"Explain how this happened again?"
A comb, simple but sturdy, tore into Wukong's fur with little regard for the monkey it was attached to. Whining, the King waved his arms around in a fit.
"Gentle!" he huffed, surging forward just to sit up, just to be tugged back and fall into his comfortable spot between his mate's knees. With a heavy sigh, the comb pushed its way back against his skull. Prying what felt like his very skin from his bone with every brush.
"Explain." the words fell from Liu'er's mouth once more.
"Okay so-" Wukong lifted his hands. "I was just minding my own business-"
Liu'er rolled his eyes, "Uh-huh...."
"I was!" his mate insisted. "Anyway, I was minding my own business, when up from the trail this- this-" he waved his hand in a circle for the right word. "Little punk just pops out of the bushes!" he seethed, shaking his head. Elegant fingers carded through the King's fur, untangling branches and other such things from its hold. It had been a regular day- until for some reason he spotted Wukong fighting an overgrown toddler.
"And what did this punk want?" Liu'er mused. His King had won the little spat and sent the child fleeing back where he came from, so he wasn't all that concerned. It did seem though that more and more strangers were venturing to their mountain.
"For me to come with him to the celestial realm." Wukong says so casually, so unaware, that Liu'er snagged his face and forced it back to look the monkey in the eye.
"To where?!"
"...C-Celestial realm?" Wukong shrunk.
The two stare at one another in silence. Slowly, Liu'er lifts the comb, and swats the Monkey King firmly on the nose. "You're a fool."
"Ow! Why?? I mean, I'm sure you have a point, but why??" he demanded, holding his swatted nose in betrayal. It wasn't as though he did anything wrong. At least, as he deemed wrong. Sure he pissed off the celestial realm and a few demons here and there, but it wasn't like he was the worst of the worst.
He was the King after all. Bowing to some Jade Emperor would defuse the point of his title.
So when the random child known as Nezha showed his face and demanded he be captured willingly, of course Wukong did what anyone else would.
He smacked the kid.
"You draw too many eyes your way." Liu'er shakes his head. "What are you going to do if they send something serious after you?"
Wukong pursed his lips, "You know, I think that brat was supposed to be "serious" and that is why they sent him. So..." he smirked impishly, leaning against his mate's knees with ease. "I'm not too worried."
Another hefty smack with the comb struck him between the eyes.
"Hey! I beat him didn't I?" he threw his arms to the side. "What more do you want? Should I have just gone with him??"
Liu'er clicked his tongue. He truly wished his sun would think from time to time. "You became the size of a mountain and fought him over the tribe."
"Cause the kid did some wacky transformation! I was just showing I could do it too."
"Over. The. Tribe." Liu'er jabbed his finger repeatedly against Wukong's thick skull. "You could have easily drawn him somewhere else."
"I guess I could have but-"
"Wukong, you weren't just fighting over me and the tribe..." his eyes waver with worry, "But also the baby..."
A pause followed, realization dawning. "Oh..." he looked downward, a tight feeling curling in his chest. He never worried about Mihou getting hurt. He was strong. A-And the tribe knew to run for safety when things get dicey. Their child though, still a stone, unmoving and still, couldn't exactly run away.
It's only means of defending itself were its parents.
"...." he went silent, understanding why Mihou was bringing this up with such insistence.
"You are lucky I was there to get them to safety." Liu'er sighed deeply, "You gotta be more aware of those around you or you're gonna hurt someone you don't mean to."
Impulsive and headstrong, the King frowned at the lecture. "Yeah yeah..." his voice got softer. "I won't do it again, promise." he turned a little, pressing his cheek to his moon's knee. "But I did good sending him away, didn't I?"
The soft glean of his eyes begging for praise was too much for the six-eared monkey to ignore. Both their mountain and their child were safe after all.
He rolled his eyes, a smile dancing across his face. Reaching down, he scratched Wukong below his chin. "You did good," he agreed. "Dumb monkey." A softness follows, concern settling in his features.
Wukong lifts his hand to hold Liu'er's chin. "What bothers you, Moon?"
"I don't deny you've sent away every foe that has come here, Wukong." Macaque leaned into his hand, stealing the King's fingers into his palm to hold. "I just worry about the effects this might have."
Wukong snorted, "What affects?" he crawled upward, pressing his hand to Liu'er's chest. Nudging him onto his back he enjoyed laying against his mate's chest, entangling their tails. A coy grin plastered on his face.
Liu'er's worry didn't go away. "Isn't it better to have allies then enemies?" he asked. "It's only the two of us to watch over this mountain. What if one day we both get caught up in something and- and we can't be there for the kid?" his eyes angled towards the top of the mountain.
Wukong found that funny. He hadn't seen a person alive that could defeat him or get close enough to Mihou to lay a finger on him. If that wasn't enough, the very notion that anyone would even get a glimpse of his child was laughable. It was rather adorable how concerned Mihou was about this. "Doubting me?" he asked slyly.
"No." Liu'er frowned, lower lip curling into the pout Wukong loved so much. "I just don't want you getting over your head."
Wukong wanted to roll his eyes and dismiss this concern. It was only when his mate cupped his face that he paused to... at least consider it. Only Liu'er ever made him second guess his decisions. If he truly felt somehow unsafe, then it was up to him to assure him.
By some chance, he actually had recently met someone who just might be the solution to Mihou's worries. "Actually... Remember that Lion I talked about before?" Wukong inquired, turning his head to kiss his mate's palms.
Liu'er frowned, glancing to the side to recall. "The one who tried to recruit you to his army?"
"Yeah, him. If allies is what you think I need-" he winked, "I think I found us one."
Liu'er sat up, inches from head butting Wukong, "Didn't that guy want to...To fight the Celestial realm?" he says incredulously. It was like putting out a fire with a bigger fire. They were just small annoyances to the other realms right now. Going to war was going to inspire a lot more eyes to turn their way.
Wukong held his hand, kissing his mate's fingers. With an innocent blink, he nodded. "Yup." A hefty smack followed. "Stop hitting me!" Wukong whined.
"Typical Wukong." His mate sneered. "I ask for some security, and you decide to go to war!"
"I didn't say that! I just thought we would like, talk to the guy or something?? He also doesn't like the celestial realm, so maybe he knows some other people. Some allies or whatever, like you said." he caught Liu'er's hand before he could smack him again. "Stop." he huffed.
"Idiot idiot idiot." his moon chanted. They rolled over to their sides and into the grass. Chirping and attempting to nip the other. They often butted heads like this. Similar enough to forget their differences, but different all the same.
Which made them such a good team, in Wukong's eyes.
"Just to talk is all." he finally told Mihou. "Just to see why he even wants to go to war. Then we can figure out what we want to do." he pressed his forehead to Mihou's. "Together."
Pausing, Liu'er hesitated. It was hard to say no when Wukong looked at him like that. But...
He couldn't shake the feeling that if he agreed to do this, something was going to change. Events would be set into motion that couldn't be undone.
Foreboding as it was, he sighed and said yes.
———————————————————-
The sun was out, shining brighter than Wukong had seen, or cared to notice, in a very long time. Through the waterfall the gentle summer air crept in, accompanied by a buzz of birds.
Wukong sat on the ground with his legs crossed, a large smile on his face. For the last 30 minutes or so his tiny monkey had been crawling around the room on all fours. He was eager to explore and had such a vigor of life about him! Everything caught his attention, yet only kept it for so long before something else dazzled him.
"Qi Xiaotian~" Wukong called after him once and a while, each time drawing the baby's attention to him. Turning his head at the recognition of his name, blinking, before continuing to run around.
The King's mighty tail slapped against the ground in pure bliss. He was so lovely and sweet. At some point he joined his son in his little adventure, crawling on his hands and knees beside the baby to see things from his perspective. Even giving chase when his child noticed and squeaked.
"I'm gonna get'cha~" he sang sweetly, stomping his hands firmly on the ground to make Qi Xiaotian aware of exactly how far he was from him. The high pitched squeak that followed was so adorable, followed by the cutest scampering Wukong had ever seen.
It was defeating him more than the celestial realm itself.
After some time, Wukong finally gave into the victory of the chase and scooped his boy up to hold. "Gotcha!"
Squeaking more in delight than in shock, the little monkey began to laugh, trying to wiggle out of his father's grip.
"Ah, where are you going?" Wukong chuckled. "Where you going?" his voice grew higher in pitch the more he talked, "Huh? Where do you think you're going? Huhhhhh?" he poked Qi Xiaotian gently, right on the side of his neck, making him giggle. "Are you trying to get away from me? Are you?"
He couldn't remember how he was even alive in the days before Qi Xiaotian existed. What got him out of bed...
Now, with his child here, everything seemed so vibrant and perfect. His desolate house held an abundance of cheer.
"Look at you. You're so cute." Wukong mused when Qi Xiaotian wiggled his toes, curiously trying to reach for them.
He spent most of his days playing with his child. He was in no rush to teach him anything too complicated. Whatever Qi Xiaotian wanted to do, Wukong didn't hesitate to offer it to him. Of course, this came with some complications.
Like food. Especially food. Breakfast in particular, was a challenge. For instance....
His son squealed in delight as he crawled around Wukong's feet, leaping and trying to snag the fruit right from his Father's hands.
"Ah ah! No no!" Wukong spun around to try and avoid him, cackling at his son's enthusiasm. "You little rascal~ Wait your turn!" he managed to snag the little monkey with his tail, holding him at a distance.
"E! EE!" Qi Xiaotian patted his own chest, which Wukong had learned meant "Me" to the child, and that he was asking for the peaches.
"Patience, patience." Wukong chided with a chuckle, carrying the peaches in hand and his son by tail to the kitchen. "I know they look good, right?" he grinned, setting them on the counter. Cutting one into smaller pieces for his son, he grabbed a bowl, setting the fruit inside. Taking them to the table.
His child sat on the table eagerly, clapping his hands. "Ee. Ee..." he patted his chest again as the bowl was settled against his lap. He happily grabbed chunks of fruit, hardly waiting for his dad to tie a bib around his neck before eating.
"Honestly, I think you aim to get dirty just so we can go swimming." his father tsked, shaking his head. Plopping half a peach into his mouth, he stretched. It was so early.
The sleeping schedule of babies was out of this world. They got tired so early and woke up even earlier!!
It was- hard, adjusting to parenthood. His schedule was vastly different, and he felt he truly had no idea what he was doing half the time.
How much food should he let his child eat? Because Qi Xiaotian seemed to want to snack all the time.
How many naps does he give him?
What age does he start talking? Cause he wasn't human or a regular monkey, and Wukong didn't exactly have anyone to teach him these things.
How would he know if his son was excelling or behind in something??
All these questions and no one to answer him. He had the elder monkey's of course, but despite being their king, Wukong never felt like any of them could truly understand him. He wasn't just a monkey anymore- he was more. A sage and a hero and a champion...
Influenced too much by the outer world to ever go back to the simplicities that the monkey's lived by. Those influences carried on into how he wanted to raise his child too.
But, despite the worries, the days went by in bliss. With some trial and error, Wukong had found a sort of rhythm to it all.
If the kid was rubbing his eyes, it meant nap time. Which he should keep track of cause if the kid even went so much as one hour past nap time he would be cranky and wild!
The kid wanted to eat anything and everything. But he should keep to normal meal times. But the kid was growing, so a snack from time to time wasn't bad either... Right? Or should he give him no snacks at all?? He was still figuring this out.
If the kid was making a funny face- he needed the bathroom. Wukong made this mistake a lot. Lots of cleanup required. Which eventually taught him to actually put a diaper on the kid. He just didn't think to do so since he wasn't human...
And if the kid was hugging his ankle, he wanted cuddles.
Cuddles were a shared comfort for them both. Sometimes, Wukong wondered if his kid was more of a cuddler than even he was! It was great!
"Alrighty, what shall we do today?" Wukong mused to his cub.
The months seemed to just trickle by. Already his little Qi Xiaotian was half a year old, and mischievous as ever. It was a true time of peace for Flower Fruit Mountain.
If the years could continue on sweetly like this, he would never ask for anything again.
Of course, with this peace, came a sort of isolation. The longer he could go without anyone realizing of his son's existence, the better. His child deserved a life where he could grow without worry- without being weighed down by the sins of his Father.
Even if that meant, for a time, that he would never leave Flower Fruit mountain.
The mountain was rather big, and with his son being so young he didn't seem to notice how they never wandered beyond its borders.
One day, Wukong was sure he would realize, Wukong was sure. But he hoped it would at least be a few years before he began to long for more than their small little world. Then, Wukong would figure out something.
Some means of allowing his baby to see the world as much as he wanted. Perhaps the use of glamors and such.
He was still debating and thinking it over.
For now, it wasn't a concern.
The biggest complication he had was himself. How to be the best Father he could be.
He had managed to get this far so he had some hope he was doing at least something right. If Mihou could see them now maybe he would be... a little proud, or something.
Maybe...
He hoped so.
Wukong had been trying really hard. Oh, he even attempted to teach the kid to walk!
Unable to stand and walk on just his back two legs yet, that didn't stop the child from climbing anything he could get his hands on. Trees, furniture, walls- He once found his child taking a nap atop his little hut within his temple, snoozing without a care.
So, he figured it was time to get some walking into practice. Plus, if his kid could stand, he might actually spot him better in the sea of monkey's when he went off to play.
"Now focus, kid." Wukong nodded seriously. His son chirped back at him, a determined face to match.
Holding his baby's hands he helped Qi Xiaotian stand up, supporting him as his child took some wobbly steps forward on his back legs. Chunky legs shaking with an adorable jello sort of look~
"That's it. Look at you go." he praised. This was just so darn cute!! "Alright, I'm gonna let go now."
His son nodded.
"Ready?"
Another nod.
"And letting go!" he let go.
Not even half a second passed before the cub fell face first against the dirt.
"Ah..." Wukong paled. When his child didn't move, he slowly rolled over the baby. He was met with a grumpy look. "Aw, don't get yourself down kid." he patted his tummy. "You'll get this walking thing sooner or later." It was cute how clear you could read Xiaotian's emotions on his face despite still being a baby. He was so expressive and determined and wonderful! "We can try again?" he offered his hand.
His child snagged his fingers, yanking himself up quickly.
The results tended to all be the same, with the cub face first on the ground or falling back on his butt. He just didn't have enough strengths to stand on just his back legs yet.
"Let's call it a day. You made good progress!" he clapped. He wiggled his finger in front of Xiaotian's nose. His son crossed his eyes to stare at it.
His son giggled, grabbing at his finger. Yanking himself to his feet, he lunged upward to attach to Wukong's lower arm.
With some force he slithered up up his father's arm he sat on his shoulder, moving up to his head and patting it. Wukong did a little circle, laughing at the ticklish feeling of his Son messing with the fur by his ears. "Knock it off you~" maybe it was just because Qi Xiaotian recognized they had different ears, but he was always messing with Wukong's.
Snatching his child, Wukong lifted him up. "Rascal." he chidded. He bounced his baby, "Say Daddy." He held his son above his head as he walked, the light peeking in from the tree leaves to make Qi Xiaotian shine in the sun.
The baby babbled a laugh, wiggling his hands downward at his father. "O! Oo!"
"Dadddy~" Wukong cooed, using his thumbs to tickle the baby's belly. He erupted into giggles, the sound as crystal clear as bells. He would never get enough of the sound.
Qi Xiaotian gurgled a response this time around, patting at Wukong's hands.
"Da...!"
Wukong almost tripped, rolling and bouncing right back up to toss Qi Xiaotian a little in the air before catching him. "D-Did you just say my name??" he stammered, star struck. His body felt like it was vibrating. "Y...Yes! Yes Qi Xiaotian, I am daddy! Oh you good little boy~!" he spun them around, nuzzling his face and kissing his rounded cheeks. "Say it again! Say Da-ddy."
His baby grinned, "Da!"
Wukong leaped up with a cheer, clicking his heels together. He looked around wildly, excited. "D-Did anyone just see that?? You said it!" He spun them. An eruption of joy was making his chest sore!
Without missing a beat he scrambled towards the river, knowing at this time of day the elders tended to be sun breathing in the area. Spotting the first one he slid into their view to hold his little Prince out.
"Say it~ Say it again, Xiaotian~." he held his son in front of the elder.
"....Da."' his child said on cue.
The monkey looked unimpressed, at which Wukong and Xiaotian stuck their tongues at him.
Lameeeee
They ventured off to any other monkey who might share their excitement. As creatures who didn't really talk, none of them were all all that impressed. Fine by Wukong, he could be happy about it just fine.
Child in tow, they stomped around the mountain. Loudly and obnoxiously chirping and laughing together.
Days of bliss and prosperity.
Fun in the sun and ripe peaches to gorge on. Wukong filled their leisure time with stories. He was sure he could never tell them as wonderfully as Mihou could, but he did his best to fill the kid's day with wonder and excitement.
Seated together atop the waterfall that hid away his sanctuary, he showed his child a few of his transformations. Inspiring giggles and curiosity to his many forms.
"Tadaaaaa." he stood as a butterfly, resting on top of his son's nose. "Isn't this cool, star- no no no wait!" he ducked when his child got a sharp look in his eyes. He recognized it too well.
The eye of a hungry predator and an even hungrier snack stealing glutton.
SWACK!
Qi Xiaotian fell back when he attempted to snatch his father as his next meal, just to miss and hit himself in the nose. He sniffled, as if betrayed, holding his nose and searching for where his father had scampered off too.
Returning to his normal form, Wukong settled his hands on his hips to stare down at his boy. "Hey no, that wasn't on me. You tried to eat me." he pointed accusingly to his son. Qi Xiaotian's lower lip trembled, patting his tummy.
"Ee..."
"Noooo you can't." Wukong shook his head. "You don't eat family." he wagged his fingers at the child. "Even if they turn into delicious bugs." he settled his hand on the kid's head to ruffle his fur.
Cross legged and sitting together, the father and son admired the passing clouds. With time, Qi Xiaotian moved closer, his smaller hand touching Wukong's. Curiously, he patted his palm.
His father smiled, a curious tilt to his head. "Want something?" he asked.
His child pressed his hand against his knee. His arms extended wildly, making a swoosh noise. Wukong snickered. So his kid wanted him to show off more of his powers, did he?
He felt he had become pretty good at figuring out what was on Qi Xiaotian's mind. "Alright alright." he mused. He dusted his clothes off as he stood. His naked son, who was rather against any clothes Wukong did try to put on him, chirped excitedly.
Leaving the boy where he was on the outlook of the waterfall, Wukong stepped over the river to eye a good target. There were plenty of trees in sight, so he took his choice.
"Alright star, watch this." Wukong lifted his hand. A show of his skill to his son. Summoning some energy, he eyed his target at the center of the trunk. He let the energy build, focusing on where exactly he wanted it to go. "And..." he snapped his fingers, golden light emerging from his fingers. It shot forward with a mind numbing force.
Hitting its aim and breaking through the fragile bark. Easily slicing through wood in a matter of seconds. A gust of wind followed. To Wukong, he hardly felt the push of this wind.
Oh how easily he forgets that he isn't exactly like other people...
A little too much force, too much excitement to show off, and the tree was falling in half. Its branches are sharply scraped into the ground with a heavy thud. Dust and leaves filled the air at once, blinding Wukong for half a second.
Just one second.
That one second was enough to startle the smaller monkey behind him and lose control of his footing. A slip and a yelp, straight into the water of the river.
And right over the side of the cliff.
Wukong's voice broke into a scream.
"Xiaotian!!" turning on his heels, the King leapt over the side after his child. The cold water grazed his stomach as he fell. "Gh!" he reached his arms out for the screaming child. Half way down the fall he snagged him by the hands and tugged him towards his chest. Securely against him, safe safe, Wukong flipped his body to land on his feet. He leaned back, balancing with his tail against a small stone.
A burst of wind erupted from his feet at the moment of impact, shaking the trees nearby.
Impulsive. Loud. Unthoughtful. Foolish.
He held his son tight, panting heavily. Brief panic immobilizing the King to a stand still.
Gone.
Gone.
"I...got you..." Wukong choked out, slowly crouching to hunch over his child.
Tucked like a small ball against him, Qi Xiaotian lifted his head. He looked left then right, realizing they were fine. "...Oo...." wide eyed, he looked up at his father, then smiled. Because he knew he was safe when his father was around. Grabbing Wukong's chin, he laughed.
Wukong couldn't quite share the moment. Yes, things were fine... they were fine.... Qi Xiaotian almost just d-died but things were fine.
"H-Hey, Bud..." his voice is weaker than he intended. "What a ride huh? We uh... hahah..." he laughed, short and small. "No more waterfall for a bit, yeah? Yeah that sounds good..." he stepped back.
He has to be better.
He can't keep making mistakes.
He decided it was time to end the day. The sun was only halfway through the sky but he still ushered them both back to the safety of their home behind the waterfall. Qi Xiaotian wasn't exactly thrilled to be cooped up inside, but filled his time with playing with his monkey doll.
From here on for the rest of the day, Wukong quietly scolded himself. He went over plans upon plans to better control his own powers.
Gone.
He shuddered, touching his hand to his head when it throbbed. Everything was fine.
Grabbing a peach, he grabbed a nearby knife to start cutting it for his son to eat. Two slices in, the glint of the blade caught his eyes. Pausing, he turned it over once, eyeing his own reflection in the slick metal.
"...!!"
A flash of red.
He gasped, leaping back and dropping the knife as if it burned. It struck to the ground with a sharp thud. Pressed to the wall behind him, he clutched his chest.
There was nothing here that could harm them. Nothing that could get to them. Yet his mind plagued his mind with tricks and old memories. There was one blunder today, that was all.
He was going to be more careful from now on.
You gotta be more aware of those around you or you're gonna hurt someone you don't mean to
How true his mate's words echoed in his mind.
Perhaps it was just because he was a father, but those words held more weight now more than ever. Glancing into the living area, he eyed his son coloring with crayons on the floor. He was so young but already could handle motor skill tasks like drawing so well.
"...More aware... better for him..." he mumbled to himself, returning to the kitchen to pick up his discarded knife.
Finishing their meal, he returned to the kitchen to call his son in. Little steps quickly followed, along with the dragging of a well loved monkey doll.
"Alright." prepared for this, like a battle in the making, Wukong crouched beside his child. He was eagerly awaiting the sweetness of the fruit, but froze when something green was in his father's hand instead. Wukong held a stick of lettuce in front of the baby's face.
Vegetables.
The young prince hissed.
Wukong snorted, "Come on bud, just one bite?"
The child's face was scrunched up in disgust, backing himself into a corner to shrink himself away. He shook his head at his father's insistence.
"It's good, come on~" Wukong cooed. He paused, "..Well, not good, but good for you ya know?" He couldn't just let his kid gorge himself on peaches all day long. Mihou wouldn't be happy if he learned that. So, some veggies here and there had to be done. "Say ahhhh."
HIs child shook his head insistently. When Wukong pressed it to the kid's lips, the little one brushed his father's hands away with a chirp.
Back and forth they went at this, until Wukong eventually yielded with a sigh. "It's not gonna kill you. Quite the opposite in fact."
Qi Xiaotian gave the older monkey a disbelieving look. He gestured to the lettuce then his father's mouth. "Da!"
Wukong followed his fingers, realizing. "Oh! You want me to eat it?" the king paused. "Uh... well...." he scratched the back of his head. Realizing this was like a sort of test, he straightened his back. "You know what, I will. And that will show you that you gotta eat your veggies." puffing out his chest, he lifted the celery to his lips.
Hesitating.
His cub's scrutinizing gaze didn't leave him for a second.
With all the disdain he could swallow, he took a slow bite from the vegetable that burned his fingers. Ughhhhh so grossssss.
He chewed slowly, over exaggerating his ordeal in swallowing this despicable creation. With the act done, he did his best to put on a smile. "S...See? Good..." he rubbed his stomach. He held the next bite out for his child. "Your turn."
Utterly stunned, the baby monkey frowned at the lettuce. "...." he cringed, inching closer. Holding his doll for support, he willed himself to take as big of a bite as his parent did. Slowly, painfully chewing before swallowing. He stuck his tongue out in disgust, whining.
Wukong nodded in understanding. "I know..." he simpered. "It's real gross." he took another bite.
Together they managed to finish the celery in one piece. And then devoured several peaches in a faster fashion.
Full and ready for bed, Wukong took Qi Xiaotian to the rocking chair he had recently added to his collection of things. Sitting together with the child on his lap, he pulled up a pop up book.
He couldn't read it of course, but most kid books were pretty simple and self explanatory. So most times Wukong just made up a story to match the pictures.
He remembered someone saying somewhere that it was important that kids read some books. Close enough to it anyway.
"Once there was a caterpillar that liked to eat. To get big and strong he had to eat a lot." he poked his son's nose. "The caterpillar ate some pizza, and an ice cream, and some hotdogs-" he had found a really great book about a caterpillar changing into a butterfly. It reminded him so much of Xiaotian and his adoration for food.
"Oh and look- he's eating a leaf now. Vegetables." Wukong tapped the next page knowingly, making his son pout. Chuckling he turned the page again. "And now he is getting bigger and bigger and is going into a cocoon." he gasped, getting his son excited for the next page. "And when a caterpillar goes into a cocoon they..."
Xiaotian extended his hands out excitedly. He chirped, pressing his hands together to make wings.
"That's right!" Wukong flipped the page. "Butterfly time!" he flapped the book around like it was the butterfly itself, giggles echoing in the room.
Ending the book, he set it to the side. Putting his cub down on the ground, he stood to ready their bed.
He had made a plan to set up Xiaotian's room. And technically, he did that!
There were toys and blankets and soft pastel colors on the walls. Crayons and paints and doodles on the wall for his child to use as his canvas.
There just wasn't a bed.
Causeeeee Wukong has been sharing his naps and nights with Xiaotian. He was just so little! It would be mean to make his star sleep alone, surely!
If one day his cub wanted to sleep alone, Wukong would happily make him his own bed. Until then.... Sleep overs!
"Alrightty..." Wukong bundled a few blankets together, forming a sort of barrier around the edge of the bed. Nesting ...
Wukong snorted to himself at the intrusive thought, embarrassed. He glanced around, but it wasn't as though anyone could hear him. Shaking his head, he continued his preparations, listening to his child scamper around the floor with his monkey toy.
Overly organizing and setting the blankets just right, he dusted his hands off. "Perfect." stepping back, he wandered to his closet to change into something cooler. Though, his night attire tended to comprise of just some shorts.
Changing, he drew out Qi Xiaotian from under the bed with his tail. Using it like a lure. When his child grabbed it, he tugged him out with a snicker. "Gotcha~" baby and doll in hand, he plopped the two in the middle of the nest- bed!
He meant bed. This was a bed.
"Alright kiddo, sleep sleep time." Wukong crawled onto the mattress, fluffing a few pillows before laying down. His baby wasn't as thrilled to head to bed, crawling over Wukong a few times and patting the sheets.
He watched his child with a smile. With some time he circled the same spot over and over before finally deeming it good and settling down. Curling around and nuzzling against his father's side.
Above them, small star stickers were glued to their ceiling... at the behest of the Monkey Prince. They two eyed them for a long time until a soft little yawn came from the younger. His eyes were growing heavy.
Rolling on his side, Wukong whispered to Xiaotian. "...Say daddy...?"
Half asleep, his child cooed and smiled, eyes closed and seconds from falling into his dreams. "...Da..." he babbled.
A grin erupted from Wukong's face, "That's my boy~"
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