Archive of Our Own ^beta

The first time Godzilla went off the radar, Monarch was in a slight panic.

They had just seen him sleeping in the Colosseum barely half an hour ago, around midnight. They had watched him stir and manage his way to the ocean with minimal damage to his surroundings, but they hadn’t seen where he had disappeared.

Every outpost was checked, and even calls were made to Castle Bravo, but they couldn’t find Godzilla on the surface. No portals were reported to have opened—at least the ones that had been documented.

None of the titans seemed to be doing anything unusual, with most still hibernating or calmly wandering away from humanity.

No panic buttons, no pissed-off titans, and no way of knowing where or how Godzilla went without being detected. No answers.

Nobody knew how to find him.

Nobody except Godzilla himself.

They’d had this problem years ago, before the Hollow Earth theory was proven and they’d begun documenting the vortexes. Monarch had assumed after so long all of them were documented.

They had either assumed wrong or Godzilla had just become a master at hiding after being followed by humanity for so long.

It wouldn’t have been surprising. The King of the Monsters had managed to avoid detection for nearly a year after defeating the MUTOs and Monarch had later revealed he had been hibernating in the Algerian desert.

Of course, Godzilla was a force of nature. There was no way to keep him in one place, but his sudden leave from his nest was unusual. He had been asleep for weeks with no sign of waking up.

Director Hampton was the first to start analyzing where Godzilla could have gone. While the other personnel were trying to locate him based on logic and examples, Hampton went based on Godzilla’s personality.

To most, Godzilla was just a megafauna, a territorial animal, but he did have a personality.

There were multiple recordings of the titan being curious about Monarch’s submarines, and one occasion where he looked like he was trying to race with a ship.

Godzilla was more intelligent than many thought, but he wasn’t… relatable. Kong, on the other hand, had earned praise from humans. Unlike Godzilla, he looked more human and less violent on the outside.

The ape’s emotions were easier to decipher, and that somehow managed to put a sense of relief in the public. Godzilla was just as complex of a being as Kong, but he wasn’t exactly a fluffy teddy bear like the latter.

Hampton knew firsthand the intricacies that made up Godzilla’s whole. She’d been studying him for years after Honolulu.

After an hour of Godzilla being gone, Monarch officially decided they had no clue where a nearly 400-foot titan could have gone from under their watch.

Ilene Andrews walked into the Monarch Hollow Earth Station and they seemed to be in quite a bit of chaos.

It wasn’t unusual for Monarch to always be in a panic. Dealing with titans who sometimes got a bit too grumpy or decided they just had to have a nuclear facility for dinner wasn’t something that people dealt with calmly.

But it was unusual for everyone to be scrambling and asking around for details on Godzilla. Ilene had personally not paid attention to the King of the Monster’s files other than the fact he and Kong were on somewhat good terms.

Other than what Iwi legends said, Ilene just knew the basic knowledge.

Director Hampton came up to Ilene, chattering way too fast for her to understand. All she could understand was “Godzilla”, “missing”, and something about patterns. Or at least that’s what Ilene heard.

“Hold on, slow down. He does his own thing, what’s wrong with him going off the scanners this one time?” Ilene asked.

“That’s what’s wrong,” Hampton replied. “Godzilla deliberately avoided being seen. His last recorded bioacoustics were too weak to pick up on. He was going deep underwater, near the Mariana Trench.”

Ilene was handed a tablet. She gave it a once-over before looking back to analyze it further. There were no titans in the area where Godzilla had dropped off, so he couldn’t have been looking for any threats.

“I think he went into a vortex,” Hampton said, taking the tablet back and passing it off to someone else.

“But there’s plenty of vortexes near Rome. Why doesn’t he just use those in the first place?” Ilene looked confused now. She thought now that there were no remaining threats to humanity, Godzilla had no reason to venture into Kong’s territory, and vice versa.

“A better question might be, why is Godzilla sneaking around to get into Hollow Earth?” Director Hampton shot back.

What a fun day it was turning out to be.

Godzilla wasn’t the biggest fan of the Hollow Earth. Especially because of vortexes that practically spat him face-first into rocky plains. It hurt.

There wasn’t an ocean like there was on the surface, barely any places to go for a proper swim. It was dry. Sometimes even hot. He preferred moisture in the air.

It’d been a while since he was able to properly enjoy the environment, since the last time he had been brought down, it was by that stupid ape. If the humans hadn’t brought the ape down here in the first place, Godzilla’s nap wouldn’t have been interrupted.

He decided it was time to stop moping in the crater he had unintentionally made and do what he came down here to do. Finding Kong was easy, he could sense where he was even when they were in opposite places.

The hard part would be getting Kong alone. With his new child and the tribe of apes that maybe-kinda-definitely still held hatred toward the King of the Monsters, Kong would likely be invested in his family.

Godzilla finally stood up after internally debating with himself. It was night, and more likely that Kong would be alone. He knew the Great Apes weren’t nocturnal.

He lifted his snout and sniffed the air once. It was almost immediately when he caught Kong’s scent. Off he went to go find that stupid ape.

What was he going to do when he found him? He didn’t have any intentions of fighting. He was too tired for that. Maybe he’d just stare at the ape and hope Kong understood his silent words. Unlikely, the ape was stupid.

The titan looked down at his feet, seeing the nocturnal fauna bounding beside him. They were harmless. In the distance, he could see flora that lit up like his own family. A family like Kong had now. Did that make him sad?

No. Godzilla didn’t get sad. He wasn’t sad when the other member of his species died. He wasn’t sad when Mothra died all those years ago. He wasn’t even sad when he and Kong went their separate ways, to different parts of the planet.

Why did he keep thinking of Kong?

The feeling of something skittering through his dorsal plates told Godzilla that it wasn’t him who had been asking the questions. Her probing had stopped, and he felt the fluffy antennae brushing against the top of his head.

Curse that moth and her ways of digging through his mind. She was always nosy, always peeking. All generations of her were just as curious.

Godzilla could recall when he was younger, smaller, more naive about the world. He had met a moth from many generations ago, and she’d been the one who’d cared for him. It was only for a few years, but he always missed the way he could be warmed by her fluff. She was long gone by now.

It was a motherly love he missed occasionally.

Kong’s scent was stronger now, and Godzilla knew he wasn’t too far. He couldn’t catch the scent of any other apes, which was a good sign.

It meant Kong was likely sleeping alone.

Godzilla couldn’t blame him. He imagined it would be quite weird to suddenly find more of his kind and sleep close together after being used to being by oneself.

He felt Mothra try to pry through his thoughts again and shook his head to shoo her off. The breeze of her wings felt nice against his skin, but it was only for a moment before she finally took off.

The titan stopped walking, watching the divine moth fly off until her soft glow had dimmed and was finally too far to see. He began his determined walk once more, his one goal in mind. Godzilla sauntered through the greenery, his dorsal plates beginning to glow softly to light his way.

Their pink glow was gone, burnt out after months. The current blue was easier on his eyes. It was a color he was used to seeing. Not that the pink was something he disliked, he just had a preference.

He was close to wherever Kong slept. He could feel it.

Kong just had to live up on a cliff.

It wouldn’t have been a problem if Godzilla was in better shape. Not that he was getting old, of course. It was a problem, however, as Godzilla wasn’t quite in the mood for climbing.

He was lazy. He’d admit that. Hell, the King of the Monsters was known for his long periods of hibernation.

Godzilla didn’t let a stupid cliff stop him. His ego had been thriving recently anyway— nothing could stop him.

A steep cliff stopped him. He’d tried to claw his way up at first, and when that didn’t work, he’d attempted using his tail to push himself higher.

From a distance, Godzilla probably looked pathetic. Like a dog jumping up and begging for treats.

The titan looked up at the cliff and tried to think how Kong got up there every day. Surely, the ape truly didn’t climb up the steepest cliff every day?

Godzilla growled and gave up, backing away from the cliff. He was about to leave and come another day when he saw a walkable path.
A walkable path that led up to the cliff. A walkable path that had been there the whole time.

Godzilla truly was pathetic now.

He sauntered up the hill, sniffing his way to where Kong’s cave was. The King couldn’t pick up any extra scents and that was good. It let him know Kong was alone.

Kong, on the other hand, was dead asleep. The ape wasn’t used to caring for a younger ape, let alone a whole colony of them. It was a taxing job, but apparently, he was the best choice.

His day was long: keeping Suko out of trouble, helping Shimo find a suitable spot for her nesting place, and leading the other Great Apes out of their fiery home. They weren’t very attached to that place. Bad memories.

Kong’s dreams were dull. He saw Jia, he saw some other humans that usually accompanied her, and he saw Godzilla. Unusual, but dreams weren’t supposed to be usual.

In his dream, Godzilla was simply… staring at him. Not menacingly, but also not friendly. The dream felt real, and even the feel of his nest under him felt real. Everything felt real.

Kong realized it was real.

He went from groggy to startled within a matter of milliseconds after realizing Godzilla was standing over him. Kong scrambled back, his back hitting the stone wall. Godzilla didn’t move, nor did his expression change.

Kong froze. Did Godzilla still harbor hatred for him? Had he come to kill him? Usually, Kong wouldn’t be so terrified of Godzilla, but the King had quite literally come into his home and stared at him until he woke up.

All the thoughts racing through Kong’s head stopped when Godzilla started slowly laying down on his stomach, tucking his arms and legs over himself.

Maybe Godzilla realized he was being perceived as a threat and not how he wanted to. His position seemed to both calm and confuse the ape.

As expected, Godzilla thought the ape was stupid.

Kong’s noticeable panic began again when he saw the dorsal plates on Godzilla’s back glow blue. They lit up Kong’s cave, which would have been ethereal had Kong not known what the glowing meant.

The bad breath never came. Instead, it dimmed a bit. Godzilla realized his non-threatening intentions were being perceived as threatening.

Kong was on edge now. Godzilla had somehow found his home and was lying at his feet, looking up at him as if he were the weird one.

The ape was staring, trying to decipher Godzilla from the inside out. Godzilla was quite annoyed with Kong acting like a scared animal and nudged the smaller titan’s leg with his snout.

Godzilla was tired. He hadn’t been sleeping on the surface. The buzzing of humans surveilling him at all times had bothered him, and now Kong was sitting with his back to the wall.

The King huffed. If that’s where Kong wanted to stay, that’s where he would stay. Godzilla was too exhausted to explain his reasons for suddenly appearing and shuffled closer.

Godzilla made himself comfortable between Kong’s legs, partially laying on the ape until he rested his head on Kong’s stomach. The stupid ape finally seemed to recognize Godzilla was just exhausted.

Kong gently pushed Godzilla, earning him a low growl that stopped when the ape was just repositioning them so they were both in the nest instead of the stone floor.

The two titans grumbled until they both found comfortable spots in the nest. Or rather, Godzilla found a comfortable spot on Kong, and Kong was weighed down by the larger titan.

Godzilla had his head on Kong’s stomach with his body curled next to the ape. As much as Kong wanted to shift around, he was unable to move with Godzilla’s tail wrapped around both his legs.

Kong gave up and soon followed Godzilla to sleep.

The city of Rome was awakened just before sunrise to the sound of Godzilla making his way back to his nest. As always, he avoided destroying the walls of the Colosseum, curling up and returning to rest for the second time that day.

Monarch was in chaos once more. They had come to the conclusion Godzilla was intelligent enough to evade being detected and purposely avoided humans that morning.

While his signal at around midnight dropped off near the Mariana Trench, his reappearance location was near Iceland. From there, he had returned to his nest in Rome and returned to sleep.

Director Hampton sat at her desk, leaning back in her chair while watching the monitors. She’d type up a report on Godzilla’s sudden disappearance and reappearance later, but for now, she simply listened to the soft purring coming from the speakers.

The second time Godzilla suddenly disappeared, Monarch had been caught off guard.

The titan had been peacefully sleeping for a week, occasionally waking up to look up sleepily, yawn, and return to his rest.

Director Hampton had been procrastinating writing the report of Godzilla’s disappearance. What was she even supposed to say?

“Yeah, Godzilla disappeared. We don’t know where, but he’s back now. Nothing to worry about, maybe.”

Definitely not.

She was barely able to convince the military that they were actively trying to figure out where Godzilla went and why he even left suddenly.

It wasn’t like he had a curfew, but Monarch knew he could detect changes in the Earth itself. Similar to how canary birds were used in old mines, humanity relied on Godzilla to identify threats they couldn’t exactly detect.

Other than Monarch still trying to find the vortex Godzilla likely went through, it was a normal day.

Until Godzilla woke up and didn’t go back to sleep. Everyone was usually on edge when he woke up, and this time was no different. Everyone expected him to go back to sleep.

Godzilla looked grumpy. It wasn’t obvious to normal people, but for Director Hampton, Godzilla’s resting bitch face was different from his “I’m-sick-of-waking-up” face.

She couldn’t blame him. Whatever he was waking up to must have pissed him off. When he started making his way out of the Colosseum carefully, she groaned.

Another report to add to the one she hadn’t even written yet. Fun.

Unlike last time, Godzilla had swam to a closer known vortex, albeit slower. He was easier to track this time. Godzilla didn’t go under the water and let his dorsal plates slice through the ocean as he propelled himself slowly.

Until he got pissy at a jet for being too close.

The jet had thankfully been at an angle where Godzilla could swing his tail at it in warning but not actually hit it. He wouldn’t want them to think he was being destructive.

The jet had fallen back but returned. They kept their distance this time.

It was too loud for him. He hated the droning of the human machines. They hadn’t been as annoying years ago, but ever since his presence was public it was like he was always being watched by the humans.

Director Hampton could tell he was annoyed. Godzilla’s tail was moving faster than usual and he’d raise his head slightly out of the water to growl at the jet. Sometimes he reminded Hampton of a cat.

As expected, Godzilla began his dive when he was close to the vortex and disappeared within a minute. Monarch had considered sending HEAVs after the King of the Monsters but it was obvious he wasn’t in the mood to deal with humans quite yet.

They lost track of him as he went through the portal, and Director Hampton finally started her report for once.

Kong had left Suko with the rest of the apes for the day. With such a large colony, he was certain they could take care of themselves while he went to explore.

He had found himself in a heavily forested area, with the trees coming up close to his chest. Usually, such things were at waist height, and he considered coming back another day with others.

There was no telling what threats could be beneath the trees, hiding from his view. Alas, he couldn’t quite catch the scent of anything, nor did his instincts tell him to fight. He pushed through the thick trees until he came across a clearing that wasn’t visible from far away.

Kong couldn’t see any other titans, nor any signs of living nearby, which meant something else had already claimed this area for itself. He stepped out further into the clearing, noting how soft the grass was.

He could see a lake in the center of the clearing and it was deep enough to the point he couldn’t see the bottom, but didn’t bother going near it. Kong had bad experiences with water and wasn’t about to push his luck.

Maybe it’d be fine to rest here for a while and continue wandering later.

Just as Kong was about to sit down on the grass, he felt rumbling footsteps. He didn’t even have to turn around to know who had found him.

The ape grunted as Godzilla headbutted his temple gently and tried to push Godzilla’s snout away from him. It only made Godzilla push against his hand and playfully nip at it.

As frustrating as Godzilla was to deal with some days, Kong had to admit it was nice to have something stronger than him rely on him for some things. Like random cuddles, apparently. Kong sat down and without missing a beat, Godzilla laid down next to him.

This time, however, Godzilla was on his side. His stomach was exposed.

Kong hesitantly raised his hand and Godzilla’s eyes locked on to the approaching hand, almost expectantly. The ape gently pressed his palm to the top of Godzilla’s head. It earned him a purr from the larger titan and Kong took it as a sign to start being exploratory.

Godzilla’s tail shifted, moving back and forth in a slow manner at first and only moving faster when the ape’s hand moved to hold his chin. His purrs became louder when he felt Kong’s fingers start scratching his spikey chin.

The ape knew he’d finally come to be on neutral terms with Godzilla. Their silent agreement had meant they’d both stay within their respective territories.

But Kong didn’t know that being required to give Godzilla scratches and pets would be part of said agreement. He didn’t quite complain. It wasn’t like Godzilla was demanding it of him.

If anything, all Godzilla had to do was look up at Kong and it was like the ape’s hands acted of their own accord.

The afternoon “sun” was nice on their bodies. It warmed Kong up and dried Godzilla’s hide. So maybe it was only nice on one of their bodies. They’d been sitting in the grass for what felt like hours, but the fake sun hadn’t dimmed.

Godzilla had curled his tail around Kong’s legs– an attempt to keep him close. It wasn’t like Kong planned on moving away anytime soon. He was content to stay right where he was. Even if Godzilla’s tail was coiled a bit too tight.

The ape looked up at the ceiling of Hollow Earth and let out a soft rumble when he watched some Warbats take flight. When they weren’t trying to kill something, they were nice to look at. Graceful fliers.

But he’d seen Mothra fly before, and she was pretty. Bright and sometimes painful to look at, but pretty. Shimo sometimes spent the nights with the moth and always came back in a better mood than she usually was.

Their relationship seemed… understanding? Kong saw them talking together a lot. And they seemed to communicate more often, sometimes even planning certain nights to take their walks.

Godzilla didn’t even ask when he could visit. Kong just woke up to Godzilla staring at him a week ago. Maybe Godzilla didn’t know how to ask.

Or maybe his title as King of the Monsters played into his actions.

Kong didn’t complain. He never did. Godzilla was a much better candidate to wake up to than Suko wanting to play or another ape having night terrors about their old tyrant ruler.

The ape had his fair share of nightmares, usually remembering when Godzilla had nearly caved his chest in and he would wake up clutching his chest. As much as Godzilla hated Kong the first few times they met, the way he’d changed from being murderous to a cat wanting chin scratches was almost humorous.

Almost.

While Kong was lost in his thoughts again, Godzilla had wriggled his way into Kong’s lap, his upper body resting heavily across the ape’s lap.

As if acting on instinct, Kong’s hands found their way to Godzilla’s dorsal plates. He stopped himself when he realized he didn’t quite know how to navigate them.

Recently, he’d been cleaning Suko. It felt like something he was required to do, and even Shimo had taken on the job. Her tongue was a bit too cold for the young ape, so Kong was usually the one subjected to her relentless demand of cleanliness.

Maybe Shimo was to blame. Maybe she was rubbing off on him. Because when he saw the debris of buildings and other stuff Kong couldn’t identify wedged between Godzilla’s dorsal plates, he couldn’t help himself.

He was smart enough to watch Godzilla for a reaction. The King of the Monsters didn’t usually act kindly to the plates being touched. Or maybe he only got pissed when he was attacked from behind. Kong wouldn’t know nor did he bother to ask.

When Godzilla didn’t show any disagreement and instead let out a purr the ape knew it was fine to continue. He was careful not to cut his hands upon the freshly sharpened dorsal plates and began picking out whatever he could find from them.

He could tell Godzilla liked it from how he purred and how Godzilla’s tail was wagging slightly. Kong had learned what Godzilla’s actions meant– growling sometimes meant either he was pissed off or playful and purring always meant he liked whatever was happening.

Once he was done picking things out from between the larger titan’s dorsal plates, there was a sizeable pile of the junk Kong had picked out. Godzilla seemed happier– at least from what he could tell when he looked at Godzilla’s eyes.

Unlike most other titans, Godzilla wasn’t the best with facial expressions.

Kong could look at Shimo and tell whether she was excited, annoyed, and sometimes even disgusted. With Godzilla, Kong had to rely on his feelings and how Godzilla looked at him. And Godzilla seemed to look at him a lot.

With Godzilla’s dorsal plates cleaned off, the King of the Monsters started shifting around until he was effectively curled on his side in front of Kong, resting his snout beneath his tail.

Godzilla decided it was nap time, and Kong was going to keep watch over the sleeping titan until he saw Godzilla looking up at him as if he was expecting something out of the ape.

When Kong didn’t get the hint, Godzilla’s tail shifted and nudged Kong from behind, to which the ape grumbled and reluctantly laid down beside Godzilla.

If Shimo were here, she’d be making fun of him for being so socially awkward around the King.

Still, Kong let himself be pulled down by Godzilla, who bumped his snout into his temple softly. It almost felt… loving.

It didn’t take long for Godzilla to fall asleep. As expected. Godzilla was quite known for his long naps and his tendency to hibernate, so his number of naps in a day was pretty much on brand for him. What wasn’t on brand for him was to demand attention and physical touch from Kong.

As reluctant as Kong was to fall asleep directly next to a titan he was, for the most part, under the impression that Godzilla wanted him dead. Sleep was a call he couldn’t really deny.

The third time Godzilla disappeared, Monarch was more prepared this time.

The titan had been leaving later and later in the days. If they were lucky, Ilene and her team would already be with Kong if Godzilla decided to return in the afternoon since tailing him was no longer an option.

After the jet, he’d made it clear that he wasn’t in the mood to be followed. It worried Monarch that he’d get agitated and start becoming destructive, but they’d been shown before he was only aggressive when provoked.

But what was provoking him to go down to Hollow Earth? Was there truly any reason for his actions?

It wasn’t like they could just ask Godzilla what he was doing. The only titan they could partially communicate with was Kong, and even then, he’d only talk to Jia and rarely Ilene Andrews. Either way, it was something.

Kong. Kong was in Hollow Earth. Director Hampton thought. Could they ask Kong if something was wrong?

Would he even know if Godzilla was down there? She knew it was a lot to ask Ilene to ask Kong questions, especially considering he wasn’t entirely willing to communicate with Ilene.

Jia, however, was a human Kong trusted. He’d taken care of her when the rest of her tribe had been wiped out, and had been shown to have a bond with her.

Hampton sighed. It wouldn’t hurt to ask a small favor.

Jia was happy. She was coming with her mom down to Hollow Earth for their weekly checks with Kong.

Usually, she wasn’t able to come because of school or because of how dangerous Hollow Earth was in general, but after an hour of pleasing with Ilene, she relented and Jia packed her bag.

Ilene leaned against the doorway, watching as Jia stuffed her bag with drawings she had made during school and some art projects. Of course, her Kong doll stayed out of the bag and in her hands.

Once Ilene caught Jia’s eye, she started signing, an eyebrow quirked up questioningly.

What is this stuff for? Ilene had asked.

I want to show Kong. He likes listening. Jia had replied.

That was right. Ilene remembered he’d sit close by– or, as close as he could be— watching Jia make a doll that resembled him.

He’d always been interested in human things. He’d watch closely whenever Jia would draw as a child.

Ilene sighed and helped Jia organize her bag to prevent anything from being ruined on their way through the vortex. They’d always keep everything securely strapped down, especially after someone’s bag almost knocked someone out.

Once Jia was satisfied with everything, she left her room and was practically running ahead of Ilene. It was hard to keep her in one place, especially after telling her they were going to visit Kong.

Typically, their check-ups would just consist of Ilene going down, asking the outpost questions on Kong’s behavior, and leaving. This time, Director Hampton had explicitly asked her to question Kong.

Specifically, about Godzilla.

Ilene could recall the day Monarch was panicking due to Godzilla deciding that free will was indeed an option and simply left the surface.

Director Hampton had called her just hours later, sounding somewhat hesitant to ask. Even Ilene was somewhat nervous about asking Kong questions about Godzilla.

How would he even react? Did he hate Godzilla?

It was hard to tell with Kong sometimes.

Before Jia knew it, she was unbuckling herself from the HEAV seat and waiting by the door.

Ilene had said Kong had been sitting in a new area he found recently. Usually, he’d be in his cave or walking his territorial path depending on when they would come down.

It wasn’t like Kong to be so content near a body of water, Jia thought. He’d been attacked practically every time he went too deep into water, or by simply sitting on a ship. She was sometimes mad at Godzilla for trying to drown her friend.

After Ilene had told her that Godzilla just thought Kong was a threat and they weren’t going to fight anymore, she was somewhat fine with him. He listened to Mothra, so that was a positive.

As soon as Ilene opened the door, Jia grabbed her backpack and practically ran out of the HEAV.

Kong always sat still when humans were close to him as he feared he’d accidentally crush them. Jia was one of the ones he always panicked about when she was out of sight. When he was caring for her all those years ago, he stayed awake at night just to make sure he wouldn’t mistakenly crush her.

Once he saw the tiny human rush out of the machine to greet him, he leaned down, watching her closely. He’d glance back at the lake every so often, but would give his full attention to the human.

Ilene stayed a few feet back from Jia. She watched as her daughter pulled something out of her bag and showed it to Kong, who looked like he smiled. Ilene knew Kong didn’t really comprehend drawing on paper or “school projects,” but if Jia was excited, then so was he.

She had told Jia earlier about the favor Director Hampton asked, and Jia was happy to ask Kong questions. Even if it was about Godzilla, it was nice to have some way to talk to Kong.

Jia put what she was holding down– some random art project, Ilene recognized– and waved her hands to get Kong’s focus since he kept looking back at the lake. He leaned in closer to make sure he didn’t miss any of her signs.

They asked if you’ve seen Godzilla down here. He keeps going missing. Jia signed.

Kong thought for a moment. He started signing, but then stopped, rethinking. He wasn’t the best with his words.

How was he supposed to explain that Godzilla had been sneaking off from the surface to demand affection? He knew the humans wouldn’t quite understand.

He didn’t even know the signs to explain everything. Was it even normal for a titan like Godzilla to even “sneak off”?

Jia was expecting an answer, and Kong was just stupidly staring at her. Thankfully, Kong didn’t have to say anything. They all heard something in the lake and were met with the sight of Godzilla crawling out of the lake.

He’d been waiting under the surface for a while now, waiting for Kong to come over but the ape never did.

Godzilla had barely realized humans were there until he’d gotten up close to Kong’s side. These ones were quiet. Quiet? Humans were never quiet. They were always buzzing or their machines were droning.

Ilene had put two and two together and realized Godzilla had indeed been going down into the Hollow Earth to visit Kong. She struggled to comprehend the fact that Godzilla could go from being territorial and wanting to kill Kong for just existing on the surface, to invading Kong’s territory and content with the ape.

Maybe Godzilla was a hypocrite.

She slowly walked forward, not wanting to potentially aggravate Godzilla, and grabbed Jia’s shoulder to gently bring her back. Both titans had their eyes on them.

Godzilla’s eyesight wasn’t as good as it used to be, but he could faintly recognize the smaller human as the one Kong took care of. The taller one, he’d never really seen before. Maybe the parent to the small one.

Ilene held Jia tighter as the larger titan got down on all fours, seemingly interested in the two humans. Jia was calm. If Kong was fine with this, then she was fine with this. The ape in question relaxed when Godzilla seemed content enough with the humans to start purring.

He just looked genuinely curious about them. They obviously weren’t a threat.

Andrews had never seen Godzilla so… calm. Other than when he was asleep, he’d always looked aggressive. Director Hampton had said once he was “graceful” when he wasn’t targeting something. Perhaps this was one of those times.

Satisfied with the humans, Godzilla stood back up and huffed.

Ilene relaxed.

Jia was already walking away from her and straight to Kong. Her things she wanted to show to Kong were completely forgotten, her focus now on Kong’s new friend.

Kong watched closely as Jia came closer, reaching down to offer his hand for her to climb on. Ilene was fine with that– she’d seen Jia practically use the ape as a jungle gym when she was younger. She was mostly concerned with Godzilla.

The titan in question was curling around Kong, who leaned against Godzilla’s side, being mindful of the plates.
Jia seemed to be happy with a new friend– even if she had originally disliked Godzilla. Any friend of her friend was now her friend, she concluded. Or however that saying went.

She sat politely on Kong’s hand. Godzilla had his head resting on Kong’s thigh, staring quietly at the small human. He shifted around for a moment, huffing when the palm of Kong’s free hand rested on the top of his head.

Ilene took the moment to take pictures and recordings of the two titan’s behavior. If Director Hampton wanted to know what Godzilla was doing down in Hollow Earth, Ilene thought it’d be better to just show her rather than struggling to explain what she was seeing.

Godzilla bumped his snout against the palm of Kong’s hand, which earned him gentle scratches to the top of his head.

Jia looked down and could see her mom standing a bit away, still taking pictures. She had been studying Kong for years, had never thought of him being affectionate and here he was, holding Jia with his right hand and scratching Godzilla with his left.

Ilene focused on Godzilla. She didn’t know much about him as he wasn’t her subject of study, but she knew that he was the last of his kind.

He had a symbiotic relationship with Mothra, so could he be establishing a symbiotic relationship with Kong? It wouldn’t be unusual. Giant tarantulas sometimes kept frogs as pets, but Godzilla didn’t seem to be keeping Kong as a “pet”. Rather, he seemed to just be cuddling up to him.

Still, it wasn’t like Godzilla. They’d never seen him be affectionate, nor choose to be close to any titan– with Mothra being the exception.

Kong, on the other hand, was the caring one. He’d shown multiple times he cared about the fauna on Skull Island and Ilene remembered a time when Kong would sit patiently in a clearing and offer the Sker Buffalos some of his food.

He’d taken in Jia, and even a younger ape.

Kong had shifted as Godzilla’s tail snaked into his lap, pushing Kong closer against his side. Jia was still sitting in Kong’s hand and giggled when Godzilla lifted his upper half to lick at Kong’s cheek.

The ape grunted at the feeling but didn’t fight against it. Godzilla laid his head back down on Kong’s thigh and closed his eyes, clearly ready for a nap.

Ilene realized this wasn’t a symbiotic relationship at all. Maybe this was just the titan’s way of being friendly.

The fourth time Godzilla disappeared, Monarch was now trying to figure out what to do about Godzilla’s new friend.

They had been under the impression for years that Hollow Earth was Kong’s territory and the surface was Godzilla’s territory. That was the rule that had originally been enforced by Godzilla, who had come for Kong any time he was on the surface.

Now, they were trying to figure out when that had changed.

Director Hampton was staring at the pictures Ilene had sent her. Kong sitting in a clearing with Jia in one hand, and his other on Godzilla’s head.

The pictures were pulled up on her monitor while she debated what was going on. A symbiotic relationship was ruled out. Neither of them were doing something in exchange for the other.

Ilene and Trapper sat upon Ilene’s couch, staring at the newly printed out photos of the two titans. Trapper had his elbows resting on his knees, perching his chin atop his intertwined hands.

A wine bottle sat on the coffee table in front of them, nearly halfway empty already.

“Explain to me again why you guys are so invested in this?” He questioned.

Ilene sighed. “Because, they’ve never been… this. Never been close, never been this comfortable with each other. It isn’t like them.”

Trapper raised an eyebrow. “So… what? They seem like they’ve made amends, and now they’re bros. Nothing unusual about a developing relationship.”

The woman groaned and reached for the wine bottle, pouring herself another glass. Trapper was the veterinarian, but she was hoping for his opinion on the matter. His opinion on the matter had consisted of him calling the two titans “a couple”.

“They’re different species.” Ilene said.

“Yeah, but they’re both megafauna. Probably close to each other in terms of relation.” Trapper shot back.

“They’re both males.” Ilene argued.

“Homophobe.” Trapper countered, chuckling when Ilene choked on her wine.

The two sat in silence after that, still staring at the pictures. Trapper didn’t see why it was important. It wasn’t quite Monarch’s business to study who Godzilla bonded with.

His belief was definitely different from Ilene’s, who thought understanding titan relationships might be crucial to learning how to co-exist with them.

Ilene groaned. It wasn’t like they could simply ask Kong what his relationship with Godzilla was about. Titans didn’t understand social norms, nor could Ilene explain the concept of a “boyfriend” to an overgrown ape.

This was not how she expected to spend her night. She wondered how Director Hampton was doing, if she was even understanding the titan’s relationship.

Trapper wasn’t much help.

If anything, he was only making Ilene question everything she knew about titan behavior. She sighed as she leaned back against the couch. If someone told her a few years ago she’d be studying Kong and his new “boyfriend”, she probably would have looked at them weird.

Her second glass of wine was already empty. If Trapper wasn’t here, she probably would have drank the whole bottle.

Ilene kept staring at the pictures, as if the answer would simply jump out at her. A symbiotic relationship was unlikely. Godzilla already had a symbiotic relationship and Ilene couldn’t think of another reason he’d need an additional one.

She was tired. It was nearly midnight now, and she had no clue what she was doing.

Trapper was about to put his two cents in again before Ilene shut him up by raising her hand slightly.

Trapper may have been right.

Maybe she needed another bottle.

Godzilla had been sleeping in the colosseum as usual. Of course, he didn’t stay asleep for long. Like clockwork, he’d shuffle out of his nest carefully and somehow manage not to cause any damage to buildings as he made his way to the ocean.

The public had started to question Monarch about Godzilla’s behavior. They tried to assure everyone they were working to figure out what was going on, but weren’t quite sure how to explain what was really happening.
Everytime Godzilla woke up, Director Hampton tried to will him back to sleep just because she needed time to figure out what to say. Obviously, it never worked. He was an unstoppable force and if he wanted to go down to visit an ape, then so be it.

It wasn’t long before they lost track of Godzilla. Monarch had stopped bothering to trail him with anything. They knew where he was going anyway.

A vortex opened and just as quickly, it closed and Godzilla was officially gone.

Kong knew Godzilla’s schedule now. He’d come sometime, and the time was never the same, nor the day. The only thing solid about his visits was that he would find Kong somehow, no matter where he was. So not really a schedule, but it was the same every time

He’d just got done fighting off wartdogs. He hated them. They always stayed in packs but Kong would always win in the end. Except this time.

While he was able to drive them away, his arm had been slashed into. He hadn’t felt it until he was under the waterfall of his home, the water washing the blood away. Kong looked down, seeing the red being washed down the stone floor.

He hadn’t felt it due to the adrenaline. It was deep, but not enough to harm him in the long run. He’d just need to let it heal for a while, and he should be fine.

Kong was about to lay down in his nest when he heard Godzilla’s familiar footsteps. He let out a pleased huff upon seeing his friend. Godzilla was already bumping his snout against his temple. Unusually affectionate today, Kong noted.

He grunted as Godzilla practically pushed him to the nest, demanding affection this time. Kong gently cupped Godzilla’s face with both of his hands, eliciting a purr from the larger titan.

It was the same as always– Godzilla would find him, show a bit of affection, and then off to sleep he went. This time was no different.

Until Godzilla caught scent of the blood.

Kong hadn’t been worried about it, but Godzilla showed concern. He bumped his snout against Kong’s chest at first, finally finding the source.

The King of The Monsters nudged against Kong’s arm as if trying to figure out if it hurt. Kong winced and Godzilla let out an apologetic growl before gently guiding Kong towards his nest.

It was nothing like the nest Godzilla slept in, but it didn’t matter. The first time he had slept in it he’d gotten good sleep for once. Whether that was just because Kong was right next to him or the nest really was that comfortable, he’d never know.

Kong sat down in the center of the nest and Godzilla followed suit. He was still focused on Kong’s fresh wound. Without waiting another second, Godzilla gently started to lick the blood away from the gash on Kong’s arm.

The ape looked down curiously, trying to push Godzilla’s head away and assure him that his wound would heal on its own, but Godzilla was persistent. He wasn’t as good as Mothra in terms of healing others but Kong didn’t seem to care.

It was nice not having to clean his own wounds for once.

It was nice not having to be alone in his own nest for once.

It was nice having someone.

Kong closed his eyes, relaxing for what felt like the first time in months. Ever since he left Skull Island, he felt like he was always worried about something or focusing on not being eaten in his new home.

He had been especially worried about Godzilla. If they’d ever been in a conflict again, Kong wasn’t even sure he’d win.

Of course, he wasn’t worried about it anymore. Godzilla was showing he actually cared about Kong now, the warmth of his tongue soothing his gash. It was almost as if the King of the Monsters was returning the favor after Kong picked debris out of his dorsal plates.

And returning favors was not something Godzilla was known for.

A soft glow of blue dragged Kong out of his thoughts. When he first fought with Godzilla he’d quickly learned that whenever his back was full of lights it meant bad breath. Now, Kong had recognized the lights as a sign Godzilla was calm and content.

The blood in his fur was cleaned off and Godzilla huffed in satisfaction. Another scar to the collection, it seemed.

Godzilla also had his fair share of scars. They usually blended in with his rough skin, but Kong could still make out the faint mark on Godzilla’s thigh he had inflicted. He gently reached over to run his hand along it curiously and Godzilla only purred softly.

He didn’t hold any grudges– at least, not anymore. It made Kong wonder what made Godzilla seek him out in the first place. There were no threats on the surface that Kong knew of. Perhaps he was just annoyed with the humans?

Godzilla didn’t seem like the type to leave his territory just because of some noisy humans around him.

The blue lights on Godzilla’s back flickered when the two titans heard the faint sound of thunder. Godzilla subtly scooted closer to Kong, lowering his head to nudge against Kong’s abdomen. Kong conceded and laid down in the nest with Godzilla curling next to him.

He rested his head on Kong’s shoulder, looking up at him. Kong stared right back, fully taking in Godzilla’s face. It was rare to see Godzilla up close.

Pretty. He was pretty. Everything about him.

The humans would probably disagree. Godzilla didn’t exactly fit the concept of “pretty” or “beautiful”, but Kong didn’t share concepts with humans. He had his own concepts, and Godzilla was pretty.

The silence between them extended for longer than either expected until a burst of lightning was visible through the cave opening. Godzilla huffed and shifted to the other side of Kong, away from the opening.

Kong didn’t say anything but he could tell Godzilla was tense. If Godzilla didn’t like the lightning, then Kong would make sure he was fine.

Storms in Hollow Earth weren’t uncommon. It brought rain and most creatures were fine with it. Even lightning, Kong would still see others simply walking around in the clearings. Godzilla, on the other hand, was burying his face in Kong’s side, his tail coiling tightling around Kong’s leg to pull the ape closer.

Kong lifted his hand, gently resting it against Godzilla’s snout. Godzilla sniffed for a moment before relaxing slightly. Another flash of lightning came through the cave opening and Godzilla went back to burying his snout in Kong’s side.

The ape remained still for a moment before shifting slightly to lay on his left side, extending his left arm outwards to rest his own head on. Godzilla took in the change in position before shifting onto his stomach and resting his head on top of Kong’s arm.

He seemed more comfortable like this. Kong’s body was blocking the cave opening and in turn, the flashes of lightning. Sure, they did light up the cave, but Godzilla just closed his eyes.

His tail rested on top of Kong’s legs, not coiling this time. He was calm now.
It made Godzilla wish he could just stay down here with Kong until he eventually became one with the dirt. But Kong’s species didn’t live as long as Godzilla did. They were more fragile in their ages, similar to how Mothra would live forever but her body was easily destroyed.

Kong wasn’t like Mothra though. He wouldn’t come back after death. And Godzilla knew when that day came, he’d be alone again, but he was content to have met Kong in this lifetime.

Godzilla could hardly remember the last time he had been this close to another being besides Mothra. When he was a bit younger, barely an adolescent, he’d grown too large to rest under one’s fluff. So he would return the favor by letting other moths rest under him.

Nowadays, he feared he’d accidentally crush her.

The ape rumbled quietly as Godzilla started purring. He’d been purring a lot lately. Stupid ape, making him all soft. It was definitely Kong’s fault.

Kong’s other hand came up to gently rub Godzilla’s side. The feeling was starting to lull Godzilla into a state of exhaustion and his breathing began slowing. His heartbeat changed for once, matching the ape’s heartbeat.

Kong’s hand stilled in its movements. He could feel the vibration of Godzilla’s purr through the metal gauntlet and it soothed him as well.

Godzilla felt himself slipping off to sleep. It was the first time he was able to sleep soundly through a lightning storm and he hoped it’d never be the last.

The first day Godzilla didn’t return from Hollow Earth, Monarch was worried again. All of his trips to the land below had been rather short, barely longer than half a day. And when he didn’t return to his nesting place, they were nervous.

Anything could have happened down there. They knew he was visiting Kong for whatever reason, but it wasn’t like they could have stopped them from killing one another.

Serizawa had always said Godzilla was an alpha titan, and he did try to kill Kong to keep his status. But it wouldn’t explain the photos Doctor Andrews had sent of the two titans being unusually close and affectionate.

Just then, an uncharted vortex was opening in Italy, just north of Rome. It was no questioning that it was simply Godzilla coming through.

The titan in question hauled himself out of the fresh portal and looked down into it. Monarch was about to question why he was huffing at the portal when another, furrier hand came out.

Director Hampton sighed. Fun. Godzilla brought his boyfriend up to the surface for whatever reason. And now, all of humanity was seeing Godzilla try to help Kong out of the vortex.

Kong didn’t handle the portals with the grace Godzilla did. The last few times Kong went down a vortex, he was practically thrown at the ground with no mercy. Crawling up a portal was somewhat more acceptable.

Once the ape had crawled up entirely, he groaned. He hated portals. And he’d hate going down after this.

Godzilla gently nuzzled Kong’s temple before leading him through the human cities– both of them causing minimal damage and making it obvious they weren’t trying to be destructive. It was just a consequence of their size.

The King of the Monster’s nest was in sight, and he huffed happily. He’d been making sure his nest was neat for Kong. After all, he’d been sleeping in Kong’s nest and there was no reason for the ape to not sleep in his. It was a fair deal.

Godzilla playfully nudged Kong with his tail, inviting him into the nest before him. Kong was careful when he stepped into the colosseum, knowing how frail human buildings were for them. Godzilla followed him into the nest directly after.

Kong made himself comfortable in the center while Godzilla surrounded the ape with his body, his tail keeping the ape close. He laid down half-way, burying his snout in the fur of Kong’s chin. It was warm and Godzilla started his purring again.

The humans stationed to keep watch outside of his nest could feel the purring through the ground.

Kong yawned, already feeling tired. Perhaps the larger titan was rubbing his bad habits off on him. He wasn’t complaining, though, it was always nice to rest with his friend.

The more Kong thought about the word “friend”, the more he thought it didn’t fit the description of their relationship. But what other words were there? “Mates” was too intimate, too… weird in Kong’s mind.

Maybe he’d ask Jia what she thought. Because Kong knew friends would not simply cuddle and keep each other safe while they slept. Friends did not simply nuzzle each other and comfort each other through lightning storms.

There had to be another word.

Before Kong could dwell too much on the topic, Godzilla had started to lay down, and Kong followed him, resting his head on Godzilla’s side. He was much better to cuddle with than what someone would expect. Godzilla was surprisingly comfortable to rest against, unlike the stony floor of Kong’s cave.

Maybe Kong would stay on the surface for a bit longer, if only it meant being able to sleep like this everyday.