”
As Sophie entered the camp she was bombarded from all sides by the concern of her fellow pilgrims. Sandy rose from the fire- a bowl of stew already being shoved in her hands. Pigsy threatened and yelled at Wukong enough that both of them started to get into a spat. Tripitaka had to stand, to command them to stop before it escalated from mere name calling to physical fighting. Trip then held out Sophie’s bag and she gratefully took it and dipped behind a bit of greenery several paces beyond to change out of her drenched pants and into the comfy pajama shorts and a comfy hoodie. When she came back Pigsy was still growling out threats while a disinterested Wukong cleaned his nails. He looked up briefly at her then away.
“When we reach the next village we will grab you a spare.” Tripitaka spoke around a bowl of noodles. He had opted just for noodles tonight, leaving the meat to the rest of the group. His smile was kind and apologetic. “Sophie you will probably have to wait outside the village till we can get you a replacement.”
She nodded. She could risk going into the village with her regular attire on but … being chastised and poked at by the villagers was not a pleasant experience. Once was enough for her.
“When you guys go into the village could you ask for some healing balm- or maybe a big hat?” Sophie looked to Sandy. “The sun is really starting to burn my skin and I only have so much left of my other world stuff.” Trying to describe the items in her bag at times left different reactions from the group- or more questions. Sophie didn’t want to answer those questions at the moment, hungry and cold.
Sandy nodded, passing a bowl to Wukong on her right. “I will ask for you, Sophie.”
As the group dug into their suppers and then settled for the night, Sophie was glad the fire was banked high. The chill was being chased from her bones and, even if the ground wasn’t comfortable, she looked on the bright side. She hadn’t been eaten. As Wukong took the first watch and Pigsy already was snoring, Sophie closed her eyes—
And woke to the stars still shining in her face as something bumped beside her head. She startled up, blinking out the sleep that clung.
“Hello-?”
“Shhh.” Wukong was crouched beside her, his tail being the culprit of what woke her up. His face looked tired with sleep, the scowl deeper and more furious. He shoved something into Sophie’s lap. She looked down. They were new clothes- a robbed top and pants.
“If you tell the Monk I stole it, I will give you a thorough washing in the river.” Wukong hissed, pulling at Sophie’s bag and rummaging through the contents. Well there he goes again, just digging through my stuff. It didn’t bother her anymore since Wukong rarely kept any of the items of hers he pocketed. He pulled out the coin string, taking some of the bronze rings. “I’m taking some of these so it looks like I bought them. Got it ?”
“So you are feeling guilty for startling me into the water.” Wukong opened his mouth, to argue, to plead his case that no he was not feeling guilty he was Sun Wukong and he did not feel guilt, when Sophie smiled up at him and laid back down.
“It’s ok. Your secret is safe with me-“ she grogely replied, laying back down and curling over the clothes. Sophie patted the ground beside her. “Your watch is over right?”
“Yes.” His head was cocked to the side, like a dog confused.
“Good. Get some sleep.” Sophie closed her eyes. She didn’t hear him move off but she knew he had settled just a bit away from her.
“And Wukong?”
A grunt from behind her- already settling into his spot, back to her.
“Thanks. I forgive you for almost drowning me.”
“I didn’t drown you.”
“I’ll take that as ‘your welcome’.”
#hcwrites#this took a bit longer but I had brain fire from when I woke up.#I Hope you like it !#jttw au#jttw wukong#Sophie x Wukong#for jttw-monkeybuisness#I kept giggling at several parts in this because I could see Wukong just being a little shit#Sophie deals with so many of his shenanigans#I love this paring so much#my writing#sun wukong#if there’s spelling errors I’m sorry I write on my phone like some feral teen texting#I CANT break the habit of not writing on my phone - it also doesn’t help that my computer has left us to join the great tech in the sky#but anyway I really love these two and how sweet Wukong can be but he’s still gotta be an ass#I just Hope i did him justice#I did. give sophie a sweatshirt because we still don’t know what’s mysteriously in her bag#but also like - she deserves to have a big comfy sweatshirt to huddle into#hcfanfics
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Thunderstorm
(a @jttw-monkeybusiness inspired Drabble)
It was hot today and we have a thunderstorm warning so I wrote something really quick! Enjoy another one this one is short.
A heat wave.
It was the only way to describe the sudden shift in temperature from the last week of travel to now.
Sophie turned her head upward, blinking against the sweat rolling from her face. The last of her sunscreen had been used now, to prevent her skin from cracking beneath the sun's attention. The hat Wukong had snatched from a while back was the only protection she had against the hungry rays of light that drove knives of pain into her skin.
This is a miserable business. She could feel the beginnings of a burn on her arms, from where the sleeves of her tunic didn’t cover her wrists.
It was midday, the heat blistering against the companion's skin. Pigsy complained at every step, at every rock in the road, at every breath. He was drenched, his robes dark from his body perspiring. He waddled at the back of the group, bemoaning his pain to the point that even Sophie was beginning to feel it grate on her nerves. It wasn’t like the rest of them weren’t also suffering in this insufferable heat.
Sandy simply stayed quiet, the only sign of suffering beneath the heat was that the demon had emptied seven water skins- ones he had carried himself. Sandy was closer to Pigsy, getting the brunt of his complaints.
Wukong kept his discomfort silent from what Sophie could see except when he would pointedly look back at them from the head of the group, staring at Trip as if waiting for him to say something. When the monk just kept walking, Wukong would turn back around and look upward to the column of thunderclouds beyond.
The heat seemed to suck all the moisture from the world, sending it up into the dark clouds that were beginning to grow in the mountains ahead of the group. It was a day that promised burning warmth and teased the relief of a downpour. A storm born of the heat. At least it was a reprieve of sorts from yesterday's typical shenanigans of Tripataka being almost devoured for the seventeenth time. At least Sophie thought it was seventeen. Was it actually eighteen?
Sophie and Trip were both walking side by side in the middle of the group, leading Yulong behind. The poor dragon horses' sides were slick with sweat, the white fur turned brown with the road dust. Wukong was carrying the saddle, the great leather contraption held easily in one arm to give their silent companion some relief.
“The gods are punishing us.” Pigsy groaned, rolling his pack from shoulder to shoulder. “Maybe they are punishing us for the wanton murder Wukong had committed just a bit ago.”
Pigsy please… Sophie groaned silently, as she saw the Monkey King whip his head around, teeth bared.
“I didn’t see you helping any to save our master.” Wukong shot back. “The last I saw was you running away from that battle when you got cut by the centipede women!”
Sandy rubbed his face, just as annoyed that these two were picking now to start something.
“I thought I would die of poison!” Pigsy gallantly said, hand to the cloth bound scrap on his arm. “I did not want my fellow companions to have to protect me and save our dear Monk.”
“Centipede's poison only hurts insects and smaller beings. Not demons like you.” Wukong countered. He had paused at the head of the group to swing his gaze on the pig demon. “You just wanted an excuse to get back and have the first taste of the sake we grabbed from those merchants at the festival!”
“You know drinking is forbidden on our holy quest!” Pigsy tried to piously counter but Wukong cut him off with his words and a savage slash of his hand.
“DIDN'T STOP YOU FROM DOWNING TWO CASKS OF IT AND LEAVING US TO EXPLAIN TO THE MONASTERY WHY THEY HAD LESS SAKE!”
“Oh for Pete’s sake.” Sophie muttered quietly. She was too tired, too sticky with road dirt, to care much for the beginnings of this argument. And it was shaping to be a big one. Pigsy wanted to take out his discomfort on someone and it didn’t take much to get the Monkey Kings hackles up. Blaming him for the heat? That would rankle his pride.
Trip also looked between the two, face begging silently please not now.
“Stupid Monkey!” Spat Pigsy.
“Shitty Swine!” Snarled Wukong.
The storm clouds ahead cracked with thunder, the noise temporarily pausing the quarrel.
The monk took advantage of the pause.
“Let’s rest.” Tripataka called, wiping his own forehead free of the sweat clinging there. The monk's eyes looked just as relieved as Sophie felt at the excuse to both rest and to stop a full blown argument from starting again. This had been the third one today, and soon it would come to blows or to Tripitaka using the charm to put the Monkey King to heel.
If that could be avoided it would be in everyone’s favor to avoid it. Wukong usually sulked after such uses and he and Tripataka would get into their own argument.
Tripataka and Sophie both beelined for a small copse of trees, Yulong snorting in relief. They left their companions behind without a second thought, both of them tired and sweating. For all Pigsys complaining, he wasn’t being baked by the sun as badly as their mortal companions. Tripataka had a red patch of skin beginning to form on the back of his neck despite the protection of the hat. Sophie could feel the beginning of a blister at her heel. She hoped it wouldn’t burst.
The immortals only took a moment before they too joined the rest of their company beneath the trees. Sandy set to making tea, already propping a fire up faster then Sophie could follow with her eyes.
Pigsy simply just fell against a rock beneath the shade, complaining loudly, grousing about how hungry he was and how he had a pain in his back that may need looking at. No one paid him any heed.
Trip and Sophie dropped their packs in an unceremoniously heap. Tripataka pulled out a curry brush and passed a flat brush to Sophie who took it wordlessly and set to work.
The two humans had fallen into a habit of helping to strip down and tend to the dragon horse, both taking to brushing the flanks. When Sophie had first been asked by Trip, she had been eager and a bit apprehensive. She didn’t have much experience with horses (let alone shape shifted magical dragon ones) to be confident in this task. But Trip had smiled and taught her the basics of care- from brushing his coat to checking his hooves for rocks that could threaten lameness, and bring discomfort.
“You're a patient teacher Trip.” Sophie had said.
“Thank you. It was actually Wukong who taught me to tend to Yulong.” The horse had nipped fondly at the sleeve of the monk in thanks.
“Wukong?” That surprised her. “He knows about horses?”
“Before he rebelled against Heaven he had been given the position of Stablemaster. It was his duty and job to tend to the celestial beasts of Heaven. He showed me what to do to take care of Yulong.” Trip rubbed at the horse's poll, earning a happy snort from the dragon horse. “You should ask him about it! He has seen so many fabulous beasts in the Heavenly stables to rival any lord or Emperor of earth.”
Of course Sophie had. She had bothered and questioned and asked everything she could of the Monkey King about what the Heavenly court looked like, what beasts he had tended, how he had taken care of them, and much more. Wukong, if in a good mood and not acting aloof or having been reprimanded by his Master, was always willing to boast about himself. Of course that usually meant an exchange of sorts. Yesterday it had been for her to sit with him as he answered her questions, rifling through Sophie’s bag and asking questions of his own on what these were and insulting them- he particularly had taken to insulting her makeup which Sophie had, of course, taken the bait on. She had only realized it was a trap until after she was halfway through the reason why her brand of makeup and mascara was perfect and made her look and feel like a goddess that she saw that shit eating grin and had shoved at him.
Today she wouldn’t ask him her typical questions. She had something else she wanted to do.
Wukong brought the saddle up and set it at the base of the tree, tail flicking back and forth. He glared at Pigsy, opening his mouth to finish the argument when Trip, without having to look up, stopped him.
“Leave him Sun Wukong.” He ordered. There was patience still in the monks voice. “He means none of what he says.”
“He means all of it, Monk.” Wukong retorted. Sophie saw Pigsy look up and grin at them, egging the demon monkey on.
“Go.” Tripataka pointed away from Pigsy to another shaded patch. “Cool your temper and yourself. Let us have a moment of peace until we must embark into the heat again.”
The Monkey king sniffed and turned on his heel angrily, leaving Sophie and Trip to their task. As he walked past Pigsy he curled his middle finger up and away from the rest of his hand, flipping the pilgrim the bird.
Of course Pigsy didn’t understand what that statement meant. Yet.
Wukong had pestered and bugged her about the hand signal she had given when one particularly shitty day finally had gotten beneath Sophie’s skin and she had reacted silently. It had been an unusually rough day when finally, her headphones (may they rest in peace) had died in the middle of Gustav Holst Jupiter.
Sophie had at first pulled the headphones out in disbelief and then tried to pop them back in. Maybe they just need to reconnect. She tried them again. No use. Her music was finally gone. So she of course reacted silently and, with what she thought at the time, was appropriate. Sophie had regretted losing her temper that way and regretted even further to having caved to Wukongs questions.
Soon all of them would know what the middle finger meant and that may also lead to further arguments. Sophie could see Pigsy using it the most to get a rise from Wukong. For now, only the Monkey King knew. She hoped it stayed that way for as long as possible.
Or at least till we get out of this heat.
Between Sophie and Trip, they had Yulong brushed down, feet picked clean and a small bucket of water set before the great white stallion. Once his needs had been tended Sophie looked back up at the sky. The thunderstorm was tall and black, staining the blue sky wherever it crossed. A blessedly cooled breeze blew into her face carrying the scent of water and damp earth. She dragged her backpack a bit away from Trip who was meditating now, to a bit of shade a few lengths away from the rest of them where she could watch the storm unfurl.
Sophie would catch up on some reading, having been lucky enough to snag a book. It was a book of poetry by a scholar of the name Li Po, and whatever magic had cast her into the past had also given her an ability to understand and read the languages here too. A small blessing, that.
Sophie hadn’t had anything new to read in what felt like ages and was eager to crack open the little book and read its contents. She craved it.
She settled herself down, setting her backpack behind her and crossing her legs. As she crossed her legs, and turned to dig into her bag, she felt something heavily land in her Lap. She peeked down and beneath her arm.
Wukong stared up at her, face set in a scowl.
“Yes? Can I help you?” Well. This was new. Wukong would sit with her when they had time to silently rest during their travels. Usually it was side by side, usually it was Sophie joining the Sage to ask him questions. But- never him resting on her. That was new.
Wukongs head was resting squarely in her lap, arms crossed behind, shoulders on her legs.
“You aren’t going to ask me questions.” He didn’t say it like a question. More of a statement. He sounded glum.
“I was going to read this book I snagged in the last town we were in.” Sophie pulled it from her bag, showing him the simple black embossed cover. She was too tired to complain about Wukong not at least respecting her boundaries or asking permission before he settled himself on her person. If I brought it up he would just say he was a king and it was his right to any person's space. To keep peace, she wouldn’t voice her thoughts. The heat had made all of them tired and she would rather have a calm monkey resting in her lap than a monkey that would rise eagerly to argue. Even if said monkey had come uninvited.
Wukong wasn’t demanding anything of her - at least not yet. Which meant he was in a … better mood ? It was hard to tell. Some days she felt like she and the Monkey King were as thick as thieves, dodging demonic creatures, bandits and the like with an ease that was comforting in this strange world. Other days it was like walking around a scalded cat, Wukong picking and poking and snapping at things Sophie didn’t understand fully. He was a prickly monkey but …
She looked down and saw that his face, though set in his typical apathetic scowl, had none of the stormy look he usually wore when something was bothering him.
When he acted like this it made Sophie want to be his friend all the more.
Wukong pulled one of his hands free from behind his head and held up a hand, asking silently. Sophie passed him the book. The Monkey King squinted at the words, turning the book and it’s pages in his hand with a disinterested air.
“I guess that’s suitable.” He said and snapped it closed.
“Suitable?”
“To read aloud.” Wukong said, passing it back to her. He closed his eyes, breathing out as another cool breeze shook the tree leaves above them.
“We may have an hour or two before that storm will be upon us.” He lifted his chin up, gesturing at the storm.
“I don’t think you want your little book to get wet in that downpour so if you want to get a good deal into it, best to start sooner rather than later.”
“You want me to read aloud to you?”
Wukong opened one glowing eye and stared at her. “Yes. It will be a welcome change to that monkey stalker crap you have.”
“It’s not crap it’s science!”
“Sounds like crap to me.”
“If you want me to read to you, you better not call this book crap either or I will drop it on your nose.” Sophie threatened.
Wukong opened both his eyes to fix her with an upside down glare.
“You wouldn’t dare.” But there was a hint of a grin about his face, a tugging of humor to his lips.
Sophie kept his stare, unblinking.
“Watch me, monkey boy.”
She shook the book in threat. She would drop the book on his nose. Sophie had a suspicion that Wukong would then take that book and either chuck it away or keep it away from her.
Wukong grinned up and then closed his eyes again, tail curling up and onto his waist.
“I wouldn’t. It’s poetry. I want to hear what this pompous Li Po has to prattle about.” With that Wukong settled back into Sophie’s lap, getting comfortable.
Sophie felt a touch of affection for her friend, something that may have struck a different cord with her if this had been earlier in their relationship (and before Wukong had squashed that very early crush). Wukong may be an ass- pompous and self important himself- but he was genuine in a sense. He may dance around things that made him turn moody and broody but he really couldn’t hide that, despite being hot and cold at times to her, Sophie and Sun Wukong had a friendship. One born of arguments and teasing, questions and prodding. Maybe he had scared her into falling into a river. But he had stolen her clothes to replace the ones soaked. Maybe he had poor communication skills and liked to get her attention by kicking walls or suddenly jumping up in front of her or taking her things and holding them at ransom. But it was friendship. A friendship so very strange and bewildering at times that It confused Sophie as much as rewarded her.
The snap of thunder had her stare back up into the sky. The storm moved closer, already a sheet of rain visibly pouring down onto the mountains beyond. It would be a bit before it reached the pilgrims but it was making its steady way toward them all the same.
Sophie opened the book, flipping to the first poem. Quite appropriately it was about storms.
As the thunder rolled closer, promising a reprieve from the heat, Sophie felt a peace settle in as she read. Even as the sky broke apart before them, she felt a calm and grounding. She may be from another time, another place. Adrift she could have felt. Reading aloud she felt an anchor settle in her. She belonged. Even if it was only to a very angry stone monkey, she belonged.
#hcwrites#writing stuff#for jttw monkeybuisness#hope you like it !#sun wukong#jttw au#jttw tag#it’s so unbearably hot here#and this kinda popped in my head and I caved and wrote it#it’s shorter then the others so I hope it still makes y’all smile.#I had Sky Full of Song when I was writing this#poor pilgrims they are all dying in the heat#I DONT blame em for snapping at eachother#I CANT stand the heat either#impulsive writing I did.#I Hope I did. this well! it was kinda just a fast spontaneous writing#drabbles#hcfanfics
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Home (a jttw fanfic- @journey-to-the-au )
Inspired by @journey-to-the-au artwork. Here is the art -
This is a POV thats gender neutral and meant to let you slide into the comfort of found family. So. Enjoy!
The sun was just settling down for the night. It cast its scarlet hues across the earth, through the trees and over the sky. It painted in water colors a twilight so full of hues to rival any master artist in the capitals of the Empire left behind so far back.
The road had been long today, the rocky mountains pass full of dust that Ba Longma tossed with his hooves and the rest of the pilgrims stirred. The mountain dust covered you, the sun had baked you, and you felt like a steamed bun. Since joining the little group of travelers you had seen fantastical things: fruit in the shape of babes, demons who could shape change, gods who could cast helpful or harmful hands.
You had been part of schemes, of fights, of plots, and of mediations between the pilgrims. It had been a long several years of hardship and laughter, of sorrow and joys. You had earned your place among the pilgrims. The respect of Tripataka who appreciated having another level head among them. The sibling like rivalry between Bajie and Wukong and their antics of pranks, trickery and teasing. Wujie and you had respect and kindness grown from the shared love of silent peace and tea. He was more of an uncle, this ex general, than anything you had experienced before.
And Ba Longma? The dragon horse may not say much but he loves to take a bit of clothing and chew contentedly on you. He would try and swish flies from your face and, if you came back with a bit of fruit or a sweet, he always had his ears forward and was wickering in excitement. The pilgrims held affection for you. Some as a elder sibling would to a younger, others as a father or grandpa to a relative.
“Let’s rest here for the night.”Tripataka relented and you practically fell onto the nearest rock. Your feet aches your legs cramped, and you felt dusty as if you had been rolled in flour.
You played your part. You set up the bed rolls along with Wujie. You gathered water with Wukong, who would not let you carry a thing- he just wanted to have someone to chatter to about the day. Ba Longma was brushed down and settled with oats and an apple that Wukong had begged off of the last villagers. As Bajie cooked the rice you sat with Tripataka, learning as much as you could of the scriptures he so adored and read over. They were worn with use and love.
Full bellies around a fire as the breeze of spring still ran chill in the air. The fire cast shadows dancing up the little alcove of rock and grasses that made up the clearing of the camp. You stretched and yawned.
First watch was yours this night- and if you didn’t prop yourself up against the rough looking stone and get into the most uncomfortable position, you would fall asleep. Warm food and good camaraderie always were a balm to the soul. It wasn’t this peaceful. Sometimes Wukongs pranks would go to far. Some nights Bajie have into his earthly hungers and wanted to cling to missing meats and the comfort of women. Tripataka may be disquieted on the prospect of the journey or Ba Longma may have taken to irritableness at the length of the day.
You were all people- having come together for one common purpose, from a multitude of backgrounds. It was bound to happen that harsh words were said, tempers flared, and feelings were hurt.
The pilgrims were a family in a sense. The strangest family perhaps, but still a family.
You yawned again, feeling the fires warmth at your back growing distant with each step. You muttered something- something along the lines of tired, of longing for sleep- and you did not realize the mistake.
For Wukong, ever vigilant to all things, had heard your mumbling and had perked. His ears twitched, his tail swayed and his smile became sly.
“Tired you say?” The Sages voice was light and lilting, playful in tones that you knew meant mischief was afoot. You turned to see the monkey come up behind you.
“Wukong…” you half asked, half stated his name. He held his arms open like he was offering a hug.
“Bajie.” The sage asked his brother, who blinked bakc to waking. “Don’t you think our little Sibling deserves some rest ?”
The pig demon looked between you and Wukong and sensed a game was to be played. Sometimes the other disciple was in direct opposition. Other times he was just as wily as the old stone monkey. Tonight it seemed he was of the former.
“I saw our fellow Sibling stumble much on the trail. In fact,” Bajie held up a hand, counting on his fingers, “I saw them stumbled a total of twelve times.”
“Brother Wujie…” Wukong turned his eye on the other disciple. The River demon huffed.
“They should not be the one to take the first watch.” Wujie tapped the side of his teacup, holding it out to blow the steam away. “For there steps today have been weighed down with many a rough and sleepless night.”
“It is settled then—“ Wukong held his arms out, stepping closer. “Come give your Elder a hug.”
You turned to Trip, entreating the monk. Whatever game Wukong was playing, you did not want a part in. You had first watch. It had been decided the day before. It was non negotiable.
Tripataka opened an eye, looking at his disciples and the advancing elder on the youngest of the group. He simply closed his eye.
“I cannot have the younger wearing themselves out.” Was that the faintest hint of a smile ? Wukong stepped closer and you stepped back. You knew the monkey wouldn’t hurt you. But — he was planning something. Ba Longma snorted at your look, flashing his teeth in a horsey grin as if saying I agree !
Of course - even though it was foolish- you turned to run. A playful run because there was no threat of danger- just of capture. Bajie chortled as Wukong leapt. Of course he chased you around the camp. As you played a musical game of keep away the others smiled. You dodged behind the monk, danced a ring around the fire, tired to throw Bajie at the impish monkey.
Wukong was toying with you- enjoying the play. These games reminded him of home- you reminded him of home. The willingness to cause mischief but remain firm when it went too far- the want to tell jokes and tease and taunt along with him- it all reminded him of that beautiful mountain covered in the scents of ripening fruits and soft flowery fields. So of course he played chase, letting you slip and wear yourself out.
Wukong knew how to tend to children of all ages and he saw you as one of his own- one of his own family. He had knowledge of wearing littles out. He was a grandfather after all.
Then one stumble of your legs and he had grown larger then a bear and swooped. Suddenly you were rolled in fur and laughter as the Monkey king caught you up and settled. He held you like a babe, arms crossed over your middle and his eyes sleepily peaking from beneath lids. You pushed to get out, wiggled and wormed for a bit of give. There was none to be had.
Wukong blew air into your hair, tussled you and rolled, setting you and he within the ring of firelight.
“I think our little sibling should go to bed now don’t you brothers ?” An uproarious agreement from all- Even Trip who had been smiling at the antics- was heard. You argued that you were needed to take first watch.
Wujie rose. “I will take it.”
You tried to say you weren’t pulling your weight. To your surprise it was Longma who broke his horse silence with words.
“You pull more weight, carry more burdens, and lighten our days. Rest is what little we can give back for companionship.”
You flustered, faltered, and fell silent. Wukong simply poked your side and elicited more laughter.
“You won’t let me go even if I begged ?” You asked. The great monkey opened one large red eye, the golden iris like the flash of golden rings on a lady’s hand.
“No.” He mumbled then pulled you closer in, curling and blocking the world. The warmth of the fur was welcome- the spring still held winters teeth and tonight they sought to bite and drive frost across the ground. The great orange fur was soft, the heartbeat like the roar of an ocean calling you home. And, though you were grumpy to have your decision taken from you, you soon found that sleep was a greater enemy.
It won in the end, as your hands curled into the fur, pulled into the warm and beating safety that Wukong offered. Nowhere in the world was as peaceful or as full of gentle warmth as here. Among the pilgrims, on this strange and desolate mountaintop, you felt more at home and full of love then in any city, village, or palace you had crossed.
#hcwrites#writing stuff#hcfanfics#jttw au#jttw tag#sun wukong#jttw fanfic#THIS ONES PURE COMFORT#THANKS TO JOURNEY TO THE AU FOR THE INSPIRATION#I LOVE WRITING FLUFF#Tender care#friends treating others as family? YES PLS#Happy love ?#playful care ? yes#this is simple I legit wrote it up in like a hour or so#because that’s how fast brain fire goes man#jttw sun wukong#zhu bajie#Wujie#sha Wujie#did i make his name Wujie ? yeah#pftttt i didnt realize Till later PFTT#found family#comfort#yes it is comfy#this kinda stuff ? yes. love it#THANK YOU FLUFFS FOR THE INPIRSTIONS#tripitaka#ba Longma#journey to the au
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Apple Blossoms (@journey-to-the-au What if AU fic)
A cute Haarini and Wukong fic that I’ve been dying to push out. God I love this pairing so much. Please ENJOY!
“How long do you think it will take?” Bajie, third disciple, was leaned against the monastery wall a frown furrowing his snout. The pig had just wanted Wukong settle their Master into an alcove in the room, set away from any windows or doorways. Of course Trip had asked Wukong to go begging for fruits- even though the monastery had given them a hearty course of noodles and steamed buns from the kitchens. Wukong had obliged his master, bowing low before seeking out her and asking her if she wanted anything.
“What do you mean?” Wujing was tending to some clothing, working a needle through the ripped and broken stitching along the edge of the fabric. The river demon didn’t seem to have a care in the world as the Stone Monkey leapt from the window and out into the afternoon light beyond.
“Come on Wujing!” Bajie stated exasperated. “ You can’t be blind to what’s going on…” he motioned with his hands to the open window where their brother had gone out and the silver form of Haarini who brought over the scrolls Tripitaka had requested from the monastery archives.
Wujing looked up from his stitching when Bajie have him a kick in his leg and blinked. It took him a moment between looking out the latticed window and to the silver simian beside their master to piece together what was bothering Bajie so much.
“Oh you mean between Wukong and Miss Haarini?” Wujing asked. He didn’t quite see the point his brother was trying to make.
“Yes. The ape is practically head over heels for her and he doesn’t have a clue!” Bajie fumed. He watched Haarini help lay out stones to hold the old and crumbling scroll open, setting a small red candle nearby so Tripitaka could read the fading letters with little strain. Bajie liked to think he was an expert on love and courtship. He had experience - albeit mostly rejections but he would never admit they were failures, just wrong girl wrong time scenarios- and had an eye to see that when Wukong looked at Haarini he had all the tenderness in the world.
“I think the young Miss is also in love with him.” Wujing commented softly. He was almost done fixing the hole in his spare trousers. Bajie whirled off the wall and gripped the river demons shoulders and gave such a violent shake as to send the needle flying out of his hand.
“So you see it too?!” Bajie ground his teeth. If he was a fire demon, steam would have been coming from between his teeth. “Why doesn’t Wukong come out with it and just say it?! It’s infuriating.”
“Infuriating that he’s clueless ?” Wujing bent down to feel for his needle, staying calm even though some of the stitching from his hard work had come undone. “Or is infuriating because Bajie is jealous that our brother has someone interested in him?”
The sly taunt pricked the pig just as Wujing found his needle again- only to loose it as his brother grabbed his shoulders and shook again.
“Wujing! I had a wife remember.” Bajie huffed. “ If anyone knows romance it would be me!”
“Keeping your wife locked up while your in-laws called you a monster?” Wujing pushed his brother off him and caught his needle up again.
“I plowed their fields! I harvested their crops! They should be thankful for such a good Son-in-law!” Crowed the ex marshal. Haarini peaked around at them from her place beside Tripitaka. They were making such a noise about marriage and the pat exploits of Bajie she couldn’t help but listen in.
“Tell that to your ex wife.” Haarini heard that and immediately turned back to the scriptures Tripitaka was gently explaining. Whatever the two brothers were talking about- she wanted nothing to do with.
“Why doesn’t he just say it?!” Bajie reiterated, setting himself back down and against the wall.
“Say what?” Wujing was already engrossed in his work again, having forgotten what point his brother was trying to get to.
“That he loves her Brother! That he is doting on her like a moon eyed dawn after its mother!” It was adorable to see the very cheeky and very sly monkey stumble over his own feet in the presence of a girl. It would give Bajie satisfaction- if it didn’t confound him that this monkey had gained the amour and fluttering lashes of a lady!! “He practically tangled tails with her at every moment!”
“Maybe Wukong doesn’t really understand why he loves her… or what he may be feeling.” Wujing observed.
“What do you mean Wujing? Are you hinting that … Wukong may Never have … felt love before?” The thought seemed so sudden, so alien to Bajies mind that he recoiled from it. Bajie had loved almost since the moment he could conceptualized the thought. There were a lot of pretty women in the courts of Heaven and across the cosmos. I mean… they were women! Pretty dainty things with lips and curves and they all smelled wonderful! To think Wukong had never felt love.. never trysted with another …
“He’s felt love.” Wujing amended. With a pull and tug, the thread came free of its binding in a nice stitch. The hole was mended. “I just don’t think he’s ever had a crush.”
Wukong traipsed through the grove of apple trees, smiling softly to himself. His basket was full of fruit from seven different mountaintops now. He had oranges, cherries, plums, peaches, strawberries, mangos and apples. An assortment of fruits he had to beg and somersault across ranges and deserts for, to hop and skip rivers and oceans just to get across.
Wukong wouldn’t range so far for several reasons. One was his master had a terrible stroke of misfortune that always plagued him to no end whenever the monkey was gone. One would think after so many kidnappings and snatchings, trickings and plyings with sly words, that his other brothers would become more observant right ? Wrong! Wujing could be depended upon, bless him. But Bajie? Sometimes Wukong wanted to peel those pig ears off his head and wipe that grin from his snout in frustration.
When it came down to seeing glamour Wukong was the best. No demon could hide from his discerning eye. His Master knew this- and still would be swayed my Bajies words to disbelieve the Sage.
Bajie had talked his Master into saving demonic women who could pluck the very souls from bodies. The pig had made arguments against Wukongs cautions when it came to a platter of fruits that smelled too sweet or tea that looked just a bit to colorful. And the third disciple ? He had a terrible and scary habit of falling asleep at any and all hours. Ba Longma, their second brother and disciple, had had to wake the pig on more occasions then not.
So the rest of Wukongs reasons? They solely fell on Bajies shoulders. The blame for Wukongs paranoia was at the pigs feet. However that had changed when she came to join them.
Haarini.
She was a flash of silver white fur that had taken him by surprise, knife held to his throat and her teeth flashing. “Who are you?” Had been hissed from a face full of violence and fear.
I am someone completely confused and surprised. Had been Wukongs first thoughts.
Wukong had knives, polestars, maces, bats, clubs, swords, halbergs, quarterstaves, fans, morningstars, greatswords, axes, arrows, tekko, butterfly swords, falchions, rapiers, katana, Dadao and all things sharp or meant for killing pointed at him along the journey. The people wielding them had been mortal and demon alike.
However none of them had been monkey. It was like … looking into the past. She resembled nothing of his people, nothing of his mountain. She wasnt him, had never been him.
Yet the fear… the tremble… Haarini had been in a state when she came to the group. It had taken communicating and gentle coaxing by all to get her to ease. And when she did ? She promptly fell to sleep like a stone being dropped in water. Wukong felt a smidge of something within him beginning to grow white hot. An ember of a feeling he had not been aware of missing.
He had been king of Flower Fruit Mountain longe before he had been imprisoned beneath the Five Phases mountain. Though he hadn’t acted kingly in quite a long time, Wukong felt himself beginning to slip back into that mantel.
Was he bossing anyone around and giving orders and such? No. Being a king was a bit more then that. Besides Bajie would probably disregard him as he always did if given an order. No this was the other side of Wukong that had been seen in glimpses and flashes, like a white Hart in the woods.
This was the part he had always at his core had been: loving. Caring. Compassionate. Wukong wanted the best for his people. He had been driven across the sea to find in in Sabhuti and learn of the art of eternal life. The monkey had cultivated himself for years- all in the name of seeing his people live long and happy lives. To forever live.
Wukong had seen what death did. It took the joy from the living, took a person they loved - wether it be mate or child, mother or sibling- and left nothing but the frozen form from whence their soul inhabited. A husk of the bright flicker that had been before. Wukong had seen his fair share of tears from his people when the first of their troop had died, heart giving out in the middle of festivities and livelihood.
He had tasted the tears of his people as they had buried the elder, the first death Wukong had seen so naturally snatched in the prime spark of life, thrown petals onto the body. Wukong had experienced his first burial. He had seen the mourning.
That sorrow had been a thorn in his foot, a bite from a bug he could not ignore. He worried at it, picked at it. Would he suffer the same fate? But if he did- who would be left to protect the little children,the elder mothers, the stubborn adolescents, from the things that prowled and saw them as nothing more then Monkeys?
They were more then Monkeys. Each of his people had a name. The elder, Sunrise, had been the first name etched into the stone monkeys heart. Wukong refused to forget his smile, the way he called the loudest in the halls during feasts, or how he liked to tell the little ones ghost stories and make the mothers box him about the ears.
Wukong had made a determination, a declaration to himself. That would be the last needless death.
He had not been able to fulfil it completely.
Wukongs own need to secure safety had lead to his rise in power, which had lead to Heavens notice of him. This had lead to the first incidence of scorn and contempt by immortals Wukong had ever experienced. From Humanity? He had learned in his time with Sabhuti that bot all the disciples there looked at him with fondness.
They were mortal men, unaccustomed to the long days of merriment and joviality that Sun Wukong had created in his mountain. Their time was fleeting in Wukongs mind- like grains of sand racing to the bottom of the glass. Wukong wanted to stop his own pell mell fall into that same trap- and had succeeded.
From immortals however ? Beings he had given respect to - as much as he could while also giving them a bit of cheek and teasing for that was his way, to tease and to teach- and had been full of wisdom to him?
They had treated him nothing like his people. Nothing like Sabhuti. Contempt and belittlement had been slung at him.
So of course he had reacted.
That had been more then Five hundred years go. Ages since he had last seen his people, the children, the elders of his mountain.
Flashes of his old self, of the caring free loving monkey king from before had been slow to come forward. Yes he was still a cheeky and conniving trickster. But the playful care ? The kind he would use to tease the children of the mountain into trying new things, or to encourage his generals into learning new maneuvers ? That came in rare flashes in the most secluded moments with Tripitaka, when his master was not breathing down his neck about the importance of every life.
The importance of every life is moot if your being picked out of some upstart demons teeth.
However… Haarini had woken something Wukong was not expecting to awake until he was home and back on his mountain. Care.
Wukong set the basket down in the dew speckled grass, humming as he leapt into the tree above. The cloud cover here was beautiful - frosted in the dying light of the sun and cold crisp scent of winter winds. Wukong was in a place that had longer winters and shorter summers, where the breath of winter was always a step from the door. But for right now the summer was warm enough to fight the chill winds.
Up among the twisting branches, blossoms and apples hung. The smell was soft and fragrant and numerous. The blossoms were small, delicate little things. Bees late to their hives still flitted over them. Wukong picked the best branches and gave them a fast snap. They came away like toothpicks, the blossoms hardly disturbed.
Wukong hoped down setting the branches in the top of the basket. His smile was soft. Warmth settled in his body as he placed the little cloth back over his findings. Then with a breath he spun away, up and over clouds in a somersault that sent him into the air and beyond.
Wukong was soon back at the monastery. The rooftile beneath his feet was still warm from the sun. Night had fallen fully, the blanket of stars in full display. Cicada’s and cricket song flooded the night. The monastery’s paper lanterns gave off a amber honey glow, the fluttering of moths casting large then life shadows across their surfaces.
Below the tiled roof came the comforting murmurs of conversation. Candlelight spilled from the latticed window below. Wukong could hear Bajie and Wujing arguing and the gentle tones of Haarini and Tripitaka in polite conversation. He pulled a bit of fur from his coat and blew, creating a woven basket. Wukong separated the fruits for his master and the little treats he had gathered for Haarini. There was a bit of honeycomb he had snatched, the apple blossom branches, the best Mangos and a few rich and juicy strawberries.
Once that was settled, Wuong felt his fur itch. The urge overcame him and he set to grooming- settling his orange and reddish fur back into place. Ears immaculate, clothes without a speck of dust, tail looking less poofy then before. Once his body stopped itching so terribly, Wukong rapped his knuckles against the latticework and gave a happy hoot. There was a silence then Haarini returned the greeting, musical voice answering his in greeting.
The frame was opened and Haarini stuck her head out, yellow eyes flashing in friendship.
“What are you doing out here? You can just come in.”
“I want to give you something.” Wukong waited eagerly at the edge of roof. He was leaning down looking at her, hands holding the tiles. Everything was cast in a sort of upside down view, the room beyond the window a mess of jumbled shapes. Except Haarini. The simians silvered fur was like a second moon in the light as she quirked a brow at him.
“And that cant be done inside?”
“Not with Bajie.” He peered a bit further and into the room. The third disciple was carrying on about his ex wife and how he was a great husband. Rubbish. He may have done the work of seven people and then some but he had kidnapped his wife first off. That was something no father in law would enjoy. Or mortal women.
“The pig will only ruin it!” Wukong decided to use his secret weapon- he pressed his face close to hers, blinking to make his eyes grow large. “Please Haarini it will be a good surprise.”
Haarini blinked then laughed, snorting in a way that set Wukongs spine to rippling in the most beautiful way. He loved seeing her delight. The Sage would become the greatest jester in all the heavens if he got to hear her soft laughter.
Wukong passed the basket through the window, the one containing the majority of the fruit “Here take the fruits to Shifu and then come back to the window.”
Haarini took the basket and disappeared from sight. With her gone the itching began again in Wukongs fur. He had to resist turning to it and grooming by biting a fang into his lip. It felt like ages bur it was merely moments before she reappeared. The silver monkey was back at the window looking up. Wukong offered her a hand and pulled her up.
He didn’t let go and neither did she. Haarini leaned in looking at the identical basket covered in cloth and back to his golden eyes. Wukong took that moment to try and regain some of his thoughts back. Her smell was in his nose, her hands were soft in his. The way the dim starlight caught in her fur and danced across it like an Arctic crest of permafrost… she was so beautiful.
He could get lost in those eyes… warm like nectar and soft in the light…
“You are eager to show me what you have.” She spun and now was holding both of his hands. She looked up at him, a smirk on her face. “It better not be a trick.”
“No trick. Just close your eyes.”
“Wukong if you put a frog on my head..”
“It was one time! One!”
“One too many!” Her laughter echoed again. Wukong felt his ears melt in the sound of it. He was egged on now, entranced and encouraged by her mirth. A bit of the old King slide out from that place beneath the mountain of memory. He laughed back, allowing that play to prance upon his soul.
“But the frog had the same color eyes as you- it was a comparison” He teased and clucked. The words had their desired effect.
“You cheeky furbag!” Haarini called, smacking his shoulder in mock battle. Wukong felt none of the slaps but felt the little free spark in his heart flair to a flame.
“I am no cheek!” Wukong said with all the mischief.
“You are full of yourself and you know it.” Haarini teased. “Is this why you didn’t want to go down with Bajie?”
“Bajie likes my good humour! He would laugh at my jokes all the time before you came along.” Wukong puffed. He crossed his legs and gently coaxed Haarini down beside him.
“Possibly because you threatened him with a smack between the eyes.” She gestured to his ear where he hid his staff and mimed pummelling someone on the head.
“All in jest. I promise!” He pressed a hand to his heart as she glared at him. He felt a prickle of worry, just a smidge, as he motioned again.
“No frogs just close your eyes. Please?” Baby eyes engaged once more, trying to coax her not to be suspicious.
Haarini reached up and tugged on his ear in play.
“Alright. But if what you give me moves, I will shove it down into your gullet.”
“I dont doubt that.”
He waited until she had closed her eyes. He tested it by waving first his hand then his tail in front of her nose. Her face remained impassive, calm. The Sage had to shake himself bodily to get moving. She just was so pretty in the starlight — it should be criminal to shine without stars.
Wukong turned back to the basket and set to work. He quickly took the branches and easily wove them together. He only lost a few petals from the precious flowers. The scent smelled wonderful, crisp and clear. Wukong felt his tail twitching in excited flutters. He almsot giggled and ruined the surprise. Then Wukong turned and, with delicate care, set the crown of branches and blossoms onto her brow.
“Wukong wha—“ she was a bit startled, opening an eye as the cheeky King sprinkled the last of the apple blossom petals onto her.
“Behold! The flower Queen!” Wukong gave a regal bow, hands swooping back and out as his forehead practically kissed the tiled roof. “All hail the queen of spring!”
“You made me a crown out of blossoms?” Haarini gently ran a hand up and over the little branches that Wukong had woven together. The pale pinkish white petals gave off the softest smell and made her fur look lustrous.
“I couldn’t get you a bouquet.” Wukong chuffed smugly - and with a little bit of mirth. “Those are in the cities and the last time i got you one you nearly bit my fingers.”
“Wukong,” Haarini reproached, “You didn’t get me them-you stole them.”
“I acquisitioned them!”
“You stole them!”
Wukong smirked down on her. And unfurled his hand.
He dropped more petals onto her upturned face. The petals brushed over her nose and lips and Haarini breathed in the pollen.
This elicited the cutest sneeze The Great Sage Equal To Heaven had ever heard. Wukongs eyes blew out as she rubbed at her nose. “Oh my…”
Of course poor Haarini was unaware of the fawning King. She simply rubbed at her snout, trying to gain some composure. The petals had spread their pollen right into her face and nose, setting her to a few more sneezing fits.
A few more adorable honks that had Wukong all but fallen into himself in the urge not to suddenly grab her. It was just so … cute!
Haarini grumbled about the unfair advantages he had, specifically the one where she had no petals to throw at his smirking face when she had been right in the argument all along.
“Wukong my nose is streaming do you have a—“ her eyes had cleared enough to notice how close Wukong had gotten. He was less then a handspan away. He was laying on his belly, feet kicked up over his back, tail curled in a crescent.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Cute.” Wukongs head rested on his two hands as he peered up at her.
“What?” Haarini felt her ears beginning to burn, her fur itching all over as this monkey looked at her like she was the moon and stars and heaven come all to earth. Her heart gave a leap and her emotions were off and running. She had never had anyone admire her like that- had never had someone jest and play and look with such golden eyes into her face …
“Super cuuuute!” Wukong called again, reaching out to tap her now blushing face with the pad of a thumb. Haarini felt steam leave her ears and her fur curl. That heartbeat earlier ? It was racing- galloping- full sprinting like an Arabian horse over the desert dunes.
Seeing him looking at me like that …. I want to —
“Stop it, it was a sneeze!” She slapped at his face, feeling the thoughts of her heart beginning to overwhelm her. Haarini had had bachelors court her. She had had bachelorettes try and weave flowers into her fur. None had ever tempted her eye or caught her heart. There had been handsome ones, kind ones, ambitious ones. As the next matriarch of her troop, Haarini had felt a pressure to perform- to love and to tryst as her mother wanted and secure a successor to the bloodline.
Love had not come into the equation of it.
She had never expected to find it here, leagues away from everything she knew and loved, in the form of a monkey whos eyes glowed like the desert sun, whos laugh made her bones shake in pleasure and whos hands held the gentleset touches. A warrior such as he touched with the softness of day blending to twilight. Subtle and gentle.
Like he was now against her face, holding her in his palm and she, leaning in like she belonged there.
“The most adorable sneeze ever!” Wukong chortled as Haarini regained her independence from her lovesick heart and growled. She gathered some of the fallen petals up.
“Lets see how you like petals in your face!” Haarini pressed them into Wukongs face just as the simian had opened his mouth. The poor King was set on a fit of coughing and sneezing that had Haarini in stitches- but also rubbing his back and apologizing. Wukong returned the favour however as he grabbed her and tugged her back down and into him.
Haarini valiantly struggled under the wrestling. It was like fighting to pin and flip a mountain. She could try all she wanted but each time she got some headway over the King he would simply topped her back onto him. Then under him.
They both lay on the tile for a moment, Haarini catching her breath as she laughed and Wukong hardly breathing as he stared down at her. She was flushed a darker shade- from exertion or laughter he could not tell- and it added a undertone that had him staring into her.
Each time I look at her its like seeing her for the first time. My mind just cant give her an accurate shape.
Maybe one day I can ask an artist to paint her portrait. I never want to forget her smile.
Wukong flopped onto his side beside Haarini, fingering a bit of her crown.
“You are so cute covered in flowers.”
“Shut up-“ her breathes came out a bit faster but with no serious reprimand in them. Wukong felt a bit of a thrill. He had won. “I hope you have more then flowers for me.”
“Of course.”
Under the starlight, in the casting of apple blossoms and the smell of ripe mango and strawberries, the two sat. Enjoying each others company long into the night- past when the cicadas stopped their singing, past when the sky began to grow warm like milk tea in the turning of the day. Haarini talked and teased to Wukong and Wukong listened and teased back. They didn’t realize they were leaning into and upon each other, tails curled and wrapped like vines. When eventually Haarini fell asleep, it was Wukong who curled about her. He grew in size just enough to shelter her from whatever wind came upon them. He slept light, the seeping warmth from the roof tiles lending a heat to wherever they pressed into. Bellies full of fruit and hearts full of one another, the bight passed in peaceful companionship.
A companionship blossoming into the petals of love.
#hcwrites#hcfanfics#writing stuff#a journey to the au fanfi#for journey to the au#HERE SHE IS#A BEHEMOTH#4k words i beleive#it is always the dialouge that makes it longer hehehe but i love this slice of love#YES I KNOW APPLE BLOSSOMS COME IN MANY SIZES.#but also some smell nice and i imagine Haarini in soft little white pedals#jttw au#sun wukong#what if au#haarini#jttw sun wukong#zhu bajie#tripataka#i like to think of Ba Longma as the second apprentice personally#I MEAN HE WAS HERE BEFORE PIGSY SO THAT TECHNIQULLY MEANS HES THE SECOND APPRENTICE#jttw fanfic#I HOPE I CAPTURED THE BABIES WELL#WEEEE#SOME FLUFF TO CHASE DOWN THAT BEAUTIFUL SORROW FLUFF GAVE US YESTERDAY MY GOD#THAT SHIT IS STILL LIVING IN MY HEAD RENT FREE#jttw tag#jttw fanfiction#I LOVE WRITING FLUFF OK#FLUFF MAKES ME SAPPY#I kept seeing that scene from walle when they hold hands with the music going in the background
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Love of a Mountain
(Part two to @journey-to-the-au Banquet Fic)
Here is part two to Banquet! I hope you enjoy !
Willow walked out of her room sometime later, having divested herself of the Heavenly court garments. Instead she was back in her simple gowns and letting her hair fall free the way she liked. If Wukong insists upon a feast then it’s best not to get the garments Heaven-approved-of messy.
Feasts were never the same thing twice here on Flower Fruit Mountain. Each one was as different as a sunset- a thing to be experienced and enjoyed. Heaven's orderly festivals and banquets were usually repetitive and ended the same. No two feasts upon the mountain could ever be compared or summed up as the same.
Rin Rin was coming just from around the corner as Willow closed her door. Though she and Wukong were married- they still enjoyed having a room to run back to and sequester themselves in. They had a shared room- one that linked the two seperate ones together. They used this only when the two desired affection and connection. Or when one or both was having a day of it. For Wukong this would be phantom pains from the circlet he had worn across his brow, or nightmares from his time within the vats being boiled alive. For Willow, this would be memories of the imposter, or nightmares of glowing eyes in the dark asking her how sweet she would taste.
Just a Kiss Willow dear~
Willow shook her head, chasing the cobwebs from her mind. Rin Rin came with a smile and wave. The little gray monkey had a fresh flower behind her ear and her fur was all a sparkle beneath her ochre robes. Willow bent to greet her friend in a warm hug as she collided.
“Willow! I’ve come to collect you.” Rin Rin said. Willow sighed.
“Truly all this fuss and bother for a bit of a missed meal.” Willow grumbled back. “I told Wukong it would be fine, but he insisted on waking everyone for a feast.”
Rin Rin smiled as she stepped back, taking Willow's hand and rushing her along the corridor. Even from way back here, she could make out the gaiety and laughter spilling from the great dining hall beyond. Music was being struck up and Willow couldn’t help but hum a bit of the tune. The folk songs of Flower Fruit Mountain usually were rhymes or twisting trickster tales and harrowing pranks that brought glory. The tune now was a song written for Courage, of her triumph over a tiger and how her trade for her life was her voice.
“Well I heard that Heavenly feasts can’t compare to our own!” Rin Rin touched her flower with her free hand, adjusting it. “Besides, Wukong has some entertainment planned!”
Willow couldn’t help feeling a little bit excited for that. Wukong loved to act out and depict his tales and songs and many deeds with improvisation and magic. He would change shape as swiftly as a wind shifted direction, catching all the crowd up in his story weaving. Her dear friend had many stories to tell and a delightful way to show the little ones of the troupe all the stories he delivered on.
“He didn’t have to wake up the whole mountain.” Willow protested but her protests were getting weaker of conviction the closer they got to the hall. Delicious smells set her stomach to rumbling and Rin Rin grinned. The small monkey knew her friend was losing the battle to protest. She simply pulled her along faster, eager herself to join in the merry making.
“We like parties, Willow.” Rin Rin put simply. The monkeys of Flower Fruit Mountain adored parties. Festivals were favorites. Banquets were boastful. Special occasions were sublime. Any excuse to have a good time and to enjoy themselves was enough. And Rin Rin loved showing off her outfits to Liu, her husband. “Wukong seems more excited than he usually is coming back from the Palace.”
That was true. Usually when they came back from such an excursion to the Heavenly Palace he was tired, fed up with celestial interactions. The human behaviours threw him even now because some celestials would act more human and then those few that came from origins on the mortal world would act more animalistic but look the most human of all. It was always a balancing game of how to interact with who and it was something Wukong could never truly get the hang of.
Willow helped where she could but Wukong preferred to, as he liked to say, ‘Shove himself into a live volcano then try and talk to another official celestial body’. Her handsome monkey tried so hard and usually by the end of a night, was beyond tired and grumpy. Especially if that night was like this one. Hearing Wukong was in good spirits had her thinking.
“What is he trying to pull?” She said aloud.
“Whatever it is, it's for you and you have to be in your spot!” Rin Rin chuckled.
They came around the bend of a stalagmites and out into the great cavern that held the dining area. The stone tables and stools were filled with row upon row of monkeys, of every shade and color imaginable. A living rainbow of fur and silk, the Flower Fruit Mountain troupe were in full jovial mood. Willow caught sight of the overflowing dishes- so quickly prepared!- lining the tables in great silver platters. Fruit cobblers, sweet breads drizzled in glazes of sugar, pies stuffed with almonds and oats, great heaps of fruits of all kinds littered the table. Coconut toddy was passed around in great glass jugs between neighbors on benches. Willow saw shellfish poached and buttered, swaths of tofu fried or grilled in a number of sauces passed from table to table. The comradery, the welcome air, was like snuggling into a warm blanket on a cold night.
Rin Rin led the way to the highest table, one exclusively left for Wukongs closest family and his most trusted advisors. They passed the theater floor, which had been cleared of stools and tables. There would be an event of some kind then.
Great swaths of coconut flesh were shining like white snow upon nearby tables and one of the littlest babes held it out to Willow as they passed.
“Granma Willow! Granma Willow!” The little babe spoke up, holding the coconut flake out. “Try try! I got it myself”
“All by yourself?” Willow remembered the name of this little tuft of fluff. He had been named for the pink of his eyes, and for the rare seasoning brought down upon the world from mountain heights. “Salt thats quite a feat!” She took the coconut from Salts little paw and popped it into her mouth.
“Mmm! Delicious!” And the little babe beamed, flapping his hands excitedly. This started up a small baby monkey storm as the littles, hearing that Grandmother Willow was trying and tasting food, came running. It was like a small tidal wave that Rin Rin got swept up in as well.
“Try my apple!” A brown furred little named Braken chirped, presenting a slice of a ruby red apple to Willow. Before Willow could respond, another little monkey climbed her dress, determination across his very tight little face.
“No no!” Storm challenged. “I made my berries into a jam! Just like you showed me!” He held the tiny little jar in one tiny fist. He was yanked down by another baby, a bit bigger female of the group.
“Grandma Willow would prefer my bread!” Scarlet said.
“Well I made yogurt! With bananas !” Another baby called from the top of Rin Rins head, and suddenly Willow couldn’t keep track of the babies who started to bicker.
“That’s nothing- I MADE THE BEST THING!”
“NO I DID.”
“NO ME!”
Rin Rin popped up from beneath a group trying to climb her, laughing and trying to be serious to reprimand the over eager children in their quest to impress the grandmother of the mountain. Willow herself was laughing too hard as she tried and failed to take a taste of all the treats the babies held out to her. Being bombarded in such a way with so much love was a bit overwhelming but also such a warm and buttery feeling.
It’s nice to feel and see so much love. To be wanted and loved in such a way.
“You littles better get back in your places right now!” The voice of her friend called from beyond Willows sight.
“GRANDPA WUKONG!!” And the small tidal wave of littles swamped the Monkey King. He used his magic, growing larger to collect them all in his arms and swing them about.
“Oh my treasures! How are each of you darling gems! You listening to your mothers? Minding your fathers?” A chorus of yes! Came from the clinging little children, laughing as their grandpa swung them about and placed them back at each table with their parents. “Remember! We can’t swamp Grandma Willow! She may get overwhelmed ok?”
“Yes grandpa!”
“Good little treasures!” He said to them in approval. Once all the babies were back with their parents at their respective tables, Wukong held out his hand to Willow. She took it, Rin Rin holding the other as her two friends pulled her up from the floor and to the table.
“I love them all so much.” Willow thought aloud, as she watched the eager and open love from some of the children and their family’s. She would do anything for these tiny gems that shone with such brightness.
“They almost drowned you in that love.” Rin Rin remarked, straightening her fur and having it lie back in place. “They almost drowned me as well-to get at you- the cheeky lemmings.” This last part was said with such soft love that it took all the teeth out of the remark.
“It would have been a good death.” Willow replied.
“Death by smothering?” Wukong snorted. He nodded to his mothers who greeted him, Willow and Rin Rin in return. Wukong led Rin Rin to her seat beside Marshal Liu who was dressed in his finest armor. His soft cream colored fur looked extra well brushed and presentable. Liu smiled to Willow, bowing his head. Rin Rin eagerly went to her seat, setting the both of them to blushing. Ma and Chestnut were seated beside them, already enjoying the sautéed mushrooms and several shellfish between them.
“Death by love is poetic. Especially when it comes from such little hands and happy hearts.” Willow's smile was warm as she spoke, her gaze sweeping the full and boisterous hall. She didn’t notice the slight sparkle that entered Wukongs eyes as he witnessed Willows face melt into one of such love and adoration.
Wukong then led Willow to her spot at the table, right beside his mothers Wisdom and Courage. To their left was Xinshu, quietly picking and dismantling some poor raspberries. Willow wondered how she was peeling them without the berries bursting. Xinshu was expertly dissecting the berries with the tips of her claws. She turned and waved a red tipped claw at Willow and, though there was no malice, there was a hint of cool challenge.
Willow wouldn’t dare comment on her sister-in-laws habit of spooking her or the others of the celestial court. It had taken a while for her and the white simian to come to a sort of trust and agreement of mutual respect. Willow knew that her little wave wasn’t meant to scare her in the fashion she had originally set about when Willow had first come to the mountain. Instead she was testing her strength, challenging Willow as if to say ‘see? Can you do that?’
Willow could not eviscerate a raspberry. She didn’t even know it was possible to do so. Beyond Xinshu sat Ba and Chestnut. It was good to keep Ma and Ba separate to prevent the start of food fights.
Though, Willow admitted, it wasn’t always bad pranks- food fighting was a new experince. It was quite humorous to join in.
Willow would never tell Ma or Ba but she did enjoy their antics to a point. They kept everyone, including herself, on their toes. But they had also taught her better pranks after she had tricked Wukong with a bucket, a door and some simple water. She recalled that memory fondly when the two standoffish monkeys suddenly approached her one day while she was out tending to the orchards.
“Listen-“ Ma said, coming out from beneath an overhanging peach tree, tail curled in a casual S shape
“We love the classic prank you pulled-“ Ba continued. He hopped down from the opposite tree, a peach in his hand. He took a bite, leaning against the bark.
“It was amazing-“ Ma said.
“Ten out of ten!” Ba Replied.
“But if you really want to get Wukong-“ Ma leaned in.
“Like TRUELY trick that old man-“ Ba continued, leaning in conspiratorial.
“Your gonna need better material!” They said together, their tails twitching in tandem.
“Fear not-“ Ba grumbled, finishing off the peach and tossing the pit.
“You're in good hands now.” Ma finished, taking Willow by the hand and leading her through the orchard to discuss further prank material.
Willow had slowly won over much of the mountain's love and adoration in just her actions and her words. She had proven to the cautious and most hesitant of Flower Fruit Mountain that she was not like other Celestials. She wasn’t like the rest of the court that had brought their wrath down upon the mountain during Wukongs younger days.
Willow was partially through a quite delectable bit of sautéed Chicken of the Woods with shallots and chopped onions when Wukong stood, tapping the side of his coconut toddy with the tip of a knife. The simple noise brought a calmer atmosphere to the hall as Wukong cleared his throat.
“My family! I called on this sudden feast to celebrate my wonderous Wife Willow!” A collective murmur of appreciation swept through the attendants.
“Oh no Wukong why…” Willow felt her face flame a bit in embarrassment. While her friend delighted in the spotlight, Willow didn’t mind watching from the sidelines. Suddenly being thrust into the whole reason for a feast made Willow groan in second hand embarrassment.
“Yes ! She defended my honor when the celestial men of the court cornered me to ask and pester questions from your good king!” Gasps. A few furious teeth barings. Xinshu sliced a little too harshly through her raspberry and sprayed red juice across the table. Wisdom rolled her eyes at her sons theatrics.
“Was it really all that bad?” Rin Rin asked, leaning into Willow.
“They did ask about our ability to reproduce -“ Willow began and Liu grumbled.
“I cannot understand the Celestials' obsession with putting their noses into others' familial relations.” The Marshal shook his head. “I am sorry you were put through that … embarrassment, my Lady. If I had been there I would have challenged his honor.” Willow smiled at him, feeling touched by his need to defend her. Marshal Liu had been one of the first to start calling her ‘My Lady’ after her incident at the river. He was always polite and professional, reminding her of the few times she had actually talked to her brothers.
“Your king was cornered,” Wukong continued, beginning to replay the events with magic. He had pulled several hairs from his coat, chewed and then created duplicates from the strands. The doubles changed themselves into leering courtly men, surrounding a very terribly distressed Wukong. “He was communicating quite clearly how he wished to be away and alone when Willow put on the best performance!”
Another double appeared a bit further down on the cleared theater space, Willow in all her courtly attire. Real Willow was pretty convinced Willow douple was glamoured just a bit much. Her hair shone like a ravens wing and her face almost gave off sparkle as it turned. The real Wukong stood back narrating, pointing out each scene as it happened.
Willow felt her face flame a bit more.
“She swooned and put on a spectacular show of it, asking her husband to rescue her from the stifling court air.” Here the Douple Willow fell over in a dramatic recreation. Douple Wukong rushed forward, catching the fainting Willow.
“ And I, the magnificent King that I am, decided that enough was enough and brought her back to our wondrous mountain home.”
Wukong dismissed his copies and turned, to fix his eyes upon Willow. He smiled, and it was a fun and gentle one, full of teasing and love and such open warmth that it could rival the sun.
“Truly she saved us from a bland night of watching the controlled dances of horses and court gossip.”
Ma and Ba were both roaring and cheering with a large majority of the monkeys now. Willow blushed harder and kissed Wukongs forehead. “I can’t believe you.”
“That’s a good rebuff … right?”
“I am going to play the largest prank on you when you least expect it !” Willow smiled. She knew he did this out of love. And out of a need to tease and praise her. But she wanted to tease him back.
Wukong returned the kiss, placing one right on the tip of her nose. “I look forward to your pranks and will return them in kind.” And he snuck a cheeky tug to her hair in play.
As they pulled apart and settled into their meal again, Willow slowly became aware that there was a murmur going about the tables. A muttering and grumbling that started low and finally crested as some of the troupe of monkeys asked louder.
“Dancing horses? What -“
“They have dancing horses?”
Wukong heard the mutterings and rose once again from his seat.
“Oh yes and they danced with such boring restraint! I’ll show you how a real horse should dance!” Before anyone could tell Wukong no, he had somersaulted back into the cleared theatre space and shapeshifted. An adorable short chestnut stallion stood on the theater floor, his facial markings becoming a white banded blaze across his face. The dining hall whooped and cheered as Wukong began to go through the paces. The horse sidestepped and spun, reared and tossed his head. Then he did things that no horse would ever attempt or try. He stood up and walked several paces, trying to imitate several courtiers in the palace. Wukong balanced on one leg, hopping from table to table and alternating. The hall was a frenzy of calling and cries of laughter as the horse became more ridiculous with each iteration of his ‘dance’.
After landing on his front hooves and balancing a goblet on his back hooves, Wukong paused to allow the hall to cheer and to settle. Then the horse turned his face back to the table, to Willow.
“Of course Heavens horses did not dance alone.” He proclaimed. He bowed in horse fashion, neck pulling in as a foreleg extended outward and downward. “Will you join me Willow?”
An abrupt silence as the monkeys in the hall heard this. Then like a bubbling brook they began to babble and chatter.
“Join him Willow!”
“Show us what you can do!”
“Can a celestial keep pace with him?” Xinshu spoke up, raising a brow in playful challenge at her sister-in-law. “My brother does shape change swiftly.”
Willow, stood and walked to the theater floor. When she had first shown Wukong that she too could change shape, it had been from a deep place of trust. To celestials, changing shape like this was seen almost as taboo. Why would one born of Heavens Grace wish to besmirch that gift? Willow had been taught the ways as any young princess would, and told to use them only in dire circumstances.
That resolve had only begun to deteriorate when coming to Flower Fruit Mountain and seeing her friend somersault into bears and birds with a blink of an eye. Shape changing was not meant to show off or be boastful- but Wukong didn’t do it to rub it in others faces. He did it to entertain, to bring joy and laughter to his home and his people. Willow, after years and years of holding to her understanding, had decided to surprise him. They had been sitting on Willows favorite cliff, the one Wukong had brought her to to first experience a sunshower.
She had been filled with liquid joy- they had spent the day with a group of littles teaching them what could be approached and what to be avoided. Of course that meant Wukong had shapeshifted to be the physical representation of each animal that Willow would describe as either dangerous or neutral. Seeing him effortlessly entertain the littles and the smiles it brought the babies, had finally turned what resolve she had left to dust.
Heaven would never see her do what she was about to do- so why should she hold back?
“Wukong.”
“Mm? What is it Willow?”
“Look” She moved her hands back, pushing them over her face and felt the change take shape. It was a fizzing sensation not that strange from tickling. It had her smiling when she had completed the shift, now just as tall as Wukong. She had turned into a monkey.
Wukongs eyes had become large as saucers, the pupils blown out as he watched her. She had cute little paws, a sparkling face and adorable tail.
He took a deep breath and politely accused “First off. Wow. Secondly. Why are you so cute ? Like, that’s not fair.”
They had spent that day testing who was cuter and who had the better form. It had melted the last of Willows worries about the taboo of shape changing. On earth there were rules that didn’t need to be adhered to as in Heaven. Restraining the joy of being able to be you was one of those rules that got thrown completely clear of the mountain.
It was a slow process to fully get Willow to relax into shape changing for fun but it didn’t take long. As the celestial walked onto the theater stage she felt the fizz and bubble.it rippled across her skin. One step she was Earth Reaching Willow, eldest celestial daughter to Heaven. The next step she was a bay mare, hooves sticking the stone as she pranced up to Wukong.
The hall went wild with cheers and clapping. Willow could hear Ma and Ba calling out from behind.
“Why she is more stunning than our cousin!”
“Bet she could put you through the ringer Wukong!”
Wukong heard this and tossed his head, nostrils flaring. Dancing was gone from his mind as he turned to stare out into the crowd.
“Do we want to put that to a vote? Who here thinks I have the best transformations?”
A roar crashed down upon Willows ears.
“And who here believes Willow to be the better shifter?”
Surprisingly a good half of the room still shouted their support, Rin Rin the loudest with a “Kick his butt Willow!”
Willow stepped up to Wukong, nuzzling him in horse fashion and chewing a bit of his mane. The stallion, shorter than she, stuck his head beneath her neck and wickered affectionately.
“You’ve decided to make a game of this?” Willow snorted in laughter. Wukong could make a competition and game from anything mundane. If it was laundry it would be a race. If it was baking it would be a contest. Shape Changing would be no different now that he had discovered and helped build up Willows courage to do it.
“Heavens fun is boring compared to ours.” Wukong wuffed. He pulled back, flagging his tail and taking a few strides in a trot. The crowd of monkeys whistled. “I think I’ll be the favorite shape changer.”
“Oh really?” Willow decided to give as good as she got. She tossed her head sending the cascade of black mane across her neck. Willow strutted, performing a perfect Piaffe, giving the illusion of galloping in place. The monkeys were a great audience to perform too- they were enjoying this and eating it up like sweet fruits- crying out to each of them in turn.
“I am the favorite after all.” Wukong countered. Then she watched as he changed shape. One step he was a chestnut stallion, proud head and tail flagging. In the next he had stepped into a wolf, red brindled fur shining.
“Only because you are a king!” Willow called. She decided to leap over the wolf that was Wukong and change mid air, becoming a jet black she wolf on the landing. The crowd applauded. They circled each other, tails wagging in play.
“Are you saying my monkeys would be biased to me?” Wukong woofed, tongue lolling in a smile. He chased his tail, earning some giggles from the littles as shifted again into a red buck. He tossed his head, displaying the twelve pointed tines like a crown on his head. “They would never favor me unfairly over you.”
“Is that so?” Willow teased. She slid beneath his neck, stepping into the next shape as a beautiful doe, eyes as black as the night. “Last I recall, I think they chose you as the winner for the pie baking contest we held- even though your pie was inedible!”
Willow nipped his ear affectionately and sprang back, hooves light as a dancer.
“It was completely edible!”
“It was undercooked and you know it!”
The two friends continued to shift from shape to shape. Wukong leading, Willow following. As they jabbed and teased, joked and called the others bluffs, they flowed through shape after shape. Like dancers they moved, becoming butterflies in one step, to crowing peacocks the next. They became so many shapes- cheetahs and foxes, phoenixes and unicorns, dragons and serpents.
Each turn of their game elicited more calls from the crowd. Applause as the pair turned into hyenas and set the room to laughing. Whoops as Wukong and Willow folded into antelope. They flowed through forms, trading jests and conversation in a playful manner. The game became less of a contest and more of a performance as each movement was either matched or complimented by the other.
Finally Wukong turned into a flaming tiger, roaring into the hall. Smaller babes squeaked in fear but most exclaimed their joy. Willow flowed seamlessly from the crane she had been before to a great white tigress, matching his roar.
Willow had forgotten the crowd almost entirely. She was laughing and so was Wukong as they came out of that final shape and back to themselves. They were both breathing hard as magic like that done so rapidly was an exercise in itself. Like any sport, magic was taxing. Wukong took his wife’s hand and they stepped to the edge of the cleared ground. They bowed in unison.
The hall erupted in joyous calls. Their names were shouted in unison, the game forgotten by the crowd themselves. The night from there on devolved into song and dance, food and good company. Sweets musical band struck up another song, a new one of tonight’s performances and the shifting grace of the mountain's two rulers. It was received with jubilant applause and calls for more and more. The wine flowed, the dancing ensued and Willow and Wukong laughed, the Polestar Palace Banquet far behind them.
It was hours later, the flow of wine leaving Willows head a bit lighter than usual. She had possibly drunk a bit too much tonight. Wukong, Rin Rin, Liu and herself were all trying to make their way back to their rooms. All four of them kept either tripping or stumbling which would elicit giggles from the others.
“What a Night..” Rin Rin hiccuped. She was spun in Lius arms in a very shoddy imitation of the dance from early.
“A night to remember~” Liu had stars within his eyes as he dipped his mate into a bow and proceeded to press as many kisses to her face. This elicited Rin Rin and Willow to laugh- Rin Rin because it set her face aflame and Willow because she loved seeing her friends be in love.
“We better give ‘em some privacy.” Wukong took Willows hand, tugging her toward their rooms. “Make sure you at least make it back to your room!”
The two love birds didnt respond as Liu began to whisper in her ear and set Rin Rin to giggling further. Wukong snagged something from inside their room - a pillow - and tossed it at Liu. It plunked against the Marshals head and he stopped his playful torture to look up.
“Make it back to your room Liu before you turn Rin into melted wax!” Wukong said. His friend gave a nod. Then he immediately swooped Rin Rin up into his arms and marched away.
“Well at least they will have some sort of privacy…” Wukong laughed, closing the door. This was their shared room- the space that the two could come together in. A great mound of bed stuffs- pillows, blankets, and soft downy furs, rose from a circular spot in the middle of the room. Willow made her way to it now, not caring to change and not worrying about the clothes she wore. They wouldn’t wrinkle terribly or dig into her skin from hidden pins or corsets.
These were her comfortable dresses made to toss and roll in. Wukong had had them made for her when she first came to Flower Fruit Mountain and had complained of her tight clothes and binding silks. Willow tumbled straight into the nest of bed stuff, grumbling and stretching happily as the soft down consumed her.
Well I’m not getting back up again.
She was beginning to fall asleep, drifting away on a warm glow when she heard the Monkey King call to her.
“Willow?”
“Mm?�� She lifted her head up, fighting the sleep. A belly full of food and wine with her body tired from magic and dancing- it was a great feat for Earth Reaching Willow to make eye contact with her friend.
Wukong had slipped from his mottled and fancy clothes, wearing a plain tunic. He looked at her with his great golden eyes then looked away. He kicked an invisible bit of dust at his feet.
“Would you … mind …” Wukong began. Then trailed off. Even half asleep, even with a good bit of Coconut Toddy in her body, Willow could read that look a mile away.
“You want to cuddle don't you?” She summarized.
His eyes grew as big as saucers as he nodded, eagerly.
“Come here, my handsome Monkey.” Willow opened her arms, an open invitation to him. Wukong came barreling in, settling himself into her. Wukong burrowed a hand into her hair. Willow curled her own into his fur. Wukong tucked her head into his chest and Willow made that her pillow. His tail wound around her leg as her free hand began to scratch his back. Wukong chirped and smacked his lips, nuzzling the top of her head and eliciting laughter from her.
The warm glow wasn’t just from the wine. Nor from the warmth these two souls shared. It was a common and honest love, deeper than physical. A bond of trust and care.
“That was fun.” Wukong spoke between his happy rumbles.
“You were planning to perform like those horses huh?” Willow asked him. Her fingers began to scratch behind his ears.
“Yeah- I was gonna be the sole horse dancer.” Wukong began to run his fingers through her hair, gentle as a spring breeze. “But… I’m glad you joined in. It’s more fun when there’s a partner to play with.”
“We’re partners for life.” Willow mumbled. Her fingers were slowing as Wukong pet and tended her.
“Partners to the end.” Wukong chuckled and pressed a kiss to her brow.
“Mm love you Wukong.” Willow muttered, falling back into sleep.
“Love you too Willow..” Wukong spoke between the happy baby noises he was making.
The two fell into sleep, happy and content and the troubles of the previous Banquet already buried beneath the memories of the new one. The safest place for both Willow and Wukong was here, within the gentle embrace of each other's arms. No nightmares came for them. Only blissful sleep and warm dreams. Dreams of food and wine and shifting shapes. And of a love that was the size and greatest of Flower Fruit Mountain.
#hcwrites#writing stuff#hcfanfics#for journey to the au#HERE YOU GO PART 2 !#can you tell what my favourite part was in writing this ?#sun wukong#jttw tag#jttw au#the betrothal au#jttw sun wukong#marshal liu#rin rin#if you hadn’t guessed#it was the shape changer scene#I LOVED WRITING THAT BIT#I got to brush off on some old horse and dressage terminology from my days living on a ranch#I love imagining these two being adorable to eachother#also had to sneak in Liu and Rin Rin being sweet#I was gonna write the fruit troop but I was worried I would over saturate the text.#instead maybe being swamped by a tidal wave of monkeys was enough of a description to all the little babies on flower fruit mountain lol#I did Research what specific vegetarian foods and diets could eat what.#I decided to use Lacto-vegetarian so I could still write about butter and yogurt pfttt#I really really liked this one! it was super cute and had me cuddling my phone#I wrote this when I was having a bit of an off day and it really helped tbh because how CAN YOU BE SAD OR MELANCHOLY WHEN YOU WRITE THIS#Pls Wukong being a showboat is so fun to write#I HOPE YOU ALL ENJOY!#I would link Part one but I am a boomer when it comes to Hyperlinks on my phone lol
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Epilogue ( @journey-to-the-au Fic)
This is what happens at the end of Tea trouble. It’s just short but it’s because I wanted to write fluff and cuddles and warmth.
The sun sank slowly into the sea, painting that great swath of liquid to fire. Willow felt the soft weariness sneak into her face as finally, finally her family mounted their heavenly steeds and kept back into the sky. The stars were beginning to appear in the darkening night. Gold, wood, water and fire. They marked the sky with their light as she waved her sisters goodbye.
From the mouth of babes came a second peace, a second chance. Lychee had offered the peach and Winter had taken a bite from it. An exchange and a wave of apologies. Willow had spent that time swapping tales and trading secrets of her home. Of her mountain. With her sisters. They listened attentively. They touched her hand- sought comfort and reassurance they had not lost her forever in their callous remarks. Willow reassured, reaffirmed and rebounded with each of her sisters.
She was exhausted. Willow sighed, itching her scalp. Her hairpins still bothered her, and her clothes felt too heavy. She wanted nothing more then to sleep for a fortnight. Anger was an emotion Willow rarely dove into, rarely utilized and unleashed. Calm rage? Yes. Anger that blinds like this one did ? No. It left her feeling achy and tired and o so sensitive to her skin.
Willow sighed. She was so thankful to the fruit troop, to Pear and Apple, Pomelo and Mulberry. And Lychee. The bravest little mischief maker ever. The first to offer a olive branch to her sisters and to forgive them. No one will talk that way to them ever again.
For now as the sun cast itself into the sea Willow felt her final strength ebb and fade with its light. She took a step back to rebalance herself —
Great large furred arms swung her up and over broad shoulders. She squealed in surprise as Wukong raised her up, growing in size himself.
“WILLOW!” He practically roared as the rest of the mountain followed suit. Thousands of the troop came racing forward, pressing close and reaching up to her from the spot on Wukongs shoulders. The rest of them were crowing and hollering and screaming. Calling her name.
“Gather the softest pillows and blankets ! The night will hold for us all- set the guards to chasing any beasts out of the groves. Light the fire pits! And everyone GATHER YOUR FAVORITE FRUIT!” Willow heard the roar of the crowd as they thundered off. Hammocks were pulled between trees, bundles of blankets and pillows and downy things were dragged and set down in the field. Monkeys lit the fire pits that lined the clearing, the great orange light casting dancing shadows as the sun continued its decent. Willow saw the troop laugh and chortle as they brought fruits out. A veritable second feast of food. Kiwis, grapes, oranges, watermelons, melons and nectarines.
Wukong kept Willow on his shoulders. Willow was too tired to ask why or deny the outward pouring of love from her earthen family. This was just the way they heaped support and love onto her. A veritable jungle of nests and hammocks, of blanketed caves and soft spots to lay soon covered the grass all around.
To tangle and tug and touch was the Monkey way of showing love. Willow sighed, laying against her husbands very soft and large head.
“What did I do ? It was all my fault.”
“Hush you I won’t hear you taking the blame for others ever again.” Wukong admonished. Several of the troop had gathered nearby, dragging a forest of bedding and plush to make nests and enjoy the night. Wukong set himself down in the thick of the troop, taking Willow up off his shoulders and into his lap. His tail coiled around her a hand against her middle. The giant monkey practically swamped her as he chirped and cooed, crooned and kissed her temples and nose.
“Wukong don’t swallow her!” Ba admonished. Willow peered from between the fur of Wukongs neck. She felt like a chick beneath a mother hen, completely covered and warm. She saw Ba setting up a little nest beside them. Beng was busy swinging Pomelo and Mulberry about-throwing them into pillows that bounced them slightly in the air.
“Save some for the rest of us please.” Ba snorted. Lychee was seated on Chestnuts shoulders talking his mothers ear off about his day and how he and his friends had gotten Little Weaver Girl to braid them flower crowns. He still wore his on his brow, eyes bright. They two set their bedding and nesting material down beside them.
“Are we all sleeping out beneath the stars ?” Willow asked. Wukong didn’t say yes with words. He was too overcome with an emotion, a puff of pride that expanded his chest. Here was his Willow Tree. The strong women who had been betrothed to him but had chosen him- heart and soul. Willow who had turned Huaguoshan into a protected area. Willow who had stalwartly sat beside him when he had been burning and boiling and close to madness inside that bronze prison. Willow who had bravely offered herself to the Imposter to save the rest of his family. And it had been Willow again who had chosen his people and family, his friends and loved ones, and had brought to heel celestial who thought they could talk down to him and what was his.
Whatever I did - whatever luck shot through my sky and made my stone sentient - I am glad it made me in time to be with her.
“Yes princess.” He softly whispered to her. “You defended all of us yet again. You brilliant warrior.” For she was a warrior. Not of blades or fists or claws of teeth. Words were her weapon and she used them brilliantly. More accurate then an arrows fall, she pierced Huaguoshan enemies with no bloodshed.
If I had met her when I was seeking my enlightenment … before I sought Heavens recognition… he wondered. Would his life have gone on a entirely new path? Wukong mussed her hair with his teeth, nibbling until she tapped his jaw in play.
His friends settled about them and the rest of the troop began to visit Willow, offering food and comfort. The little bundle of baby fruits ran across the clearing. They had been hero’s and they didn’t even know it.
Wukong lay curled over and around Willow like some large languid cat, tail tucked possessively about her. He became larger still, letting the little fruits climb onto his back in their play. Rin Rin came forward and Wukong allowed her to take Willows hair down, to groom and to ease her scalp.
Rin Rin heard the story as Wukong, Ba, Liu and Beng recounted it. They were now all here against Wukongs side, grooming and offering fruits or each other, to Willow. The love was a warm glow in the night , a glow that came from within and rivaled that of the dying sunlight. Ba kept off his pranks and offered Willow sour green grapes- and his deepest vows of loyalty. Wukong snorted happily, a large hand gently scratching along Willows back. Beng checked their little word warrior over and then gave her a single hardy shake. Ma was blubbering with Rin Rin who simply held on and brushed Willows hair out. Liu bowed and offered his own vows of loyalty- setting Ba to trying to outdo him.
Wukong waited till the stars were bright in the sky, the moon rising now to cast her silver light to whisper and speak praise and words of love. He wanted to drown her in the emotion that beat in his chest. It was a glow as steady as the sun and as wild as the world. It was not the same love Rin Rin or Liu or Ba or Chestnut Or Beng Or Ma experienced.
Forever and always. I will See her days filled with joy and peace. I will topple the very pillars that hold this world up to give her that. Wukong watched her burrow into his side, fingers curled in his fur. He looked to the sky, to the Heavens. To beyond that- to the cosmic sphere of reality. The universe beyond the Heavens.
“Thank you for making her. She’s perfect.” Words failed. Perfect was so silly of a word. Willow was more then perfect. She was victorious, stalwart, kind, compassionate, a stone to rest his back against and the shade that hid him from the burning sun.
“I will keep you. Forever. Until the very definition of eternity crumbles. Thank you Willow, for filling my days with your love.”
Wukong kissed her temple and pulled her into his warmth, pulling several of his with her. Tails and hands, feet and limbs all intercrossed and overlapped. They were tangled, intertwined like the roots of a tree. Grounding the willow tree they all loved to their earth, to their mountain.
#hcwrites#writing stuff#hcfanfics#just something soft#I could have made this longer but#I just wanted it to be a happy little memory.#is the new hoizer album making me romantic even though the song I’m listening to is about endings#yes it is making me romantic#also just talking about fluff makes me want to write it.#jttw au#for journey to the au#jttw tag#sun wukong#jttw sun wukong#earth reaching willow#marshal liu#ugh the song makes me so soft#I just love love man.#yes they all pulled nesting stuff out.#Wukong wanted to bask in the love- Willow would probably have said it wasn’t nessicary if it wasn’t for how tired she is#Rin Rin gave Willow the best scalpe message so she could not get a headache from the pins she had to put her hair up#Ba trying to outcompete Liu on who values Willow most.#that’s flower fruit mountains willow#the mountain isn’t letting her go jsut as much as the monkeys upon it#I Like to thing that Wukong may have been talking to a cosmic spirit- or just telling the universe thanks for making willow
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A Mountain of Sweets
(a @journey-to-the-au fic) Tea Trouble part 1
Ok! This is a part one of two- yes I did it again I wrote something that’s a biiiiit longer then I want to subject y’all to in one post- so I had to split it. ENJOY!
Today would be glorious.
Earth Reaching Willow had to make sure everything went perfect. She had woken early, disentangling herself from her cuddle buddy of Wukong, Pear and several new babies who had begged for a story and had fallen asleep on Willows arms and in her hair. She dressed simply and made her way to the kitchen to help get a head start.
Her sisters were coming to visit.
All six sisters.
Everything had to be perfect, it would go perfect. It would go amazingly well. Willow had already started upon the tea cakes and tarts, picking the best peach jams and stuffings. Willow selected the finest green tea brand. Willow pulled the tea set gifted to her from Guanyin on her Wedding day, a spectacular peace of simple white porcelain laced and decorated in blossoms. She grabbed the finest tray and collected the sweetest teacups. When the teacakes and tarts finished she settled herself into the work going through the cold storages and ice boxes for the best fruits and seeds to fry. A plethora of moon tea cakes, of coconut cakes, and bean cakes was slowly being created. Willow roasted pine nuts, she fried small breads and cut the cold stored fruit into harmonious shapes of lotus blossoms and stars.
All seven sisters were coming to visit Flower Fruit Mountain. Stress strung her tighter then a bow for two reasons. The first of course was to impress. Her sisters would finally see how beautiful the world is here, to see how the Earth was not something to turn their nose up at. It was a paradise that consistently changed, that surprised her with every hand painted dawn and new sketched night. No two days were the same, no two phases of the moon were similar. The world was cast in shades and colors and music that Willow hoped- that she prayed - her sisters would see.
The second reason for her stress was … all six of her sisters were coming to visit.
Summer Turning Flower, her second sister and her mothers daughter. Winter Frosted Grace, with her cold confidence and calculations. Autumn Leaves Falling, who could charm a raging storm with a smile. Wind Over Sea, the swiftest and most eager to please. Weaves The Clouds, who liked to prank and tease. And Little Weaver Girl, the sweetest and youngest of the sisters.
Seven sisters of Heaven and … Willow worried for her sweet family here on the Mountain. Back when the Heavens didn’t corral the daughters in so tightly, on a summer night, they had decided to visit the earth. They had snuck out and taken their fathers best heavenly steeds- both as protection and as a mode of transport- to take a night among the mortals. It was a jaunt and play at rebellion, one Willow and Flower had been in planning for years. They had escaped the court, laughing with the abandon of children. Down to earth the seven sisters upon seven steeds had come a galloping. They had gone to the closest river, the shiniest bend of liquid night, and had slipped from garments to nothing. They had swam with abandon, laughed and splashed. The joy of that night gave Willow a beat of heart sickness. She missed those days when the sisters had laughed and schemed together.
They had been so naive then. So carefree. A taste of that joy was just in her memory, a warm brush against her senses. Like a ghost of a feeling.
“Willow?”
She turned seeing a very sleepy and very tired Wukong blinking at her. His fur was mused. His face still carrying the lines of sleep as he yawned wide and rubbed at his eyes.
“I was wondering where you had gone.” He came walking forward into the kitchen reaching for her hand. Willow stepped forward and took it. Wukongs eyes widened at the counter behind her- the red practically swallowing the polished gold of his pupils. “It is so early still, My Willow Tree.”
Willow felt a bit of her face flame. Just a little, as the Monkey King stepped up to the counter and looked at her mornings work. Wukong tugged her hand.
“Tell me you haven’t been up all night making these.” His faced begged her to counter his assumption. How else could she have accomplished so much in so short a time?
“Only since the first chime of the bell.” Willow sheepishly tucked a stray hair behind her ear, looking to the floor, to the ceiling, everywhere but her sweet friends face.
“The first chime! Willow- that was six Chimes ago!” He admonished and her husband was suddenly larger- leaning into her face and taking away her ability to duck his looks. Drat Wukong. Her friend may be uncomfortable with direct eye contact but he would quickly forget about it when it came to things of this nature. He now used his magic to make it so she could not escape his scrutiny.
“That was the turning of the night Guards! I could have had the chefs start the preparations. You did not have to wear yourself out.” Wukong gently put a finger to her chin, tilting her head up. A thumb ran beneath her eye, shadowing the dark circles that had made nests below.
“… “ Willow was caught. She had nothing to say in her defence. She had just been so nervous- so nervous and wanting to impress the impossible expectations of her sisters. Wukongs eyes softened, the gold going warm , honey melting into warm embers.
“Oh Willow what has you so worried.” He held her face in his hands gently, not caging her in but holding her so she could not deny or run from it. A simple I am here that grounded her.
“I just want everything to be perfect.” Willow sighed. She held one of his hands with her own. Wukong twined his fingers with hers, rubbing the backs with the pad of his thumb. “I want them to love Earth and see how much I love it. How beautiful it is. This whole place- everyone here- I love it so Wukong. I just …”
“Princess,” He kissed her brow, the places beneath her eyes where those shadows nestled. His smile was the soft curve of the moon at night, all soft light and kindness. “Your sisters will love it because you love it. You have nothing to worry for.”
“You say that but…”
“Willow,” he tapped her nose, tucking and tugging her into his arms, “if you wear yourself out before they have even started their decent from Heaven, I will bring Beng in here to scold you for the lack of sleep.”
His breath tickled her ear as he threatened Willow. She gave a mock gasp, looking up from her place beneath his chin.
“Not Beng! He scolds with his face.” Willow scrunched her face in the best Beng impression she had, the one the medicine monkey wore when his patients clearly ignored his advice. Wukongs face broke into laughter, a delightful waterfall of vibration along her back. “He may never say a harsh word but his face speaks enough to make my ears turn red.”
“My point exactly.” Wukong said. He grew a bit larger, setting Willows feet on his own. He started to walk her back, puppeteering her away from the kitchen in the goofiest way. “Now come on…”
“But…” Willow looked at the rice cakes, the bountiful mess and harvest of her labour. Was it enough?
“No one will touch the cakes.” Wukong promised. “No one would think to today of all days to do that. All of the mountain is abuzz and they want today to go off without a hitch.”
“I just … “ want to impress them. Want to impress you. I want there to be harmony between the love of my family in Heaven and the love of my family On Earth. “I want you to be happy with them.” She said out-loud.
Willow didn’t get to see the way the monkeys eyes went from honey to butter at her words. He melted against her, draping her in fur and twining his tail around her waist.
“Oh my Willow Tree.” He said it so softly, eliciting Willow to look up. Just in time, for Wukong had her legs out from under her and had swung her around onto his side. He was carrying her almost like the mothers did to their babes, close but with one hand on the ground. Willow curled into him, seeing the tender admonishment in her friends eyes.
“Come. Back to bed with you. The littles are all upset their Grandmother left without morning kisses and Pear is particularly beside herself.” Before she could say more, Wukong was loping away and back to their room where a barrel of littles came climbing and begging for cuddles and kisses. Wukong worried not for the snacks Willow had made. He more or less worried about the the stores she had burned through in those six chimes.
For Willow, in all her worry, had made a mountain of tarts, a landslide of teacakes, a sea of fried breads and foodstuff, that spilled and took over not one but four of the longest counters in the kitchens.
As he looked down on her, still holding him as she cuddled and cooed to the little monkeys he thought, fondly and with humour, “What am I going to do with you and your habit of baking us under a mountain of sweets?”
It was only a short time later that Ma and Ba crept into the kitchen, tempted by the smells of sweets and baking.
“Just one won’t hurt.” Ba grumbled. He wouldn’t admit it to Willow- but her food had woken him from his tangle with Chestnut and their little Lychee.
“Of course.” Ma said, stepping up to the counters with her tail excitedly flagging. She was still in the dregs of her recent release from postpartum depression. Willow had gently, for weeks, left foodstuffs and sweets outside her and Bengs hut. A kindness and a gesture Ma was so thankful for. Between Pomelo and Mulberry, she was practically spent with energy. She had also smelled the sweets being made and … couldn’t help herself.
“Willow wouldn’t mind one missing…” or two. Or ten.
Neither of the Marshals however, noticed the ice blue eyes open from a perch just above them, a cracked fracture in the wall.
“If you touch a single one of Willows cookies for those Celestials,” the cold voice of Xinshu whipped out like an adder freezing the twins in place “I will personally see your pelts pulled and turned into mud rugs.”
Xinshu fell as silent as a snow cat from her perch. Her teeth were barred in a threat. “I won’t have you two making us look foolish because you ate all of the baked goods.”
Ma and Ba, caught and cowed, scuttled away from the white simian in all her fury. If they had lingered long enough to see, to peek back in, they would have seen Xinshu look at the sweets. Like at a peach tart. And slide it into one of the pockets in her belt
#hcwrites#writing stuff#hcfanfics#for journey to the au#FIRST PART DONE#HERE WE ARE A CUTE LITTLE PRECURSOR TO THE DRAMA ABOUT TO UNFOLD#jttw au#jttw tag#sun wukong#jttw sun wukong#earth reaching willow#Wukong being big fluffy man who likes to walk his wife on the tops of his feets ? yes#am I a sucker for cute actions and romantic things? yes#have I stres baked before? YES#I listened to Hoizers new album with this. but the one that I really liked is “All Things end’#it’s that chorus man it’s like an anthem of the heart.#i love it#this is so fun to write pls#ENJOY IT ALL OF YOU#these monkeys have me in a choke hold but it ain’t bad#it’s so FUN TO WRITE FOR ALL THESE PEOPLE#It helps me also when I write my stuff because I am my OWN worse critic#like if it’s for me I am nitpicking everything and chewing it over#writing for others helps me not be over critical.#BUT ALSO WRITING CUTE LITTLE INTERACTIONS IF FUCKEN FUN PLS#HOW WUKONG COMES IN ALL SLEEPY FOR WILLOW#LIKE imagine home waking up and popping his head out of the cuddle nest and going ????? wife???? wife missing????#He had to leave a double for the littles to snuggle on#WRITING XINSHU BECAUSE HER BEING SNEAKY OVER MA AND BAS SHENANIGANS#ALSO FRUIT TROOP IS COMING
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Fruits of the Mountain ( @journey-to-the-au Fic) Part Three to Tea Trouble
Here it is part three ! Thank you @kaijufluffs for looking over the last bit before I posted ! I wanted to make sure it flowed right and had a good enough ending! Here is part three (I may do an epilogue but for now it’s complete !
Just get the water and let them stay for half hour more. She made her way to the kitchen, gathering the ice they kept on the cold boxes in the floor and gathering cups from the plethora of stone cutlery the cave had to offer.
“Granma Willow!” A tiny little voice called, making Willow jump. She almost dropped the stone cups. Willow turned, eyes landing on a tan patch of fur and teal eyes.
“Oh hello Pear, my little love.” Rin Rin and Lius daughter beamed at Willow as the celestial bent down and opened her arms, inviting her in. Pear leapt, cooing in joy as she burrowed into Willows hair.
Willow loved Pear. When Rin Rin had brought this little bundle into the world, Willow had been there, helping the other matrons. Willow had swaddled the tiny little girl and passed her to Rin Rin. The tiny baby had been perfect. Child birth was not pretty or a glorious thing but… Pear was a gem- a glorious gift to all. As babe had grown and Willow had eagerly volunteered to watch her, to babysit, to hold at every opportunity.
Willow may never have her own children but Pear and all the little babies from her friends were just as much hers as she was theirs. And the Littles knew it- they knew they had Willow wrapped around her finger. If the babes wanted a a bit of sweets or a little bit of snack they would come to Willow. If one had a tumble and couldn’t get to their parents they would come for comfort from Willow. If they wanted a lullaby, Willow will be happy to sing them to sleep. Willow was besotted with each tiny hand that tugged for her attention, for each little monkey that came to her.
“What are you doing here ?” Willow asked Pear. She tapped the little one on the nose eliciting giggles from her. “Shouldn’t you be with your mamma?”
Pear looked down and out to beyond the crash of the water. “I want papa…”
“You are a daddy’s girl.” The first time Pear had scampered off had been a memory. Rin Rin had come bursting into Willows room, pulling at her fur and crying.
“Rin Rin?” The tears and hiccups and fear in her friends face and voice crushed any understanding out of Rin Rins words as she blubbered. Willow had to set Rin down, rubbing circles on her back to calm her. When finally the tears had been tamed and the words came out less rushed and flushed with sound, she blurted “Pears gone!”
Now that had set the whole mountain aflame.
The troop was out, calling and racing through trees and groves, seeking the little baby. She couldn’t have gone far -
How wrong they all were. When Rin Rin, distraught and crying, made her way to Liu who was on an outpost far from Water Curtain Cave, they had been surprised to see a very tiny Pear clinging to her daddy’s silk kerchief.
“I …” Liu looked wretched. His face seemed torn between nervous worry and tearful oh my god my daughter is so cute. “She just came up… and I was on duty. I … I didn’t know what to do… I couldn’t leave…” Rin Rin had rushed forward and kissed Liu, kissed her baby and the three had crumpled over the still sleeping Pear in relief.
Pear had been told to always ask before leaving the safety of the inner mountain- from both her father, mother, Wukong and Willow. At least Pear was not the most rambunctious of the tiny Fruit named babies her friends had to corral. That title belonged to Lychee.
Seeing Pear looking out after her Dad had Willow think of something.
“How about this?” Willow said “You sweet little treat can come with me and meet my sisters.”
Those bright eyes seemed to glow in surprise. “Grandma has sisters ?”
“Yes. I have six.” Willow counted them off on her hand so little Pear could see. “There’s me, then Summer, Winter, Autumn, Cloud, Sea and Little.”
“LITTLE?” Pear excitedly gasped. She gripped the last finger Willow had counted on between her fingers. “Is she like me?”
“What do you mean?”
“Small?”
Pear may be the eldest of her friends children, but Willow had begun to notice as the rest of her friends grew Pear remained the same size. It bothered the sweet little girl who saw how Mulberry and Pomelo passing her in size now. Other babies of the troop must have begun to point this out to Pear- and Willow made a note to talk to Wukong about it.
“Oh Pear who has been bullying you about your size again?”
“Some of da other monkeys. They say I’m too small to be as old as I am.” Pear held Willows finger in her pawed hand, wiggling it back and forth and avoiding looking up. “…why am I so small Grandma ? Why can’t I be as big as Daddy? As big as you?”
Willow gently chucked the little under her chin, blowing raspberries into her ear. Willow chased the sad little look in Pears eyes with laughter and play. It may not fix the problem but seeing this little sweet babies bright mood being dampened just because she was tiny.
“Let me tell you.” Willow grabbed a stone pitcher, setting Pear on her shoulders. The little baby climbed happily up, setting to fiddling with the hairpins and baubles Willow had in her hair. “Size is not everything.”
“It’s not ?” Pear leaned into Willows face from above. She looked skeptical. “Mulberry and Pomelos Dad is big. People treat him nicely.”
“They treat Beng nicely because he is the healer of the mountain- not just because of his size.” Willow filled the water for the pitcher from a water pump set in the side corner of the kitchen. It was amazing that there was a way to have fresh water available easily in the kitchens.
“They do? But Mulberry and Pomelos dad is so big he could sit on an elephant and flatten them.”
“Don’t go telling Beng that!” Willow poked the still peaking primate on the nose
“You are twice the monkey any of those bullies are. You want to know why?”
“Why?”
Water retrieved and filled Willow set the pitcher on the counter. She reached up and Pear clambered down into Willows arms. One of Willows combs was in one little hand, playing with the comb teeth.
“Because you are my precious Pear.” Willow took the comb and tucked it behind Pears ear, the bright little bud of the flower shining against her tan fur. “You are twice as quick and twice as lucky. You teach those other Littles that you can just as easily best them- with wit and with strength. Because you are strong little Pear. Don’t let them tell you otherwise.”
Pear touched the comb, her little eyes watering as she wrapped her arms around Willows neck. “THANKS GRANDMA!”
Willow felt something in her click then. As she gave advice to her friends little child, she felt the dawning of her realization slide over her like the first rays of morning. Maybe Willow had to stick up for herself as well. Her sisters may make jabs and think her decision wrong to leave the Pole Star Palace, but she wouldn’t let them continue trying to undermine her. I should tell them straight.
Something crashed and tumbled just outside the corridor as Apple and Lychee came tearing into the Kitchen, Mulberry in tow. The three little monkeys looked all scuffed and dirty as if they had just come from a closet full of dust.
“Grandma has sisters!?!” Apple asked.
“Can we come too Grandma!” Lychee grabbed the edge of her sleeve, hopping up and down. “Please please please!”
“We’re you all spying?” Willow asked, her brow raised. The three littles looked away guiltily. A sleepy looking Pomelo came tumbling after them, flopping down weakly. The poor dear… Willow scooped the tired Pomelo up. The poor baby could and would fall asleep if he got comfortable enough. Wherever this little fruit troop had been hiding out in must have been comfy enough to trigger another napping episode.
“We weren’t spying.” Lychee grumbled. “Just … listening.”
“Lychee that’s spying sweetheart.” Willow told him.
“Oh…”
“Don’t spy. You don’t want to become mischievous.” Or at least more mischievous, Willow thought. She could see Ba in the little boy before her. Another little Ba on the mountain may be too much for the monkeys of Huaguoshan to live through again.
“Yes Grandma.”
“I want uppies !” Apple begged, hands reaching up.
“Can we come with you though?” Lychee asked, also reaching up.
“Of course you can all come.” At this invitation, everyone clambered up Willow as if she were the tree her namesake came from. Tiny hands and feet found purchase as the littles settled into their places. It was common practice to climb onto Willow- all the babies upon Huaguoshan made a habit of finding perches upon their grandmother tree. But the little fruit troop were the ones that claimed designated spots.
Lychee liked to snuggle onto her shoulder and braid little ropes into her hair, calling out to the other monkeys and sometimes turning Willows head to look at a dragonfly, a neat cloud, a fruit. Apple liked to settle on her other shoulder or cling to her arm, snuggling in. Pomelo had to be held against her hip as the poor boy would fall into a deep sleep as soon as he was comfortable. Mulberry and Pear usually snuggled onto her other side and arm- one or the other clinging or scampering about on ground nearby or climbing up and over the other.
“Pear can you help me by grabbing some cups ? I’ll need to carry the water pitcher.” Willow said. “I’m sorry Mulberry - it’s only until we are back on the blanket.” Mulberry looked up into Willows eyes and nodded, understanding and stepping down. He grabbed Willows gown in one hand, instead to walks beside her.
“Yes grandma !” Pear leapt down, gathering the stone cups back up and into her arms. As they all walked back onto the bright spring day, Willow felt her spirit soothed. It was like a balm pressed against a burn, soothing the discomfort of her worries away.
Willow felt Lychee climb off of her head, hopping to the ground.
“Lychee what are you—“
The cheeky little babe took one look at the sleeping Pomelo in Willows arm and gave his tail a good hard yank. The little orange furred babe sat up straight screeching.
“Ha! Got your Tail Pomelo!” And the prankster was off, little brown tail flagging behind him. Like father like son.
Pomelo rushed off after Lychee, racing into the shade by her sisters. The two little monkeys didn’t seem to notice how fast they were going, how quickly they were approaching the blanket. Wukong was still engrossed in his Storytelling and was unable to prevent what happened next.
As the two monkeys reached the blanket, Pomelos little hand grabbed Lychees tail and gave it a yank.
“No you didn’t I got yours!”
The two tumbled together in simple monkey fashion, rolling and mock bitting and kicking. It would have been adorable- Willow thought it was- until they hit the tea tray.
Sweets and fruits went flying, the tarts falling like rain as the plate was sent up and spun in the air. Autumn gave a chortle as the food went flying. Could, Sea and Little gave mock cries of woe and then we’re laughing as well as a bit of coconut cake slapped Sea square in the face and sent cream flying. Willow laughed- but her laughter turned to horror as Winter and Summer turned like lionesses to snarl at the two babies.
“WHATS THE MEANING OF THIS!” Winter shot her most withering glare down at the two babies who had frozen upon the sisters roar. “These little apes just knocked over all the food! Little mongrels.”
“Honestly these little beasties would be better as pets dancing on a rope.” Summer commented. “Less chaotic more entertaining.”
The whole clearing fell silent. All except the laughter of the celestial sisters Winter and Summer.
Ma was nearby, feeling her teeth slip and flash in a terrible grin- those were her babies they were talking about putting on a rope.
Liu had turned from his guard pose, hackles raised along his sides and fist shaking. The marshal barely held back from marching forward and calling challenge to their words.
Ba was physically being held back by Beng nearby, the new Father almost red in the face with fury. His boy was over there. Beng felt his own anger itch his fur- but he kept his head for Chestnut was away with Rin Rin gathering fruits. If the whole entourage had been there, The celestial sisters would have been in worse straights.
Wukong felt his tail thrashing as the laughter dragged along his ears, cut over his fur. It dragged like sand and made him feel the instinctual response of teeth slowly curving in a threatening smile. As he turned, to request or to challenge or to kick the two sisters completely off the mountain he felt Willow past him- and froze.
He had never seen her look like that.
In the midst of the cruel laughter between the sisters Willow felt her body grow cold. She felt the drum of the ocean inside her roar. The little babies faces were of shock and fear.
Her family. Her heavenly family. Had been the first ones to give these children a taste of the contempt Heaven would always hold. Had always held. Her blood family had hurt her found family. It was not too hard to swallow if the slights were towards her. It was not so hard if the barbs were more about her choices in her life and her choice in partner.
Little Pomelo and Lychee were close to tears. The small babies didn’t know why these pretty little women- these spoiled women- were laughing. Willow had told them they were her sisters. Her sisters. I wish I did not have sisters. It was such a violent and shameful thought. Willow felt shame. Shame and rage.
Willow set Apple down then gently gave Pear a nudge. Pear had dropped the cups some time ago, her little eyes wide with fear. She turned at Willows nudge.
“Go to your father for me my Little Pear. He needs you.” Willow saw the little girl nod and scamper off. Willow turned to the two boys on the ground, with Apple patting their backs soothingly.
“I have a handful of sweet candies to the first one who can grab me some sweet fruits and bring them here. We will make a tea party with better foods.” Willow proposed. Stay calm. Just stay calm.
“Sweet candies ?” Lychee sniffed. His little face was tear stained. Willow knelt down and whipped the tears away. I did this.
“Yes. A whole handful.” She took in Apple, Pomelo and Mulberry. “But you have to bring me things to replace what was spilt. Ok?”
“Yes Grandma” the trio said and scampered away, glad to be gone but possibly sensing that something was about to happen.
“Take help- if you can’t carry it make trips ok?” Willow called after them.
“Good little treasures.” She muttered to herself. Then she turned. And felt her sights narrow on her elder sisters. Autumn was now laughing with Summer and Winter, always finding mirth in anything.
Willow moved passed her three younger sisters to the elders. The laughter was still loud in the air, still mocking. Before Willow could think, before she could even speak more or try to say something Summer had to open her mouth, had to cut the last of Willows control free.
“Doesn’t it make you miss Heaven?” Summer chortled, wiping a tear from her eye.
Willow was proud of her restraint. She was her fathers daughter. He had stood calmly in the wake of dragons roaring, and typhoons raging. It was something Willow had always looked up to- and had honed like a fine drawn tool. She was proud of her ability to be composed. That Willow however had been cut away- and now stood a Willow her sisters had rarely seen. A Willow who had no Heavenly patience left in her body for two women who made children cry.
So of course Summer and Winter screamed in suprise and shock when the water jug was upturned over both of them.
“WILLOW!”Summer screamed.
“H-HEY!” Winter choked as the water went into her nose. Autumn blinked as her laughter died on her lips, finally looking shocked. The three sisters looked at the eldest of them- and flinched.
“Listen here,” Willows voice was gentle, a coiled snake with fangs raised. “The only reason I don’t throw you off the mountain bodily myself is because it would make mother cry. You all have been nothing but insufferable to my Earthly family- To my earthly home! You have insulted my husband, have insulted his people- YOU eluded to SLAVERY with children. You joke and mock and taunt and talk how Heaven is the best place to be when you know nothing of the world because you have never wanted to learn about it.”
Willow felt her words rushing through her, taking her along in the eddy of there tsunami.
“You think Heaven is such a wonderous place?” Fools “Let me tell you- it’s stagnation- it’s perfection given no challenge- no variation. You live in boring squalor. I invited you here so you could see the mountain I love the place I have lived and fought in word games to keep safe.”
Tears threatened Willow and she let them flow free. They were the rage slipping out, the ocean storm in her body.
“And you insult it. Insult me. Look around you-“ Willow spun, encompassing all the Mountain and the shocked monkeys “The trees are blooming the sky is clear.”
Willow pointed the pitcher at Winter. “The air is full of the smells of spring and you have the gall to say it’s pungent. Do you breath anything but those incense sticks sister because I worry it may have muddled your brain.”
Winter opened her mouth and closed it, a fish gasping in the air.
“The sunset in heaven is the same droll colours every day while here it can be a canvas of new paint every evening!” Summer was now pointed at, her face gone white beneath her makeup. “The days are never the same they bring with it the chance to experince and witness new beautiful things and you, in all your great celestial bearing, look upon your sisters home and spit in her face.”
“Willow— I’m-“ Winter began, drawing her sisters eye back to her. None of the sisters had seen this Willow. Willow had never raised her voice - she had started quiet and now she was a firestorm, catching the three in her eyes.
“Oh this is gonna be good.” Sea muttered to Cloud, picking up a discarded tart and popping it into her mouth.
“Sorry? You are sorry? To me? No. You have a whole mountain to apologize to for your actions.” Willow gestured outwardly to Huaguoshan. “Those children you said should be on a rope? Those are my dearest friends children. I would sooner never call you sister then have one who would tell children they belong on rope.”
Summer flinched back, eyes wide.
“Willow please—“ Autumn tried to cut in but was over ridden. The tsunami and firestorm of her anger and shame was surging forward, taking them all in.
“ You who turned your nose up at the thought of taking a gift so lovingly brought from the most difficult patch of mountain. You who called my home savage. You have never seen savage beauty until you’ve witnessed a forest fire, the complete destruction and rebirth of a continent in the molten power of a volcano.”
“ You want savage dear sisters I can show it to you. And then you will see how beautiful and peaceful my wonderful Flower Fruit Mountain is.” Willow looked each of her sisters in the eye, pinning them like bugs on a diorama.
“Unless you apologize to everyone for what you have done I want nothing further to do with you. I’ll have tea with my real family and not the demons I thought were my sisters.” Willow turned, dismissing them and staring at her younger sisters. Sea and Cloud were nibbling some cookies, while Little was gathering up the discarded bits.
“Sea, Little, Cloud.”
They all stared.
“Come with me- it seems in my absence our sisters have been terrible role models and I have to show you what to do when someone creates disharmony among people.” Willow turned to Wukong. What would she see in his eyes? Would it be the same hurt as when she had first defended her Heavenly family?
I feel such great shame.
Willow didn’t look up. She simply kowtowed as low as possible at his feet.
“My apologies husband. Forgive me for my sisters words. They are ignorant in the kindness and grace you have shown them.”
“Willow…”
Another body bowed beside her. Willow peaked. Sea and Cloud were bowing deeply- Little also bowing on the opposite side.
“We apologize Brother-in-Law” Little Weaver Girl said. “I’m sorry if my words caused offense”
“I apologize too.” Weaves the Clouds spoke up from her bow. “Your waterfall throws up a beautiful rainbow.”
“Please forgive us.” Wind Over Sea atoned, their voice sheepish. “My wager sounds rude now I think on it.”
The rest of the Huaguoshan was all a fire in whispering. The monkey in the trees were babbling, the youngsters were watching, and the solideres all had hands hovering over weapons. Their memories flashed back to the war, to the time when Heaven had rained down terror upon their home. How the Celestials then had wanted to turn the mountain into nothing but an ash pile, a stain on any cartographers map. The Celestials thought them lesser for their Kings actions, had passed that judgment without seeing who they were, what families they had. When Wukong had been locked away in the brazier to be boiled and turned to liquid, to sweat out the immortality he had taken, Heavens wrath loomed. The heavenly court of the Pole Star Palace waited, a snow leopard from on high waiting to leap down and break Huaguoshan neck between their starry teeth.
Only … those teeth never fell. Instead Willow had been there. Willow had come to the mountain and in all the long years their king was away she had battled on their behalf. The mountain was not without a defender, though she did not battle with blade but words. Willow had written document after document, scroll after scroll, letter after letter. She had claimed it as her right her home.
Her father had asked if she wished for absolution- for the marriage to be voided. Willow had turned to him and had not said any words. Instead she had delivered her magnum opus, setting the document upon her fathers desk. It was a a three thousand page letter that sealed, banned, protected and wrapped Huaguoshan in such armor that not even the teeth and blades of heaven could violate its right as Willows home, as her holy site. As her sanctuary.
Willow had waited for her father to read all of the text, Liu and Xinshu her guards that long fateful day. It was a story that spread like fire how Willow had defanged and declawed Heaven with nothing more then parchment and ink.
Here she was again, defending them all. It was being whispered among the monkeys, flying from lip to ear as she and her sisters bowed before their king again.
Willow had, once again, become Huaguoshan defender. Against her own family. Her own sisters.
Liu held Pear in his arms. He marveled at how Willow had both embarrassed and reprimanded her sisters. Autumn, Winter, and Summer had been embarrassed fully and put in their place. The Marshal felt a swell of pride expand his chest.
Ba had stopped his furious scrambling to get past Beng. He was still agitated, twitching his tail painfully as he watched. But the fire was banked, the threat of violence abated. For now. Beng watched with hooded eyes. He waited, seeing four sisters atoning while three were sitting like abandoned chicks.
The mountain watched.
It was Autumn Leaves Falling who made the first move. The daughter of Heaven looked about her. She saw the whole mountain watching her and felt shame prickle her skin. She may not like Earth, but she had laughed at her sisters jokes. She had belittled these monkeys actions. Especially the one in the armor. The one beneath the tree holding a tiny babe in his arms.
“I apologize to you, sir.” Autumn knew her mocking of this monkey hard hurt her sister. She felt the slap of her words still in her mind. Autumn kowtowed to the Marshal“You treated me with courtesy and kindness and I laughed at you. I beg forgiveness.”
Autumn had never seen Willow that angry. Her elder sister had always been kind and compassionate. When she got mad she spoke softly. Never yelled like she had.
Winter and Summer, who after the shock of the of both the drenching and their elder sisters upbraiding, were next. Willow who was calm pillar in their lives, who had always smiled and offered council and a shoulder for the sisters to cry on, was upset by them. Had been made to cry by their words.
Wukong didn’t say anything. He wanted to have Willow stand up, wanted to stop her from bowing and groveling for forgiveness. There was no forgiveness to beg for Willow. At least, not from her. However the Monkey King understood what was being done here. He saw the stage his wife was setting up.
Willow was giving her sisters a chance. To prove themselves. Wukong just hoped that the remaining two wanted to apologize.
Winter and Summer both looked to one another, looked to Willow.
And broke down crying. They came blubbering over to their sisters, pulling Willow, Sea, Cloud and Little to their feet. For though they may be the second and third oldest- seeing their sisters upset and asking for forgiveness for them- it was unbearable.
“Willow don’t apologize for us.” Winter sobbed.
“Sister please stand.” Summer cried. They tugged Willow up and took their sisters place, bowing at Wukongs feet.
“This is our fault.”
“We know Willow loves this mountain- loves all of you.” Summer looked up at Willow, her face a messy streak of makeup and tears. The raw emotion there was bright and hot.
“We don’t understand why—“ Winter began but an elbow from Summer set the snappier sister to correcting herself.
“We don’t understand but we want to learn- because we want to remain sisters to our Willow.” Winter said.
“Forgive us … brother in law.” Summer and Winter asked in unison. “We just wanted to enjoy some tea and treats with our sister.”
“We have more treats!” Came the little voice from further down. Willow looked down to see that Lychee, Pomelo and Mulberry had returned their arms full of fruits. Pears and apples, a little basket of blueberry’s, some gooseberries and pomegranates, so many fruits that they little babies looked to just be walking hills of food.
The troop of monkeys watched, eyes taking it in.
Winter and Summer gapped at this brave little brown ball of fluff as he grabbed a peach and pressed it into Winters hand.
“Wanna try some?” Lychee asked. He took a bite of the peach and offered it forward, showing that it was safe to eat. “They may not be as good as Grandma Willows baking but…”
“But Huaguoshan is Full of sweets!” Apple called. She had gathered water all on her own, a new pitcher being carried by her little arms.
“We are sorry we knocked over the treats.” Pomelo spoke, his voice still sleepy. Lychee nodded.
Summer reached out and gently took Pomelos little hands. “No little ones. We are sorry. Sorry for all we said.”
“We were cruel.” Winter mumbled.
“Well yes that wasn’t very nice to say.” Apple retorted. She set the watet pitcher down beside Wukong. “But I’ve said mean things to my friends too.”
“Remember when we called Pear a short baby face?” Pomelo recounted.
“I HEARD THAT!” Pear called from her fathers arms. Pear jumped forward, climbing up Autumn with nimble little hands. The sister giggled as the little monkey fingers tickled her side. “I can’t be little if I’m on one of Willows Sisters!”
“… Do you want to try again?” Willow felt as if her heart was waiting to beat. The world was on the tip of a blade balancing between her sisters and these brave little babies.
Winter looked at the peach in her hands. At the perfect bite shape out of the fruit. And her snobbish sister took a bite.
“Yes.”
#hcwrites#writing stuff#hcfanfics#for journey to the au#jttw au#jttw fanfic#jttw wukong#fruit troop#litg marshall#Beng#Ba#Ma#earth reaching willow#ERW#jttw sun wukong#sun wukong#SLAMS HANDS ON DESK#DONE#if you read to the end this is why Xinshu couldn’t be here because she would have turned everyone of those sisters into kebabs :D#pls writing the little baby’s was wonderful#I had most of this already written it was just fleshing the last bit out#who wants to slap someone ? because I did#gotta love how Willow handled the little babies though- clearing them out before she gave her sisters a verbal slapping#pls I love Willow so much because she really is that person to go above and beyond for you if you earned it#and everyone on that mountain deserved it#OK ALSO I STILL CANT SPELL HOUGOUSHAN - THAT WAS ME TAKING IT FROM JOURNEY TO THE AUS BLOG AND COPY/PASTING IT IN#My phone HATES IT#IT STLL TRIES TO PUT HAAGEN DASS —#I loved seeing Willow finnally put the sisters in their place.#now the sisters have been reprimanded well
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Barbed Words (@journey-to-the-au Fic) Part 2 Tea Trouble
So…. This has turned into …,,, three parts. Yes. Three. There’s a lot of dialogue and I… yeah. It’s a lot of different characters talking a bit. So … ENJOY- I’ll post the last part later today.
The day couldn’t have been more perfect on the mountain. The sun was shedding glorious warmth upon Willows back. She was dressed in her finest court attire to impress upon her sisters. Willow would have been in her more relaxed attire but today… was not the day to buck courtly garb in the sisters eyes. They would be dressed just as she, hair done in loops and paint pressed to lips, as the court dictated. Willow would not let her dress be the reason her sisters turned their nose up at her home.
She would impress those same sisters who came stepping off their celestial mounts with the grace of clouds. But It was like the mountain had heard Willows frantic beating heart and had bent to kiss her brow in comfort. The apple blossoms were in full bloom, the scent heady and sweet on the air. The grass was perfectly green and soft beneath the blanket she was settled on. The tree they were beneath was one strong Honeysuckle, it’s emerald leaves chattering in the breeze as if in welcome to the six sisters who walked forward. The morning dew had not burnt off yet which led to a coolness in the ground Willow could feel. Nature was in its best and most beautiful untamed self.
As her sisters steeds touched ground, a monkey named Ocean and his sister Spray stepped forward and collected the horses. The celestial beasts would be put to pasture to enjoy the days warmth and beauty. Which seemed just fine to the horses, as they swished cloud bobbed tails or snorted vapor into the warming air.
That spring air was fresh and the mountain felt it- the troop was out and about. Littles played and tussled between brambles and thickets. Mothers groomed and talked about their babes or gossiped about their mates in trees with low slung branches. Fathers were about, either tussling with others of the troop or collecting foods and polishing weapons. Unmated males, those who felt the spring air a bit too warmly, strutted and fastidiously groomed themselves. Then they would make their way to the bend in the river where the Water Curtain Caves spray coloured the air in a rainbow. Here the bachelorettes of the troop would be sunbathing. Here they would braid flowers and feathers into fur, and blush or chuckle at the sauntering show ponies who walked by to woo their besotted.
The laughter and the noise of the day was like music to Willow. Her Earthen family was about her, frolicking and living life. It set a small bit of her tension to ease.
Thank you Huaguoshan, Willow quietly said, wanting to kiss her mountain home. It had put on its best colors, it’s most beautiful and harmonious of welcomes. Wukong was dressed in battle regalia, soft leathers and polished armour that could set the suns rays to envy. He had dressed as king upon her request, kneeling beside her as the celestial sisters walked forward.
Summer Turning Flower was the forefront, dressed in greens and embroidered in a stitch of golden apples along the hem and wrists. Willow greeted Summer warmly with smile and a hug as her second sister knelt.
“Oh Willow its so GOOD to see you! A veritable beauty among the beasts.” Summer smiled to her.
Ah… was that intended ? Willow looked into her sisters eyes as they parted. She tried to figure out just what could have happened - or what that had been about. Was it an intentional saying ? Her sister had stepped back, casting her eyes downward.
“Hello Great Sage.” Summer bowed to Wukong, head low.
“Arise sister in law. You need not treat me with courtly courtesy. Wukong will do for my family.” Willows heart wanted to stretch in warmth at Wukongs kindness.
“Oh good.” Winter Frosted Grace sighed. She dropped onto the blanket with only the confidence that she could exude. Her ice blue robes crumpled beneath her as she sat, letting go of stately decorum for her posture. “I have had enough bowing to break a back for one day.”
“Was it a rough time in the palace then?” Willow asked.
“Oh sister dear,” Winter sighed, snapping a fan from a sleeve to wave at her face. “You have no idea. On this escapade I had three suitors try and prevent me from leaving. All of them beseeched me to reconsider for the ‘Grace of Heaven cannot loose another to the Savages’”
As Summer laughed Willow felt a bit of rage begin to build in her. A second slight. This time directly at myself. A small wave battered inside her, hitting against the sea wall she had erected all those years ago. Willow looked to Wukong. He seemed fine- his eyes not betraying the friendly warmth it still held.
“Of course I told the fat man to take his worries back to his mistress beneath the peach blossom trees.” Winter flapped a hand with the fan, as if blowing the man away. “I have no interest in any man so foolish as to think me to flights of fancy.”
At least it is only me they target so. She could handle that. Willow had dealt with plenty a honey coated barb from her sisters.
Another crash of that ocean inside her.
Autumn Leaves Falling, dressed in her habitual golden and browns, was stopped talking to Liu just several paces away. The Marshal had agreed so courteously to be the guard today, to play the role of protector. And though Wukong had tried to dissuade his dear friend, Liu had simply stared him down.
“It is to honor our Lady Willow. To make a show that Huaguoshan is well kept in both beauty and manners.” Liu had said. The Marshal would hear no more of it, his mind set.
The monkey greeted Willows laughing sister with kindness and such delicate court courtesy that Willow felt a wave of love swamp her little anger. Liu, of all the monkeys besides Wukong, knew how nervous Willow had grown. He was always carefully watching everyone and had seen how she had begun to pace It had been He who had first told Wukong of her exertions to the caves after bed to start gathering materials and go over supplies. That had been several months ago when the little bit of chill still hung in the air.
As Autumn came gayly up, she was surpassed by Wind Over Sea and Weaves The Clouds. They came in a whirlwind, laughing and tumbling over eachother. They fell head first into the blanket, grabbing and tugging at one another.
Wukongs quick thinking pulled the tea tray and treats up and away before the sisters could crash into the set and make a mess.
“You cheater!” Cloud accused.
“I didn’t cheat at anything!” Sea countered.
“You wagered and lost!”
“I didn’t wager a thing!”
Wukong set the tray aside with grace and pulled the sisters apart with ease as if her were picking two ladybirds up from a rose bush.
“What is this I hear of a wager ?” He asked.
“Sea made a bet that she has no intention of keeping!” Cloud accused, crossing her arms.
“You didn’t win though!” Sea began, voice rising.
Oh good Greif. Of her sisters, Cloud and Sea got into the most trouble together. It was almost as if they took after their namesakes- each feeding off the other and bringing a storm to blow into court. Cloud was game for any challenge, to prove herself in any contest placed before her. She would get along with Wukong, Willow had thought many a time.
Sea was sly and always seeking mischief. Being the second youngest sister meant she did not leave a lasting impression upon the court. She was too far down the birth order for some to set their sons or themselves to courting. Or she was too ambiguous in courtly power to try an ally with. So Sea had found another way to get attention: pranking.
It seemed like this spat was just the typical stirring of the pot Sea would create.
“I will have peace this day for my wife’s sake.” Wukong admonished them both. Sea at least had the propriety to send a sheepish glance her eldest Sisters way.
“As King of Huaguoshan I will hold court.” And Wukong set the two sisters down taking a very mocking and kingly air. Willow giggled and Autumn chortled while Winter looked on with a tired gaze.
“Oh a game!” Little Weaver Girl came bounding up, the last and youngest of the sisters. Willow saw the genuine smile on her baby sisters face as she settled on the edge of the blanket, her body wriggling in excitement. Little was the gem, the glowing jewel, of the court. She was beloved by all for she was the youngest, the most open, and the one to create the unrivaled robes of their Fathers attire.
“Honestly these two gamble over the stupidest bets.” Winter snorted. She grabbed a teacake, sniffing it before taking a bite.
“I think it’s adorable.” Autumn smiled. She looked back to Liu who stood at attention. “Especially as they play act at courtly politeness.”
Play act ? The water in Willow swirled again, sharks smelling rage. Liu was never Play acting. Of all the world, the Marshal could rival generals in Heaven with his respect and kindness. Willow had to bite her tongue, fingers curling into her sleeve.
“Speak first Sister Cloud.” Wukong intoned, taking to the game quickly and with joy. “What sort of wager did you get cheated out of?”
“We bet to see how many colours of Monkeys we would see!” Cloud glared at her sister who stuck a tongue out.
“A fine wager.” Wukong agreed, looking out over the monkeys who walked by. Willow ignored how her sister Summer curled away from the friendly faces of her earthly family. Or at least she tried to.
Sand Crane, a kind old monkey slowly approached the party. She was one of the older grannies, face worn and leathered by the sun and laughter lines. She walked up to Willow, her smile making her eyes crinkle at the corner.
“For you, Dear one.” And she unfurled her hand. On her palm were some of the ripest berries plucked from a raspberry patch that Willow had every seen. The little gems were large and swelled with tart juice.
“Thank you Sand Crane.” Willow bowed.
“I picked them myself this morning.” The great old monkeys silvered muzzle and hair flashed like moonbeams in the sun. “The east mountain gets a nice breeze this year from the sea. The berries should be sweet for you and your sisters.” Without a second glance, the old matriarch stepped to the side, slipping into a throng of old grannies who set to chatter. Willow held the berries like gold. The east side of the mountain was steeper, the ever present monsoon rains having carved the terrible rock into a steep and slippery trap.
Sand Crane had quietly given her a great gift and had reassured her in a simple gesture. We love you, We want the best for you. Willow felt a swell of love threaten spill from behind her eyes.
I cant cry. I will cry later. And I will find that old grandmother and give her a hug for her kind words.
Willow slipped a cool berry into her mouth. The juice burst on her tongue, made all the sweeter by the gesture. Summer was watching her with a befuddled expression.
“Here- I know how much you love Raspberries!” She held her hand out to her sister.
“You are going to eat that ?” Summer asked from behind a polite smile.
It hit Willow like a slap.
Willow pulled back politely, taking the berries in her hand and keeping the fingers uncurled. She would not. Could not. Make a scene. These had been loving picked and given to me. Sand Crane had thought of me and had gone out of her way to gather them…
The waves inside Willow were crashing.
“And what was your guess?” Wukongs voice had Willow come back from that crashing anger, from that perilous rising sea. She saw the Monkey King mediating between her two younger sisters who had significantly calmed down.
“Twenty five colours.” Cloud said with a sniff.
“Alright. And Sister Sea what wager did you set ?” Wukong asked.
Seas smile was sly, a fox curling its lips around a chickens throat. “I said as many as the rainbow.”
“Which is not FAIR!” Cloud accused, throwing one finger in Seas face. Autumn laughed at the antics. Little simply helped herself to another mooncake, used to her sisters competing.
“But there IS A RAINBOW.” Sea insisted.
“No there isn’t !” Cloud spat like a cat.
“THERE IS RIGHT THERE - AND THEIR ARE MONKEYS BENEATH IT!” Sea hissed back, pointing to the waterfall spray that threw a perpetual mist into the air.
“That’s not a Heaven made one so it does not count!” Cloud sniffed. “It’s not a proper rainbow.”
It may have been the past barbs from Winter and Summer, but this phrasing following so close to Summers rejection to Sand Cranes gift- it stung already sore places. Willow couldn’t hide the small falling of her smile.
“A trickster then is Sister Sea.” Wukong leaned into the two fighting groups, giving a wink to Sea who chuckled.
“Do not make wagers with tricksters dear sisters.” Wukong philosophized, placing his hands behind his back to take a bit of a haughty air. “Especially if they are tricksters you call sister.”
“Aren’t you a trickster ?” Summer asked pointedly, her eyes sliding to Willow. What is that look ment to communicate ? Was she implying that Wukong was not to be trusted? That she had somehow been hoodwinked to come here ?
“Why yes.” Her friend rolled the sharper comment off his shoulder, letting the barb fall harmlessly. Or not recognizing the pointed slight. “ I am the best and most well know of cunning minded and sharp witted tricksters in stories. There are lessons to be learned in many a thing I have done.”
“Could you tell us Wukong?” Little asked around a mouthful of coconut cakes.
“Of course.” He leaned over and grabbed a napkin to wipe Littles face clean. Summer shivered and Winter fanned herself, puffing about the stuffy air. Hold it together Willow. She felt the waves rising, the surf surging in her heart. Wukong was being so gentlemanly. He was poised and well mannered. He was taking care of Little like he would any of his troop. It touched Willow with love. It also made her want to actually freeze her sisters in ice. Or politely push them into a rice field. On accident.
Maybe a good dunking will make them come to their senses.
“Now did I tell you of the time I dressed as my brother Bahjies Ex Wife to trick him into divorce ?” Wukong implored and Cloud, Sea and Little all clambered forward.
Whatever slights these three had said were not meant. It obviously had tickled down from on high. Willow saw the elder of her sister in the corner of her eyes. As Wukong launched into his story of disguise and acting, Willow took to leaning back and gauging the elders of the group. Autumn seemed fine- more amused by the journey and curious. Malicious no. Or maybe ignorant in how malicious her comments come off.
“It’s so hot dear Willow.. why is the air so … pungent?” Winter snapped her fingers and Willow felt her body go ridged. “Where’s the servant with some cold water ? I’m dying in this heat…”
Another slam into the sea wall inside herself.
“I will get it for you dear sister.” Willow said, rising from her place and stepping to the path that would lead to Water Curtain Cave.
“No servants to fetch things?” Summer cast about her, taking in the multitude of simians frolicking and enjoying the air. “No help for a daughter of the Royal family?”
Another crash of that wave.
“I prefer to get things myself instead of relying on others. I wouldn’t want to atrophy with the lack of movement.” It was a very sharp and direct barb but Willow had to deliver the reprimand. Summer had a tendency in court to be sloth like, relying on others to fan her or asking to be carried by palanquin. The harsher and more viceroys women of the palace said it was because Summer wanted to remain diminutive of stature and demur of nature. “All the better to woo our men.” One women, had whispered loudly. Willow would usually not try and use the court gossip to make a point. However … her patience was skating thin. She heard more then saw the intake of air as she walked away.
She hoped that was the last of it.
Willow entered the cave beneath the waterfall feeling a rush of emotions. Today was supposed to be lovely. It was supposed to be like that day back when the sisters had first crept to the earthly river, when they had all been girls and had laughed at the pleasure of just being.
Winter was miserable and melting and growing more corse by the second. Autumn found amusements in Lius severity thinking it was a game when the Marshal meant every word.
If she knew the courtesies Liu had she would never look to another man of the Palace. He’s worth twelve of those vipers in manners and in genuine heart.
Then there was Summer. Her second sister. The one who had the most aversion. Who had turned her nose up at a polite gesture. Willow felt her blood boil.
Willow pressed her hand to the cold stone of the cave, trying to take some of the chill into her blood. She did not want to cause a scene. Even though her sisters were digging for it.
#hcwrites#writing stuff#hcfanfics#for journey to the au#jttw au#jttw tag#jttw fanfic#sun wukong#earth reaching willow#Am I throwing the general tags up first? mayyyybe#I had this bit already done but … I checked the page count and#I realized I had so much dialouge#I really DIDNT want to shove it all into one long ass bit.#so … three parts#pftttt.#I got sucked into it again BUT IT WAS FUN#I just Hope the next part comes off the way I want it to#poor Willow her elder sisters are such brats.#the younger ones I’m just saying they don’t really know better#it’s kinda like how when you have an older sib and you wanna fit in and act like they do so you parrot what they say#I loved creating the names of the sisters it was so fun- I forgot that Willow made up the seventh sister and went “Woops one sister too many#and I had to delete that sister.#she was gonna be a sleepy sheepy sister but I think this is a good mix#Wukong wants to impress and Liu does too#the whole mountain wants to#I didnt write Xinshu in because … well. if she is here for the next bit I think she will kill someone#so Xinshu is Away getting angry at some pretty boy face#I also threw in a random grandma monkey just because - if I threw in Courage or Wisdom then it would have went a whole different#direction#jttw monkey king
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