Chapter Text
If you ignore the obvious changes with Red Son now joining their group and Sun Wukong randomly showing up on some days, life’s been slowly getting back to normal! Well as normal as they could get.
It doesn’t stop Tang from constantly choking on his noodles every time he sees The Great Sage just casually walk into the shop with a loud greeting. But other than that things were good. There hasn’t been much activity since the big fight so it’s just been slow days with everyone hanging at Pigsy’s restaurant while recovering from their injuries. Even though the pig demon always complained about them loitering around.
Which is exactly what is happening now as Pigsy yelled at the trio for causing a ruckus in his shop.
Tang only watched with a soft sigh, oh to be young and energetic. He chuckled a little at the sight of Mk dodging almost every culinary item Pigsy had on hand with Mei and Red son clapping for him on the sidelines. How he could move like that with those bandages Tang will never know. Nor does he want to as he turned away to continue eating his noodles with one hand. He would be holding a book or using his other hand to steady the bowl but sadly it was stuck in a sling. Turns out getting launched into a wall does a lot more than give you a sore side! But besides that, It’s been alright. Just him, his noodles..
...Annnd the recurring thoughts about a certain demon monkey.
It’s been weeks since their fight with LBD, weeks since that meeting with Macaque at the entrance of the cave, and weeks since it has not left Tang’s mind. He can still remember that day almost vividly along with after the demon left him standing there until the others joined up with him.
Nothing changed since then and everyone seemed to have moved on over Macaque helping them out, everyone except Tang.
You see after everything the scholar couldn’t help but to try and seek out the monkey after getting his injuries sorted out. Even going as far as walking to where he first met him. But all he could find was it abandoned with dust floating in the air and the stage looking in ruins. So he left a written message on the stage in case he ever did come back then quickly scrambled out getting the creeps from even standing in there too long. But there hasn’t been any sign of the demon, until now.
Tang paused as he felt the hair on the back of his neck rise. Feeling someone stare at him intently as his chopsticks paused mid-air. He turned his head towards the others but they were still fighting with each other, so it wasn’t them. Biting his lip anxiously, Tang then looked at the entrance to the shop and saw a flicker of something in the corner of the door before it disappeared.
The scholar glanced back at the group then back at the door then back again till he got sick of his indecisiveness and then made a hopefully responsible and not risky decision. However, before leaving to his probable but also not probable demise, he quickly finished his bowl and then proceeded to hop out of his seat. Stepping out of the warm restaurant into the frigid evening air.
Tang looked around the semi-empty streets before noticing something small and dark drift ahead of him out of the corner of his eye before turning into an alleyway. Skeptical but still curious, he followed right after it as fast as he could with his side injury until he reached the alleyway where it disappeared into. He paused for a moment as he squinted into the shadowy backstreet. He could hear the alarm bells ringing in the back of his head along with a very angry conscience Pigsy yelling at him, “don’t do anything stupid!!” But when has Tang ever listened to Pigsy? He took a step, then another, slowly stepping deeper into the alley.
There wasn’t much to it except for the chills it gave Tang, sending goosebumps down his arms as evening slowly shifted into the night causing the shadows to grow longer as the night lights started to turn on. However Tang wasn’t too worried, he stopped once he was far enough. He could feel the heavy stare on him more clearly now from where he stood and yet the demon made no appearance.
“You do realize I know it’s you, Macaque.” Tang started as he looked around his surroundings. “I know it’d be great to see you face to face instead of the dramatics.” Tang huffed out as he shifted his weight to one leg. It was getting too cold for this and he would really like to get back to his seat if he’s being honest, but he still gave the demon at least 20 seconds.
“O-kayy~ Well I guess I’ll take my leave then since nothing is happening—” Tang said as he turned around, planning to go back to the warm comforts of the restaurant only to run face to face with said demon he was looking for. There was a pause between the two as they stood an inch away from each other. Macaque tilted his head with half-lidded eyes while Tang just went rigid.
A bird overheard flew over to its nest and started to get comfortable…before getting startled at the loud yelling coming from below.
“GWAA?!—” Tang shouted out as he quickly stumbled backward away from Macaque who just stood there with his arms crossed. Unamused at the scholar's antics as he watched the dork fumble around in a panic. “YOU- I- A warning would’ve been nice! You scared the crap out of me!” Tang exclaimed with his face noticeably red as he pointed at the dark-furred monkey accusingly who only shrugged nonchalantly.
“Well, you were the one that wanted to meet me.”
“Bah! Touché.”
Macaque sucked his teeth at Tang’s response before placing his hands on his hips. “So tell me, what did you need from me exactly?” He asked with a cautious look in his eyes as he glanced at the scholar up and down who was too busy gathering himself to pay the demon any mind.
“Uhmm, there isn’t anything I need from you?” Tang said, confused as he rubbed a hand against his face behind his glasses. Still reeling a little at how close they were way way too close for comfort. He didn’t even hear Macaque appear behind him! Then again he can appear straight out of a shadow so really he shouldn’t be too surprised about this. Taking a deep breath Tang straightened up and turned towards the taller male. “I just wanted to make sure you were alright, and if you remembered our conversation..y’know it still stands right?”
All Macaque could do was stare at Tang in disbelief. One, of course, he remembers their conversation, it's what consumed his thoughts since then. Two, when he first saw the letter laying there on the stage he was skeptical. He thought that it genuinely was going to be a trap or finally something to get back at him like how he thought before. Hence why he grabbed Tang’s attention and led him to a more secluded area of his own choice.
So for Tang to just completely go against everything he assumed was going to happen honestly threw the demon in a loop.
“..What? That's- that’s it? You..could’ve written it in the note you made…?”
“Well yeah, but I wanted to see you! And how you were doing since Lady Bone Demon.”
And what could Macaque say to that? Really, what could he say to that full-on genuine answer? It started with a breath squeezing out of his lungs, a chuckle, then a full-blown laugh that echoed around the alleyway. It reminded Tang too much of the laugh from the cave as he felt a shiver run down his spine. He couldn’t tell what tone it was but he could only guess knowing Macaque, it was nothing good.
“Wow wow wow, You’re serious about this.” Macaque drawled, his tail moving around slowly behind him as he sauntered towards Tang. “You really want to be around someone like me?” His eyes flashed dangerously as he slowly walked around the scholar who swallowed nervously, keeping an eye on the dark-furred monkey while turning in place. “I mean, just because I helped you back then doesn’t mean I’d do the same now. Who knows, I could be planning to kill you right now and you just waltzed over here without a care in the world! ”
Then right when Tang turned his head he suddenly face to face with the dark-furred monkey once again. Only this time instead of stumbling back into an open area, he felt his back hit against the wall. With a sharp gasp he then flinched a bit at the clawed hand that slammed next to his head. Successfully pinning him against the wall as Macaque leaned in with a sneer on his face.
“Do you already trust me that much, Tang? C’mon now. Cut the shit. What do you want from me because there’s no way you went all this way just to ask if I’m alright- I’m not a blubbering idiot.”
Now, Tang has been in many situations. But being pinned against a wall by a very attractive demon with terrible trust issues is something he did not expect this conversation to go down. Even with the subtle threats involved Tang could feel his face start to heat up uncontrollably. However, it didn’t stop the irritation from starting to bubble up inside of him at being belittled. So he quickly shoved those feelings down and stood up straighter with an annoyed look crossing his face as he tilted his head up to Macaque challengingly.
“Are you always in denial about everything?”
“I-...I’m sorry what.”
Tang then grabbed Macaque’s hand making the demon’s eyebrows shoot up as it was forced on his chest right above his heart, “What will it take for you to understand that I don’t want anything from you. Nor do I have any sort of plan to take you down!” He hissed out as his grip around the demons wrist tightened, glaring right into his eyes.
“I forgave you, remember? And if you still genuinely think I’m planning something then you can just kill me right now.”
Macaque’s fingers twitched in response, he could easily do it too. Just rip his hand out of Tang's grip and dig his claws deep into his chest, watching him slowly bleed out. But still he made no move. In fact, after feeling the way Tang’s heart fluttered beneath his palm it made even the thought of doing something like that sick to his stomach. It was something he didn’t think he could feel again, and yet indulging in this dork he crossed paths with made him, an ancient demon, feared by those who know his name, one of the few if not only demon who is on par with the great sage himself. What was happening right now made him, nervous.
“Stop, stop. That’s enough— Jeez. You’ve made your point, you goober.” The demon easily ripped his hand out of Tang’s grip and waved it dismissively as he pulled away from him. Now just standing close to the smaller male with crossed arms. Who breathed out a sigh of relief and leaned against the wall. The scholar figured nothing would happen, still, to boldly say that to an ancient demon who can easily launch him into space is nerve-wracking!
“You’re a little too eager there betting your life like that if I were anyone else who knows what would’ve happened.” Macaque grumbled, still a little taken aback at how pissed off the scholar looked at him at that moment, along with the sick feeling he didn’t expect to have for the scholar. Tang cheekily smiled as he pushed his hair back. “But you’re not anyone else and I had a feeling you wouldn’t do it anyway.”
“Still, you should be more aware—”
“Aww! Are you worried for me?”
Tang said in a teasing tone right as Macaque sputtered as he felt his cheeks heat a little before scowling. “No. I- you- I’m not! I’m just saying that you should be more careful— common sense!” The scholar only chuckled a bit behind his hand at how ruffled Macaque looked with his tail waving around behind him. “Mhm, alright.”
Macaque rubbed the back of his neck with a huff before growing serious as he furrowed his brows in contemplation. He glanced down at the sling Tang had on then back up to his, now curious, face. “Tang, Listen..I have no clue what you see in me. But whatever it is, it isn't worth it. I wouldn’t put trust in someone like me.” Now it was Tang’s turn to raise his eyebrow at him as he placed his free hand on his hip, “What do you consider yourself to be, Macaque?”
“God— do I have to spell it out for you? I’m a bad person, Tang! I’m not going to change!”
He winced at Macaque's outburst as the silence rang loud between them. It was weird to see the usually unbothered demon get so worked up as he watched the dark-furred monkey groan a bit before putting his hand over his left eye, taking a couple of steps away from Tang.
The sight made Tang’s chest twinge inside.
“..Y’know, the old you would’ve never helped us back then, he also wouldn't have been willing to come over here without there being something for him to gain.” Tang said slowly as he pushed off the wall and walked towards Macaque, no longer hesitating like before as he outstretched his hand and gently took Macaque’s hand off his eye. Making him look down at him as the scholar held his hand with a sad smile. “You’re already changing and yet, you don’t even see it.”
The demon just stared at their hands with cloudy eyes, looking like there were millions of thoughts swarming his head until he closed them tightly with a deep sigh making his tense shoulders drop from their tense position. “I could be manipulating you still. This could be a bad idea.” Even that sounded weak to the demon's ears as he then opened them to stare into the mortals' eyes, guarded but also longing.
“You could, that’s true. but it’s all up to you on how you want things to go, Mac.”
The demon went silent after that as he rolled the words around in his head while he stared at the ground below them. Meanwhile, Tang let Macaque have his moment as he then glanced up at the night sky. It’s no wonder he felt the cold air grow sharper, besides the warmth coming from Macaque’s hand that still didn’t leave him.
It wasn’t until he jerked at the feeling of his hand being gripped back when he looked back only to be greeted with the sight of Macaque staring right at him. His nose scrunched up as he tilted his head, the corners of his mouth slowly turning up.
“Pfft- Mac? I didn’t know we were on a nickname basis with each other, Tang.”
“Oh shut up I thought we were having a serious moment?” Tang grumbled, his cheeks colored a little deeper than from the cold as he pulled away from Macaque and shoved his hand into his pocket. While the dark-furred monkey just laughed lightly. “Sorry sorry I couldn't help myself. You’re too easy to tease.”
Things started to lighten up as the tension in the air lessened and Macaque felt more at ease around the scholar while Tang paused for a moment. “So, does this mean you’ll take on my offer? Y’know I did put you in quite the compelling spot so I think I deserve a break here!” He said jokingly but then quickly went silent. Macaque stilled his movements as he raised his eyebrow at the shorter male. “Tang..?”
“..I remember what you said. Before you left back in the cave.” Macaque’s tail twitched as his hands clenched into fists, feeling himself grow tense at the reminder but Tang still continued. “I can’t deny, I’m sure there’s someone there who will..have their reservations about you. But I’m here telling you that others wouldn’t mind you being around.”
Tang then let his glasses hide his expression by tilting his head towards the light coming from the entrance of the alley, “I wouldn’t mind being around you. I mean that’s why I’m here of course- I just. You get what I mean. You don’t have to see whoever it is you don’t want to see. Not unless you want to…so?”
The demon thought about it as he took in the human standing right in front of him who’s avoiding eye contact with him anxiously. It made something twinge inside as it reminded him of how he was back then in the cave. Macaque.. never dealt with a situation like this, it was always him and him alone, never had he had a person genuinely look for him, make sure he was alright, and then just forgive him after everything- it was still hard for him to grasp in his mind.
All because he did one thing out of character for him,..it felt nice. Even with the looming possibility of seeing the last person he would want to see if he agrees to this if what Tang said is true…It wouldn’t hurt to try. Besides, it’s tiring being alone all the time.
“Well— I guess since you’re so desperate to see me, I can make an exception this time.”
Tang only groaned, “Macaque— !?” But just as he was about to retort back he suddenly was greeted with a scarf getting pulled onto him as the rest floated behind him for a brief second until it fell gracefully. Wrapping around the scholar like a cape. Tang's hand quickly came up to grasp at the item as he blinked up towards Macaque who’s now scarfless as he adjusted the thing more properly around Tang. Not at all oblivious to the red now flushing the scholar's whole face making the demon smile a bit. “Ma-Macaque?? What are you..?”
“Give this to me the next time our paths meet. This is my answer,” he murmured, pulling Tang a little closer to him with a toothy smirk immediately replacing that rare smile of his as his fingers gently grazed Tang’s cheek.
“I’ll be seeing you, Tang.”
It was completely different from the last time he left Tang standing there, instead of smoke bursting out of their shadows Macaque just left more calmly with the smoke floating out of his shadow and wrapping around him until it dispersed like a soft breeze. Ruffling Tang’s hair and clothes as he gripped onto the scarf— Macaque’s scarf that was just a little too big on him but just enough to send a warm feeling throughout Tang as he looked up towards the roofs. Hoping that maybe he’ll catch a glimpse of the dark-furred monkey but found nothing.
With a loud sigh, he fixed his crooked glasses and pulled the scarf around him more properly before walking out. Shaking his head as something new unraveled inside him as he turned the corner in the direction of Pigsy’s restaurant.
“..I guess that’s a yes then.”