castaside | [Heart Game] From the ashes we can build

"I think-" Red Son starts, looking back for MK, only to see him on the ground. "Noodle Boy?!" He is quick to move over to him in a flare of fire, leaning down beside him. "MK, what's wrong?"

"It's...so much..." MK could smell the candy and slowly reached for it. Just a slow lazy grab. The tears fell down his face. He could get the echo but it wasn't enough. He wanted to hug Macaque. Tell him he didn't fail. That the darkness wasn't that scary. That he didn't fail. That he wasn't useless.

Red Son reaches for the candy and MK. He's going to pull MK into his arms and hug him on the ground and hold up the candy to his mouth. "I know. I know its a lot, but we can do this. For Macaque."

MK took the candy, not even bothering to dust it off. He clung to Red Son and let out a few hard sobs. He just needed to let it out. Have a cry for a few minutes. The door. They had to open the door.

"It's all...sad. He's afraid. Afraid he's too dark or bad or useless. And he's not but what do we do? What do we use? These...all hurt," MK asked as he looked up at the void in the door.

Red Son pulls MK close and it would be...

Easy.

It would be so easy to put a positive memory, wouldn't it? Something nice and easy. Something that maybe wouldn't make it so deep.

But.

"They hurt," Red Son said softly. "But it felt like you could breathe, didn't it? When you felt I saw your darkness?"

MK nodded slowly. It did.

"Yes..." He said softly and looked up into his boyfriend's eyes. "It...it did..."

"This is like that," Red Son said, a hand going to his cheek. "This is his darkness. This is part of him. Of course he's afraid. This is where he feels like he lacks. Like reasons he should be left behind. But we wouldn't leave him behind, would we?"

"No. Never," MK was faster to respond there. He sniffled and sat up.

"Because...he wouldn't leave us," MK said with a nod. They couldn't run away. They had to keep going. They had to.

"We need...to figure out what memory. I...don't know which one we need. Any of these could work? But none of mine fit. A-Are any of yours about the mountain?"

Red Son lets hims sit up, but he is going to keep a hold of one hand. He'll reach into the hammerspace back and pull out a spare scarf and hold it out to MK to wipe his face.

"That's right. He would stay. And we'll stay," he said softly.

He shook his head. "No mountain. There's being uncertain in helping Cole with a nightmare and....and being worried about me in Pigeon Girl's heart, dragging me through a gauntlet of...too similar memories."

"Okay. Epsilon is here but I don't think that...means anything about what we should use. She</> is here. He's scared and hurting. I might have one. His shadow lantern but I don't...think it's right. This was also his home. That matters. Um..." MK took out his phone and started to look through it, looking at what the others, who posted, had.

"Okay. Wukong has something. Um...and you do too. The Sack of Yuan. Or the coin. Why are they both coins? A-Anyway. I'll text Monkey King."

He considers that. "The yuan coin wouldn't be....bad. He doesn't think anyone expects much from him. Fear of rejection. Finding the nerve to act anyway. It wouldn't be a bad thing here. It still fits with the theme, but a strength to move forward," he said.

"I'm asking Monkey King. His coin is about Macaque in the horde. Which is here. And feeling fear, loss, and hope. It might also fit. Waiting for him to get back to me. Either one sounds like it might work. ...What do you think is in the house waiting for us?"

When Wukong tosses MK the coin, he will get the following memory:

You are Macaque, and you are lonely.

You're in Wukong's treasure room, grumbling as you try and pick through the pile of priceless treasures he brought home and dumped just wherever. Attempting to sort things in some sort of order just because it pisses you off to see the results of Wukong's grand adventures treated so carelessly. As if his being away is just some casual thing he does for no real reason, when it feels extremely significant to you. Wukong being gone occupies your whole mind, even during the too-short occasions in which he's home.

Outwardly, you probably look like you're just grumping around, irritable about being left to deal with a mess. Inside, you're scared. You're so scared of him being gone, of it turning into a permanent thing, of him being done with you if you try to ask him to stop rushing off to the four corners of the world. He'd probably hate you if you asked that, and you can't risk it.

You're scared because your feelings for him feel too big, and he probably doesn't want that.

So you stay here. You sort through the shit he hauls back. You fluff up the nest and make sure everything he could want is within reach so that when he comes home, you're ready. You'll groom him until your fingers go numb so he'll stop and stay still for three blessed seconds and try not to cling too tightly at night.

You dream about the time he says is coming, when he'll be done gathering power and treasure and you can lay in the sun and eat fruit while the ages of the world pass by. You wonder if it will really happen, but it's a thought that keeps you company while you wait.

Mk felt the memory and shook. It was like the others. There was hope at the end though. Hope it would be okay. Hope it would be worth it.

Edited 2024-03-10 04:31 (UTC)

"The yuan is also here, so either is possible," Red Son said and looks to the house. "Frustration. Sadness. Coming home to nothing?"

MK turned to a portal where he spoke with Monkey King. He caught the coin and froze for a moment. He swallowed and turned back to Red Son. He held out the coin.

"This one is worrying his love is too big, he's afraid Monkey King won't stay, but hoping he does. I think it's this one. Touch it? See what you think?"

Red Son nods.

But he'll pull out the sack of yuan and hold it out to MK. "You check this too," he said.

But then he'll touch the coin.

Edited 2024-03-10 04:43 (UTC)

Mk felt the memory. He remembered that. Macaque offered to help people he'd been there for part of it. He was so worried inside. He was glad Macaque came with him. That had been here too. Both had been. He looked from the bag to the door.

"Either one works. They're...similar. I don't know which. But I don't think either is gonna be wrong."

They are similar and still both with pros and cons.

There is a pause.

"We could flip a coin," he said.

They are both coins.

MK blinked then he chuckled.

"Alright. Let's let the coins decide. Heads, the one coin. Tails, the sack?"

Red Son nodded. "Agreed," he said and will flip that coin and....

Tails.

"All right. So we'll throw in the sack?"

"That's what the coins decided," MK said and moved to the door. He pushed the sack into the void at the door.

"You didn't run away then and you won't run away now. And we won't leave you either. We promise."

The sack of coins is pushed into the void, and it closes up.

But you can see blue cracks all over the door now that there's no void blocking your view.

"We're staying," Red Son promised, standing beside MK.

And.

Oh boy.

"Ah, that's a problem," he said.

That was not what Mk wanted to see. The cracks were everywhere. They couldn't get in. His eyes looked hard, were the cracks on the door handle?

"That's a big problem."

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