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

MK smiled and looked up at Red Son. Then at Doodleque. The centering was going both ways. He felt calmer now. A nice ease coming over him. Sure, it was stressful. He was scared. And he was terrified of what came next. Whatever it was, they'd get through it. In whatever way it happened.

Red Son was cuddled close to MK. Maybe peaking out an eye to watch Doodleque a bit.

But eventually, the alarm is going to sound and Red Son sighs. Reaching for his phone to turn it off.

"Come on. We have to explore a maze and shower him in more affection," he said.

MK nodded and sat up. He stretched and turned his head. His neck cracked and he got up.

"Alright. Let's get going. Let's keep going." He offered his arm to Red Son.

"Lead on, my Prince."

He takes MK's hand, lifting it up to kiss the back of it, before linking their arms. "Doodleque, can you show us the way out of this room?"

Doodleque points them over to the very corner of the room, opposite the entrance. He draws the corner of the room on his sheet of paper and raps on it like he's knocking.

"Guess we knock on the corner then?" MK said and walked over and knocked.

"Looks like. Thank you, Doodleque," Red Son said, following after MK.

When MK knocks, the corner of the room opens into a rad secret passageway. What's the point of a maze if you're not going to have secret passageways? Doodleque salutes from his page.

They will find themselves towards the end of Corridor C. And there they will find a single glove on the ground.

"A secret passage. That...yeah. That makes a lot of sense," MK said with a nod as they walked. When they found the glove, of course MK just reached down to pick it up.

"Memory or feeling?" He asked as his fingers touched it.

You are a six-eared macaque, and you are trying your best.

You try to join in with the other monkeys, but they run away or turn their backs or hiss as if you're going to hurt them. You look different, and they're afraid of you. You try to hide your ears with mud and fruit husks, but they can tell. They won't let you close. You don't know what you do.

You hunt down the best fruit in the area, sometimes traveling for days to find it. When you bring it back, they won't touch it. You try to break it open and show them how good it is, but they don't believe you. They won't go near any of it. You eat it alone.

You can hear danger coming from anywhere, and you try to warn them. They think you're the danger instead. They don't listen to your warnings. Sometimes some of them die because of it.

You spend all your time alone. One day, you talk to your shadow. It talks back. It's comforting.

"It does," Red Son said. Really, they should have figured.

"...you really are just going to touch first, huh?" Red Son asked.

MK blinked after the memory played for him. He shook his head and looked at Red Son.

"I...mean you know me. And...I get this maze. In a probably totally not healthy kinda way. And I know you do too," He offered the glove to Red Son.

"It's not a happy memory. Just so you know."

"True," Red Son said. "...and no, probably not a healthy kind of way," he said, squeezing his arm. He pauses, looking at the glove.

Before reaching out to take it and-

Oh.

"....being different is often a burden."

MK nodded and opened his bag for the glove.

"...It isn't. And that wasn't fair. ...But we won't push him away. We won't turn our backs on him. Ever."

Red Son will toss it inside. "We won't," Red Son said. "He's ours. Ears, scars, and all. If he wants us as his home, then he gets us."

Glancing down the corridor, looking to see if there's anything else at the end.

Edited 2024-03-16 03:24 (UTC)

Nothing else for the short distance between here and a dead end. So it's off in the other direction.

The hallway winds around for a while. You can feel that old lost and shaky feeling creeping in again. Eventually you come to a place where you could go straight, or go right through an area in the wall where it looks like the wall between two hallways was smashed in.

MK clung to Red Son as they moved through the maze. That feeling was coming back. His eyes widened when they found the smashed hallway.

"Oh...oh no. Wait. Did someone beat us here? Did they do this? They wouldn't, right?" He asked and looked around then at Red Son.

Leaving more string behind.

"I mean....I would hope Wukong didn't," Red Son said. But he is the likely contender. "But it could be shrapnel. There's been other tears." So hopefully its just that. "Still. Go right, and see what happens."

He squeezes MK's arm. "Besides, its not as if Macaque hasn't smashed walls himself. He is rather strong. You've felt his arms right? He has rather nice biceps."

Gotta start up this compliment train.

Was right now the best time to make flirty compliments?!

"I don't think Monkey King would do this," MK said as they went right. "I mean, I did. They're strong. He likes them too. I know he's proud of them. But if you ask me, his hips are better. He's got nice hips."

It's always flirty compliments o'clock!

The oppressive feeling fades a bit. You walk through to the other side and presuming you stick with Always Going Right, you'll be taken around to another area where you find another broken thing: a broken lamp.

It is when it helps the vibes!

"He does have nice hips. Did you get to wrap your legs around them?" Red Son asked. "They're strong and his fur is really soft against your inner thighs," he said. "And the way his tail makes them look really does wonders, its a shame how often he's in so many layers."

Well, let's try and take it before MK does. He can't touch everything first ALL the time.

You are Macaque, and you're torn.

You know that your mind and soul need to be fixed. That's clear now. You've been fighting with MK, and he's miserable. You can't feel anything about him or Wukong, and they both deserve better.

But every time you think you're resolved to see what can be done, you keep coming back to one thought: but what if I'm happier like this?

It's not enough, and you know it's not enough. All the happiness you could ever experience wouldn't be worth hurting those two over. But the thought is there all the same.

You haven't been able to love and be loved in so long, and you're loathe to maybe give it up. You will do what needs doing, but the fact remains that every time you think about fixing this you think about Red and that makes a large part of you fight it.

You just want to be happy. Happy with him. To love and be loved. Is that so wrong? Is that too much to ask?

MK wasn't fast enough this time. Red Son grabbed the lamp. MK looked around while Red Son was in the memory. He was trying to find any evidence of who broke the wall. Hair, fur, or maybe scratch marks?

"Oh I did. Well kinda. They were against mine. Honestly, the thing I really like is when he used his shadows to tie me up. I trust him. I trust you enough to tie me up and do what you want. I...really like it. You kinda introduced me to a kink before I even knew I had kinks. So thanks for that, Macaque."

Oh.

Red Son is staring at the lamp, all his feeling and fears reflected back at him. That fixing him would end what had grown between them. He takes a shuddering breath, a hand reaching up to rub at his eyes. Trying to keep back the tears that want to fall.

"He loves you, you know," Red Son said quietly. "He loves you so much. Even with his emotions messed with, the memory of how much he loves you drove him so far."

MK blinked and looked at Red Son. He reached out to brush his fingers under Red Son's eye. He cupped Red Son's cheek gently.

"...And I know he loves you too. With all his heart. And we both love him. That's why we're here."

Re: Level U - East Door

Re: Level U - East Door

Re: Level U - East Door

Re: Level U - East Door

Re: Level U - East Door

Re: Level U - East Door

Re: Level U - East Door

Re: Level U - East Door

Re: Level U - East Door

Re: Level U - East Door

Re: Level U - East Door

Re: Level U - East Door

Re: Level U - East Door

Re: Level U - East Door

Re: Level U - East Door

Re: Level U - East Door

Re: Level U - East Door

Re: Level U - East Door

Re: Level U - East Door

Re: Level U - East Door

Re: Level U - East Door

Re: Level U - East Door

Re: Level U - East Door

Re: Level U - East Door

Re: Level U - East Door