Chapter Text
MK remembered the day he actually met Macaque. Not as a copy of the monkey king or a new mentor to spite Sun Wukong,but as a person.
He doesn’t remember the exact date,but he remembers the time. It was a period between dusk and twilight,they sky a lovely black-and-blue but the with a faint orange glow on the horizon. The sky,for once,had been clear, millions of stars shinning in the desert sky like glitter spilled on a dark cloth.
He’d been drenched in sweat,his shirt cling to his body and his bandana soaked.
Macaque hadn’t held back today. Pushing him again. And again. And again. Over and over until he got it right.
Now,MK and his mentor sat in the alley next to the dojo , not doing anything in particular.
“You’ll have to do better tomorrow.” Macaque’s voice cut the peaceful silence.
“Uhgggg” MK let his head fall “I am trying! I just-ugh!” He ran his hands through his sweaty,sweaty hair. “It’s not my fault Monkey Kind isn’t trying! I am doing better!”
“Better isn’t enough “
MK looked up at his mentor.
“Then what is?”
Macaque sighed and pulled something small and rectangular out of his cloak.
“Being the best. Do you really think I became a good fighter by finding excuses for why I wasn’t?”
MK opened his mouth to answer but he kept going.
“No! I.Kept.Trying. Over and over,just like you are!” Macaque’s hands moved as he spoke , “And I tried and I succeeded,because if I wasn’t the strongest I was a failure. If I couldn’t fight I was a dead weight. And there was no amount of talent or excuses that I could make or have that would justify it. So I got back up,and I kept training until I bleed.”
MK stared up at him,a bit hurt by his harsh words..but he could understand the truth behind them . “I want to be strong,and I’m trying really hard to-it just feels like I keep falling short.” Macaque sighed “I know how you feel,probably better then anyone else.” The macaque gave him a small,genuine smile “And you are getting stronger,you just have to keep pushing,let yourself surrender to the fight! To your instincts!”
He hesitated. “But what if I hurt someone?”
Macaque pulled out a lighter and fiddled with it as he spoke
“You’re gonna hurt people no matter what you do. Eventually,they’ll realize you made the right choice,and they’ll thank you…” macaque let out a long,tired sigh. The kinda sigh that people made when they where in a ages-long debate with someone who refused to listen “Eventually “
“Alight.” MK smiled “Then I’ll keep trying “
Macaque smiled back,a fang poking out at the corner. “Attaboy”
A long ,quiet pause. A pregnant one,even.
“You smoke?”
The question took MK off guard.
“What? I-no?”
“You wanna try?”
Macaque had already lit the cig,holding it out to him,like a offering. A promise.
He shook his head,”No sorry my dad-um,Pigsy would kill me-“
Macaque took a long,slow drag and exhaled,before giving him a heavy-lidded stare. “Aren’t you a “big boy” now?”
MK fiddled with his bandana
“I mean,yeah I’m twenty-one,but I still shouldn’t….”
Macaque shrugged. “‘M not forcing you.”Another long drag. “Just suggesting “
They sat like that for a good five minutes,the smell of nicotine and smoke polluting the air. MK decided,that he wouldn’t chicken out. He would try.
“F-Fine. I’ll try it-I’ll do it”
Macaque smiled softly. “Alright then”
The sky was completely dark now , only the light of stars above. “Here”
Macaque handed him the cig. MKs hands were shaking. “Put it to your mouth,inhale,but don’t go to quickly. It’s best to start slow and not have it hit your lungs immediately”
“Right” he nodded as if this made any sense to him. Like he did reckless stuff like this all the time. MK took a drag
It was easily the worst thing he’d ever had,the smoke was thick and itchy and bitter. He ended up dropping the cigarette and breaking into a coughing fit.
“Oh jeez,kid!” Macaque sounded concerned,but also like he was trying hard not to laugh. He patted his back “I know,it’s rough the first time,man mine went a lot worse”
macaque snickered,”you gotta admit that was pretty funny”
MK,who was busy rubbing his throat,swallowed thickly. “That was awful! How can people-how can you some that shit!” Macaque stared laughing harder,
“Man! Can’t believe this is the first time you’ve sworn with me “ Macaque mimed wiping a tear away for dramatic effect.
“As for why ,well,I guess it’s just a reason to relive stress. A way to feel control “
Macaque pulled out another cig. “Wanna try again?” MK got up,dusting himself off. “No,no. No thanks. Please!”
Macaque laughed again,so much lighter and younger then he’d ever heard him before.
“Alright,alight. You can try again some other time”
MK shuffled his feet
I really hope there doesn’t have to be a next time.
“I should start heading home,it’s late and I really need a shower.” Macaque turned and locked up the dojo “That you do”
His mentor gave him a small,true smile,a smile that MK would only see again twice.
“See ya tomorrow,kid”
And the ape disappeared into the shadows. Leaving the half smoked cigarette and his apprentice behind in the bright,hazy glow of the streetlights.
MK threw the cigarette away and went home,where he would try and fail to get the bitter taste of nicotine out of his mouth.
In the end,while tucking himself to sleep,many nights later,MK would miss that taste. Not for the drug,but for that small,true smile he saw from Macaque,and wondered if he’d ever see it again,or would he only remember it when he smelled smoke.