The Day The World Eclipsed || Lego Monkie Kid

Our New Life Begins

Echoes of laughter and gentle hands washing his back for him. A darker tail tickling his nose and soft fur under his finger tips.

He shook his head, rubbing his eyes for a moment. Focus. Focus.

"Oh Qi Xiaotian, come to daddy." he held his hands out for his son.

His little baby, on the other hand,  was still scurrying around the corners of the forest clearing, "Oh! Oo!" he smacked the ground, making little pap sounds.

"It's okay~" Wukong cooed, leaning his arms against the side.

His child chirped and ducked his head up and down, sniffing madly at the air to understand what they were even doing here. He shook his head, refusing to come closer.

"Look see?" Wukong lifted some water in his palm and let it fall "Nice~"

"O..? Oo..." his kid flattened himself to the ground, as if he would be hidden if he did this. Slowly he inched closer and closer to the edge of the spring. Closer. Closer-

His hand slipped, toppling head first over the side. Wukong watched with a smug smile as his child plopped right in, and as all stone monkeys do... he sank to the bottom rather immediately. Wukong ducked his head down, scooping the child into his hands and out of the water. The little monkey spluttered, shivering and drenched.

"Aww bud." Wukong felt a tad guilty, but it was just so cute.

"O!!" His child yelped. He looked at his father in anger, scrambling to get to Wukong's head and away from the water. Furiously he chirped, tugging his father's head and burrowing into his hair

"Ow ow~ Hey!" Wukong cackled, falling prey to his son's angry tantrum. "I told you it wouldn't hurt you~" he reached up to grab his little cub, or- infant? What were baby monkeys called again?

Azure lion always referred to the baby as a cub, but he was positive that it was more of a lion thing...

Cub sounded cute though.
"Listen cub." he held his son outward, letting his little legs dangle a little above the water. Qi Xiaotian tucked them closer, shivering from the cold. "I got you." Wukong smiles warmly, pressing their foreheads together. "We are going to try this again, yeah? Just hold onto me."

His son's lower lip trembled, eyeing the water. Holding tight to his father's hands around him, he slowly let himself be lowered downward.

Frozen stiff and unmoving, the monkey looked like hell itself had frozen over, even if Wukong was just holding him waist down in the water. "...You okay? Baby?" Wukong tried to be encouraging, but his cub just looked so startled and pale. He kissed his nose reassuringly.

"It's okay. It's okay." he adjusted the position a little, hoping that would work.

Holding his baby's head and upper body in his hand to support it upright, he let his son's lower legs float in the water. Adjusting him slowly to show if he relaxed, he could float on his back

"See?" He mused, pouring some water over his son's tummy to clean it. "It's nice."

Despite being quiet, and seemingly okay, budding tears formed in Qi Xiaotian's eyes.

The Monkey King gasped, "No no..." Wukong whispered pleadingly, the tears breaking his heart. He kissed his son's cheeks and head, nuzzling him closer to his chest. It was so easy to cradle the child in his hands and let the sound of his own heart beat comfort him.

"Ahhh I'm the worst." Wukong murmured, patting his back. Curling into the fur of his chest, Qi Xiaotian trembled, making soft noises against his father.