Minor episodes aren't going to be completely written out since this is in Monkey King's POV, also keep in mind the characters are supposed to act differently due to the timeline being altered and the fact it's still Season 1! Also, if it seems multiple episodes are happening after only a few days, that's because I have no idea how their time frame works in Monkie Kid other than the fact it seems to be happening almost back to back.

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Wukong landed on Sandy's deck, sitting on the floor lazily.

Cats, as always, swarmed him. A week had gone by, and his new daily routine had honestly helped him improve. Unfortunately, the nightmares persisted. But hey, at least I don't need sleep! Optimism!

The TV came to life as he ate slowly.

"I'm invincible, guys! Watch!" Wukong looked up in time to witness Mei shoot MK with a rocket launcher. Pigsy squealed, "KID!" The ginger choked on his food, pounding his fist against his chest. Damn, I forgot about how reckless he can get-!

MK was revealed to be unharmed, standing proudly, "See? Totally invincible!" Wukong slowly stood up, swaying slightly as his sleep deprivation nearly caused him to topple over, "Uh, bud? I think we should seal most of that away. You're not ready to wield all that power--"

"Whaaat? Psh, I'm more than ready! I can beat anyone with THIS bad boy!" The brunette swung his staff around, accidentally extending it. Wukong yelped as he moved to the side, narrowly escaping a mean hit from the ancient weapon while also shielding the cats around him. MK gaped, "I am so sorry, Monkey King!"

Wukong panted, trying to calm down his racing heart, "It's-- It's okay."

The news suddenly flickered off, and a familiar voice was heard, "I, RED SON! Have taken over the Weather Tower for my father, Demon Bull King. AKA your future ruler." Wukong promptly landed roughly on the ground as the group left to go fight.

Cats swarmed the king, rubbing against his body. Should I stay put and wait for MK to come running back? Maybe I should go help. BUT! The kid needs to learn! ...BUUUT I have to make sure he's okay.

He tried to get up, but his need for sleep weighed him down.

The king sighed, allowing himself to snuggle against the cats. They felt so warm, and the day was beautiful. Sleep welcomed him, and thankfully the beating hearts against his body kept the bad dreams far, far away.

---

"Monkey King!"

Wukong jolted awake, whining from the exhaustion still weighing down on him. He shivered slightly, blinking in confusion as a light sheet of snow had fallen over him and the cats. Though luckily, with the collective body heat plus the fact he ran hot like a...furnace, the cats were unfazed.

MK ran up to him, "I'm sorry to wake you, trust me, I know you need a nap real bad-- BUT YOU WERE RIGHT I CAN'T HANDLE ALL THIS MAGIC! And I knocked everyone around, so now they're hostages--"

Wukong waved his hand around, "Nah, it's. It's fine, bud. I don't mind you waking me up if needed." He gently got up, wary of the cats sleeping on him. The king rubbed his hands together, "Okay, kid. Brace yourself, this is gonna feel weird."

The monkey's hands glowed as he raised them high.

A gong sounded as a symbol appeared, pushing MK's excess powers out and sealing them away. The young hero stumbled, and Wukong reached out to catch him, "Woah! You good, kid?" MK nodded, "Yeah...Yeah! Thanks, Monkey King! Be back in a jiffy!"

Wukong shivered again, snuggling back down with the cats and sighing contently as sleep took him once again.

-----

Not even two days later, disaster struck again.

Wukong had been talking with Tang, excitedly flapping his hands and tail as he recounted a story about the baby monkeys back home when MK suddenly sat down beside them, groaning loudly and even falling into his bowl of food.

Wukong poked him as Tang grimaced, "You don't look so hot, MK."

MK sat up, sighing loudly, "It's just-! I do a lot! I work for Pigsy, train with Monkey King, help Sandy paint his boat, and party with Mei. It's too much for one guy!" Wukong froze, staring with wide eyes, "Ah-- I'm sorry, I can help with Sandy! And we can, uhm, train on days with less customer orders! I'm so sorry, MK, I forgot how busy you tend to be!"

Idiot! This was when MK made a ton of clones. He even told me so I could teach him how to control them better, how could I be so inconsiderate-?

MK brightened, "Really? I mean, you don't have to, I can find another way." The ginger shook his head, "No, it's cool! We...we can even train on how to produce clones! Maybe even take them to hang out with you so they develop personalities or something. Having main clones can be really helpful."

He himself had a few, though they didn't look nearly as diverse as MK's clones.

The brunette cheered, scooping up delivery orders and bouncing out the door. Tang gave Wukong a look, "You don't look so good, either, Monkey King." The monkey smiled hesitantly, "I need to make sure the kid's okay, Tang. I can't just allow him to continue without some help!"

The scholar hummed, "...Alright, then. Just don't strain yourself too much."

---

MK and Mei were having a sleepover with Sandy today.

That was good, the kid was having some fun! And his days have been much easier to handle, too. Plus his clones were coming along nicely, three of them even beginning to develop their personalities.

...Okay, Artist kinda freaked him out, but still very impressive!

Wukong, however..?

He was down-right exhausted. Sleep would evade him, and he couldn't really nap with the cats anymore since he'd be too busy helping Sandy paint. Then he'd be busy training Mei and sometimes MK as well. Then he'd eat at Pigsy's, get scolded since instead of two meals he was only eating one, and then heading home to get a measly two hours of rest.

Yeah, it was going pretty well.

He sat down heavily at the counter, sighing contentedly as Pigsy handed him some spring rolls, "Eat. I'm giving you some to take home, eat them in the morning, at least." Wukong barely managed to squeeze out a 'thank you' and take a bite before suddenly collapsing onto the counter.

Tang yelped, tapping the monkey. A loud snore rang out, and the chef and scholar both sighed in relief.

Pigsy shook his head disapprovingly, "Poor guy's running himself ragged." Tang sighed, "I think we all need to have some sort of meeting when the others are finished with their sleepovers." The chef walked around the counter, taking the king's torso, "Here, help me carry him to the couch. He's awful heavy for someone so scrawny."

---

Wukong tossed and turned, gasping for air.

Tang leaned over from his spot on the floor among pillows and blankets, gently placing his hand against the king's forehead, "Monkey King..?" The monkey whined, shuffling away and shivering. Pigsy sat up as well, "Nightmares. So that's why the guy looks ready to drop all the time."

Tang got up, "I'm going to go get some tea ready. He's bound to wake up." The pig nodded in agreement. Wukong gasped, startling awake and flailing, "WAIT I CAN FIX--" He heaved, looking around as Pigsy patted him patiently, "There, there. You're fine, just a nightmare."

Wukong shuddered, "I can fix it..." He whispered, muttering nonsense as Tang brought some iced tea. The king sipped it, "Thank you." The chef snorted, "No need to thank us, go back to sleep. We'll be right here."

The monkey gave them his empty glass and laid back down.

They were warm. The background noise of dishes being cleaned and the pair's voice lulled him back into a meaningless void of sleep.

---

MK, Mei, and Sandy arrived late in the morning to the noodle shop.

"I got a sword!" Mei waved it high, proudly grinning. MK looked over at the snoring figure and blinked in surprise, "Woah, you guys had a sleepover too?"

Pigsy and Tang hummed from the kitchen, "Alright, everybody sit down. This is a meeting regarding Monkey King's health." The group immediately sat down. Tang exhaled, "Okay, so he's clearly burned out and not admitting it. He fell asleep mid-bite last night, which is why he's here. Secondly, he seems to suffer from nightmares."

His eye subtly twitched, "He had, like, three throughout the night. They all seem to have the same principle, him being unable to fix...something. However he does sleep better when he isn't alone. Seriously, his nightmares spiked up whenever Pigsy and I rolled a little too far away from him."

Pigsy huffed, "He doesn't realize that, though."

"He's also been eating less, from two meals to just one in the evening. That's obviously not healthy. We need to figure out how to get his daily routine to be less straining."

Sandy perked up, "I can just paint my boat once a week. Otherwise, he can take naps with the cats or help me garden."

Mei raised her hand next, "Oh! I can train when MK's able to train with him! That way, we can just hang out here." She leaned in, "I also kinda noticed he isn't a fan of people. I think he has some stage fright."

MK slouched over guiltily, "Oh, man. This is all my fault! I knew I shouldn't have dumped so much on him! I could've just figured something out!" Pigsy clicked his tongue, "Uh-uh! No blaming here. Everyone plays a part, MK. It isn't entirely on you."

Tang glanced over at Wukong's sleeping form, "...It's as if he's walking on eggshells around us constantly, could be all the isolation, his early life, and any trauma found between."

Pigsy hummed, "So we just hafta' help the guy gain some sort of normalcy." The group hummed in agreement, ready to help out their new friend.

-----

Wukong stretched, listening to Tang and Pigsy argue over vegetables.

"Looking for some vegetables~?"

Wukong looked over and shuddered. Pigsy immediately sucked up to her charm, causing the monkey to physically pull him back, "No, she's dangerous." He glared at the disguised demoness, "Spider Queen. Your 'vegetables' are looking terribly ill. Maybe you should get them looked at."

The queen smirked, "Pardon? Have we met, handsome? Afterall, I am just a stall vendor!" Wukong's eye twitched as his fur rose, "Ah, an old friend, actually!" He grinned wryly, "Just checking out what you've been up to all these years is all."

He suddenly lunged forward, tackling the spider.

Her disguise fell apart as she tried escaping the king's grasp, "Oh-! Don't you know that's no way to treat a lady?!" Pigsy and Tang stepped back, making sure nobody was witnessing anything. Wukong sighed internally with gratitude as he continued his fight, "Stand down!"

Wukong punched the ground, revealing her cavern system. The Spider Queen leaped into the opening, making her escape. The monkey growled, "I'll be back! Don't bring anyone along, just wait for me!" He jumped in as the pair yelled out for him.

---

Wukong groaned, his head pounding.

What..?

Oh, yeah. He'd fought the spider, causing a cave-in. Blood trickled down his temple as he felt his skull, "...damn."

At least she didn't get MK's hair. He said that's what powered her up. Well, technically it was LBD...BUT! Now it's pushed back! So she won't show up for New Years, probably a bit later than that... And instead of MK's hair, the damned witch'll probably give her something else.

Great.

"Monkey King!" His ears perked up. "MONKEYYYY KIIING!" The monkey sat up, hissing slightly once he noticed the fact his leg was trapped, "Ugh, I'm here!" He ignored the way his voice cracked in favor of lifting the rubble off of him and staggering to his feet.

Sandy appeared first, scooping him up. The others soon followed, "Monkey King! What needs healing first?!" MK looked his mentor over, hopping on his toes and taking the king's face into his hands, "Oh, you're bleeding!"

"He's what?!" Pigsy moved forward, clicking his tongue, "C'mon, we can patch him up back at the noodle shop." Wukong's sight was fuzzy, and he knew a concussion was present. Sleep beckoned him, causing him to drift off.

Sandy shook him awake, "Uh-uh, don't sleep. That's bad, Mr.King." Wukong nearly cried with how tired he was, "I can't die, Big Blue!" The giant still shook his head as everyone made their way back to the surface.

-----

Wukong huffed, fiddling with his bandaged leg. It has been three days! It should've healed after just one.

...Okay, so maybe sleep deprivation and not eating properly can delay healing. Whatever.

Pigsy huffed, "Kid's not delivering orders! Where is he?" Mei gagged, "Augh, you think that spider lady got him?" Wukong sat up, ignoring the pain in his mending leg, "I can go look for him, just give me a few minutes--" Tang pushed him back down firmly, "No. You can use your Gold Vision and tell us where to search, but you need to stay put."

The king wilted, feeling utterly useless. "No, I can help! I just won't use my leg, it's easy, really! My tail is basically a third limb--" The scholar shook his head again. Wukong leaned back, "I can't just...I need to help you! As my successor, it is my responsibility to keep him safe, a little broken leg's never held me back before."

Pigsy huffed, "Oh, yeah? Well we're stopping you. Now use those eyes of yours and tell Mei where the kid's at." Wukong exhaled stiffly as he activated his Gold Vision. He pointed ahead of him, "Old theater. That way, he's in some magic artifact."

The dragon girl nodded, "Brb, time to save the Monkie Kid!" She ran out as Wukong called out, "JUST DON'T RESPOND TO YOUR NAME-!"

Gods, he was useless.

---

MK cried out and hugged Wukong, "You're Monkey King!"

"...Yes..?" The king blinked in confusion as MK leaned back, "I was stuck in a...calabash..? And oh, boy was it terrible! You were so strange! Like, you were all perfect, with armor and stuff--" Wukong nodded, my old self, huh? Stupid persona scaring the kid like that-!

"AND MEI," He gagged, "LIKED ME!" Mei gagged behind Wukong, "DON'T REMIND ME-!" The pair continued to mourn as Wukong sighed, "MK, I'm so sorry I wasn't able to prevent that or retrieve you." He bowed his head, "I should've been able to heal fully by now. I should be at my best in case you ever need me--"

The young hero shushed him, "Monkey king, stop. You fought SPIDER QUEEN so I wouldn't have to! And trust me, I am so glad I didn't have to fight her..." He shuddered, "And it's like you said! I can't always depend on you, so let me depend on my friends, too."

Wukong exhaled through his nose, "Alright."

Pigsy handed him a bowl of not-too warm soup, "Alright, everyone. Eat up. The lunch-rush is gonna arrive any second now. Monkey King, Sandy will come before then and pick you up so you don't have to be here with all those people, alright?"

Wukong nodded. Maybe depending a little on them isn't so bad.

-----

"It wasn't a real peach! Can you believe that?!" The brunette slouched in his stool, pouting loudly.

Wukong snorted, awkwardly patting MK's back, "I don't think you're ready for immortality, anyway, kid." The king suddenly felt time slow, causing him to panic and blurt out, "I-I'm not sure you're even human, kid."

Time resumed.

Everyone paused, looking over at him, "Uh, what do you mean?"

The king waved his hand, "Ah, uhm. Well! He has my powers, is oddly communicative with the monkeys back home... And he's a natural when it comes to monkey stuff. I-I'm just saying it doesn't add up is all-!" Oh, great. You've done it now, they'll accuse you of stuff and never wanna see you again!

MK, however, stared at his hands in awe, "Could I be a monkey?!" Tang adjusted his glasses, "Well, when you put it that way...it does make sense to speculate." The group muttered out theories, examining MK closely. Wukong huffed in relief, "If I'm right, then it'll pop up sooner or later when you're ready. Kinda like how a butterfly hatches out of their cocoons."

The brunette hummed, "Okay, so I just need to hibernate!" Wukong facepalmed, "No, kid. When your powers and your body is ready, it'll reveal if you even have a true form." MK hummed, "Ohhh."

Wukong suddenly clasped his hand, "Oh, wait! Kid, I want you to try concentrating when delivering food later today. Think you can focus?" MK nodded, "Uh, YEAH! I'm, like, the Number One Focus Guy!" The king gave him a look, "Oh, really? Cause Pigsy's been complaining about late deliveries."

The chef muttered in confirmation as MK sputtered, "I'll show you how focused I can be!" He grabbed bags of food before running out the door.

Tang sighed, "He's gonna get distracted." Mei nodded, sipping on her celebratory cheese tea, "Oh, absolutely."

---

MK returned, "I did it! See!"

Pigsy nodded, "Well, I didn't receive any complaints today. Good job, kid." Wukong smiled, "That's great, bud! Just keep doing so everyday and you'll be a master of focus in no time!" The brunette saluted, "Yes, Monkey King, sir!"

Man I missed those days. It was simpler, and he was much happier... I should do more. Prepare more.

"Welp, time for me to go. I have to go check in on the monkeys and whatnot. It's nearly peach season, after all!" He sprinted out the door, flying home as quickly as he could. He should prepare a bigger first aid kit. Ah! And some scrolls!

Don't mess up, Wukong! I can fix everything, just don't screw up.

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Wukong after waking up, completely unaware of when and where he is: