Ne Zha was your best friend, even if he never outwardly admitted it, afterall he did have a reputation to uphold--regardless of that he still valued you as a friend.
His,,,BFF as you liked to call him.
And as a BFF, he told you countless times before that Sun Wukong wasn't, in any shape, form or fashion worthy of you or your affection. During these time when Sun was present he would make off hand comments about the Lotus Prince being infatuated with you.
Well, he wasn't lying. Not that he'd tell either of you that. Ne Zha, was in fact deeply in love with you. As cornballish as it sounds he's been in love with you since you first met. You were so new and oh so curious about the world and it's creations, all oblivious to the evil, the greed and the deceit that laid within humans. And when he burst your bubble of that happy earth that resided in your happy mind you weren't sad. Not upset that the world you had pictured wasn't all sunshine and rainbows and puppy dog kisses. In fact, you let Ne Zha's words sink in, eyes finally opening to the world around you, it was changing and certainly not for the better. Did it make your heart clench? Maybe, but nonetheless you stunned the prince with a simple, 'I see' never did you fix your mouth the call him a liar.
You never raised your voice at him when he ridiculed you for your faux beliefs on the world around you and surely, you never looked at him with spite. Although, maybe he deserved all that. You were a pure soul with an even purere heart. Gifting him flowers and little trinkets. He was the first person, besides Wukong 🙄 to see the rose you so proudly sprouted. Even if he was disgusted by how you had came to grow it. The smile you showed him and your excited aura was enough for the prince to indulge in your happiness. He loved you, and even if he couldn't have you he was content on what you both had now. You were a being of love, a being of hope for the ruggid Prince. You were the one who would braid flowers into his hair right before a meeting, he wouldn't dare take them out even if he received snickers from his companions (if he could call them that), if it meant seeing you happy and thriving it may have been worth it.
"And then you weave the flower steams- good job Ne Zha!" You chirped, clapping your hands in delight when the Prince tied the steams of the lillies to a bunch of pale pink chrysanthemums, the center of the petals being a gorgeous light orange.
You were making flower crowns with the Lotus Prince. Poor Ne Zha he awfully gets so lonely while doing his duties. This was nice, the gesture certainly didn't go underappreciated. He huffed, the praise immediately getting to him causing a nice hue of red to decorate his beautifully pointed ears. " 'M not a child, no need to praise me like one." Muttering under his breath as he clumsily wrapped another lilly around the mum. You pouted, bottom lip poked out as you folded your arms. "Huf, I thought you liked it when I complimented you,,,"
He nearly ripped the crown. "Who told you that!?" You tilted your head, the action nearly putting the pretty prince in cardiac arrest. "Zhu Bajie and Sha Wujing told me that Pretty Princes like you deserve special praise."
Ne Zha inhaled, his face getting hotter by the second before he scoffed. "You shouldn't listen to them, their only trying to tease me." He muttered once more, finally tying the ends of the crown. "Besides," placing the crown over your head his fingers curled elegantly through your curls. "Gorgeous Guardians like you deserve special praise." He didn't miss the way just how hot your face felt against his hand as he rubbed it down your cheek. Clutching the flower crown you gave him a grin.
"Thank you Ne Zha, I'll never take it off." And you kept that promise,
But when you left.
Ne Zha flinched, an aching feeling clinging through the flesh that resided his heart. It hurt and throbbed in pain. Something was wrong. The abandonment of his post was the last thing on his mind.
Something was wrong, something was wrong with you.
And just as he tucked the silk scarves of velvet behind him to take off, the last person who he wished to see, Wukong, crashing through his palace--gasping and wheezing for breath a choked sob escaping through his throat. "Wukong!" He didn't have enough time to look over the monkey before he wailed, arms wrapping around the prince, certainly this was unprofessional, not to mention Ne Zha and Wukong weren't necessarily close in the slightest, he didn't seem hurt so why-
'Thank you Ne Zha, I'll never take it off.'
'never take it off.'
'never take it off.'
"Wukong," His voice was uncharacteristically low when addressing him. The king could only let out a strangled response, refusing to meet the Prince's wrath as he cluthed the flower crown in his free hand. "Wukong, where's (Name)?" Sun let out broken apologies, babbling on and on but Ne Zha could only focus on one thing. "Their gone, Ne Zha (Name) is gone, their gone,,,," That couldn't be, he had to be lying as he clung to him,,,this was just another one of Sun wukongs famous tricks. He won't be fooled with fake crying, fake tears nor fake hiccups.
"You're,,,You're lying aren't you?" His bottom lip quivered, voice cracking in an pathetic attempt to sound angry. He ripped him away from his neck, hands clutching the material of his armor. "You're fucking lying Wukong! Tell me!"
Your darling let out an unattractive whimper, eyes clouding with devastation and pure sadness, raw depression lingered in the mix of sarrowness. "Tell me this is some sick joke! Their not gone! Not really!!" Sun hiccuped.
" 'M sorry,,,,I'm so so sorry,,,,"
"You bastard!! You fucking idiot!" The monkey let out a broken wheeze when the Lotus Prince smacked him against the ground, still bunching the material if his cape in his pretty hands the force smashed a crater into the ground as he wrung Wukong a new one. "You stupid idiot! You were supposed to protect them!" Your love weeped, "I know! I know! I'm so sorry Ne Zha!! I tried! I really did-"
"SHUT UP!!"
He didn't have to strength the yell anymore. Not when Wukong presented the flower crown to him, hand shaking in either fear or grief he couldn't tell as he shakily took the crown. He did his best to bite back the cry that threatened to leave his grasp, it was to no avail. Pouring all of his sorrows out into that simple bawl was enough to shake the heavens. He cried so hard mountain's split in two, rivers dried his weep was so powerful the mortals below knew something was wrong with their beloved gods.
