Chapter Text
It occurred to him at the very back of his fraught mind, a surprisingly simple and almost silly realization for such a dire moment; he had never felt something inside of him break before.
Tang knew it was bad even before he hit the wall and the air rushed out of his lungs, his vision going white with agony that seemed to crack across his very being whilst Macaque's laughter echoed in his ringing ears. Limp and beyond out of sorts, he had no capacity to stop himself as he dropped to the hard floor below.
Whatever part of him had broken, which seemed to be more than a few of his ribs, protested fiercely when his body hit at full force. A cry of pain managed to escape with the last bit of his breath. Disoriented but refusing to relent, he tried to inhale, only to find a fresh burst of pain prompted by every attempt. Coughing brought a hint of a metallic taste to his tongue, sending enough adrenaline through his veins to force his eyes open. A spinning room stretched out on all sides.
Macaque landed neatly despite the force of the strike, the thud of his boots making the wounded human flinch. "Whoops! Sorry about that, not used to pulling such puny punches."
Tang knew it was an added insult to his injuries, but that didn't stop him from flinching again at the dig, something that seemed to amuse his attacker. The stories he'd poured through since childhood hadn't done him justice; the Six Eared Macaque wasn't just a deadly fighter, he knew exactly how to get under your skin…
Music reverberated through the city and up into the Lantern, catching his ear and helping him steady himself once he recognized the unmistakable energy behind the rhythm; his friends were just below, playing their hearts out and determined to win, just as he was. That was all he needed to take a shallow breath, the oxygen righting his head even as it pounded from the impact. This wasn't over, he still had to try, if only to stall for the fighters of the group… Shaking hands pushed himself off the ground, his head rising to look back at Macaque, whose fingers were now just shy of the ring.
A stabbing pain across his chest made him hiss. Goodness, every last movement hurt so much …
Macaque fixed him with a glare that made him stumble as he continued to rise, and the monkey bared his fangs as he continued speaking with a far less playful tone.
"If I were you, I'd count myself lucky and not push my mortal luck with another hit. I might not be so patient next time..."
The way Macaque almost spat the word mortal, putting so much emphasis on the fragility of human beings, lest he forget how easily the other being could end him… Were Tang not so accustomed to bullies, he might have allowed that insult to make him cower, but he knew better than to be swayed by the threat. The facts simply didn't add up….
Macaque didn't really want to kill him, because if he had even the faintest inclination he'd have already done so. A fresh burst of terrified adrenaline at that thought helped dull the pain enough for him to speak, and gave him a last ditch idea.
"S-s-stop!" he cried out, unable to stand but using what strength he had to plead. If the Six Eared Macaque had spared him, albeit quite violently, perhaps he could be persuaded to just let them have what they needed to stop a massacre? He had to hope sparing one life indicated a hint of a moral compass. As he winced through a fresh stab of pain from his right side, Tang used his fear to push through it, now having Macaque's full attention. "The Samadhi Fire is humanity's last chance to defeat the Lady Bone Demon!"
Macaque was quiet for a moment, but his expression gave Tang no hope of thoughtful contemplation. A harsh frown once again bared sharp fangs. "Well, humanity's just gonna have to find something else…" he scoffed, initially dismissive but shifting to an almost apologetic tone as he continued. "The Samadhi Fire is my best chance of getting as far away from her as possible."
Tang heard the desperation in his voice, and had to feel some pity, even if his throbbing head made it hard to see and the shallow breaths were making him dizzy… He could hardly fault someone for wanting to feel safe. Trying and failing to push himself beyond his hands and knees, he refused to give up, even as his own desperation came through his words. "Surely, even you can see that unless we stand together-"
"Together?" Macaque interrupted, tone once again regaining that arrogant delight that scared Tang more than the threatening growl. Chuckling, he leaned against the intertwined stone dragons holding the ring and turned back to the human, making a point to look down his nose at him. "Remind me again exactly what it is you contribute to the team?"
The words hit home, and the still fresh wound in his heart ached anew. Hurt twisted visibly through his wide eyes. Macaque saw the weakness and sneered.
"They seem to get on just fine without you." he said simply, using his tail to point through the gaps in the Lantern floor. Tang couldn't help but follow the cue, close enough to the edge to see the stage clearly even if it was far below them. The gang's song was well underway by now, and the crowd was loving every moment, cheering them on with enough force to lightly rattle the Lantern. It was impossible not to feel the stab of hurt exactly where Macaque intended when he wondered if they'd even noticed he was gone… Looking away spared him some, but he couldn't block out the continued taunting, even as it shifted to something softer but no less hurtful.
"Don't take it personally, Tang. Your buddy Wukong values people by how useful they are to him. Take it from me as an expert on what happens when you get too close to the King…"
A few tears collected in the back lens of his glasses, his downturned head trembling as he ached inside and out.
Macaque got his attention with a slam of his fist against the stone dragon's back, cracking the outer layer of its scales. There was no longer malice in his voice, only tense warning. "Look out for number one. Cause if you don't, no one will."
It was impossible to deny he felt a moment of temptation. For a brief instant, he truly considered giving in, collapsing to the floor and refusing to fight the pain any longer… if only to spare himself a fight he was certain he'd lose. Few would have blamed him for doing so. He was just one fragile mortal surrounded by godlike beings battling each other through the tangled webs of their supposed destinies, and this was his chance to reject that…
But that wasn't how he wanted his story to end.
Instead, he made a decision, no matter how uncertain he was that he'd succeed.
Even if he couldn't keep himself from flinching, he lifted his upper body from the floor completely, hand brushing a forgotten wad of paper as it tumbled from his pocket. Just able to perceive Macaque summoning whatever magic he needed to pluck the ring from its safeguard, he felt some deep inclination to open the paper, knowing that whatever was within would help. If nothing else, it would probably bring him some comfort… Shaking hands quickly flattened the battered page.
One of MK's rejected drawings unfolded before him, and despite how he'd felt when he first saw his less than flattering depiction, a dash of affection eased his pain. Though not quite able to smile, his expression softened as the wrinkles in the piece were smoothed out. It wasn't just a drawing of himself.
MK had drawn him at the heart of their little found family, despite all his fears...
Sharp pain from his ribs slowed him down, but did nothing to stop him as he rose to his feet, determination lending him much needed strength. Even if he had no reason to hope for victory, he refused to relent without giving it his all. Everyone was counting on him, and they deserved his best.
"You're wrong." he said firmly as he stood at last. One of six ears twitched in his direction, and when Macaque turned his way he saw shock that the warrior hadn't had the time to hide. Struggling for deeper breaths didn't stop him from putting everything he had into speaking clearly. "I know I'm not as strong as they are…"
The admittance was freeing, enough to help dull the pain and further strengthen his once shaking voice. "I may still be searching for my purpose…"
His next breath came far more easily, and he felt more balanced where he stood. Straightening his shoulders, he continued, compelling Macaque to listen with his growing force of will. "What I do know… doing it alone, is not the path I'm destined to take."
"Deep in my heart, I know my place is alongside my friends. One day, I will become someone they can depend on, the way I can always depend on them!" he declared firmly, a sense of purpose like no other clearing his head and briefly banishing all of his fears. Making his stand, regardless of the outcome, felt like what he was meant to do. It reminded him of the first time he'd taken pen to paper, that feeling he'd finally found something he was made for, only even more intense.
Raising his head, he looked Macaque in the eye, finding a touch of pride at how he seemed to be intimidated by his boldness. Unfinished, he allowed the energy humming through the Lantern to guide his movements as he felt the last wisps of pain fade away. "As long as we stand together…"
Golden light refracted off his lenses and seemed to surround his very being, though he didn't even notice as he stood his ground with a final flourish. "There will always be hope!"
As if he'd summoned it, a wave of sound crashed into them from the stadium below, shaking the Lantern and forcing both of them to flinch away from the concussive blast. Macaque took it far worse than he did, crying out in agony as his sensitive ears felt the sound sixfold. He briefly recognized the voice as Pigsy's before realizing the music's debilitating impact gave him the one chance he had to save the ring and himself.
Before he could take so much as a step, Macaque found the strength to muscle through, his golden eyes alight with fury when they leveled on Tang.
Though he didn't retreat, a fearful gasp slipped past his lips. There was no doubting the intent in those eyes. A flash of thoughts for his friends, and some gratitude that Pigsy would be the last thing he heard, were all he had time to think before the warrior charged.
Refusing to cower though far from happy to die, he threw up his hands to shield his face, closing his eyes in anticipation of the blow that would end him.
Only, it never came.
The next thing he knew, there was another, more powerful blast of sound from below sending them both flying. Eyes snapping open, he found himself spinning through the air in a golden… bubble? Gravity was little more than a suggestion as he floated to the top of the Lantern. Despite the unexpected appearance of magic that seemed to have been conjured by himself , he adapted quickly and focused on the task at hand. Instinct told him he had little time and only one final chance. Questions could wait until after he'd saved himself and the Ring, though admittedly, there would be a lot of them.
Finally getting his footing on the ceiling, he paused only to time the swinging of the great structure all around them as the crackle of electricity caught his ear. Snapping his head around to find a smashed fuse box seconds from overloading, the final pieces of his plan fell into place quite smoothly, and he knew what he needed to do. The bubble around him dissolved with only a thought.
With all of his might, he pushed off the wall and sent himself flying in the direction of the ring. Bolts of current snapped all around as he approached, but he merely grimaced through them, the same energy that had summoned the bubble providing a kind of natural armor. His outstretched palm snagged the ring as he flew right through the coiled stone dragons and past his shocked enemy. The artifact hummed when it settled in his grasp, as if it had been meant for him to take. Macaque appeared poised to recover and strike, but never got the opportunity to recover.
As the Lantern snapped in the opposite direction, Tang was thrown from it completely, the Ring slipping from his hand as he was tossed through the cold night air. Whatever magic he'd summoned faded completely as he flailed to grab the Ring, unable to right himself whilst the world surged by. He had just enough time to fear hitting the ground when luck jumped to his rescue for the umpteenth time that evening.
By some grace of destiny, he didn't land, but was caught by a strong and familiar pair of arms, bouncing before he settled heavily right where fate had intended.
Snapping open his eyes to find Pigsy staring at him in equal shock, he found the gang all around him, looking perplexed and delighted that he'd dropped in. Ring now somehow clutched between his hands, he had to blink several times to ensure he was still really alive, because it was more than a little impossible to believe. Even more impossible, he'd landed right in the middle of the stadium, and in his friend's set! This wasn't the kind of thing one could prepare for! Overwhelmed to the point of freezing, he barely heard any of the celebrations of his friends as they saw the Ring in his grasp. Pigsy, who would undoubtedly want an explanation when there was time, even offered a bit of praise so pleasant he doubted everything he was seeing could be real. Wondering if the recent head injury he was starting to feel again might be playing tricks on him, he decided to do exactly what he'd been doing every time he'd faced the impossible so far; he went with it.
Laughing with admittedly concerning zeal, he briefly wondered how to even begin explaining himself. He'd gone off on his own, been roughed up by Macaque, summoned some kind of magic , and had made said monkey very angry before ending up right here… Considering how important that last bit was to their current safety, he decided to start with that.
"Guys…" he began with a tone he freely recognized as unhinged. Holding up the Ring, he looked at them all with wild panic, trying to convey just how dire their situation was in a few words. "Macaque is here… he's after the Rings!"
Thankfully, he had very intuitive friends.
Pigsy didn't set him down, which was good, because as they all made their escape it occurred to him running wasn't really an option anymore. Without the power he'd summoned earlier, the pain of his injuries was coming back just as strong as ever, though he kept that to himself for the sake of their escape. Thankfully, MK was taking care of the Rings. Holding on tightly to his partner, he tried to think of what to do next as they all crammed into a train after discarding their costumes. Time was of short supply, but he was in no shape to hurry on to the next stage of their adventure. The hurt in his ribs felt like something he shouldn't ignore… but he had no idea how to find a good moment to bring that up.
Monkey King and MK were already discussing their next move as the train doors closed, but he heard little of it. It was rapidly becoming apparent to him, especially as the adrenaline of it all faded, that the hit Macaque had dealt did some damage. Once again his ribs protested every breath, and his head swam enough to double his vision. He felt guilty for making a visible wince when Pigsy sat him down on an open train bench, his hand rushing to the epicenter of hurt on his side. A hiss passed through his clenched teeth.
"Tang, what's wrong?" his partner asked in immediate concern, putting his hands on his shoulders and encouraging him to look at him. He found Pigsy looking incredibly worried, and the rest of the group quickly gathered when it became apparent he was in distress. A dizzy head made it hard to think of his response, prompting Pigsy to make a guess. "Are you hurt? Was it Macaque?"
Cradling his chest, he nodded in affirmation, and a surge of shared anger passed through his friends. He wouldn't deny their concern was deeply appreciated, even as he struggled to stay sitting upright. After coming so close to losing everything, it was nice not to be alone again.
"What?!" MK snarled in defensive anger, expression betraying guilt Tang would have assuaged if he had the energy. Instead, Sun Wukong began speaking with his pupil straight away, no doubt to plan their next move. A cough racking his chest made it impossible to follow what they said, especially when he once again tasted the metallic hint of blood. He didn't need to be a doctor to know that was bad.
"You just hang on, okay? We'll get you some help in no time." Pigsy assured him as he helped him sit upright. As close as he was, his partner seemed so far away at that moment… Everything did, in fact. There was a fog that seemed to cloud every part of his thinking, weighing him down on the spot. After everything he'd been through that evening, it was impossible not to feel the weight of exhaustion pulling him down, or to resist giving in.
"Thanks…" he replied, somewhat loopy as he leaned on Pigsy completely. There was growing concern around him, and encouragement for him to stay alert, but it was all too much. He'd done what was needed, as well as all he could, there was little point in staying awake. They could all handle it for a while… "I think I… I think I'll rest my eyes for now…"
The pain mercifully faded the same instant he slipped into unconsciousness and was caught by Pigsy, his aching body going limp for a much needed rest in arms he knew would keep him safe.