Unorganized Hero-ing (SavageKing Au)

30- Benched

Wukong grumbled, repulsed that he had to get squeezed into the crowd.

The team had arrived at Lantern City, and with a lot of nagging from Pigsy, Wukong was in his human form. His tail was wrapped securely around his leg inside his pants, shifting uncomfortably on his bare skin. Macaque had also adopted a human form, but he was unfortunately out of reach.

Wukong was tired, night terrors tended to keep you up, after all. And he never bothered telling anyone, although he suspected they knew by just looking at his tired eyes and taking note of his slow movements.

But the ring had to be in that giant lantern! And they were so close...

The train came to a stop, and a familiar child appeared from the crowd, dragging him out. Wukong sighed in relief, "Thanks, Bai." Bai He grinned, "Mei and MK have Macaque. Red Son's with them, I think. Pigsy and Sandy are having a bit of trouble, though. And Tang is... I think he got out--" Tang suddenly appeared beside them, holding a flyer, "Alright! So this festival is all about how Wukong threw a ring here, or well, the locals called it a 'gift'. There's a talent show being held, the winner gets the ring."

MK suddenly appeared, beaming, "WE'RE GOING TO BE IN A TALENT SHOW?!" At the same time, Wukong furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, "...Why the fuck would I give them a gift..?"

Mei scooped up, Bai He, twirling her playfully, "Maybe we can dance!" Macaque snickered, fixing the purple and gold earmuffs on his sensitive ears, "I bet you look amazing when you dance, Jade." Mei laughed, "I do, in fact, look amazing!"

Bai He clapped her hands joyously, looking up at Red Son, "What are you going to do, Red?" The fire demon scoffed, "Backstage. I'm going to take charge of the lighting! Because you peasants clearly could never--" Bai He snorted, "Thank you for your expertise."

Sandy walked over, grinning as he helped Pigsy navigate the crowd, "Pigsy has the voice of an angel." Pigsy sputtered, blushing in embarrassment. MK pumped his fist in the air, "YES!! A band! Let's make a band--" Wukong shoved his younger brother lightly, "I am not going on stage. How about your performance distracts people so we can snatch the ring? Just you and me, MK!"

Tang hummed, "Well, it would help a lot... Besides, I've been reading up on some spells from...Uh..." Wukong's face fell, "The monk, right? Just say it. You've been learning his spells for battle." Tang sheepishly rubbed Wukong's hair, ruffling it slightly, "Sorry, but it is quite useful."

Wukong batted him away half-heartedly, "Okay, so we have a plan. Good." Macaque sighed dreamily, draping himself over his partner, "I wanna do show effects!" Mei grinned, "Yoooo, Mac can, like, dance a bit while making shadows and stuff flowing around! OH- THIS IS GONNA BE SO COOL!!"

MK pouted, "Aw, now I wish I could watch, too..." Wukong rolled his eyes, "Too bad. C'mon kiddie, let's go."

--

Macaque couldn't help the excitement stuffed inside his head, he was ecstatic.

He adored the stage, taking pride in wowing any crowd. And don't get him wrong, telling stories to the others was fun and all, but this... This was something else. Something big.

The disguised monkey readjusted his headphones under the hat, careful not to smudge his face paint. Unlike him, Wukong was terrified of the spotlight. Macaque could still recall how he had shoved Wukong on a make-shift stage as cubs, he'd even dressed the little king in a costume made of foliage. And he could still remember the sound of the little ginger bursting into tears.

Macaque's excited grin fell slightly, a small ball of bittersweet feelings forming in the pit of his stomach.

He couldn't remember what Wukong had looked like as a cub. Macaque couldn't remember... What did Wukong's smile look like? How did his eyes capture light in the evenings? How terrifying did he look whenever he activated his Eyes of Truth whenever he sleepwalked? Did they look like blazing rubies marked with molten gold? What about is fur? Did it resemble autumn leaves, blazing sparks, or like sun-baked clay?