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

Red Son couldn't help, but laugh. His ridiculous Noodle Boy. "Perhaps. It would...it would be nice," he said, turning to kiss MK's palm.

"Its hard to not worry though. You and Wukong both shine so brightly. What is a fire compared to the suns?" He murmured, closing his eyes.

MK smiled and moved in closer. He brought up Doodgleque and leaned in to nuzzle noses with Red Son.

"What is the sun but a giant ball of fire in space?" He asked. "Your fire is bright. You offer warmth. You smell amazing. And he couldn't roast marshmallows on either of us. He could you," MK said with a giggle at the end.

"If you roast a marshmallow on me, I am turning it to cinders," Red Son threatened, face red and he shoves a bit at MK's face.

Only to bury his own against MK's neck. "The sun is also more than a fireball. Still. I just....I really don't want to lose the feeling. It was so easy to fall into it when I let myself."

MK giggled more at the threat. He wrapped his arms around Red Son and held him close.

"I don't think it will. I really don't. I know it won't. You mean so much to him. Before the surgery and you will after. It isn't going to disappear. You'll see."

Red Son sighed and nuzzled his neck. "I love you. And I love him. I don't want to lose what we were building," he said softly against MK's neck. Another soft sigh and he moved his chin to MK's shoulder. "I want to keep you, Mac."

There's a rumbling sound, and the whole maze shakes just a little. And then there's a loud noise from back where the two hallways seemed to have caved in, sort of like a crash but it sounds... odd.

Do you check it out?

Red Son looks up at the sound. Yyyyeah, can't really ignore that. Doubling back to see what happened.

When you make it back to where the noise came from, there's just a plan hallway. You wonder whether you were hearing things, but then you remember that this is where the wall was destroyed.

And now it isn't. The wall has been put back together like nothing happened.

UM?

He will reach out to touch the wall?

You get a sense that Macaque heard you just now. On whatever level. Heard you and understood. This is his answer. An intact wall where one had been broken.

Oh no.

"Shit," Red Son breathes, and is rubbing at his eyes again and now there are definitely tears falling. "You're just bullying me now."

He lets his head thud against the wall.

You get the sensation of Macaque chuckling and pressing a kiss to your head where it's touching the wall.

(Hurry up and get back out here so I can kiss you for real.)

"Daaamn Macaque. Busting out the bullying rizz here in the maze. You are just so good," MK said with a giant grin.

"Come on. Let's keep going. We gotta still fill that last void and see if we can find a memory that'll work."

Red Son's hair crackles.

"Bully," he said. He's not complaining, just embarrassed.

He steps away to grab onto MK and loops with his arm. "I might have one, but we need to check the last of the maze. Come on." Time to double back to where they were and keeping going right some more!!!

As you continue to go right, you come to the end of Corridor A, the final place to explore. You find a piece of stuffing like one uses in a pillow. It has a bit of blood on it, but it's easy to avoid it when you touch.

MK spotted the stuffing. He moved in first.

"I've already gotten blood all over me. What's a little more?" He made sure to try and grab it and avoid the blood. But hey, if any more splashed on him, wasn't like it would be the first time down here, right?

You are Macaque, and you're drunk. You also have dried blood on your face from where MK (rightfully) hit you, and a churning pit in your gut for about a dozen reasons.

Cole is delicately wiping the blood out of your fur while you lay on the bed and wonder why he's bothering. You did this to yourself, and you hurt MK, he should slam the door hard enough to hurt your head and not look back. But he hasn't.

He's trying to comfort you. Encourage you. Says that things will get better when you apologize. You want to go and do it now, but Choco's pendant limiter comes off tomorrow and you need to focus and sober up.

As soon as Cole's done with your face, you sling an arm over your eyes. You hate how thick and watery your voice sounds.

"I didn't want this, I swear I didn't."

MK rubbed his eye like it was hurting. He could feel the pain, feel the buzz of alcohol, and that want to fix things. To apologize. Korone had to come first. He put the stuffing in the bad. MK was happy that Cole was there for Macaque. Cole was good at being there for the people he cared about.

"I'm sorry I punched you, Macaque. I'll say it again outside. I am sorry."

"Why DID you punch him? I never...got your side of that story," Red Son said. He squeezed MK's arm reassuringly, heading back down the path along the right.

"It felt like everything was falling apart. Between him and me. He said he cared and I know he did. I know that...but when he would just go emotionless around me, it hurts. I was scared he was pulling back. That...if he was suddenly over Monkey King and now just wasn't emoting at all around me that...he only liked me because I was like Wukong. He came to talk again and I was so bad at trying to talk about it. About him, his students, and what was happening. He said that all the work he put in wasn't enough for me because he wasn't like...getting where I wanted."

MK was sure he skipped things. It was a lot that happened. From the mission, the first argument, the seconds, now all this.

"I was so angry, I went monkey. ...I decked him. And...things didn't get any better from there."

Red Son listens, holding onto his arm as they move down the path. He considers that. He figured that the whole issue came from a mix of misunderstanding and wild emotions. Macaque being fucked in the head likely not helping matter.

"...do you know why I modified that rule about bulldozer? About needing time?"

"Because needing time is a good idea. Or you...explode and punch someone and then everyone is mad and things blow up more," MK said with a sigh.

"And you get so out of it and hurt you end up going to a bar and getting drunk and just going into a backroom with seven people?" That just spilled out. Oops.

"Seven-"

Red Son had to pause at that because good LORD, how do you even keep track.

"....well, glad you are definitely exploring yourself." A pause. "I would check how Cole is with diseases if you ever get that far." The one advantage of banging immortals.

Listen, he'll get to the rest of that, BUT SEVEN PEOPLE, MK????

"...Yeah. I made sure to go the guild and get some potions. I'm clean," He said with a small huff. He wasn't that dumb. Not after they talked about it before. Still, he was right. Cole and him were working up to it. They just weren't there. Yet.

"I wasn't in a good place. I'm not proud of it. ...Well I'm a little proud since I ended up keeping up but still."

"Just making sure. Humans were absolutely terrible about that stuff until recently," Red Son said.

"I mean...you had a good time? At least?"

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