As part of a special division of the Celestial Court (and the only way to keep Wukong out of trouble), Erlang, Wukong, and Prince Nezha were summoned to deal with a horrifying beast that was wreaking havoc in one of the villages with an important stronghold for the Court on Earth. Most of the temples had been destroyed, the homes engulfed in flames, and the number of dead had yet to be counted, though it was estimated to be high... The gigantic crimson serpent demon had made the area its lair, until the three warriors arrived at the battlefield.

Despite being underestimated, the reptilian demon gave the three of them trouble, as it could break free from Nezha's red ribbon, evade Erlang's powerful lightning strikes, and counter Wukong's transformations with its own. However, it wasn't long before they devised a coordinated attack plan. After Nezha duplicated the number of red ribbons and wrapped the serpent as tightly as possible, Erlang soared into the sky. With his spear shining with condensed white lightning, he delivered a powerful blow to the head, sending electricity through every hardened scale, shattering them, and softening its skin. In the next instant, Wukong dealt the second blow, extending his staff long enough to deliver a hard whack to the Serpent's face, stunning it. Eager for the finishing strike, Nezha, fully engulfed in flames, quickly drew his sword and with a clean slash of fire, decapitated the demon, sending its head flying into the air, leaving the body writhing before it collapsed to the ground.

"Wooo! That's it!" Wukong exclaimed triumphantly as the three warriors also descended and landed right beside the decapitated demon. The Monkey King turned to admire the beast's body—it was enormous. It could easily have been seen from a mountain in the Celestial Court itself, and for that, he felt very proud. "Great job, y'all! Together, we slayed down this fearsome beast—"

"Pfft... I dealt the finishing blow," Nezha claimed after snorting and crossing his arms.

"Without our help, you wouldn't have even been able to trap it with your ribbons! Don't take all the credit, kid," Wukong retorted, wrinkling his nose. But Erlang paid little attention to the argument. Instead, he looked around, feeling sorrowful at how the village had been left after being crushed by the serpent.

"...Everything is destroyed. I'll make sure they get the help they need."

"And so will I! That way, we'll leave Nezha looking like the selfish one," Wukong teased, grinning mischievously at the prince. "But for now... let's return to the Court and claim that bounty!"

"Ugh... fine," Nezha muttered.

Erlang turned to join them in heading back to the Court, but suddenly, all three froze in their tracks, staring directly at the serpent's body. It was growling. Their bodies tensed as they realized the growl was growing louder and louder, and they couldn't take their eyes off the Serpent's severed neck. Something seemed strange to Erlang—the flesh wasn't bleeding. It sounded as if it were a pressurized hose, holding back everything inside, and even the body shifted slightly.

"We should—" Wukong began, but he was abruptly cut off as the Serpent's neck suddenly exploded in a torrent of blood, blasting the three warriors and drenching them in red and other fluids better left unmentioned. The stones on the ground and the debris were covered in blood, as if they were facing a flood—this time, a flood of blood. The bodies of Wukong, Nezha, and Erlang were sent tumbling across the area until they finally stopped once the pressure subsided. Nezha was the first to rise, gasping for air. His hands trembled slightly, and he looked down at himself, realizing he was completely covered in red.

"What the...FUCK?!" Nezha shouted feeling his clothes stuck to his body but especially the fact that he was covered with demon blood and let out loud screams and curses while walking back and forth and stomping his feet. "How fucking disgusting! It wasn't enough with giving us trouble, but it bursts its blood all over us?! What the fuck with this snake?! Aagh!!!"

Erlang remained seated but quickly straightened up, keeping his eyes closed and his lips pursed so that none of it would enter his body, and shook his hand to remove the excess, so he could wipe it over his face and have it clean enough to open his eyes and mouth. He stared in disbelief at how the entire village floor was now a disgusting pool of demonic blood, and let out a disgusted grunt, starting to get up, and just like the prince, his white clothes were now red, and stuck to his body.

"Oh please...my feathers! Don't you know how late it is to wash the armor for a filth, and now to clean it all from this demon?!" Wukong complained on his side as he stood up and tried to shake the blood off the phoenix feathers of his hat, though there was little he could do now. The gold of his armor was overshadowed by the bloody red. In addition, all of his chestnut fur was also shod to his bones. Feeling so disgusted with himself and the situation, his mood became even worse and together with Nezha, he began to hurl insults into the air.

Erlang knew well that Nezha and Wukong could not be kept in a bad mood for so long before a war broke out between them, so as he shook off his hands and tried to wring the blood from his white robe, he thought of the quickest possible solution. They couldn't go to the Jade Palace to "successfully" announce the hunt, so...they would have to take a bath first, and he already knew very well where that might be. As he finished removing the excesses, the dark-haired man noticed that the other two were still complaining and grumbling, already even arguing with each other, so he let out a heavy sigh, bringing a hand to his face.

"...We need a bath." He thought.

***

They stripped off their clothes, put them in the water, their weapons as well, and being completely naked, they first began to wash their clothes in a waterfall inside the same mountain where the village was located, which flowed into streams and ponds further on, but now, they needed to remove all the blood from their uniforms. The crystal clear water quickly turned red as the garments were stripped of color. Wukong didn't like getting his helmet wet at all, but he had no choice. His armor quickly glowed golden again amidst the water as he cleaned it. They wrung out the cloth, and the falling red drops gradually ceased until the garments of the three warriors were clean enough to hang in a nearby tree and on stones that the radiant sun shone down on them from above.

Now, it was the turn of their bodies. The dried clots on their skin were dissipating with the cold water that fell on the three of them from the waterfall. While Erlang wiped his black hair, Nezha was scrubbing his arms and blood-stained face, and Wukong rested his hands on the stone, letting the water fall all over his back. Feeling the waterfall above him, the cold water cleansing his body, made the Monkey King feel much more relaxed and relieved, so that, in spite of everything, his tail swayed slightly from side to side. None of the three had said anything for now, but they didn't see it as necessary.

The moment he separated from the waterfall, Wukong shook his arms and back, so as to shake his head and subsequently his whole body, splashing drops on his companions, and although Erlang didn't mind at all, he irritated Nezha, who gave him a push, and Wukong letting out a chuckle, returned it with the same force. He let the prince separate from them and the Monkey King now turned to the dark-haired man, who had his back to him as he wrung his hair, and his expression softened, deciding to go with him. In the first instance, he rested an arm on his shoulder, smiling softly at him and their gazes met, but something caught Wukong's attention out of the corner of his eye, and as he raised his head, he noticed clouds of steam slowly rising.

"Hey...look." He said to Erlang with a nod of his head, and as soon as they both discovered what it was, they exchanged a glance and both thought of exactly the same thing.

***

"Aaahh~" Wukong let out a very content sigh as soon as he submerged himself into the warm waters of the hot springs, leaving only his head above water while his body floated in the deepest part. He felt as light as a feather flying through the air, so relaxed and weightless... With his muscles so at ease now, he could easily drift into a deep sleep at any moment. Feeling happy, he began swimming around the pool while Nezha and Erlang stayed in opposite spots. The prince sat leaning his back against the rocks that formed the shore, arms crossed, and for now, his two buns of hair had been merged into one to avoid getting his hair wet. Despite everything, his expression reflected a calm tranquility as he allowed himself to relax in the heat, eyes closed and not wanting to say anything.

On the other hand, although Erlang was also sitting at the other edge of the shore, he had one arm resting on a rock as he took in the isolated place they found themselves in—it was just them...and the Earth itself giving them a chance to relax. He wasn't bothered by hearing the monkey swimming between them, but for the prince, it had the opposite effect.

"Ugh... Monkey, would you stop already? Your splashing is annoying."

"Wukong...come here," Erlang invited, gesturing for him to come over. Wukong, completely ignoring Nezha, smirked mischievously and floated over to the black-haired god, turning his back to him and laying down between Erlang's legs, resting his head on his chest, which startled the god of the third eye.

Wukong propped his elbow on Erlang's thigh and rested his cheek in his fist, lifting his head to meet Erlang's eyes. "Whatever you say, Sacred Divinity~"

Erlang rolled his eyes but still allowed the monkey to laugh, leaning back against the rocks behind him. He placed his hands on Wukong's head and began to gently massage it. At first, Wukong felt a bit surprised, but before long, he closed his eyes with a pleased expression, his cheeks flushing as contented sighs escaped his mouth, relaxing even more against Erlang.

"Mmm~...hah... just like that~"

"I know how much you love this..."

"Ugh...!" They both heard a growl combined with a heavy sigh—Nezha couldn't believe the lovers had decided to show all their affection right in front of him. Rolling his eyes, the prince turned around to give them his back, resting his head on his crossed arms at the edge of the pool. But neither of the other two cared.

"And you love touching my fur, hm~?" Wukong teased with a relaxed smile, which made Erlang blush as well.

"...It's always...been so soft."

There was no lie in that response. Erlang vividly remembered how, so many centuries ago, when they were just childhood friends without the burdens or responsibilities of their future roles in Heaven and Earth, he had always been drawn to Wukong's brown fur. The first time he managed to get close enough was at Mount Huaguo.

"...Your fur looks so fluffy," commented a young Yang Jian to his monkey friend. Wukong looked at him and let out a playful giggle.

"Hehe! Why do you say that? Do you want to touch it?"

The boy's cheeks turned red. "I-if it's not too much trouble..."

"Not at all!" Little Wukong turned his back to Yang Jian so he could touch his head. As soon as the dark-haired boy buried his fingers into the brown mane, his eyes widened at how fluffy and soft it was. It was too much! Slowly, he moved his hands and fingers, stroking it gently, unwilling to part from the sensation that stimulated his palms. Wukong's tail started wagging in delight, and pleased growls escaped his mouth as he closed his eyes, becoming more and more relaxed. That was when they discovered a ritual they would never abandon from that day on.

The centuries passed, but the habit endured, from childhood to adolescence. Sitting together in a tree, admiring the view of the mountain, Wukong would revel in Erlang's massages on his head, and Erlang would delight in the softness of his fur. When they shared a room during visits, the Monkey King couldn't help but fall into a deep sleep as soon as the god of the third eye placed his hand on his head while they lay in the same bed. It was a gesture kept private until they felt comfortable enough with Nezha to share it in front of him, just like they were doing now.

Erlang could feel Wukong's tail wrap around his ankle, and he could clearly hear the Monkey King purring in pleasure beneath him, which made him smile slightly and continue stroking his head. Wukong couldn't help but giggle during the massage, which irritated Nezha more and more until, finally, he spoke up.

"For Buddha's sake... if you don't shut up..."

"Come on, Nezha~ We deserve some affection after being drenched by a serpent..." Wukong replied in a playful but slow tone as he lifted his head and met Erlang's gaze. He closed his eyes and let their foreheads touch, placing a hand on the back of Erlang's neck.

"Just not with me here! Gods, find another spring..." the prince grumbled, shaking his head. But realizing they weren't listening, he buried his face in his arms, trying to relax. "You two are insufferable..."

Wukong let out another mischievous laugh at seeing him so irritated and returned to his initial position, allowing the black-haired god to continue massaging his head. Time seemed to stop in the hot springs as Nezha tried to tolerate the couple beside him. After a while of silence, none of them felt as anxious anymore, and a sense of hope lingered that things might improve.

"The Celestial Court can wait~..."