Dove lashing out at trip in the new chapter but we all know she just misses arguing with her man in front of everybody sigghhhhhhhhhhhhh
+ Dove in her hanfu :p
Her lightning rod is gone now Trip has to be ready to catch some strays 😭
La version de dove et mengtao existe ils dans l univers NR new gods nezha reborn ?
I actually haven't seen much of the Nezha Reborn movies. They're on my list of things to watch but I haven't gotten to them yet! This is an ask I'd like to come back to tho once I've watched them cuz it's always fun to think of how Dove would exist/how she would be in different iterations, same with Mengtao!
Sandy and Ao Lie aren’t far behind, the younger disciple frowning as he follows after the pig demon. “Do you expect either of them to be grateful that he’s gone?”
“Well, I didn’t think they’d both be moping like this. All they do is sulk or berate me over nothing!” Bajie huffs, and you perch as they walk past. You want to frown at his complaints, as if falling asleep while they all wait for the pig isn’t something to be upset about.
Wujing is much calmer in his response than you would have been. “It doesn’t help that you were the one that kept insisting whoever he killed was human.”
“We all saw the bodies of those two women! Even if that old man wasn’t who he appeared to be–”
“But Brother Sun said they were all the same.”
“Why should it matter what he said?! Oh, because the Great Sage, Equal to Heaven has defeated powerful armies and kept Master safe longer than you and I, he can do no wrong? He was better than us, so whatever he says goes?”
“…I didn’t say he was better than us.”
Bajie stops in his tracks, lowering his rake. The pig demon frowns, and you swear for a moment you see something akin to reflection cross his face. Like a silent realization. Wujing seems to catch onto the shift as well, and he rests a hand on his brother’s shoulder. “Is that what this is about? Are you jealous?”
“Jealous?” The question seems to snap Bajie out of whatever moment he was having, and he brushes his brother’s hand off with a laugh. “Spare me those silly judgements, Sandy. Why would I harbour those kinds of feelings for a demon like him? It would be a waste of my thoughts–”
“And a waste of your time.” The demon pig squeals as you jump down from your perch, the three disciples turning to you as you land. As informative as their conversation is, there isn’t time for it. You wasted enough of that already.
Sha Wujing frowns at your arrival. “Little Soother? Where is Master?”
“He wandered off to a pagoda in the forest, and it’s occupied by a horde of demons."
Who wants some LMK Dove/Wukong shenanigans lol, this’ll probably be 2 or 3 parts so I’ll post the between the next few PoM chapters
Last chapter made me sad like I’m not the one writing it SO this is very much going to be sitcom-coded, hope you enjoyyyyy
Date Night - P1
“If you’re going to try doing it yourself, at least grab something to write everything down.” Princess Iron Fan sighs as her husband turns up the volume on their cooking show. The couple sits together on the sofa in their bedroom, sharing a blanket as they relax for the evening. Usually she would retire before her husband, but tonight she was in the mood to be together. She’d likely fall asleep during his little baking show, but he always makes for a perfect pillow.
The Demon Bull King huffs at the idea he wouldn’t be able to remember such a simple recipe. “I don’t need that.”
“You’re going to forget a step, love.” He grumbles at his wife’s incessance over taking notes. But maybe he could, just in case.
“…Do you have any paper in here? I don’t feel like getting up.” Before he can even finish the sentence, a gentle wind sets a notepad onto his lap, a pen dropping after it. Iron Fan leans into the bull demon and as he’s done countless times before, he moves his arm to let her rest on him.
Notepad in one hand and pen in the other, the Demon Bull King hums in content. Finally. With the holes in the walls from Monkey King’s successor and his friends fixed, and the damage left by the Lady Bone Demon in the surrounding areas dealt with, he and Princess Iron Fan can finally–
“Hey bud!” An all-too familiar and annoying voice booms, following the sound of their bedroom door breaking off its hinges and dropping to the ground. “I’ve been knocking outside for the past… hah… the past twelve minutes!”
The Demon Bull King turns his head to face the Monkey King as he waltzes in, and while Princess Iron Fan hasn’t moved to look at him, her glare is sharp enough to slice the dough being made on the TV. The bull demon growls, what business does this ape have intruding on their home like this?! “Simian–”
“By the way, those clone guys are terrible hosts. Also, you might want to take a look at them. They’re a little, uh, broken? WhoAA–” Monkey King barely has a moment to move before his old brother charges at him, his hand pinning Wukong to the wall.
The Monkey King grunts, the wall cracking behind him. “How dare you intrude upon our home!” He hadn’t minded hosting the boy and his friends, but Sun Wukong barging in like this is crossing a line.
Demon Bull King holds up his fist to swing, and Wukong raises his arms up in defence “Hey, I wouldn’t be here if this wasn’t important!”
“Really?” He laughs. “What’s so important that the great Monkey King would resort to seeking help from us?”
“I don’t need your help! I just, uh…” Wukong snaps before trailing off and for a moment his old brother lowers his fist, it isn’t often he sees the Monkey King with that kind of worry in his eyes. “…Dove asked me on a date.”
Ah. That would explain it.
The head of the demon bull family remembered his son mentioning something about Wukong and his reincarnated companion. After learning about her past, he’s noticed her in their home now and again to visit Red Son and Princess Iron Fan, at first to learn more about her old self but he’s noticed how friendly his wife has become with her. His son has mentioned that she and the Great Sage were growing closer again once he told her of their past, but then… “Why are you here?”
The question makes the Monkey King laugh “About that–” Before he can explain, the sound of ambulance sirens ring from outside and Wukong’s eyes widen. “She found me?!”
“How did she get here so quickly?” Demon Bull King questions as he sets Wukong down while his wife gets up to stand with them.
“Why did she take an ambulance?” Princess Iron Fan frowns. With her fan, she uses a gust of wind to set the door upright– a temporary fix.
The Monkey King looks away with a nervous smile, scratching the back of his head with a chuckle. “I didn’t exactly give her an answer.”
The husband and wife give Wukong the same deadpan look. “You ran?”
“Wha– noooooo!” He looks offended but only for a moment. “Just… delayed my answer.”
The Bull King crosses his arms, he doesn’t have the patience for this. “Then I suggest you give it now.”
“Huh?!” With how their relationship ended the first time, he honestly thinks the woman would be better off without the simian. After she helped their family in her last life, he would hope the best for her in this life.
However, if she’s the one who wants to court Sun Wukong, then he won’t help his old brother run from his feelings. “You want to be with her again, don’t you?”
The question makes the Monkey King frown. “It’s not about what I want.” It’s easy to read the guilt in his expression. The Demon Bull King remembers how he was then, after she died. It’s never easy losing a loved one, Princess Iron Fan was in distress for days after learning about her husband’s fight with the Monkey King those centuries ago.
Maybe that’s why it made it so easy for her to confront the sage now. “I know, it’s not about what you want at all.” She steps forward, ignoring Wukong’s side eye. “It’s about what she wants. Monkey King, she knows what happened in her last life and is still taking the chance to be with you. Whether or not that’s a smart decision, she is choosing you.”
The Monkey King’s brow furrows as she speaks, taking in the matriarch’s words in silence. “If you don’t want to be with her, then tell her that. If you do want to be with her, don’t take that choice away in the name of ‘safety’.”
Wukong looks down, silent as he digests the words. His fists clench and just as he raises his head to speak, the door falls over for the second time that night. However the person on the other side widens her eyes in surprise, clearly not expecting it to drop from her angry knocking.
“Oh my gosh, I didn’t mean to do that! Sorry, Red Son said Monkey King was here and–” Her apologetic expression shifts when she sees the sage. She casts a glare over him, the king stepping back as he sees the look on her face. “Wukong!”
“Heyyyyyyyyy.” He waves with a smile, only because he has no clue what else to say. Her glare hardens at his casual response and his faux-grin drops. The sage knows he can’t keep avoiding her, he shouldn’t have run at all! Now he has to try and fix this however he can.
He turns to the heads of the demon bull family. “Uh, can we have some privacy?”
“This is our bedroom, Wukong.”
“Oh, right. Haha…”
The Monkey King looks back to the woman who chased him down, her irritated expression never leaving his person, and gestures over to the hall. With a sigh, she turns to leave, Wukong silently following after her.
With both uninvited guests gone, Princess Iron Fan sets their door back in place as best she can. “…I’ll get Red Son to fix it in the morning.” Her husband snorts at the sight of their broken door, annoyed but trying his best to return to a more peaceful state of mind. “I can rewind the show if you’d like.”
“Thank you, love.” With any luck, he may actually be able to sit through the whole show without any more interruptions.
As the couple settles back into their spots on their sofa, Sun Wukong follows Dove out to the front of the bull family’s home. She turns to face him with crossed arms in front of her ambulance, waiting for his explanation while he struggles to find the words.
What does he even start with? He should apologize for running, right? He hadn’t even been thinking when he jumped onto his cloud– it was pure instinct! He hadn’t expected her to ask him out– and so bluntly! It took him completely off guard. After he’d been so cold to her when they first met and trying so hard to push her away, Sun Wukong thought she would never want him like that again, the way they were in her last life…
“Look,” She finally sighs, her head dropping as he takes too long to go first, “I got the idea, okay?”
His eyes go wide at her words. The disappointment she tries hiding in her voice, it makes his heart sink. “I was just curious, after how you were during that whole amnesia-day and… hah.” She smiles to herself, seemingly flustered by the way her cheeks start to dust pink. “I didn’t think it would scare you enough to run but– just a no would be fine next time.”
“No!”
“You didn’t have to say it now.”
Shoot! “No, that’s not what I meant.” The Monkey King reaches out for her hand, leaving her confused as he holds it tight. “I’d love to go on a date with you. Are… Are you sure you want to go on a date with me?”
His answer makes her blink in surprise, but she’s quick to recover as she digests his question. “I’m the one asking you out. Yes, I’m sure.” She has to wonder how that would even be a question for him?
There’s not a doubt in her eyes, and the resolve in her words is enough to twist his heart. How long did it take for her to return his feelings on their pilgrimage? And Dove in this new life— she’s ready to chase him down to ask him out?!
Wukong can’t help the smile that creeps its way onto his face. Damn, didn’t he promise himself to not get mixed up in her life again? It’s like he can’t help himself when it comes to breaking rules, even his own.
Unable to hide his smile now, the sage shakes his head and takes her hands into his own. “Okay then, on one condition. I’m planning the date.”
The paramedic laughs, her head slightly tilting in an amused confusion. “But I’m the one asking you out. Shouldn’t that be my job?”
“Do you already have something planned?”
“…Honestly, I wasn’t sure if I’d make it this far.”
The Monkey King grins. “Okay, then let me sweep you off your feet for this. You can plan the next one.”
The suggestion leaves her surprised, the blush over her face growing more noticeable. “What makes you think you’re getting a second date before the first one’s even started?”
“I… uh, I mean…” Wukong pauses. He was barely able to say yes to this date, he shouldn’t be getting ahead of himself.
Thankfully, she just gives him a playful smile. “Fine, then. If this one goes well, maybe I’ll plan the second one.”
Wow, they’re doing this. Neither party can hide the excitement they try suppressing. This is happening. Sun Wukong is going on a date with someone he was sure he’d lost centuries ago. No matter what, he has to make this perfect.
~~~~
You want to drop the minute you shut the door to your apartment. Your knees feel weak, ready to give out after asking the Monkey King out. The fact that he tried running didn’t help settle your nerves either.
He did carry your ambulance through the desert after Red Son brought you there to take care of the runaway monkey, so you’ll cut him some slack for that. You text Red Son a quick thanks for summoning you to their home so quickly, though he probably just wanted to get Wukong out of there as soon as he could.
Setting your phone down on your counter, you run over the events of the last hour again and can’t help the smile that spreads over your face the moment you’re alone. Damn, since when did that bundle of nerves in your gut feel good? You guess you could call them butterflies. Of course you thought you'd be happy if he said yes, but actually hearing it… ugh, stupid butterflies.
And he wants to plan it? Part of you feels bad shirking that responsibility to him since this was your idea. Still, you’re curious about what he has planned. It’s a weight off your shoulders, where could you even take him that would be impressive enough for the Monkey King? What kind of place will he be taking you?
There’s this stirring excitement in your chest now, your mind drifting to think of what he might have planned. Sun Wukong must know a thousand different things you could do. What if he wants to do something you used to like doing together? It’s not like you just asked him out because of your past, though it is something you’d like to know more about. If anything, it was more about Sun Wukong.
Your view of the Monkey King has shifted so much since the day MK found his staff. Back then, you enjoyed listening to your friend ramble about his hero. You would even consider yourself a bit of a fan, too. Then when you finally met the Great Sage… he was a prick! Sometimes? His hot-and-cold demeanour towards you was infuriating. At times, he’d act as though he wanted nothing to do with you, only to then go out of his way to interfere with your work or hanging out with the others.
But even then, the way he looked at you… like there was always something he wanted to say. There was a pain you didn’t understand and it seemed like he didn’t want you to. You had grown used to him constantly pushing you out until that day where he forgot everything.
Seeing his walls down was whiplash enough, but for him to be that affectionate?! That whole day was chaotic and confusing, but when you think back to those quiet moments, the sweet words and playful teasing… it was nice. When he finally told you everything and apologized for how he’d been acting towards you, he changed all over again!
It was kind of awkward at first, but you’ve been warming up to each other. You’ll tag along with MK now and then to see him— with the excuse of wanting to see his monkey subjects, of course. It’s kind of become a bit of a routine these days. The monkeys join you in watching the two spar, you and Wukong talk and catch up a bit while MK does his stretches and if he forgets to leave with you, Wukong offers to fly you back to the mainland. He still looks at you in the same way but with what you know now, it feels different. Just when you think you’re figuring him out, the Monkey King throws you for a loop. It drives you crazy and makes you all the more curious as to who he really is. You want to know him— really know him.
So why not give a date a shot?
~~~~
It’s early in the morning when the Monkie Kid peeks into the home of his teacher. Usually when they have training, Monkey King meets him on the peak of Flower Fruit, but today he didn’t show up. He never misses training— unless he’s on ‘vacation’ to find something powerful enough to defeat a past enemy— but it’s been a while since that happened. “Monkey King?”
He doesn’t get an answer as he steps into Water Curtain Cave, not even the monkeys that usually run around are present. “Hello? Is anyone home?” MK would’ve sworn the place was empty if it wasn’t for the distant sound of crashing and a frustrated shout from further into the cave.
When MK finally finds him deep in the tunnels of his home, he finds him surrounded by his subjects. The small monkeys sit around their king as he rummages through piles of clothes while mumbling to himself. What is he doing? Doesn’t he wear the same thing everyday? MK didn’t even know he had this many clothes. “Uh, Monkey King?”
The teacher’s head shoots up at his name, and he turns to face his pupil with a surprised smile. “Oh, hey bud! What’re you doing here?”
“We have training today, remember?” Did he really forget?
The look on Monkey King’s face is answer enough. “Shoot, that was today? Sorry, MK, can we reschedule? Something came up and now I need to find something to wear…” He begins searching through his pile as he talks, and MK frowns. It’s not like Monkey King ever goes anywhere…
OHMYGOSHWAIT “You said yes?!”
Monkey King turns around to look back at MK, but now he’s the one that’s confused. “How did you know?”
“She was hyping herself up to a bowl of noodles on her lunch break.” She never even noticed MK looming over her booth, too caught up in her nerves to see the knowing grin on her friend’s face.
“She did that?” Monkey King snorts at the mental image. He’s only laughing for a moment before shaking his head. “Ugh, I can’t find anything to wear. Can you help me out, bud? I swear I used to have a dress shirt or something.”
He goes back to searching through his mess while MK joins him, the two sorting through the clothes for anything he could use. MK always thought his teacher had a thing for their paramedic friend. While exploring Water Curtain Cave, he’d noticed murals deep in the cave of a woman that resembled her. Obviously, he didn’t know about their past life or anything then, he just assumed Monkey King was too shy to tell her how he felt and expressed it in art instead.
He also hadn’t thought about how old those murals were, either. “Sooooo, where’re you guys going?” MK looks back at his teacher with a smirk that makes Monkey King roll his eyes, but he still smiles at the question.
Monkey King shrugs a bit as he sorts through his clothes, and MK tries not to say anything about his face getting a little red. “Oh nothing, just got us a reservation at one of the nicest restaurants in town… according to their reviews.”
Monkey King? Dinner at a fancy restaurant? “Really? I thought you’d need to get a reservation, like, wayyyyy in advance.”
“I’ve got my ways, heh.” He grins holding up another shirt that he quickly tosses over his head.
“Is that it?”
Monkey King pauses before looking back at his student. There’s a hesitant confusion on his face that worries the boy. The longer the silence lasts, the more the worry grows. After a moment, Monkey King laughs. “Nooooooo, pfft ‘is that it’ of course I have something else planned! Because I should totally have more planned… right?”
“Are you blind?! I was trying to save you!” Wukong huffs, still recovering from the pain of his crown. “Look at what she was serving you!” He moves to grab the rice bowl that lays by the woman’s hands, throwing it down to his master’s feet. Maggots spill out from it, inching overtop one another as you and the monk step back in disgust.
Tripitaka frowns, anger giving way to confusion at the sight of the bowl’s contents. “What? But I was so sure… I swore it was rice.”
“Oh, please.” Bajie butts in to roll his eyes. “If the girl was really a demon, why wouldn’t killing her revert her to her original form? The rice must be one of Brother Pilgrim’s illusions, so he can justify his killing.”
“Are you a moron?” Wukong gets back up with a growl. He might as well have been glaring daggers into the pig, his voice spitting with anger.
“Enough!” The two stop once their master speaks, and the monk lets out a sigh carrying the weight of his stress over the last few nights. There’s silence as he looks down at the maggots, then back to the girl. “…I cannot continue with a murderer as my disciple.”
Wukong’s eyes widen at his words and you find yourself mirroring his expression. “How long have we been together and still you have learned nothing? If you cannot learn from your errors, there will be no room for you on this journey.”
You’re quick to step in before he can continue. “Tripitaka, I understand he upset you with his actions, but you should not rush a decision like this.” In all honesty, you aren’t sure what the truth here really is. The maggots spilling from the bowl shows ill intent. But with the body still being, well, human, you aren’t sure of Wukong’s claims. Whether or not he should have killed her, he still must have picked up on the fact that something was wrong, right? No matter what happened, you can’t let Tripitaka send away his most powerful disciple, not when there’s still so much road left ahead.
Hey I was wondering if you’ve read “Adventure From China, The Monkey King” it’s a comic. I recently started reading it and I’m obsessed with the drawings! If you haven’t I think you would like it. Some part are change but it does follow the plot of JTTW, and I love how they draw Sun Wukong! JUST LOOK AT HIM! (To be fair I love how they draw everybody 😅)
I've read some of but not all of the comic, and I love what I've gone through! The art is great and so many of the expressions are just
googs i have more for you,, this one is based off the "Oh" chapter,, Im going crazy over PoM if you cant tell
AAUGHH THIS IS SO CUTE
Thank you so much for sharing your art, your Wukong and Dove designs have me in a chokehold! The way they're holding each other is so sweet
Ughhhhh I love how they're smiling at each other, they're shouting their nicknames!! And Wukong's shirt slipping off is PERFECT! His hand over hers cuz she's on the verge of undressing him in front of everyone, THIS IS SO GOOD
my dove and trip enjoying some apple slicess + a suspicious monkey,, hope you likee :p
Oh. My. God.
YOUR ARTTTTTTTTTT AHHHHHH
This is amazing tysm!!! I love your Dove so much YOU GAVE HER CURLS AHHHHH I LOVE IT
And having her and Trip talk about Wukong is so funny, I love him sulking in the corner lmao, your designs for them are incredible!
Here's the snippet I mentioned a while back for hitting 600 kudos on AO3! This takes place later in the journey, when both Dove and Wukong are very aware of each others feelings but there's still some… reluctance on Dove's part. Cuz who doesn't love a bit of longing for something you feel you shouldn't have??
This also might just be nice to have before we get to… the next AO3 chapter…
Always You
You wake to a fire, dancing in the centre of an empty home. Cracks in the walls and snow sprinkling through the sparse holes in the ceiling are evidence enough of the structure’s vacancy. Wind howls outside while the flames dance on, their warmth welcoming compared to the constant chill that rests just under your skin. The lids over your eyes feel heavy as you watch the fire in silence, a sense of drowsiness clouding your senses.
A warm hand cups the back of your head, guiding you up as a cup is brought to your lips. “Here, drink.” The voice of your celestial monkey companion urges you, and you silently comply with the request. You take the warm cup of water he offers you and look up to see the annoyance in his expression as he kneels next to you. Once you’ve finished with the drink he sets it down on the ground next to your bedroll and lays your head back down as well. You don’t recognise wherever it is that you and the king rest now, when did you get here?
“I told you it was better for you to remain a bird.” The simian grumbles as he moves to tend to the fire that crackles over its wooden fuel. “Those feathers are better protection from the cold than your thin skin.”
Most days, a comment like that would have earned a sharp response, but you’re too tired for that. Focusing on anything other than the chill fighting to sink its claws into you feels like too much of a burden right now. It’s difficult to think about anything other than the cold. “It w…wasn’t on purpose, j-just fell asleep.”
“Then do me a favour and stay awake.” The king huffs, shaking his head in a way that makes you frown. “What’s the point in wasting all that energy taking care of Master’s illness if you freeze to death?” Why does he have to sound like he’s scolding you?
You admit that you didn’t think taking care of the monk’s illness would leave you in this condition. Yes, of course you knew how you would grow tired after pushing your gift too far, but you hadn’t taken into account the blizzard that you and the pilgrims would get caught in.
Wait a moment. “Where are the others?”
“Still in the protection circle, safe where we left them.” He responds with a hum, and you frown to yourself. Yes, you remember the circle Wukong drew before leaving to scout ahead. However, you can swear that you remember the other pilgrims leaving it. Could it have been a dream?
In the midst of your thoughts, you try to sit up but quickly get pushed back down, the monkey demon guiding you down by your shoulders. “Don’t move around too much, Dove, just focus on getting yourself warm again.” He moves to stand as he speaks. “I can get some more wood for the fire…”
His hands leave your shoulders to get up, taking their warmth with him, and the possibility of having that heat slip away stirs you enough to react. You reach out to grab his arm before he can pull away further. “Stay.”
The demon frowns down at you. “The fire is getting smaller and your hands are like blocks of ice. You need heat.” Despite how terse his words are, you don’t let them deter you.
“Your warmth is enough.” You respond, the look in your eyes almost pleading. The king looks down at you, something akin to surprise written over his features. He opens his mouth to argue something back, but lacks the words to form a proper response.
You pull him closer, his resolve to leave melting as he lets you. A small smile finds its way onto your face seeing him allow you to guide him into sitting with you. “Besides, you can just turn some hairs into firewood, can’t you?”
The question seems to break him out of his trance, a chuckle rumbling in his chest as he pulls you onto his lap. You shift only for a moment as you get comfortable, resting your head on his shoulder and nuzzling into the crook of his neck. Years ago, in the early days of the pilgrimage, you learned how Sun Wukong’s days in the trigram furnace had raised his natural body temperature. The contact of your forehead directly against his neck feels near-heavenly because of it.
The heat that emanates from him as his arms wrap around you brings a sense of comfort sweet enough to lull you back to sleep. The only thing stopping you is the monkey demon’s amusement with your words. “You can’t just assume one of my transformations is firewood.”
“Peaches, you’ve told me the story about when you turned into a tree too many times for me to count, that should be close enough.” You mumble into his neck, resting your hand over his chest.
He scoffs at your response, but proves you right in the same breath. Plucking some hairs from his arm, the king blows the strands towards the fire, turning them into wood that drops into the fire. “You love hearing those stories.”
You roll your eyes a bit and raise your head to look up at him. “No, you love the sound of your own voice.”
He meets your gaze with a grin, mischief in his eyes. “Is that so wrong?”
“You don’t want my answer to that.”
“Even when freezing, you won’t let me have the last word.”
“It isn’t my fault… you make it so easy for me. Besides, I need to get back at you somehow.” You hum before returning your head to rest on his chest. He pulls you closer, and you can’t stop the breath of content that leaves you.
The monkey demon laughs, and for a moment you take in the rhythm of his heart. Its steady beat is so soothing. “For what?” He asks, and you can hear the smile in his voice.
“You took my chance at immortality, and still got me to care about you. I care about you. So much.” You answer, almost surprising yourself with how openly you admit it aloud. At the moment, you find it difficult to care all that much. Not when you’re wrapped in the solace of your sun’s hold.
There’s a stretch of silence where all you can hear is the drumming of his heart and your quiet breaths. It’s a peace so perfect, you would spend forever in it if you could. After the moment passes, the simian releases a heavy breath. “…You’re better than me, being able to forgive something like that.”
“I know.” You lay against his chest, and you don’t have to look up to know the deadpan expression he wears in response to your words.
“Who sounds arrogant now?”
“You.” You smile, your eyes drifting to close once more. “It’s always you…”
The last thing you catch before falling under the spell of slumber is his hum of acknowledgment. “Always me…”
~~~~
The sound of the door to the old home crashing open startles you awake, and you sit up in a panic to Sun Wukong at the entrance. You didn’t even realise you had fallen asleep again– had Wukong left while you were resting?
“Dove!” He’s by your side in an instant, pulling you into his arms in a tight embrace. The welcome is a bit surprising but it doesn’t distract you from the sigh of relief that exhales from his chest. “What happened to staying in the circle?!”
Wukong loosens his hold enough for you to look back at him and frown while he continues to spiral. “I gave you all one instruction! Do you know where the others are? Why did you split up?”
“I thought…” You take in the abandoned home and your frown deepens. There’s no sign of the fire from before, your bedroll nowhere to be found. Was that all just a dream?
Wukong takes your hands in his own, drawing your attention back to him. You no longer feel as though you’re on the brink of freezing, but their warmth is welcome nonetheless. “You’re cold, Dove. Let’s have you warm up while I search the other buildings here for Master and my brothers. They can’t have gotten much farther than you.”
“…Alright, then.” You nod, confusion still lingering over your thoughts but you decide to let it go. Perhaps warming up can help clear your mind. Besides, the faster you do that, the faster you can start looking for your missing friends.
Together, Wukong and you start building a fire. It doesn’t take long but by the time you finish and gather around its heat, you can’t help but miss the warmth of the arms holding you in your fantasy. You glance over at Wukong with a small shake of your head. To think you might have said those things to him.
Maybe it’s better that it was only a dream.