#{xiaodan

MK didn’t know how it all happened. In one moment, he was in Flower Fruit Mountain. In the next, he’s in the middle of the marketplace near Pigsy’s Noodle shop. 

Except it’s wrong. 

A place that should be so familiar suddenly wasn’t. Demons were bigger and more prevalent, dominating the streets and the food stalls. The few humans MK managed to catch sight of were fearful. They all kept their heads down and scurried to their destinations as fast as they could. Not that it helped the unfortunate few who caught the attention of a few mean demons. The poor humans were tripped, pushed, and mocked in front of MK’s eyes. And no one even batted an eye to all of it.

Humans aren’t treated well here - wherever here is, MK quickly realized with a sinking feeling that made wrap his arms defensively around his chest. The only reason he wasn’t being singled out and pushed around despite being so obviously alone and out-of-place was because of the monkey demon traits he had as a side-effect to inheriting Wukong’s powers. 

MK wanted to leave this nightmare of a place more than ever. Usually, he’d stick his nose into the situation and try to make it better, stand up for the little guys and save the day like the Monkie Kid always did, but MK didn’t have all the information. 

“Look. Listen. After you gather enough, make a plan. Then you can act,” MK could hear Macaque advise him. “If you don’t, you might make the situation worse and get hurt by being reckless. Or cause hurt.”

It was a bitter pill to swallow, but MK followed his mentor’s advice and kept his head down as best he could. 

That worked for only about a few minutes until MK came across Red Son’s familiar, scowling face. He’d been so relieved to see someone he recognized that he instinctively hugged the other demon without taking note of the slight differences to Red Son’s appearance.

“Wha-? Unhand me, peasant! How dare you touch the heir of the Bull King Family so casually!”

That was a mistake. 

Thankfully, MK was used to Red Son going after his head, being his ex-nemesis and all that, so he dodged all of the attacks pretty easily and kept mostly to the defensive. It wasn’t until one of Red Son’s strikes came too close to MK’s chest when he saw red. The staff came out.

How dare he try to hurt her, something sharp and feral snarled in MK’s mind as he threw Red Son down with enough force that the ground cracked. He lifted his staff above his head.

He didn’t know, something that sounded more like himself reminded him. It was what guided MK’s strike to hit right next to Red Son’s head instead of delivering the final blow. A warning shot. MK even drove the point home by stressing that he was holding back. 

“I’m going to get off, but you’re going to have to promise not to murder me, okay?” 

It was a relief when Red Son nodded. The aggression and anger was gone now. Only shock remained as he allowed MK to help him up. MK didn’t think much of how the demon’s shock melted into something softer and admiring.

That was another mistake. 

What followed was a series of events that ended up with MK restrained and dragged over to the feets of the Demon Bull King and Princess Iron Fan where Red Son passionately declared his intention to court MK (why) despite already being engaged to Mei (what) but that apparently wasn’t a problem (how) so the courtship was a go. 

No one, of course, asked for MK’s input or opinion about the entire thing, not that he didn’t try. It was beginning to dawn on MK that this world wasn’t his own the more the Bull Family talked. Demons dominated both the Celestial and Mortal realms after Sun Wukong won in his battle against Heaven. After overthrowing the Jade Emperor, he took the throne and ruled all of the Three Realms ever since. MK was truly far from home and he didn’t know how to go back. 

Worse yet, they were all under the assumption that MK was Wukong’s son. 

“I’m not the Monkey King’s son!” MK insisted again and again, but his words were either dismissed or outright ignored. 

The longer he remained trapped and tied up in the Bull Family’s mercy, the more MK became conscious of the quick little heartbeats against his chest. Like hummingbird wings. He tried not to make it obvious that his arms and tail were curling defensively around something - someone - precious. 

Thump-thump. Thump-thump. Thump-thump.

Still beating. Still breathing.

Still sleeping.

Despite the entire situation, a helpless smile stole across MK’s face. Sun Xiaodan may look like a mini-Macaque, but she inherited her Baba’s habit of sleeping like a rock. Even all the fighting and the screaming that went around her, little A-Dan remained blissfully oblivious to the chaos as she snoozed the day away. 

“What amused you so, beloved?”

MK’s smile dropped at Red Son’s question. This version of him seemed similar to his own at first, but now he was looking at MK with a fierce and almost covetous devotion that his own Red Son never aimed his way. At best, MK would receive reluctant approval. And “beloved”? No one ever called him that before.

(It should fill him with candlelight warmth, the tender way Red Son called him “beloved”. Maybe in another situation, it would have. But now, with the magical ropes keeping him in place, it only choked him like smoke in a closed space.)

MK looked down and kept quiet. He tried not to care at the flicker of disappointment that flashed across the demon’s handsome face. Any moment of guilt or compassion wouldn’t have mattered anyways since Red Son’s determination to win MK over seemed to come back stronger.

“The Emperor and Empress are here for you,” he announced after clearing his throat. “Come. They are with my parents.”

Seeing Wukong and Macaque was like watching a remake of a favorite film. The actors and the characters were the same, but there were enough differences that made them “off” to MK’s eyes - their extravagant clothing, their postures, and the lack of scars. All of the differences made MK pause and stare. 

DBK pushed MK forward to Wukong with a soft snort. “Brother, I believe we found your cub.”

“…Cub?”

There was a heavy weight behind that question. MK could hear the undertone of doubt and a bit of displeasure. Relief filled MK at that. Finally, someone who will clear up the fact that he’s not who everyone is saying he is. 

“I’m not his cub,” MK insisted again. Or tried to. 

“Bud,” a hand clamped down MK’s shoulder, cutting him off before he could start his sentence, “so this is where you’ve been. You gave me and your Baba quite the scare.” 

Like his Macaque, this one was a good actor. Every movement was smoothly executed in a way that made it seem almost habitual, as if he’s scolded and fussed over MK many times before. 

Play along, the subtle squeeze from the hand on his shoulder warned him.

MK closed his mouth and stayed silent as Macaque smoothly handled the situation. Even with Red Son’s possessive claim that MK should stay in the Bull Clan’s territory during the entire duration of the courtship, the Shadow Monkey managed to whisk him away without much trouble.

When all three of them were far enough from the Bull Clan’s territory, MK and Wukong broke the silence at the same time. 

“Moonlight, he’s not mine!”

“I’m not his cub!”

In that moment, their eyes met and MK felt a sense of camaraderie with this strange version of his mentor. At this very moment, the two of them were fighting for the same truth to be heard. For once, MK didn’t feel alone in his frustration.

Macaque’s lips pulled back into a snarl as he turned to glare at his husband. “Do not try to lie to me, Wukong. Not when the proof is right there. He has your powers. Anyone with spiritual awareness can sense it. He is yours.” He stopped and visibly reeled in his anger when he caught sight of MK staring. He softened his posture and expression. “And that makes him mine as well despite the circumstances. What’s done is done. So stop denying it Wukong. Please.”

MK felt a little sick. “Wait, you….think that he cheated on you and had me? But that’s not true at all!” Other world or not, he was not going to be the cause of Wukong and Macaque’s breakup. Not after he saw how hard his own Wukong and Macaque fought to piece their broken relationship back together through effort and healing. “For the last time, Monkey King is not my dad!”

MK wanted to say more but he stiffened when he felt a shift under his shirt. Wukong and Macaque noticed it too, falling silent and watching intently as a small head popped out. 

Xiaodan blinked sleepily and clutched at the edge of MK’s shirt in a tiny grip. Her six, lotus-shaped ears fluttered as she wiped the sleep from her eyes with her free hand. 

“Mmn. Mama? Baba?”

Oh. 

Oh no.

Of all the times to wake up, why did she choose now?!

MK avoided looking at the celestial monkeys in front of him. He didn’t want to see the expressions on their faces. Instead, he focused on the person who mattered the most to him in the world. 

“Hi. Hey,” he cooed down at Xiaodan and pasted on his best smile. She didn’t have to know how stressed and anxious he was. She didn’t have to know how far from home they were. “Did you have a good nap, A-Dan?”

‘A-Dan,’ MK managed to catch Macaque mouth to himself from the corner of his eye as Xiaodan nodded. There were unshed tears in the shadow demon’s eyes as he continued to stare at the baby monkey who looked so much like him. 

Xiaodan caught sight of both Wukong and Macaque and brightened up immediately. She reached out for them and chirped. “Mama! Baba!”

Wukong made a strangled noise from the back of his throat. He almost didn’t catch his mate as Macaque’s knees buckled from under him. They both continued to stare at Xiaodan as if she brought the first rays of sunlight after an endless night. 

The longer Xiaodan’s chirps and calls went unanswered, the smaller her smile became until she looked up to MK. 

“Gege?” What’s wrong? Her expression seemed to ask, completely unaware that her innocent call for reassurance hit the final nail to MK’s coffin. 

“Gege,” he heard Macaque repeat breathlessly to Wukong. “She called him -

“Yeah, I heard,” Wukong said numbly. “She’s - He’s - They’re -