Retracted Memories //LMK//ShadowPeach//

Chapter 10 (Part 1)

Unlike Wukong, who was an awkward extrovert, Macaque was the opposite. He was the outgoing introvert. 

He could start and finish a conversation, but that didn't mean he was comfortable. He liked talking with his friends and Peaches, he enjoyed hanging out with them, but he also really wouldn't mind hanging out in total silence. He wasn't a fan of talking to strangers, but he does if he wants to. Didn't mean he was comfortable.

He also had a knack for trauma dumping or sharing too little. He didn't mean it, it just happened. And according to his memories, his 'future-self' maintained the same social style he had now. 

Macaque blamed it on his anxiety. 

It used to bother him a lot, he'd have panic attacks almost every night until he met Wukong. Then the anxiety disorder just became a buzz he stopped caring about. The thing is, it caused him to acquire a few tics every now and then.

Sometimes it was a head twitch, sometimes his whole body spasmed for a few seconds, occasionally his hands and tail twitched or his eyelid twitched. And sometimes he would just have the urge to say a word to stop the anxiety, a bit of an OCD-style tic he acquired over the years.

He never bothered explaining them or his anxiety, why should he? 

He could bring it up, but it made his anxiety spike. What if they laughed at him? Silly, yeah, but possible. He didn't like possible.

And at the moment, he really hated Wukong and MK's ADHD. The pair kept getting distracted and were shuffling and fibbing with whatever they could get their hands on. Whenever they acted up it made him nervous. The last time Wukong had acted up he'd ended up under a mountain and then went on that stupid journey...

And then he'd killed Macaque.

Macaque felt his anxiety spike and a word slipped out, "Cooties." MK and Wukong paused and looked up in amusement, "Cooties?" Macaque blushed, "Uh, sorry it's an anxiety tic." He nervously laughed and twiddled his thumbs.

Wukong leaned forward, "You have anxiety?" Macaque kept staring at the floor and nodded, "Yeah, it's nothing new. It's just on the fritz today. I have a bad feeling is all..." MK frowned, "A bad feeling?" Macaque nodded and his tail twitched awkwardly towards the ground.

And then Mei bursted through the door.

"Demon attack! She has a weapon similar to the demon that attacked the mountain." Macaque's eye twitched.

Wukong and MK ran out, and Macaque followed behind.

---

The demon had a normal build, with long black hair and huge ram-like horns. She sported orange eyes and hooved feet with random patches of gray fur around her body.

"I am Hwayin! And you will be defeated with this!" She raised the weapon, it was black and glowed red. Macaque swallowed hard, a cursed weapon. They could kill easily, or cause a stupid amount of pain.

Wukong realized the same thing and said evenly, "Only I can fight her without dying. Stand back." He stared at Macaque and MK pointedly, "I mean it. We can't have you two getting injured or killed."

He leaped forward, dodging a blow and smacking Hwayin into a building. She stood up and launched herself, turning over last second and striking Wukong's arm.

He hissed and punted her to the ground, in response she reeled her legs and kicked him back before snagging the weapon into his leg.

He kicked her down, she no longer looked composed like before. Now blood streamed down her face and leg. She still reeled forward and kicked him in the stomach.

Wukong barred his teeth and kicked her arm, breaking it. Hwayin screeched and headbutted him. Wukong's vision filled with sparklers.

While he was distracted, she plunged the weapon into his stomach. "WUKONG!" Monkey King smiled, blood seeped from his lips and he tried cracking a joke, "'Tis but a scratch." He crumbled to the ground.

Macaque lurched forward, rage filled him as he used his giant form to beat the demon mercilessly.

He didn't know how, but he won.

He didn't know how, but the weapon was destroyed.

He didn't know when he shrank down next to his Peaches.

All he knew was that his anxiety had been right, and his Peaches was badly injured.

And unlike the other times he was severely injured, he didn't bounce back, and he was in pain.

And he couldn't make him feel better.