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Sometimes he marvels at how..trusting Tang is.
After joining Mk’s team there hasn’t been a moment where the scholar didn’t check up on him at least once or twice during the week, depending on how many times he gets dragged into whatever shenanigans Mk and his two followers get up to.
(How Red Son got included in this little ragtag team they have going on remains a mystery to Macaque, but he can only guess it was the same reason why he was even around. Damn hopeful extroverts and their persuading words.)
Even after everything he did to him, Tang still went out of his way to make sure he was comfortable ever since he joined them. Finding books around the ship for him to read with a kind smile, talking to him about anything when he sees him standing back from the group, or just sitting near him reading a book. Taking in his company as if Macaque couldn’t just rip his head off in that same moment.
Now at first he thought it was because Tang didn’t trust him all alone. Probably thinking he might just betray them and try to kill them. But that thought immediately got shut down when the other day he opened his door to find a plate of fruits in front of his door with a small little sticky note attached to it telling him to take care of himself more and ending with a smiley emoticon with round glasses showing off who exactly gave it to him. Macaque. Literal immortal demon monkey who could handle days to months without food.
He wished he was lying when he said he threw out the note.
It’s getting to the point where he was almost always talking with the scholar and LIKING IT. Enjoying their back-to-back banter with each other along with that smug smile that appears on Tang’s face when he knew he won during one of their playful teasing and he doesn’t mind it.
He doesn’t mind Tang’s presence around him or their long talks when it’s just them. Sometimes on rare occasions, it’s even Macaque looking for the human, never upfront of course but he always has an ear out if he ever hears those familiar footsteps walking around the ship. However, it’s caused a predicament in the monkey’s case. He now has a leech following him around, which then made said leech find out about his little hideaway from the others.
This brings them here, where Macaque found Tang taking up all the space on the couch with his dumb little book in his hands reading calmly without a care in the world. As if the monkey isn’t 3 seconds away from throwing him off this ship.
“..Do you mind moving?” Macaque grumbled, his hands moving to stay on his hips as he glared down at Tang. Who still made no move to change positions even with Macaque standing quite intimidatingly over him.
“You do realize that there’s a whole bunch of other places to sit around this huge ship, right?” Tang said with a little amusement in his voice as he sat up to look at Macaque more properly so he didn’t strain his neck, hiding his cheeky smirk behind his book.
“Yeah, but this is the only spot where it’s not around the loudmouths.” The demon grumbled with a twitch in his eyebrow, he did have a point there. Even though this ship was huge on the outside, inside there are not many places where someone can spend time alone unless they want to stay in bed all day.
But in Macaque’s case having six ears in a place full of adults with no off switch, that’s not an option.
Hence this place he found while looking around, where it’s the farthest from everyone and easy on his ears. Regardless, it looks like good things never last long with him.
“Aww but this is the best spot here! There is barely any screaming or loud noises around here.” Tang pouted as he slouched more into himself, still not budging from his spot as he stared up at the monkey with wide eyes to which in return got a raised eyebrow. Macaque, quite frankly unamused at the lazy man's poor attempt at manipulation. “Why do you think I chose this place? Now beat, I called dibs on it first.”
“Ah-ah! No, you didn’t- I was here before you!”
“Ohh right right- and how did you even come across this place? Oh wait— it was ‘cause of me!” Macaque crossed his arms as his tail lashed around behind him agitatedly. Already close to picking him up and throwing him down the hall.
“Why are you even here anyway? Don’t you have your own room to be annoying in?” The monkey questioned him as he shifted his weight to one leg, still irritated at the scholar's refusal to move but also curious on why he’s so insistent on staying. Meanwhile, Tang only groaned at the question and pushed his hand under his glasses to rub his eyes. Figuring he might as well be out with it seeing as puppy eyes won’t work on him.
“Ugh. Okay okay, I’m trying to hide from the others. As much as I love a good adventure it has been nonstop! Back to back! And y’know sometimes a guy just needs a break from almost getting killed constantly by Monkey King’s enemies which in turn are now his successor's enemies.”
The scholar gestured animatedly during that mini-rant until he then deflated and fell back against the couch with puffed cheeks. “And don’t even say ‘oh just tell them you don’t want to’, you still haven’t experienced Mk’s puppy dog eyes. They are RUTHLESS.” He could still feel that gaze on the back of his neck making him shiver right there.
It was then after a moment Tang glanced up at Macaque’s face, confused at the silence from the monkey only to quickly be aware at the thoughtful look on his face. If there’s anything Tang learned about that face with their time together on the ship. It’s that either he has a plan or he’s about to do something and both usually have complicated results when it comes to him.
“Uhmm...Macaque? You good there—”
“…Move over.”
“Eh? What— whoa WHOA HEY-“
The demon then proceeded to pick Tang up even as he scrambled around in his arms, threw him to one side of the couch, and then replaced the spot where he laid down with a pleased hum. “There we go. Answer to both our problems.” Macaque yawned out before stretching his arms as he shifted to be as comfortable as possible even in the slightly tight fit which he now realized they were sitting in a sort of love seat. Huh, that explains it.
“Please keep it down. I'm gonna take a nap now.” He sighed as he crossed his arms and laid his head against the backrest of the seat. Getting no response from the human pressed next to him which didn’t bother him at first, taking it as silent agreement until his ears flicked and started to zero in on the sound of Tang’s heart beat getting faster.
His brows furrowed at that along with Tang’s unnatural stillness next to him. Usually, when he reads he’d either have a leg bouncing or a foot-tapping against the floor— not- That the demon spends his time observing Tang, no. It’s just something he noticed while spending time around him. With this in mind, he opened an eye and took a peek at Tang where his eye widened at the sight of Tang’s composure barely keeping it together. His grip on his book only tightening as he held it close to his chest. Keeping his gaze completely off the monkey next to him, glaring at the ground as if it told him his glasses sucked.
Macaque has seen lots of faces from the scholar being as chaotic as he is. He’s seen him mad, he’s seen him excited, he’s seen his face when he hears Pigsy made noodles. But this? This Tang was..something else.
It made the monkey shift, both alarmed at the skip in his heartbeat and the sight of the nervous human in-front of him. Causing their legs to brush together making Tang flinch in response then take a glimpse up at Macaque with his cheeks growing redder by the minute.
It was then where the room shifted, and the air changed.
No words were spoken as they both took in each other's position. Silently trying to read the other instead of saying something, afraid that it might might break the moment. Macaque listened in on the scholar's slowly escalating heartbeat as Tang got pinned down by the heavy look in the demon's golden eyes as the grip on his book suddenly loosened and fell next to their feet. It was then where Macaque’s tail decided to have a mind of it’s own and slowly wrap itself around the scholar's leg. While Tang's free hand hesitantly grasped at Macaque's shirt. Feeling the dark-furred monkey's own heart start to beat faster as their shoulders brushed against each other.
It was so silent, Tang could hear the blood rush through his ears as he tightened his grip around the monkey’s shirt, slightly moving back as the demon moved his body closer to him. Speaking of said demon, he tilted his head squinting at the scholar. Even though he could hear how nervous Tang was he still couldn’t exactly see his face thanks to his glasses reflecting off the window nearby as the sun set in the background. So, taking a step further he gently raised his hand to lift the scholar's glasses on top of his head where he immediately felt his face flush a little at the startled look he was giving him. Both are so clearly out of touch with whatever it is that’s happening, but also not opposed to it as they slowly drifted more towards each other.
Macaque’s hand grazing Tangs cheek while Tang leaned into the soft touch making the demon cup his cheek. It was then they were both just inches away. One of them took a glance at his lips while the other slowly started to close his eyes. The monkey’s free hand moved to lightly tug down Tang’s scarf as they moved closer to each other. Their lips are just barely grazing each other…
..Until a loud ringtone immediately broke the silence in the room and immediately started the world back up as the two ripped away from each other with loud panicked noises from Tang as he quickly patted his clothes for his phone while Macaque fell off the couch and loudly bumped his head against the floor in a daze.
It took Tang a couple of seconds before he found his phone and quickly picked up the call.
“WHAT WHAT— MK?!? What is it? Uh-huh….you’re kidding…Okay. But why am I needed there—OKAY OKAY I’M COMING STOP SCREAMING. GOODBYE.”
He pressed the red button on his phone and the room immediately fell into awkward silence.
“..I.. yeah. Uhm. So. Mk needs me, a puzzle thing. I uh...I’ll- I’ll see you later.” Tang murmured breathlessly as he quickly fixed his scarf and glasses how they were before shooting up from his seat and quickly walking out the room with only a slight tremor in his legs.
Meanwhile, the demon stayed laying there with a look of astonishment on his face. He couldn’t tell how long he stayed there after Tang stumbled out but it was a while until he started to move. His hand went to where Tang’s book was digging into his back until he pulled it out from under him. He held it in his hands for a moment, staring at the title in awe as his tongue ran over his lips as cold reality settled in nicely.
“…Oh goddamnit.”