The Day The World Eclipsed || Lego Monkie Kid

Priorities

As Macaque emerged back into the cave and hut, he was immediately greeted by his son's tiny hands. They grasped eagerly at his legs, causing him to stumble and lose his balance. With a quick reflex, he caught himself against the rough stone wall, eyes wide. The little monkey's grip was surprisingly strong for his size, holding on even as Macaque lifted his leg to examine the boy.

"Xiaotian..." Macaque mumbled, startled. "What are you-?"

"Baba is back!" Xiaotian proclaimed loudly, eye brows narrowed, "Cause he left! Without saying so! And without telling MK where he went!" he puffed his cheeks, very peeved by this.

"Oh, uh..." Macaque paled. As Xiaotian's face clouded over with irritation, Macaque realized that he had some explaining to do. "I-I only left for a little bit," he tries to say. His eyes were drawn to the side of the room, where Wukong was.

The King stood off to the side, fiddling with some toys in his hands. He had been playing with their son moments before Macaque's sudden entrance. With an easy smile he says, "What do you say, MK?" he reminded the child.

"...Welcome home, Baba!" MK's tail wagged excitedly before his expression turned to a pout as he remembered why he was upset. "But Baba, you left me! You left without your MK!" He kicked his feet in frustration and crossed his arms.

Macaque's eyes widened in terror, unable to discern that this was a playful jest rather than a serious outburst of rage and betrayal. "Oh no, Xiaotian, I would never-!" he stuttered in shock.

"All alone with just Dada! And his Dada jokes!" MK wailed dramatically.

"I told you he would be right back," Wukong chuckled, giving a soft roll of his eyes, "And my Dada jokes are great." He locked eyes with Macaque and lightheartedly winked, conveying the unspoken message that this was all in good fun. Macaque's expression twisted into a frown as he felt a twinge of embarrassment, heat pooling in his cheeks. He knew deep down that this was just a joke, but it still stung a little. Xiaotian wasn't genuinely angry at him... right?

"I was gone maybe an hour? I thought you might have napped longer," Macaque says softly, still wanting to explain his actions.

"I was still worried!" MK let out an exasperated sigh as he scurried down Macaque's pant leg and latched onto his Baba's foot, clearly annoyed. He had searched every inch of the house for him! He even went up to the roof by himself, although his Dada had helped him up there.

Macaque kneeled down and gently patted the child's head. "I'm sorry, Moon drop," he said sincerely, taking his son's hand and giving him a remorseful look. "I had something important to take care of. Can you forgive me?" He wasn't teasing; he genuinely couldn't handle Xiaotian being angry with him.

MK pressed his cheek into his hand, cheeks puffed cutely. He swayed side to side, a grin spreading across his face as he spoke, "It's okay, Baba~ I forgive you." He leaned in closer, nuzzling his nose against Macaque's. Macaque let out a sigh of relief and returned the gesture with a nuzzle of his own. "But next time, you have to take MK with you! I can help with errands too. I always help Dada whenever he needs it. I'm great at carrying shopping bags," he boasted proudly, patting his chest.

"Until I put more than 2 items in it," Wukong mumbled under his breath, snickering.

Macaque's smile widens, "Actually, this wasn't just a simple errand. But I'll make it up to you and tell you all about my destination next time," he assures the boy. "Did you have a good rest?"

MK nodded and climbed up Macaque's leg to perch on his shoulder, excitedly recounting,"I got to snuggle with Dada and then I played with Dada! Right Dada?"

"We sure did," Wukong's lips curled upwards as he looked down at his hands, then began gathering up MK's toys and stowing them back in his backpack.

MK's joy was evident on his face, his smile stretching from ear to ear. "Dada said we can go home when you come back! I can't wait to show Baba my room and our house!" he cupped Macaque's cheeks with his little hands, squishing his lips. He pressed his forehead to Macaque's insistently, staring at him with starry golden eyes. "And then we gotta pick a house for Baba too."