Becoming Whole Once More (LostVesselAU)

One Day For A Break

"Nezha! Glad you could make it!" Wukong grinned, handing over a snack to the deity. The lotus prince took, humming in dull appreciation, "Yes, thank you for inviting me." The king nodded patiently, "'Course. Thought you could use the break."

MK suddenly screeched, making the pair turn towards him.

Splayed out in the sand, sunscreen smeared everywhere, was MK, blinking up at the sky with a volleyball next to him. Wukong grimaced, "You okay?" The brunette gave them two thumbs up and struggled to sit back up again, "Yup! All good!" Mei was cackling not too far away, body slouched over as she expressed her amusement. Red Son was beside her, grinning smugly.

Nezha ignored them, moving towards Sandy to chat and relax.

Demon Bull King beckoned Wukong over, "Come, brother. I am about to catch something, and you must give it to the swine." The monkey huffed out a laugh, rushing over, "Okay, okay. How'd you guess you'll be catching something soon?" The bull grinned, preening, "I know the tides well."

Princess Iron Fan watched her husband from afar, "Seems he is boasting to your ridiculous king." Macaque snickered, "I'm not surprised. Those two ought to be from the same womb, at this point." That drew out a laugh from the former celestial, "That is a good observation. Now, tell me, what was that you said about the Golden-Winged Eagle?"

Macaque smirked, "Ah, the messenger bird? Well..." He gossiped with her, ignoring the sunlight creeping into his body.

Pigsy watched the scene, Tang humming contently beside him. The chef exhaled softly, a fond look in his stern expression, "D'ya think things'll get better now?" The scholar shrugged, his smile never falling, "...Yeah. Even if something else pops up, I think...I think we'll be okay." Sandy leaned in, patting the pair gently, "And as long as we keep doing our best, things will be okay!"

---

MK found Wukong beside a tree, setting up seats. The brunette waved, catching the king's attention, "Hi, Monkey King!"

"Hey, bud. What's up?" The sage waited patiently, smiling gently. MK cleared his throat, rubbing his arms, "I...I know you wouldn't mind or anything, but, uh... The monkey stuff. Could you teach me? Sometime? I've been struggling with...well..." He waved his hand around lamely.

Wukong snorted, nodding, "Yeah. Yeah, I can help ya out." He looked at the others, examining closely, "Actually... We can do something now, if you'd like." MK nodded shyly, mumbling a quick thanks.

His human features fell away, revealing fur, markings, canines, and more.

MK suddenly exhaled, relieved, "How do I clean fur?" Wukong patted a seat, beaming at the boy, "I'll show ya!" The young hero laughed, sitting down. The king perched onto the space behind MK, hands taking away the boy's headband.

Fingers split into his hair, fingertips picking at his skin, "Grooming. Or, well, there are some shampoo and conditioner brands I can recommend. But overall? Grooming sessions tend to do the best job." Nails scrapped against a strand of hair, tugging on something.

"Dang, kid, you still have bugs on you?" The monkey huffed, popping it into his mouth. MK ignored the small crunch, "Yeah. I'm honestly not completely sure how they've just been clinging to me." Wukong clicked his tongue, shaking his head, "Grooming sessions on the mountain it is."

The scene was calm, the ocean breeze gentle and warm. Soon enough, a nosy shadow appeared beside the king, his own hands moving towards the boy's unruly curls.

"Nice of you to join us, Mac." Wukong smirked at the other, and MK snorted in amusement. The warrior hummed in acknowledgment, "Enjoying yourselves?" The king laughed, "You know it! Teaching the kid how to groom."

They bantered for a bit, before weening into silence. Soon enough, hands left brunette strands and the three were sitting in silence. The mountain was filled with the sounds of small critters and rustling leaves, mixing into the noise of waves crashing against the shore.

"This is the calm before the storm." Macaque mumbled, eyes slanted in distaste. MK shifted nervously, trying to smile, "But we have each other, right?" Wukong grinned, patting both of them, "We'll be able to fight back!"

MK shifted, frowning, "How do you know that?"

The king smiled sweetly, pressing the brunette against his chest, "We'll be fine. Just watch, we'll get knocked over, get way tougher, and bite off whatever decided to chew us out. Promise." They continued to lay together, the calming atmosphere drowning them with warmth.

"C'mon, I bet the others are waiting for us!" Wukong laughed, dragging them back into view.

The sun didn't bother taking back its warmth, its golden light illuminating the beach as laughter, teasing, and life filled the sky.

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A short finale, I'll admit, but I just wanted to showcase their confidence in a better future and set the foundation of a now relaxing collection of days moving on with their lives!