Sun Wukong didn't power up the holographic projectors around his mountain observatory often. But when he did...
Well.
He had good reason to, of course.
He could hear the dull thrum of them right now, far off in the distance as he rode his cloud to the tallest peak he could physically create on the mountain. The peak with the careful slot that used to, and was made to, just so snugly fit his staff, reinforced with concrete and steel over the years it was in disuse. The slot that he immediately slotted his staff into and that held his staff as he lengthened it as tall as it could possibly go.
The projectors were, of course, to prevent anyone from the city from seeing anything unusual jutting into space. Like said recently retrieved staff.
Well. Nearly space.
His cloud was going to get him the rest of the way there. It was the way he had been getting out there so far, much as it exhausted him on his long journey to do so. He thought, so long ago, that he would eventually need a rocket to get to the moon. But no, his cloud would at least get him there. Getting back was the problem.
He could always hitch a ride on a shooting star, however, given who he was meeting with. And it was quite a way to ride in style.
Thankfully, he had already finished half of his current project and soon his projectors that hid everything would be a thing of the past.
She was able to mask herself alone with no problem.
He hoped that she would be able to stick around for a little longer this evening.
Their time together was going to be rare now, what with him taking on an apprentice. But it only made him more fond of each moment they would get to spent together.
Perhaps, one day, MK could meet his wife...
Well. Officially.
He'd already seen evidence of her every starlit night.
And just like every starlit night when he sent out his own special way of messaging her, courtesy of the little moon base they had fashioned together, she was already there. Beautiful and serene and larger than anyone or anything on Earth.
She always seemed so serene. He could hardly remember the last time she was truly upset by... anything, really. Well, no, that wasn't true. Not to an extent.
Upset was one thing. She was upset when she saw how he sectioned himself off from the world. Upset when she learned that she would no longer be able to make the moon itself her sole home. Upset when he hurt himself or told her of MK's upset. But not quite in the same way mortals or even celestial beings became upset.
That was to be expected when one was now an embodiment of the cosmos itself, he supposed.
But the last time she was truly upset... he remembered how the sky itself seemed to weep, not with tears but with meteors.
It was as terrifying as it was beautiful.
But always so beautiful.
They didn't even get to exchange words when he touched down on the base before she was upon him, massive form of the night sky itself reaching down and down and down until, slowly, he was encapsulated entirely with barely a fraction of her hand.
"Hello, my love," Chang'e said softly.
Looking into her eyes was like looking at all the stars in the sky all at once and like looking into a black hole as it takes in all the light around it at the same time.
"You're beautiful," he breathed out without meaning to.
"You say this every time we meet, my love," Chang'e said with a soft smile.
"And every time I mean it even more," Sun Wukong said. "Every day I am unable to see you is like being under the mountain once again."
"And what would you do if I..." Chang'e trailed off for just a moment, smirking as he form quickly shrunk down. So slowly, but also so quickly, she was but a fraction of her being. Condensed into 8 feet of beauty and grace that was wrapped in a hanfu of the stars and galaxies themselves. "Was right here right now?"
"Probably this," Sun Wukong admitted, breathless and eyes wide in awe of his beloved's presence before him. At this size her eyes did not shine like stars but like diamonds, a sheer power radiating off he very form making him weak in the knees. But none of that prevented him from reaching forward and cupping her cheek as if she was made of glass. "It never feels any less... intense."
Her smile deepened as she leaned in for a kiss, her lips meeting his in a soft, tender kiss that spoke of love and trust and everything they meant to each other. Sun Wukong wrapped his arms around her, pulling her closer as he deepened the kiss, tongues tangling together in a dance as old as time. The air around them was charged with electricity, the very stars themselves pulsing in time with the rhythm of their love.
For a few moments, they simply lost themselves in each other, forgetting everything else in the world but the warmth of their embrace and the taste of each other's lips. But eventually, they pulled back, breathing heavily, their eyes locked in a gaze that spoke of a love that ran deeper than mere words could express.
"I missed you," Sun Wukong said softly, stroking her cheek with his thumb.
"I missed you too," Chang'e replied, leaning into his touch.
There was a moment of silence, the only sounds they could hear was the daily movement of the machines in space. Not a single other sound could be heard, par for Sun Wukong's own breathing. "But I sense there is another reason for your visit this night. What concerns you, my love?"
Chang'e asked gently, cupping the King's face so gently that the King thought he might actually be made of glass.
"I... You see..." Sun Wukong started and stopped, unsure of how to tell her what had happened. So he decided just to go with the blunt truth. "I... have a successor now."
"Ah," Chang'e said softly, moving her thumbs against his cheeks gently. "The time has come, I see. I am sure you will do wonderfully, my dear."
And there it was. The soft reassurance that she never failed to give off. Of course she knew about his plans long before they came to pass, but it never failed to amaze him how calmly she adjusted to things.
It... did honestly make him sad never to see her excited in the same way he was. But this was HER excitement. And he loved that.
"I know," Sun Wukong said, his voice heavy with emotion. "But it also means...I won't have as much time to spend with you anymore. And that thought...it fills me with dread."
Chang'e's expression softened as she leaned in to kiss him once more, her lips meeting his in a gentle, tender kiss that spoke volumes. "I understand," she said softly. "But perhaps our time together being limited means it will be that much more special. We will cherish every moment we have and make the most of it, won't we dear?"
"Yes..." Sun Wukong said softly, breathing a sigh of relief at the words. "You know just what to say to calm me."
"Just as you have for me in the past," Chang'e whispered, pulling the King into her once more. "You are the only being that can make the super novas cease when my fears and worries take hold of my thoughts. Though, perhaps now, I could put my concerns to more productive means."
"What do you mean?" He asked in confusion.
"I would like to watch over the boy," Chang'e said simply. "When I can. When he is out at night, so you may not worry as much about him yourself."
"I-" Sun Wukong almost lied, said that he was not worried or concerned. But he couldn't. Not to her face. Not to his beloved who listened to him no matter the occasion. "I... am a little concerned he may allow his invincibility to go to his head..."
"Then I shall keep an eye out."
There was no questioning that having Chang'e's eyes on MK would make things a lot easier. Not all the time, of course, he deserved his privacy! But when he was fighting demons or on delivery jobs? Perhaps then it would be a good idea to have the goddess of the night sky and the stars watch over his successor.
"Is this just because you're curious to know who I choose?" He asked teasingly.
"Perhaps a little," Chang'e admitted with ease. "But I can tell you're already quite fond of the boy, with the way your face light up only a short moment ago. Your concern about his invincibility is proof enough to me that you wish the best for his safety."
"Don't go telling him that," the king said with a laugh. "I'm trying to be the strong uplifting teacher who is confident in their student and doesn't show they're worried, ya know?"
"..."
Ah. The neutral face of displeasure.
"Talk to him? Please?" Chang'e said softly, pulling Sun Wukong's face closer. "For me?"
Her words would have convinced him easily. It wouldn't have actually taken much more than that, maybe a soft batting of her eyes to butter him up.
The soft kiss she pulled him into though?
Well.
How could he not do as she so politely did after that?
"I will," he promised, resting his hands on her shoulders. "Tomorrow, or the next day, but I will. He does have a job after all."
"A responsible adult," Chang'e acknowledged with a smile. "A wiser choice than those before you who have chosen child successors."
He chose not to admit that MK may not be the most... responsible adult. But he was an adult nonetheless. Mostly. He thought.
... was he 18 or 20?
He really should have asked.
Sun Wukong nodded, feeling a warmth spread through him at her words when he put his own concerns to the side.
"Okay," he said, feeling a sense of peace wash over him. "I love you, Chang'e."
"I love you too," Chang'e said, her voice soft and sweet. "Now come, let's enjoy the rest of our time together before you have to go back down to Earth."
With that, she took his hand and led him to a nearby asteroid, pulling him into her lap and resting her head on his shoulder. Sun Wukong wrapped his arms around her, feeling her warmth against him as he closed his eyes and let himself simply enjoy the moment.
As they sat there in the silence of space, watching the stars twinkle around them, Sun Wukong couldn't help but feel grateful for Chang'e's presence in his life. She brought him peace, comfort, and a sense of belonging that he had never felt before.
For the rest of their time together, they simply held each other close, whispering about the future and reminiscing about the past. And as the time came for Sun Wukong to return to Earth, he knew that the memory of this moment and the love he shared with Chang'e would stay with him always.
Always.