#dark freenoodleshipping

[kitkat1003]

Where the Ice Crushes the Wave

Warning, this fic contains instances of:

Dubious Consent  Possession  Emotional Manipulation  Abuse  Minor Character Death  Hurt No Comfort  Blood and Gore 

Summary:

I don't know if you've heard of Possessed Tang, but it's everywhere on tumblr, and it's basically an excuse to hurt Pigsy.  I decided to go ham. The warnings I put are real.  Viewer Discretion is advised.

AO3 Link

Pigsy notices something is wrong immediately.

It’s not hard.  He’s been watching Tang for years, knows him like the back of his hand.  He knows that Tang is always there when he opens, at least for a few minutes.  They’ll banter, then Tang will disappear for a few hours before arriving at lunch to steal some noodles.  At some point, Pigsy will yell, chase him out but not really, and Tang will laugh all the while.

On a good day, Pigsy will invite Tang upstairs, and they eat dinner in Pigsy’s apartment.  They’ll sit in front of the TV for hours, making fun of idiots in cooking shows, and Pigsy will deliberate over and over on the idea of moving his hand to hold Tang’s.  He never does, because he’s afraid to push, afraid to ask for too much and lose what he already has.  

Pigsy can feel the power he has, vibrating in his skin, hidden because the person he used to be is not who he wants to be now, ever.  He knows that if he let that loose, if he grew tall and strong and dangerous, everyone around him would suffer; he holds it all in.

He just waits for Tang.  He can be patient.  He has spent a thousand years learning to be, and he thanks his master for teaching him, because if he was to wait for anything it would be this.

He’d spend an eternity and a day waiting for that.

For four days, though, Tang doesn’t come to the shop at all.

Pigsy texts him, calls him, and gets nothing.  He shouts more, is biting and sharp for those four days, wracked with worry and desperate for answers.

He searches even the town once.  Twice.  He waits, because that’s what he’s good at, but at the same time he wants to grow large and take charge, to roar into the night and shake the world until it tells him where his Tang is.

Four days of waiting before Tang appears in the shop in the morning.  He smiles and waves, as if he hadn’t blown Pigsy off for four days, as if he hadn’t worried Pigsy sick.

“Where the hell have you been?!” Pigsy grabs Tang by his scarf and pulls, too angry and worried and hurt to stop himself.

Tang starts but gives him an easygoing smile in return.  That’s what tips Pigsy off first.  The curve of the lips is wrong, more cunning than kind.

“Sorry-family emergency.” Easy deflection. Tang shrugs.  “I kept meaning to text you back, but stuff kept coming up.”

Pigsy could almost accept that, except Tang has never brought up his family before.  To talk about them now, it seems too...convenient.  And regardless of that, Tang has never left Pigsy in the lurch like this.  It’s too out of character.  A quick text to say ‘I’m okay’ would take but a minute.  Tang is kind enough to give Pigsy a minute of his time, he wouldn’t just let Pigsy sit worried.

Right?

He stares at Tang, squinting a little, and almost lets him go.  But then.

“You changed your glasses,” he notes.

The rims are blue.  He can see traces of snowflakes on the lenses.

Tang smiles, eyes shut and head tilted to one side.  Pigsy is suddenly aware of something dangerous, sitting beneath his friend’s skin.  The hairs on his arm stand up straight, and it is so, so obvious now that this isn’t Tang at all.

“Yes,” Not Tang says, and his smile is all teeth.  “Do you like them?”

Pigsy knows a challenge when he sees one, and he takes a breath.

“Prefer your old ones, actually,” he grunts out.  “Blue isn’t your color.”

Not Tang laughs.  It sends a shiver down Pigsy’s spine.  But it isn’t just fear, no, his cheeks color.

“On that, Pigsy, we will have to disagree.” His name out of Not Tang’s mouth sounds foreign, but it’s Tang’s voice, and Not Tang curls something soft and sweet around Pigsy’s name like it knows.

Pigsy goes to work, and firmly refuses to look over his shoulder.

He can feel Not Tang’s eyes on him anyway.

MK doesn’t notice anything wrong with Tang.  Mei doesn’t either.  Not Tang tells MK a story, talks animatedly with Mei about her next race and promises to be there.  Pigsy makes a bowl of noodles on autopilot and hands it to Not Tang.  Not Tang holds the chopsticks differently.  Not Tang doesn’t slurp up the noodles and fails to give Pigsy a smirk when he finishes the bowl, like Tang would have.

Pigsy is tense the whole day, and he waits until MK heads upstairs and the shop is closed to do anything.

“Can I walk you home?  Figure we should talk.  Haven’t seen ya in four days,” he jerks a thumb towards the door.  Not Tang tilts his head to the side, and his glasses flash in a way that is so familiar, and yet makes Pigsy shiver again.

“Sure.  I missed you.” And Pigsy is taken aback, because it sounds like Not Tang means it.  Maybe he—no, he knows this isn’t Tang.

But how much is it not Tang?

They walk out of the store, and down a block or two.  Pigsy doesn’t know where Tang lives, though he suspects somewhere near the library, but Not Tang is following his lead.  Looks like Not Tang doesn’t know, either.

He grabs Not Tang by the scarf, and drags him into an alley.  He slams Not Tang against the wall, hard but not too hard because Not Tang is still Tang’s body. Tang is still mortal.

“I don’t know who the hell you are,” he starts, and he lets his tusks out, baring his sharp teeth like a challenge, a growl in his throat.  His eyes glow ocean blue, his nostrils flare.  “But you better get the fuck out of my friend or—”

The words die in his throat as Not Tang laughs, cold and dark, and as he looks up and sees his own gaze met with something sharp and blue and icy.

“Or what, Bajie?” 

His voice has an undercurrent of something familiar, another voice Pigsy recognizes.  He wracks his brain.

“What, don’t recognize me?  Not surprising, when only one of your troupe ever could.”

That has Pigsy stumbling back, because he knows, now, he knows what that means.  It’s a stain on his pride, one of his many regrets, it’s—

“Baigujing,” he breathes, and she laughs.

“In the flesh, so to speak.  Does he suit me?” she asks, tugging on Tang’s skin and hair like one might with clothes.

She frowns, tilts his head to the side at an unnatural angle. “I’m not a fan of red,” she tells him. Then Tang changes, hair black to white from the roots.  It travels down, red to blue, silver to gold.  His skin gains a blue tint, as well.  The air around them drops in temperature, and Pigsy can see his breath.

She brushes herself off, takes a little bow, and all Pigsy can see is Tang who isn’t—this isn’t—how did she—

She takes a confident step forward, and Pigsy, in all his rage, still only sees blue.

“You get out of him right now, or—”

In a flash, she pulls out a knife and presses it against Tang’s throat.  Pigsy sees a few spots of red from where she’s pressing the blade, and cool terror sinks down his spine.  She wouldn’t, would she?  He can’t be sure, with how she’s wielding the weapon like a promise.  He takes a step forward out of panic, and stops when she raises a brow. 

“You do anything but what I say, and I stain this new outfit.” She smiles, and it’s Tang’s smile, the one that Pigsy melts under the sight of every time.  

But here, now, he’s ice.  Fear roots him to the spot and Pigsy swallows the lump in his throat.

“And if I tell the others about ya when you aren’t looking at me?” he grinds out between gritted teeth.

She tilts her head to the side. “Why would they believe you?  After all, you wouldn’t believe your own brother,” Pigsy flinches, remembering how easy it was to get Triptaka to banish Wukong, because Bajie never would pass up an opportunity to call his brother a liar, to hurt him.  “Turnabout’s fair play, and you’re on the losing side.”

Pigsy clenches his fists.  He can feel the desire to get big, to roar, to tear her out of him, rise in his chest.  But this can’t be solved with violence, as easy as he wants it to be.  Pigsy has never been good at diplomacy.

“What do you want,” he spits out.

She brushes Tang’s hair out of her eyes.  They glow in the evening light, bright and malicious.

“I have a few errands, and while this mortal is useful, he is a bit...weak.” She flexes Tang’s fingers experimentally.  “You’re quite the muscle.  I think you’d be quite useful, hmm?”

Pigsy does know a challenge when he sees one, but this time, he’s backed into a corner, with no way out, so he slumps his shoulders.

“Alright.  Just….just don’t hurt him.” It comes out a tired plea.  “And stop-don’t ruin him like that.” He gestures to her getup.  He’s sure she’s only showing him this to hurt him, because he wants Tang.  Not whatever this abomination is.  Just practically, it would give her away if she didn’t change back. Though he’s not sure how much of a choice he gets, regardless. 

She sighs, but after a moment the pleasant red and gold return, and Tang’s hair is black again.

“Fine.  Picky, though,” she places Tang’s hand on his cheek, cupping the side of his face, and Pigsy’s cheeks warm.  When he looks up, everything about Tang looks normal, except the blue rims on the glasses.  He looks away.

“Tomorrow,” he tells her.  “We’ll start tomorrow.  And once-once I’m done, you’re out of him, got it?” 

He glares, and she smiles, Tang’s mouth curving into something more unhinged.  Brown eyes glow light blue.

“It’s a date.”

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Tang doesn’t remember the few days that he disappears.  He doesn’t even remember disappearing, to be honest.  He just walks to the noodle shop as if nothing is wrong, because to him, nothing is.  

He can tell that something off, though.  Not wrong, but off, because when he walks the feeling of his feet against the ground is muted.  Everything is a little muted, like all of his senses are muffled by something.  He shakes his head a few times, to try and break through the fog.  It doesn’t work.

He waves at Pigsy when he walks in, and then nearly jumps when he’s grabbed.  He tries to open his mouth to say something, but suddenly everything goes cold, and he’s pushed back into his own head.  Someone else takes the reins, Something Else moves his lips.

Family emergency, he hears himself say.  He sees the reflection of himself in Pigsy’s eyes.  His glasses are different.  Pigsy notices.

He watches the Something Else make Pigsy very aware that the Something Else exists, and then he is thrown into the passenger’s seat.  When MK comes over to ask for a story, Tang is allowed to tell him one.  When Mei talks about her next race, Tang can avidly respond.

He keeps trying to explain that something’s wrong, to them, but when he opens his mouth to try and say the words nothing comes out, or the Something Else will say something.  A joke, or a fact, or nothing at all, and doesn’t silence sometimes speak the loudest.  

It knows too much about him and the longer he knows it’s in his head, the more he can feel it, cool tendrils poking into memories he’d rather have private.  It searches, it pries, and it leaves no stone left unturned, leaving Tang feeling vulnerable, invaded.

The day ends.  Pigsy asks to walk him home and Tang finds himself agreeing before he can stop himself, before it can.  He wonders if it even tried.

They walk, and it’s only a matter of time before Pigsy snaps.  Tang is honestly surprised it hasn’t happened sooner, when he’s unceremoniously thrown against the wall.  It hurts, but much like his other senses, the pain is muted.  He knows Pigsy isn’t using his full strength though.  Pigsy can throw people five times his size out the door with ease.

He follows the conversation with bated breath, and then he sees something like recognition flicker in Pigsy’s eyes, and he hears Baigujing, and it says Bajie, and—

Oh.

There’s a knife to his throat.  

He sees his reflection in Pigsy’s wide eyes.  His hair is white.  His eyes are a startling, glowing blue, and he can feel blood welling up where the knife pierces his skin.

Pigsy buckles.  Tang watches him leave.

“What do you want?” he asks, to the Something Else.

He gets farther and farther away from control with each step she takes in his skin, every moment he isn’t allowed to speak.  He can feel cool shackles on his wrists, thick as steel.

“You like him very much, don’t you?” A voice, chilling and cruel, rings in his ears.  Tang doesn’t need her to specify who she’s referencing.  They pass by a window, a storefront.  She stops, and turns to it, so Tang can see her smile with his mouth in the reflection.

Tang’s blood turns to ice, and he wonders if it’s because she’s the one in his body or if it’s just his fear, in the end.  She grins wider, and Tang’s helplessness and terror grow.

“I am going to break him, and you are going to watch.”

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The next day Pigsy is quiet.  He doesn’t say much besides telling MK to take out the orders placed on the counter.  His eyes occasionally flick to her, to Tang, to the thing sitting on the counter that looks familiar in looks alone.

Pigsy knows he has to remember.  He can’t forget that this isn’t Tang.  Even when he sees her sitting on the same barstool with that same smile, when she learns how Tang holds his chopsticks and learns how Tang eats, even when she is already perfecting something that everyone else sees is perfect.

This isn’t Tang.  Pigsy can’t forget that.

That night, she gestures for Pigsy to follow her.  He does, walking step by step with her, waiting for her to tell him what to do.  She takes him toward the marketplace, where Pigsy goes to get his ingredients a few times a month.

“You remember that Spider Queen, don’t you?  Quite the adventure we had,” she says, and Pigsy bristles at the implication.

“You weren’t there,” he growls out. 

She places a hand on Tang’s chest, expression one of mock offense.  “How could I not have been?  I mean, you were there with me. Is this not the skin?” she tugs on the fleshy part of Tang’s wrist, hard enough that the skin goes red.  

Pigsy says nothing, and shrugs.  

“Regardless, the Spider Queen will get in my way if she isn’t handled, so you’ll take care of her.  Better to squash a bug before it grows.” She points to the Spider Queen’s stall.

“I don’t kill anymore,” Pigsy grunts.

He hasn’t for years.  He took that part of himself and locked it away, made himself small because he wanted people to feel safe around him without being scared of what he could do.  He doesn’t kill.  He makes people food, he doesn’t harm them more than any other mortal could.

The knife is back out, and Pigsy knows where she’ll imply it going.

“I do,” she purrs.  “And you’re mine, so you do too.”

Pigsy clenches his fists, and shifts.

He’d imagined showing Tang his demon form.  Imagined preparing for months, carefully explaining.  Imagined going someplace remote, someplace theirs, and revealing himself.  Imagined scenarios where Tang ran, imagined scenarios where Tang stayed.

He grows tall, and burly, and looming and powerful.  He’s about eight feet tall, here, with the muscles to match the height.  His rake appears in his hand, prongs sharp.  It’s as tall as he is, and the prongs are longer than his forearm.  She looks up at him with an impressed expression that looks wrong on Tang’s face, yet makes Pigsy’s cheeks burn anyway.

“Magnificent,” she breathes, and he shivers at the sound.

He holds his rake tight, setting it on his shoulder and glancing over to the stall.  He tries to stop his hands from shaking, as she leads him to the entrance.

“Give me a lift, won’t you dear?” she asks and Pigsy grits his teeth.

He lifts Tang up, gentle with his body because even if Tang isn’t the one asking Pigsy will be damned if he hurts him like this, and they descend.

The Spider Queen’s lair is as eerie as he remembers it, though it seems to have been upgraded.  There are pods of glowing green liquid everywhere, and a computer as well.  He catches what looks like a human bent over it, tapping at keys and sighing to himself.

“Is it done yet?  The world needs its Queen to return.” He hears her voice from the right, and shifts a little to hide as she comes in.  The man at the computer stiffens, and turns around at perfect attention, bowing.

“U-Unfortunately, such a complex undertaking is going to take more time, my Queen,” the man trembles out.

“What are you waiting for?” Tang’s voice slithers into his ear, and Pigsy fights back the urge to growl, letting out a huff of a breath and narrowing his eyes in annoyance.

“An opening,” he replies.

“This has to be done by New Years!  I want to start the Year of the Spider on time,” she growls the last part out.

“Y-Yes, my Queen,” The scientist replies.

She turns away, and that’s when Pigsy jumps down.  She just barely dodges his rake and Tang jumps off of his shoulder to settle in the shadows.  Fine.  Now Pigsy doesn’t have to worry about him getting caught in the crossfire.

The Spider Queen recovers quickly, getting into a battle stance.  She gives him a once over, and then smirks.

“So the pig is back to fight, hmm?  I would have liked to see you in this form last time,” She purrs out the words, chuckling to herself.

Pigsy charges without response.  He swings his rake, she ducks, throwing out a sharp leg.  He blocks with his arm and grunts when the blade edge of her leg digs in.  He lifts a leg and kicks her, no holds barred where her humanesque body and her spider body meet.  A weak point.

She lets out a shout of rage as she’s knocked back.  He slices to the right, knocking off her helmet.  Long, messy black hair tumbles down in front of her face.  She pushes it back, darts forward, throwing out some webs.

He dodges the first few, but one catches him by the foot, trapping him to the floor.  He twists and dodges as best he can when he can’t move, but she’s closing in.

He throws out the rake, in a last ditch attempt as she goes in for the killing blow, and catches her neck between two of the prongs, following through with the swing, bringing her crashing down onto her side.

“Fool!” she grits out, twisting her legs to try and stand.  “I am the Queen of this world!  I will feed you to my subjects, you—”

Pigsy twists the rake in one sharp motion.

Crack.

She goes very silent, and very still.  Pigsy breathes, as her body slumps down on itself.

Okay.  

Pigsy slowly, carefully, pulls away the rake.  

He waits for movement.  He finds none.

Okay.

“Do try and make sure she stays dead.”

He jumps at the sound, turning around to see Tang.

Tang is watching.  Tang.  Tang watched—

Not Tang.  He has to remember that.

Her eyes glitter in the low light.

“A broken neck can be fixed.  Make sure she can’t come back.  Wouldn’t want to have to deal with a vengeful Queen, right?” She gestures to the corpse.

Pigsy grips his rake tightly.

The prongs go through flesh far too easily.

He thinks they’re about done, but then she points to the computer.  More specifically, to the man cowering beneath the control panel of the computer.

“No witnesses,” she says. “Get rid of him.”

Pigsy is frozen in his spot.

“Please,” the man begs. “I didn’t want to help, I had no choice!  She was going to kill me-I-I’ll destroy everything I did!  I’ll delete the code.  Everything!”

“You misunderstand.” Tang-she-walks carefully towards the cowering mortal.  “We didn’t do this to save the world.  We did this to get her out of my way.”

Dawning horror flashes on the man’s face.

Pigsy hesitates.  A demon is one thing, this is just a mortal.  A human.  Pigsy glances at the man, and imagines her pointing him at MK.  Or Mei.  He couldn’t.  He can’t.

“Would you rather I do this?” She pulls out the knife, pointing it at the man.  “I know you prefer him in red, though I hear blood is difficult to get off clothes.”

At the thought of Tang, who could be still in there, having to watch himself kill, Pigsy moves.

The man hedges his bets and runs.  He ducks under the knife and Pigsy’s outstretched arm, sprints toward the exit, but Pigsy’s arm swings around after him.  He can’t take more than a step forward because his foot is still stuck by the webs, but his legs are long and his arms much the same.  He reaches over in a panic, and grabs the man by the head, aiming to muffle his shouting, stop him from doing anything while Pigsy tries to negotiate, when—

There’s a sickening crunch, and squelch, and the man goes limp.

Pigsy is very, very aware of the liquid dripping from between the spaces of his fingers.  He’s afraid to open his hand.

She claps, then is at his side, cutting him free of the webs.

“Good work.” She pats him on the side.

Pigsy trembles.  Slowly, he opens his hand.

All of his body falls but the head. The head.

Pieces drop, clattering or squishing or dripping.  Pigsy’s hand is covered in it. Hair clings to his fingers.  Skin folds in on itself on the ground, with nothing solid to hold it taut.

Pigsy feels like he’s going to be sick.  He didn’t mean….he hasn’t taken this form in years, decades, he isn’t used to the power it holds.  He didn’t mean to, he was panicked, he just, he needed the man to stop.  That was it, it wasn’t on purpose, he didn’t mean—

“Feels good,” she whispers in his ear, somehow.  “Doesn’t it?”

Pigsy stumbles away, trying to shake the pieces, the blood, the person off of his hand.  He trips over the Spider Queen’s body and crashes into the computer, destroying it.  His knees pull toward his chest as he tries to breathe.  

It takes a good minute for him to realize that she’s rubbing a hand up and down his back in a comforting manner.  He looks down at her, because even sitting he’s taller, and her smile is—that’s not hers.  

“Tang?” his voice is hoarse.  His tusks always get in the way of speaking.

Tang smiles.  It’s soft, pitying, almost sympathetic.

Pigsy feels himself melt, a little.  It’s almost familiar.

“It’s okay,” Tang says, but is it him?  Pigsy doesn’t know if he wants it to be.  A part of him craves the comfort of something familiar, another doesn’t want Tang to see him at his worst, covered in blood, with a body count.

“That’s enough for tonight,” Tang says, she says, Pigsy can’t tell.  His head is already trying to process what he’s done.  “Let’s go.  C’mon.”

Pigsy lets himself be helped up.  He lifts Tang onto his shoulder and climbs out of the cave, shivering when the chilly night air whips past him.  He still has a few hours before he has to get up for work.  He sets Tang down on the ground, shifts back to his smaller form.

Tang looms over him like this.  Pigsy regrets becoming small.

“Shall we?” Tang gestures towards Pigsy’s apartment.

Pigsy nods, and they walk home.  Once they arrive, Tang heads to the couch, and Pigsy to the bathroom.  He scrubs and scrubs at his hands, until the water stops turning pink and then some.  His palms burn, skin scraping against skin, but he can see the pieces that can’t fit in the drain.

He vomits, finally, in the toilet.  He coughs, wiping his mouth, and hunches over the sink, glancing at himself in the mirror.  Deep breaths.  He just needs to remember that this will be over, eventually.

“I’m going to bed,” he calls, as he leaves the bathroom.  

His hands are still shaking.  His throat burns, and he lets it, maybe as a punishment.  He doesn’t know.

“Goodnight!” Comes a voice that sounds too much like the real thing.  Pigsy takes in a shuddering breath and vanishes into his bedroom.

He curls underneath the blankets and tries to get the cold feeling to escape his bones.  It seems to settle in, regardless.

It takes him a long time to fall asleep.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Whatever Tang had imagined she’d make Pigsy do, it wasn’t this.  He watches as they head to the market, and then as Pigsy changes, per her request.

He wonders if Pigsy would have ever shown him this form otherwise.  As is, Tang is terrified, but not of Pigsy.  He’s worried for Pigsy.  Because he knows the power Zhu Bajie can wield. here He knows that she knows, too.

Watching Pigsy fight and kill is as impressive as it is heartbreaking.  He can see the shock, the horror, as Pigsy grapples with his actions.  Tang can’t fight the revulsion when he sees Pigsy kill the poor bystander but at the same time he can’t hate him for it.  

He could never hate Pigsy foremost, but in this instance, he can’t hold this carnage against him. Not when Pigsy curls in on himself, his bigger form trying to be as small as possible.  Not when he won’t look at his own blood-stained hands.

He moves to take a step, stumbles as she throws him the controls.  The longer he isn’t allowed to do anything, to speak, to move, the harder it is to get used to doing it when he has control.  He wonders if he’ll forget how to walk eventually.  He wonders if he’ll forget how to breathe.

He tries to comfort.  He’s not allowed to tell Pigsy that it’s him, because she won’t let him, but he can comfort, because she needs Pigsy functioning for this to work.  Maybe Tang should be offended that she’s using him, but truthfully,  he just wants to do something to help Pigsy.  He can’t just stand aside to watch.  It’s almost worth being used if he’s used to help.

Pigsy looks at him, then.  Tang wants to apologize.  To beg for Pigsy to stop. He doesn’t know if Pigsy can recognize that it’s him, either.  The words don’t make it to his throat and she throws him into the backseat again.

When they get home, Pigsy stays in the bathroom for too long.  Tang hears the sound of retching and winces.  He wishes he could do something, say something.

As he falls asleep, he still wishes he could apologize.  For something.  Anything.  Everything.

He can’t feel his legs.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The next morning, Pigsy gets up and heads to work.  Tang is sitting upright on the couch.  Pigsy pointedly doesn’t look at him, quick while making breakfast, eating, and grabbing his chef’s coat before heading to the shop.  He typically starts two hours before opening, setting up the dough, stringing out noodles.

He’s slow, today.  His hands shake as he tries to work, he’s halfway to where he’s supposed to be when MK comes down, on time for once.  He forces himself to speed up because he knows calls will be coming in soon.

He sets the broth to boil, stirring once, glancing down at it to check its progress, and—

It’s red.

It’s red and it’s spilling from his fingers, sticky and thick as it falls into the broth, the stench of it has him trembling violently enough that the spoon slips from his fingers.  Pieces of hair and bone bubble up from the bottom, and Pigsy sees an empty eye socket, staring at him in terror, pleading horror, begging for mercy.

He grabs the pot and pours it into the sink, he can’t let anyone see it, can’t let anyone know what he’s done, the stains settling deep into his skin with no way out, no way to make it disappear.  A man is dead.  A man is dead and Pigsy killed him and it’s everywhere and everyone is going to know and he has to get rid of it.

When he pours it into the drain, there’s not a spot of red in it.  He watches his half an hour’s worth of work disappear with an unsteady breath, setting the pot back on the stove and washing his hands.  The water boils his fingers.

“Uh...Pigsy?” MK calls.  

Pigsy turns and does not look in the direction where he knows Tang will be.  He catches MK’s expression, brow is pinched in concern.

“What?” He doesn’t mean to growl the words out as he does.

“Um, why’d you do that?  It looked almost ready,” MK points to the now empty pot.

Pigsy hides his shaking hands by clenching them into fists. “Bad batch,” He replies, succinct.

When he glances MK’s way, he imagines how easy it would be for him to repeat last night.  Would it sound the same, the skull crunching in his grip quick, or would MK’s Monkey King powers offer enough resistance so that it’d be slow?  

Pigsy remembers his old name, his old title, his old desires.  He would fight with Sun Wukong and enjoy it.  He is powerful, then and now.

He promised himself he wouldn’t be that person again, that he’d be better.  But looking back at that journey, is it any wonder that he’s so quickly fallen back into the same bad habits?  Zhu Bajie was rude, cruel, a liar.

Why’d Pigsy expect that he could change?

“A shame.” 

He nearly jumps, at the sound of her voice, his voice. He glances at the blue rimmed glasses, brown eyes.  Warm and cold.

“It looked delicious, at least,” Tang says, head resting on his palm.  He smiles, soft.

Pigsy looks away.

He gets back to work.

Some of her jobs are simple.  Break something, find an artifact.  Pigsy learns not to ask questions, because none of the answers give him much comfort.  Occasionally, Pigsy will get his hands messy, stained with the blood of demons.  Those nights he barely sleeps, too busy trying to scrape the dried liquid from beneath his fingernails.

He justifies it, even though there is no true justification for the carnage.  Thankfully, there haven’t been any more mortal deaths.  The demons he fights are bad, he thinks, as he watches them bleed out on the floor.  The demons he fights would be going after MK if he didn’t get rid of them first.  

MK mentions offhandedly that there haven’t been as many demon fights recently.  Pigsy horrifies himself with the sick satisfaction he feels, the pride that swells in his chest.

He’s able to justify his actions, but it doesn’t fix the gaping hole in his chest with every swing of his rake.  The worst part, he thinks, is that it’s becoming easier to do.  There’s a certain familiar numbness that comes with a higher and higher body count.  He went through it thousands of years ago, when he first began fighting, and he goes through it now.

It settles in faster this time.  Must be his experience.

He stays in the kitchen more often during the day.  Ignores the banter between MK and Mei when they barrel in, only half hears the stories shared.  He tries to lose himself in the motions of cooking, something that’s his, safe.  He can still do this.  So he’s fine.

She’s always there, either at the counter during the day or by his side at night.  Pigsy makes a few valiant attempts to text someone, to tell them what’s happening, but she steals his phone and Pigsy isn’t allowed to touch it.  She nearly cut off Tang’s finger when he attempted to take it back.  He stops trying.

She follows him when he goes out, whether it be to the market or just on walks.  No one raises an eyebrow at this—Pigsy has always stuck close to Tang, and vice versa.  To the outside world, this is normal.  She can tease and cloy and claw her way close to him and it’s just the silly antics everyone else expects.  Any reaction Pigsy has is normal too, when he shouts and rages and pushes Tang away, because that’s just how he reacts.  He’s loud and he’s mad.

He’s being played and he’s playing right into her clutches, but he doesn’t know what he can do.

Pigsy is so tired.  Some days, he manages to convince himself that things will be fine, soon.  He has to think it will be. If the demons were stronger than him, he thinks, maybe they’d deserve to live.

If they were stronger than him, maybe he’d get to stop.

Another development, one he can’t wrestle his feelings together on, is how Tang, how she, acts during their expeditions.  There are lingering touches across his back, fingers trailing on his neck, a palm cupping his cheek.  Sweet smiles thrown his way, gentle words whispered into his ear, arms curling around his form as he’s pressed against Tang’s body.

Every time he freezes, caught between revulsion and want, because he loves.  Desperately.

That’s why he’s doing this after all.  That’s why he even bothers.  Sleepless nights, reopened wounds, returns to bad habits—it’s all for a man Pigsy cares just a little too much for.

She gets bolder with each passing night.  Interlaces their fingers when he sets his hand on the counter during the day.  Sends him compliments that make him weak in the knees.  He knows that it’s not Tang, but sometimes he wonders.  Maybe hopes. 

Because she’ll smile at him, but it'll be Tang’s smile, soft and almost a smirk but never quite there.  He doesn’t know if that means Tang is still in there or if she’s just getting better at pretending to be him.

He doesn’t know which is worse.

It’s a little over a month later, one night after a job that leaves Pigsy’s hands bloody and his eyes weary, that he gives way, collapses in on himself.  He grabs Tang’s scarf in shaky hands and trembles, because he’s so tired.  He misses his best friend. He misses the person he’d do anything for, the person he’s doing the unspeakable for.

“Please,” he whispers, voice hoarse.  “Take me-just-I’m stronger than him-I won’t fight back, you can do all the damage you want just—” he chokes on the words.  “Give him back to me.  You can have me, just give him back.” 

He takes a shuddering breath, blinking away tears.  They fall down his face anyway.

“Please.”

He trembles against Tang, something familiar made foreign because she’s stolen it from him, against something as silence fills the space.

Soft hands lift his chin and he hears a chuckle so familiar.  He hates that doesn’t know who is laughing.

“Oh, Pigsy,” And it’s her, and it’s Tang, and Pigsy searches for understanding as a thumb brushes away his tears.  She, Tang, leans down until their eyes are level.

Pigsy searches for something familiar in them.  

His favorite color is the color of Tang’s eyes, brown with a hint of red, soft and warm.  

“Why would I need you, when you’re already giving yourself to me?”

And then Tang-she-his lips collide with Pigsy’s and-and-and—

Pigsy’s eyes are wide.  This is-he’s wanted this for years, it’s everything, nothing, all at once.

He shouldn’t like this.  This isn’t-it isn’t Tang.  But Pigsy is pressed against the wall as Tang’s body leans forward, like everything Pigsy has ever wanted, and Pigsy closes his eyes.  He closes his eyes and forgets, just for a moment, where he is and what’s happening, decides to be selfish.

When his eyes are closed, he can’t see anything.  He can only feel Tang’s hands on the sides of his face, holding him so tenderly, Pigsy’s hands still bunched up in that scarf.  He can’t see the glowing blue eyes, or the smirk, he can only feel the smile against his lips.

Tang pulls away first.  Pigsy drops his hands and nearly trips over himself, eyes wide open again to blue eyes and a wide smile and a laugh that is cruel and knowing.  

“My, my, that sure was something!  You really are desperate, aren’t you?” she says.

Pigsy wipes his mouth, trembling.  He feels sick, not because he didn’t like it, but because he did.  Does.  

“You-I—” he tries to explain himself, but she tuts and walks forward with a small smile on her face, patting him on the head like one would a dog.

“It’s alright, I understand.  For a mortal, he is attractive.” She fiddles with Tang’s hair.

Pigsy wants to throw up.  He wants to scream.  He wants to throttle her, but he can’t hurt Tang.  

He might have already.

How much does Tang see, does Tang feel?  Did he see this, feel this?  Did he watch Pigsy use him, like the monster he is, because Pigsy is selfish?  The thoughts spiral deeper and deeper into something self destructive and Pigsy bites on his thumb hard enough to make it bleed.

“If it’s any consolation, he loves you too,” she says, and Pigsy freezes.  “Do you think he never noticed how your hand would twitch toward his?  You’re terribly obvious, but he’s a coward as well.”

Pigsy feels his breathing pick up.

Tang, he, he love-loved?  Past tense, did Pigsy ruin it?  Did he break something he never even had?  Might not ever have, now?

A hand trails across his back and Pigsy shudders.

“No need to worry.” She leans in close, until Pigsy can feel her cool breath against his ear.  “If you’re good, I think I can make this happen again.”

And then she walks away, leaving him in the wreckage.  Pigsy breathes, clenches and unclenches his fists, fighting back the urge to cry because he doesn’t have the energy for more tears.  He moves to leave, when—

“It seems you do have a bit of control left,” he hears, right before she’s out of earshot.

Everything goes cold.

What does that mean?  Was the kiss...was that Tang?  Or was it-what does that mean?

The more he thinks about it, the more his head goes through loops.  Tang is in there.  Tang has control-some, a bit, no specifics.  Pigsy isn’t a thinker, he doesn’t know how possession works.  Maybe-maybe Pigsy isn’t as terrible as he thinks he is.  Maybe that means, maybe, it wasn’t all a lie?

His walk home takes ten minutes longer than it should.  He keeps bringing up his fingers to his mouth, tracing the spaces where Tang’s lips slotted into, like a perfect puzzle.  Every part of him she touched tingles like static, and Pigsy can’t think, can’t find a single thought.  If it wasn’t Tang, if it was just her...

He doesn’t know how to cope with the fact that he doesn’t want this.  Not like this.

He doesn’t know how to cope with the fact that deep down, he does.  Regardless.

What kind of monster does that make him?  

Is it worse than the one he already is?

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Tang is quiet when she kisses Pigsy.  He doesn’t feel anything, touch long lost to his senses, floating in empty space.  Some days, he doesn’t know where he ends and she begins but he knows that he has no weight to himself, not anymore.

He’s quiet, an ache in his chest growing ever painful as Pigsy gives in, and he wonders if it would have been like this if it were him.  Something in the heat of the moment, passionate, real.

He wonders and grieves a life he isn’t having.  She uses his mouth and whispers sickly sweet nothings and turns Pigsy around so that Tang isn’t sure that Pigsy knows what’s up and what’s down.  She walks away and leaves Pigsy to try and collect himself, and all Tang wants to do is say sorry.

For what, he isn’t sure.  This isn’t his doing.  But that was him all the same.  

Tang bows his head and sniffles.  He watches her wipe his eyes.

“It seems you do have a bit of control left,” she says, staring down at the tears in his palm.  She flicks the water away.  “Get over yourself.  If you wanted this, you should have made it happen.  You had plenty of time.”

And the worst part, Tang thinks, is that with the years he’s known Pigsy, he knows she’s right.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Pigsy tries to keep some semblance of normalcy after that, though it’s hard.  He can feel Tang’s eyes on him, gaze lingering as Pigsy moves, day after day.  He tries to keep his cheeks from flushing, tries from reacting at all, when Tang looks his way.  He forces himself to remember that the kiss wasn’t right, wasn’t Tang.

But at the same time he can’t forget what he heard.  What it could mean.  Pigsy has mired himself in despair so deeply that the scrap of hope he feels is enough to keep him teetering on the edge of something dangerous, something selfish.  

There’s a change in the air between them, he knows. MK and Mei notice too, as much as he tries to keep this from them, keep them safe.  He doesn’t want them trapped, like he is.  He couldn’t handle it if they were.

“You guys have been acting weird.” Mei hops up to the counter as she speaks, glancing between Tang and Pigsy with squinted eyes.

“Oh?” Tang asks, leaning his head on his hand.

Not Tang.

“Yeah, you guys have been real clingy,” MK slings an arm around Mei’s shoulders, rubbing his chin with his hand.  

Mei brightens.

“You guys have finally gotten together, haven’t you!” She points an accusatory finger at the both of them.

Pigsy freezes.  Flushes from his feet all the way up to the tips of his ears, and Tang laughs, a soft, sweet, bell of a laugh.

“Were we that obvious?” Tang chuckles into his sleeve.

Mei bounces in her seat, and MK looks away, a little flustered himself at the idea.

“Uh, totally!  We, uh, we both saw this coming.  Yeah.” Pigsy would laugh at MK’s poor attempt at a lie if he wasn’t frozen in place, stuck between horror and something else he can’t acknowledge.

Some part of him wants to pretend this is real.  Some part of him, growing with every passing second, wants to play along until he forgets it’s a game.  Because he’s been fed emptiness and sadness and helplessness and, suddenly, there’s this hope—maybe false, maybe real, dangling in front of him.  

There’s something good, and something kind, and something Pigsy needs.  Something so cold it becomes warm and Pigsy would like to be warm.

“How’d it happen!  I want details!” Mei leans forward, face a few inches away from Tang’s, and Pigsy fights the urge to pull her away from him.  He doesn’t know if it’s because he wants to keep her safe or him.

Tang goes into a story, dipping into the tone he would with Monkey King tales, and Pigsy feels the edges of static crawling up his neck, a high pitched tone drowning out the noise of conversation as he tries to make sense of the situation he’s in.

How did he even get to this point?  He traces back memory after memory, but nothing makes sense.  The pieces don’t fall into place, even as he finds each and every one to try and put it all together.  It’s like someone has sanded the edges down, or covered them in ice, so they slip and scrape against each other.  Pigsy stands still, and slowly swivels his head to glance at his family, Mei and MK and Tang, all situated at his counter, like they’ve always belonged.

He keeps reminding himself that it isn’t Tang, not really.  But is it so terrible to pretend?  When he’s already worse than he’s ever been?

“It was really special.  Right, Pigsy?” Tang turns to him with an expectant grin, and Pigsy flushes again, a color Tang once told him was a dusty rose.  

He doesn’t snap.  He bends, because when you bend, the cracks are slow to break.  And Pigsy has always taken things slow, hasn’t he?

“Right.” He steps forward, his hand beneath Tang’s chin.  Tang has always been the most handsome person Pigsy has ever seen, and how could that change, even with blue rims?

Tang’s lips brush against the side of his face, for the effect of MK and Mei’s groans, and Pigsy smiles.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Tang trusts Pigsy with his life

That goes without saying.  As he forgets what it feels like to move his fingers, as he forgets what taste is, he knows above all else that he can trust Pigsy with his life.  

After all, Pigsy is why he’s alive at all.  Anyone else would have buckled under the pressure by now, being the slave of the Baigujing.  Anyone else would have made a mistake that would have left Tang a bleeding corpse on the ground.

Pigsy shoulders on, regardless of everything, because he values Tang’s life above all else.  Tang knows this.  That’s why he trusts Pigsy.

But things are changing, just a little.  Pigsy’s desperation for something real, for Tang as he’s meant to be, is dying.  Somehow, she’s bewitched the love of his life into something that is becoming unrecognizable.  And Tang, though he is losing the memory of touch, of taste, of movement, finds this somehow more terrifying, more horrifying.  

To see Pigsy vanish, just as Tang did, with no one making him disappear but himself.

Pigsy leans into her false touches.  He melts into the kisses she forces upon him.  His resistance falls slow and Tang can do nothing but watch and wonder quietly, as numbness threatens to swallow him whole.

He trusts Pigsy with his life.

But he doesn’t know which life Pigsy is trying to save.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

It keeps happening.

At night, when he gets moments of clarity, when he remembers how awful everything is, Tang will be there with honeyed words and precious touches to sweep Pigsy off of his feet and forget.  Pigsy will be horrified by the sight of death in one moment and locked in an embrace in the next, kissed with a passion he can’t help but return.

“You’re so strong,” Tang will say, with reverence to his tone.  “It’s incredible.”

Not Tang.

Pigsy will fight against the pride that comes from the compliment, then fail every time to stifle it.  Because he is strong, incredibly so, and he is powerful, and he can swipe through any demon with ease.

Nevermind the brothers, crying out for each other when he’d separated them, the way one had gone pale and quiet when the other went still, because they were a pair made one.  You can’t kill a pair at the same time, unfortunately.

Pigsy knows he should feel guilty, should fight more.  Knows that this isn’t right, it isn’t real.  It’s so easy to forget, though, so easy to cling to something good when everything else hurts.

It’s so easy to set aside the memories of how wrong it all is.  So easy to hide it all away, focus on the elation, the kind smiles, the gentle touches.  Tang washes blood off of Pigsy’s hands when they get home—it’s their home, how could he forget—and curls up with Pigsy in the night, holding him close, and Pigsy clings, because he needs this.  Needs something that makes him feel like things are okay.

The thoughts reminding him that this isn’t Tang start to slip through Pigsy’s fingers.  He finds himself relaxing around the shop, smiling when he sees Tang at his seat, squeezing back when Tang interlocks their fingers.

Why fight it?  Sometimes it hurts, and god does it, but there’s something so lovely about it now, everything he ever wanted with a price he’s fine paying.

When you take a pig out of its domestic environment, it easily turns wild.  Hair, tusks, a penchant for violence.  And Pigsy hasn’t been out of his domestic environment in years, but he’s a pig, in the end, lost in the wilderness of an icy forest and blue eyes.

“Hey, Pigsy?” MK’s voice comes from behind him.

Pigsy turns from his work to see his boy at the counter, wiping it down as he waits for orders to come in.

“What?” He glances between the pot and MK, deciding the pot will be fine for a few seconds.

“Are you doing okay?  You, uh, you’ve been kind of quiet,” MK rubs the back of his neck, awkwardly.

Pigsy opens his mouth and closes it.  He glances to the empty seat.  Tang’s empty seat.

He doesn’t actually know where Tang has gone, but it’s so rare for it to happen.  Pigsy tries to remember the last time Tang wasn’t in his spot during the day, but tracing memories that far back is like poking at the wreckage of a shattered pot; you’re bound to draw blood.

The tiny vestiges of resistance crawl from ash and leave burning fingerprints on the forefront of his mind.

Tell him, he hears himself think.  Tell him!  This is your chance!

But the truth is so, so painful, and Pigsy doesn’t have it in himself to shatter this equilibrium.  Isn’t it so much kinder to let it settle beneath the surface, to hide the pain and make it so no one knows at all?  He doesn’t want MK to look at him with horror and disgust.  He doesn’t want to have to try to fix something that might be broken beyond repair.

This is nice.  This is okay.  He’s happy like this.  Why ruin it?

He reaches over and ruffles MK’s hair.  MK playfully smacks his hands away, and Pigsy chuckles.

“It’s my job to worry about you, kid,” he tells him.  “I’m fine.  Orders will be out in a minute.”

He waves MK off, and goes back to cooking.

Tang appears a minute later, in his seat.

“Hey,” Pigsy hears, and he turns, leaning on the little divider between the kitchen and the dining area.

“Hey, yourself,” he replies, and Tang smiles and kisses him soundly.  Pigsy’s brain short circuits.

“What was that for?” He asks, something like incredulous elation in his voice as he laughs.

Tang’s face screams victory.  Pigsy wonders what he’s won.

“Oh, I just felt like it.”

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

He supposes he has his answer.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

He’s finishing up another job at the end of the month when Tang claps his hands together.

“Well, I think that’s it,” he says and Pigsy freezes, realizing what may come.  “I don’t really have any other errands to run, and you’ve done your end of the bargain.  I’ll be out by morning.”

No, Tang can’t go, he can’t.  If Tang leaves, then what will Pigsy be?  He needs this.  Tang, Tang’s good for him.

He whirls around, and a hand reaches over to rest on Tang’s shoulder.  Tang.  Tang is good.

“I-wait-but,” Pigsy finds it so hard to articulate his thoughts nowadays.

He’s always been the muscle, Tang is the smart one.  Pigsy is good at doing, not talking.  He shouldn’t speak when everything comes out scrambled anyway.

“Use your words, now, dear,” Tang says, and Pigsy melts, like he always does.  How can he not, when Tang is looking at him like that?  Like Pigsy is his?

“I want to-you can stay-can you?  I need you to stay.  Please?”

Because Tang makes Pigsy feel whole, makes Pigsy feel loved.  He can do whatever Tang wants him to do, whatever Tang needs, Pigsy will make it happen.

Tang’s fingers trail down Pigsy’s face.  Pigsy leans into the touch, even though Tang’s fingers are cold.  Tang feels cold, but that’s okay.  Pigsy doesn’t mind.

“Oh, Pigsy,” and it’s Tang.  Pigsy searches for understanding, as a thumb brushes away his fears, soft.  Tang leans down until their eyes are level.  Pigsy finds familiarity in them, like he’s known them for an eternity.

His favorite color is the color of Tang’s eyes, blue with a hint of white, hard and cold.  

“All you had to do is ask,” Tang leans forward, and his lips brush against Pigsy’s, and Pigsy leans in.

It’s everything he’s ever wanted.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

When ice touches the ocean, there is no crash.  The ocean fights back against the shift in form at first, but eventually is quieted by the power ice wields.  The ice smothers, the ice settles on top as a slate, and the sea goes still, everything hidden beneath, never to reach the surface.

Tang watches, from the prison in his mind, and the cuffs  on his wrists are so much tighter.  He can't feel where the cuffs end and his arms begin. He can’t feel his hands. He can’t feel anything.  All he has left is his vision, which is more a cruelty than a blessing.

When ice meets the earth it fills in the crevices left by time and expands, cracking stones apart and leaving it crumbling in its wake.

Tang curls in on himself as she shows him a kiss he never got to give, as Pigsy leans in with no hesitation, lost in something Tang can’t save him from.  He curls away from the sight and tries to pretend that things can get better, that they can be saved, but he doesn’t know.  Not when it hurts this much.  Not when he’s lost this much.

Something like betrayal rests bitterly in his stomach.  Pigsy left him.  For an imitation, Pigsy left him, and Tang knows there’s more there, knows there has to be, has seen it unravel, but it doesn’t change the fact.  

Pigsy made his choice, and Tang is the one suffering the consequences.

Tang crumbles quietly.  He doesn’t even know, here, if he has eyes to cry from.  It feels like he’s crying.

It feels like he’s screaming. No one hears. Even him.

If the water is still, it does not crash against the earth.  There is no tide, and the earth remains unchanging.  Except, even without the waves, time erodes it all.

Tang has nothing but himself and time.

[tigerseye46]

Fighting But Failing

Hey. Remember when I said I was working on possessed Pigsy stuff. This isn’t the confrontation I mentioned but this is something else. I’m sorry Tang and Pigsy.

Possessed Pigsy Masterpost

TW: mention of blood, mention of injury, possession, manipulation, forced behavior, has some non-consensual elements (more specifically non consensual kissing.)

  Pigsy screams as the White Bone Spirit continues to possess him, he’s lost in his mind, trapped by chains he can’t escape from. He sees what he’s doing to Tang, sees what he’s doing to his kids and he sees what he’s doing to his brothers, rage boils in his chest. All he can do is observe, the spirit has a hold on him now. The spirit smirks at him, he glares back in response.

  He feels himself turn and wrap his arms around Tang’s waist. “Mornin’ love.” The words that come out from his mouth aren’t his.

  “Mo-morning.”  

  “How’s my beautiful future husband doin’?”

  “I’m okay…”

  He sees himself kiss the back of Tang’s head and he notices Tang flinch. He hates himself, he allowed this to happen, he allowed himself to be possessed and now everyone is suffering the consequences.

  What does Tang think of him? What would master think of him if he knew? What if Tripitaka already knows? What if he’s somewhere safe in Heaven completely disgusted at the actions of his second disciple? He has every right to be. Pigsy is disgusted with himself. Yet no matter how much he tries, the chains only get tighter especially when the White Bone Spirit casts illusions in his mind to make him give into his desire quicker. He knows they aren’t real but he can’t help it. It’s all he’s ever wanted, to be loved, appreciated, cared for, even if it’s for a single moment, even when the illusion shatters and the White Spirit lets out a cackle, leaving him broken and full of regret, he can’t help it.

  How can he when an illusion of Tripitaka holds his face and tells him he’s wanted him since the very beginning? That he’s always loved the pig, that Wukong is never what he wanted, how despite his flaws he loves Pigsy so deeply and sweetly that their separation stings and how he begs for them to be reunited again.

  How can he when a vision of Tang teases him and doesn’t look at him with fear in his eyes? The vision of Tang stares at him with devotion and passion. A Tang that kisses and tells Pigsy that he’s going to be happy with their life together, being assured that he isn’t forcing the scholar to stay with him.

  How the feelings are clear and he can pretend that they both want him. He can get his happy ending if he lets this happen, lets the White Bone Spirit do her thing even if civilians get hurt. He shakes his head because how can he even think that?

  “Darlin’, where’s the outfit I gave ya?” The conversation snaps the pig back to reality, he hates the frightened look on Tang’s face.

  Tang tenses at the nickname. “I don’t know…”

   “Didn’t ya just have it?”

   “Mhmm… I… um… don’t really like it.”

   He bends down to observe the scholar, the human takes a step back from him. “But you would look beautiful with it on. It would be fittin’ with me as the king and you as my queen.” He kisses the human’s hand.

   “I know but… it’s- it’s uncomfortable.”

   He sighs and rubs his face. “Fine. You can wear whatever ya want for today. You’re lucky you’re cute.”

   “T-thanks.”

   “If you want to thank me, you could give me a kiss.” Tang winces and leans in to give him a quick peck on the cheek. “Not there, dear.” He kisses him on the lips and grips his waist to make sure the human doesn’t move. Pigsy wants to throw up, he tugs on the chains in a futile attempt to get himself free.

   When they separate there’s a tear running down the human’s cheek. He wipes it away quickly and his hands ball into fists. “Can I just stay in bed?”

   “Sorry, babe, but I want to spend the whole day with you.”

   “Gr-great.”

   “Well I do have to get our kids at some point. That can wait until later.”

    They reluctantly go through their day with Tang flinching every time he’s touched by the pig.

     Pigsy can only watch as his possessed body flirts with Tang, making him uncomfortable in every way, shape and form.

    The White Bone Spirit strolls up next to him, her eyes full of glee and her arms behind her back. “You seem to be enjoying this.”

    He narrows his eyes and attempts to lunge at her but she teleports and appears behind him. “I AM NOT! I WOULD NEVER TREAT TANG LIKE THIS!”

    “But you want this, don’t you? Think about how terrified he is.”

     “I KNOW THAT!”

     “It’s so fun to watch this happen. Tear your little group apart. All I need is your master.”

    “DON’T YOUR DARE TOUCH HIM!”

    “Oh, I won’t. That’s your job.” She winks and walks a few steps away, her back turned. “I’ll let you have your fun for now before I take over more.”

   “I won’t let that happen!”

   She snaps her fingers. “Won’t you? The chains only get worse.” Her cackling is heard again and she disappears to wherever it is.

   He hyperventilates and focuses on the screen in front of him, he knows an illusion will appear soon. The scene in front of him is painful, he hovers over Tang, closer than the scholar is comfortable with and he can see his hands fidget to prevent himself from pushing the demon away and dealing with his anger. He can’t watch. When he turns away from the scene, there is Tripitaka. He yelps and takes a step back, the action just makes his “master” step forward.

   Tripitaka gives him a sickeningly sweet smile. “Bajie!”

    Tears run down the pig’s cheeks, his bottom lip quivers. When he’s face to face with Tripitaka, the monk places a hand on his cheek and he just leans in. “M-master.”

    “Oh, I missed you.”

    He bitterly laughs. “I saw ya just the other day.”

    “Well, that is different.” Pigsy nods and his head turns back to him and Tang. He has Tang on his lap, his hands caress the scholar, he can see him holding in his breath. Tripitaka grips his face and forces him to look away from the scene. “Focus on me, love. You are making me jealous.”

     “Jealous?”

     He rolls his eyes. “Obviously. You’re in love with that scholar, he does take some of your attention away from me. Although, I know how important he is to you and I know no one can take your heart aside from us two. You’re mine.”

     “There’s no reason to be jealous. I love you both the same! But aren't ya disgusted?”

     “Disgusted? Why would I be?”

     “Because… because… I’m not in my right mind! You see how I act! I’m forcin’ Tang to be with me!”

     “I would never be disgusted by you. You aren’t forcing him to be with you at all. He loves you. I love you. You know this. You are doing what we want. Taking us away from that despicable monkey. All I need for you to do is take me away. You’re strong enough to do it. Too bad you got to the scholar first.” He grins. “But I am patient and I will wait.”

   “I… I…. I love you too. I’m tryin’.”

   “I know and it makes me love you even more.” The words poison his mind. “You know when we see each other again, I want you to show me the world, the world we will build together with you as the king. A place for us and only us.”

   His eyes sparkle at a world only for them. “It’s all for you,” he admits in a whisper. “Everything I do is for you. It’s all dedicated to you.”

   Tripitaka beams and kisses him. “I’m glad.” He melts at the contact, he knows this isn’t right yet his mind is broken. He’s using this illusion as an outlet, if his master ever knew he would hate him for the rest of eternity, not like the monk doesn’t already hate him. The monk hates him for his stupidity, getting them captured every single time even when the monk puts on an air of niceness, he’s aware how fake it is so he gives into the trick because this Tripitaka won’t hate him, won’t turn him away, won’t rush towards Wukong and call him his savior.

    The pig can hardly recall a moment when he was fighting back against the mirages. Had he even fought against them at all? He thinks he’s did, he’s not sure though. He thinks he used to turn them away after the first time then he only fell deeper and deeper.

    When he’s kissing Tripitaka, he feels a pounding in his skull, he holds his head and hisses. The vision disappears in a mist and the White Bone Spirit appears again. “I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of seeing you like that.”

    He puts a hand over his mouth to muffle the sobs. “Shad-Shaddup.”

    Her chin juts out and she comments, “It gets easier each time. You hardly question it when one of them appears, you hardly fight and you know the best part?” She kicks his back when she doesn’t answer, leaving her foot on it. “Do you?”

    “I don’t want to hear it,” he answers in a low growl.

    “Too bad. I barely have to do this either but your reactions are too cute,” she mockingly coos. “You’re so desperate and it makes tearing you apart even more worth it. I’ll let you have your fun for a few more days before I enact the rest of my plan.”

     “I won’t let you!”

     “You already have. You’ve given me the reins and I will bring the era of the Monkey King to its knees.”

    “Leave my brother alone.”

    She ignores him and gestures to the screen, his eyes widen. Somehow in the midst of all of this, he has left the castle and is now fighting his older brother. There are words and blows exchanged, nasty words spill out of his mouth, he goes on and on about how much he hates the monkey and he sees his brother bite his lip.

    At one point he says, “Remember what I said last time? That ya should have stayed gone. We hardly need you anymore. You’re useless.” Then he uses his newfound ice powers to freeze part of Wukong’s arm. His brother flinches, more from the words than the blow and he breaks his arm free.

    “Bajie…” The monkey can’t even get a word in before the possessed pig charges and charges, Wukong barely manages to dodge every time.

    He’s trying to stop himself from hurting him, it never works. He might be angry at the monkey but he never wanted this. He never wanted to hurt him. The whole scene makes his stomach twist. What if there’s the smallest possibility that Wukong won’t be able to dodge in time?

   The fight ends when Wukong smacks him in the face with the staff, he holds his nose, blood dripping from it and bruises littering his body. He sees Wukong cover his mouth. Pigsy narrows his eyes at him, leaving with one last scowl and curse.

   As he goes to retreat to the castle, Wukong attempts to grab him until he freezes his feet and returns back to his home.

   Tang spots him from the top of the stairs, his mouth wide open. All Pigsy wipes his nose and kisses Tang, apologizing that he failed and promising to win next time. He forces the scholar to patch him up.

    The White Bone Spirit laughs menacingly. “So close. Not really but a good job on the effort.” He only growls at her. “The problem is you’re still too weak. A few more days then I’ll deal with your brother myself.”

   He grits his teeth and lunges at her. She does her vanishing act same as usual. His head rings and his mind goes black.

    Everyday he drowns in the sea of lies, of illusions, letting himself fall little by little until his mind is broken. He is fighting but failing, just what the White Bone Spirit wants.

[skellebonez]

Since it looks like your in "pain mode" today, how about a prompt with Freenoodleshipping or Shadowpeach and the numbers 10 and 18?

I got so upset about losing that other fill that I decided to do fills out of order because I wanted to come back to the lost fill later on and immediately knew what I wanted to do for this one anyway... I’m picking on Macaque again, and Wukong this time.

Warning: non-graphically described injuries (though not nearly as bad as last time), anxiety, hurt/comfort.

Stop it! You’re only making it worse!/ Looks like we’re going to be stuck here for a while.

“Looks like we’re going to be stuck here for a while,” Macaque groaned as he kicked a stone hard enough to shatter it against the wall of the cave system that he and Wukong were trapped in. Together. Alone. With only the cell phone Xiaojiao had insisted on Wukong owning for light. “Fan-flipping-tastic.”

“You’re not helping,” Wukong hissed, tail swishing behind him as they walked through the tunnel and looked for any weak spot the could use to get out. He wasn’t happy, not in the slightest, and he wouldn’t be until they got back out of here.

“There isn’t much I can do to help,” Macaque snapped, kicking and shattering another rock in his frustration. Wukong noticed that he let out a hiss of his own after doing so this time and turned away from him. “Not until we find the exit. Or make one. Or try to make one and get buried alie-”

“Not. Helping!”

Macaque tensed at the snap, looking down at the ground as they continued on. “Sorry. That was... a bit far. Just... sorry.”

He sounded genuinely apologetic, not something the Monkey King was used to in his sudden attempt at... whatever kind of either redemption or something or other he was trying to accomplish, and when Wukong turned to look back at him he looked the part too. Tail and ears dropped, head lowered, gait slow and... off.

“Mac, are you hurt again?” Wukong stopped in his tracks. “Don’t lie to me.”

Over the course of time that the other immortal monkey had been staying with him Macaque had been injured a lot more than Wukong thought possible, but then again it had been a long time since he had seen him. He’d known the other could be hurt, hell he had thought he killed him the last time they had seen each other before the incident with Xiaotian after all, but the way he just brushed off his injuries was...

Well, it was just worrying enough to get his mind off the ice cold feeling of anxiety creeping up his neck. To distract him from how much his hands were shaking and how his thoughts raced and how much he tried not to remember the last time he was trapped in a mountain.

“Yes, Peaches,” Macaque replied with the tone of a sassy teenager who was being scolded by their parent. “I’m hurt. That’s what happens to me. I’ll heal, that’s also what happens to me. I’ll be fine, you know that.”

“What is it this time?” Wukong turned around fully, making a beeline back to his companion. “I don’t see any blood.”

The answer he received was mumbled under Macaque’s breathe, too low for even his hearing to catch, and Wukong sighed and thwapped his arm with his tail. Not hard at all, just enough to get his attention again. He looked back up at Wukong and sighed, gesturing with both arms down to one of his legs with a half smirk. “It’s broken.”

“It’s b- Your leg is broken?” Wukong asked incredulously.

“Only a little, Peaches, I’ve been walking on it just fine!” He argued back, putting pressure on it and wincing immediately. His fur poofed up in a tell tale sign of agitation. “Just fine.”

“Have you been kicking rocks with your broken leg the whole time?” Wukong ignored his assertions of finery, kneeling down to get a better look. Under his clothing he couldn’t tell it was broken at all, but the way the fabric stretched definitely showed it had swollen around the break.

“It’s fine, I needed a distraction!” Was the defense he received as Macaque turned and kicked another rock, this time actually yelping in pain and looking fearful at the fact he had let himself be heard letting that sound out.

“Stop it!” Wukong put his phone on the ground and grabbed him, lifting him off the ground with the darker furred monkey’s side pressed into his chest and earning an offended gasp in return. “You’re only making it worse!”

“Uh, I think I know my limits Bud!” Macaque didn’t even bother to struggle against his grip, but he sounded more annoyed the longer he was held.

“You are yelping in pain you clearly do not!”

“Oh yeah, like you know when to stop doing anything yourself!”

“Just let me focus on you damn it!”

“Instead of what? The mountain we’re... the mountain...” Macaque trailed off, having apparently noticed what he was saying and how much Wukong’s grip was shaking. How unsteady his breathing was. How his voice almost sounded like it was going to break.

“Shit... shit, Peaches, uh... are you... ok?” His questions were stilted, awkward, like they felt odd on his tongue. They probably did, they hadn’t really talked about feelings after the the whole mountain crumbling thing with Xiaotian and Red Son. They’d kind of just brushed the affection he had shown him in his injured state to the side to deal with later.

Well... it was later apparently.

“Y-... no,” Wukong admitted, feeling like he would be a hypocrite if he denied anything right now. “I have a history with-”

“Mountains, yeah,” Macaque acknowledged. “I get how that could. Yeah.” He paused for a moment, tail coming around to brush against Wukong’s own, which was shaking just as much as his grip, softly. “We could probably break out, you know,” He offered after a moment.

“I think we’ve destroyed enough mountains this week.” Wukong couldn’t help the small chuckle that escaped him as he lowered Macaque down onto his unbroken leg and turned to look down the tunnel again. “I don’t want to completely ruin the scenery.”

Macaque didn’t answer at first, just letting his tail wrap around Wukong’s in a soft grip as he leaned on his shoulder. They stood there for a moment in the darkness of the cave, leaning against each other, and eventually Macaque wrapped his arm around the other’s shoulder too. Wukong’s shaking didn’t stop, but it slowed down and Mac eventually leaned down and grabbed the phone from the floor before returning to that position.

“Distract yourself,” He said after a moment. “While we walk. I promise I won’t put more pressure on my leg that I need to.”

“Ok,” Wukong answered as he wrapped his arm around Mac’s shoulder and helped him along, talking about anything he could think of.

And Macaque kept his promise, all the way up until they actually found the exit.

[starrosefics-archive]

Could I request 33 with FreeNoodleShipping please?

(Love all the little things you wrote)

33. "Right, well, I hate where this is going."

“Right, well, I hate where this is going.”

It seemed Pigsy was the only person to feel this way. Mei was already bounding down the dark, creepy tunnel and he could hear her phone camera going off. MK was quick to follow, followed by Sandy. Pigsy sighed. “Why do I even...”

A warm hand wrapped around his.

“Let’s go!” Tang said, leading him down the tunnel. Pigsy felt his whole face warm. It got worse when a teasing grin was aimed his way. “Don’t worry, I’ll protect you.”

Pigsy raised a brow. “Oh, you’ll protect me.”

“Absolutely!”

“I’d love to see that.”

“What, you think I can’t?” Tang adjusted his glasses. Pigsy wisely kept his mouth shut at the sight of Tang’s glasses becoming reflective. The scholar brightened. “Good choice.”

An hour later, Tang kept his promise when MK accidentally ticked off the demon living in the tunnel.

Pigsy didn’t even know he was strong enough to pick him up like that.

Send me a prompt, please!

[starsfic]

Can I ask for a prompt with Misc 18 and 16 with freenoodleshipping please?

Misc 16. “Are you sure you want to commit to that for the rest of your life?” and 18. “Fuck what everybody else thinks!”

“Are you sure you want to commit to that for the rest of your life?”

Tang looked up at his mother, his excited smile turning uneasy. “Y-Yes?” he asked, suddenly hyper-aware of his posture and his hair and everything. “I’ve been waiting for this chance all my life, Mother.” He glanced down again at the university acceptance letter. “This is perfect-”

“If we wanted a scholar in the family.” his mother huffed. “It’ll look ridiculous in everybody else’s eyes.”

“Fuck what everybody else thinks!”

He knew, at that instant, he had screwed up as those eyes narrowed...

Tang woke up with an unhappy noise. He barely managed out to make out his and Pigsy’s room with the darkness of night and the fact that he wasn’t wearing his glasses. He sighed at the memory of the dream-nightmare-thing.

Then a warm arm sleepily pulled him into a warm body.

He sighed again, much more happily, at the fact that Pigsy could tell. He snuggled into his partner’s side, much more content to dream about other things.

His mother wasn’t around to tell him not to.

Send me a prompt, please!

[kitkat1003]

@winterpower98 ‘s White Bone Spirit Tang gave me dark freenoodleshipping ideas

yes I am writing a long fic about this

[tigerseye46]

House of Madness

Worked on some possessed Pigsy au stuff! 

Warning: Possession, Forced Behavior, Pigsy is kinda yandere in this ngl

                                      ---------------------------------

 Four days has passed since Pigsy took him to this place, this horrifying place. It’s all icy, the walls barren, he almost tripped the first time Pigsy took him to the castle, now it has long carpets in the hallways, possibly in some failed attempt to please Tang. Regret wells up in him, he should have seen the signs, he should have noticed when Pigsy began to change but he didn’t, not until it was too late and now Pigsy was possibly lost to them forever.

 Tang sighs as he explores his prison, he’s tried to escape before but no matter what, Pigsy is one step ahead of him. The pig has left all sorts of traps to make sure Tang never leaves. He keeps an alarm that only he has the passcode to, if he gets the slightest idea that the scholar might leave, he’ll drop everything and come right on back even if he’s in the middle of a fight with Wukong. He stops at the mostly empty library that Pigsy set up, for now it is only filled with books from their apartment, the pig promises he’ll get more.

 The scholar picks up a book, scanning the cover of it, he sighs again and sits on a chair, opening it. He questions if he should try again, maybe he’ll get lucky? He shakes his head, he’s never been particularly lucky, sure, he got lucky enough to be chosen to retrieve the scriptures but the ensuing journey was certainly not lucky. He ponders on what to do, so immersed in his thoughts that he gasps when arms wrap around his waist and a kiss is placed on his neck.

 Pig-, not Pigsy whispers, “Hello, my love.”

 Tang holds his breath for a second. “He-hello.”

 “Somethin’ wrong, gorgeous?”

 “N-no… you just startled me is all.”

 Pigsy kisses his neck again. “You were so cute while readin’, I had to sneak up on ya.”

 The Buddhist shivers at the contact. “O-oh…” He’s hoping that will be the end of it, it never is.

  “What are ya readin’ anyway?”

  “Hm? O-oh.” He looks at the cover again. “Something about adventure.”

  “Haven’t been payin’ attention? Is my little freeloader distracted? What were ya thinkin’ about?”

  Thinking of ways to get away from you, Tang wants to say but he holds his tongue. “Just something.”

  “Were ya thinkin’ of me?

  Tang pauses then answers, “Yes. Yes I was.”

  The answer satisfies the pig and he kisses him on the lips. When Tang refuses to kiss back, the pig growls and pinches him, he opens his mouth in shock and Pigsy uses that as an opportunity to further the kiss, pressing him against his body. Tang kisses back reluctantly until Pigsy is satisfied and they separate, the Buddhist holds back tears.

  “There, that wasn’t so hard now.” He rubs a thumb against Tang’s cheek. Tang mumbles something. “What was that, love?” He lifts his chin. “Speak up, I can’t hear ya.”

  “N-nothing…”

  “It didn’t sound like nothin’. I can barely understand a word that comes out from your pretty mouth that way. Now tell me what’s wrong. I can make it all better.” The smile he gives is unsettling, it’s like his icy blue eyes are trying to read into Tang’s soul.

  Tang shoves him away. He shouts “You’re is what is wrong! Don’t you see it? You aren’t you! You’re possessed! The White Bone Spirit has taken control of your mind, fight it!”

  Pigsy blinks for a few seconds, his eyes returns to their normal blue then he blinks again and the same icy blue appears. He grins madly and steps towards Tang, the Buddhist backs up until he hits a bookshelf, a few books fall off. Pigsy grips him by the waist and crowds over him. “Oh, sweetheart, what are ya talkin’ about? I’m completely in my right mind.”

  The Buddhist scoffs. “Yea, right then tell me, what are we doing here? Why aren’t we in your noodle shop? Why aren’t we with the kids? How does none of this seem off to you?”

  “Sweetheart, I think ya ask too many questions. We’re here because I’m gonna treat ya like the royalty ya are, I told ya that in the beginnin’, shame ya didn’t seem to hear me. And who needs that stupid shop anyway? Wouldn’t ya rather live in a place like this? You never have to do anythin’. The only reason our kids aren’t here is because that jackass has them. Don’t worry I’ll get them for ya.”

  “Don’t you touch them!” He shouts. “You leave them alone! Don’t you dare a hair on my kids’ heads!”

  “Our kids, love. Our kids,” he corrects. “I wouldn’t hurt them, ya know me. All I want to do is kill that monkey, he’s gettin’ in the way of our happy family. He tried to take you away from me but no longer.” He kisses Tang then whispers, “He won’t be a problem, we can be a happy family, just like I always wanted.”

  “You leave him alone too!” He hisses and attempts to shove him again but the pig keeps him firmly against the bookcase.

  The pig glares at him. “What?! Why?! Are ya in love with ‘im? Ya are, aren’t ya? I won’t let ‘im take you away from me! I’ll kill ‘im!”

   “No! I’m not in love with him!”

   “Really?! Because it seems as if ya are! I’ll go fight ‘im right now and get our kids then you’ll only love me!” He adjusts his crown and turns away from Tang, he’s decked out in ancient Chinese armor, his cape swishing a bit as he walks.

   Tang ponders what to do, he can’t risk him fighting Wukong and his kids getting taken to this place. He grips Pigsy’s clothing and smooches him suddenly, the pig smooches back with eager intent. Tang’s heart thumps, this isn’t Pigsy but his mind is racing, he wants this, he wants Pigsy but he’s smart enough to know that this isn’t him and he’s only doing this so not Pigsy won’t capture his kids. He moves away from Pigsy and tries not to appear disgusted at the creepy grin the pig gives him.

   Pigsy replies, “Wow! Passionate, aren’t ya?”

   Tang blushes. “Qu- quiet.”

   “No need to be embarrassed, doll. I think it’s rather cute.”

   “Don’t call me doll!” His cheeks puff up.

   “Awwww. What, don’t like that nickname? Don't worry, I have a thousand other things to call you.” He backs away to finally give Tang some room to breathe.

   “Tch.” Tang narrows his eyes at him and he bends down to pick up the books littered on the floor, stacking them on top of each other, one is a translation of the Journey to the West. He holds it with one hand and as he’s about to put it with the others when Pigsy grabs his arm. The pig’s eyes observe the book. “Is something wrong?”

  He takes the book from the Buddhist’s hands. “Want to read this.”

  The Buddhist raises an eyebrow. “Why? You’ve never been interested in those stories before.”

   “Well, love, there’s a lot ya don’t know about me.” He runs a hand on the Buddhist’s cheek and winks. “I can’t wait until I get Tripitaka here. Gods, he’s going to be beautiful, after I get him and our kids, everythin’ will be complete.”

   Tang raises an eyebrow. He’s heard Pigsy comment about Tripitaka, him before. He hasn’t asked yet and he’s scared to ask. The comments paralyzed him. It was always something like “I can’t wait to go into Heaven and grab him,” “My gorgeous master, I’ll treat him like royalty,” “It would be great to have your idol here, wouldn’t it, love?” He still has no idea what the pig means and he knows he should try to figure out. Why is Pigsy planning on kidnapping him? Well, he’s already kidnapped him but the pig doesn’t know that. The only pig demon that Tang has ever been familiar with aside from Pigsy is Zhu Bajie. He sighs, he hasn’t seen Bajie in ages, the pig was and is his first love, he misses him and wishes he was here to save him. Pigsy is his second love, but Pigsy isn't Pigsy and he’s trapped and Tang needs to get out yet he wants information on why he wants Tripitaka so bad, curiosity is burning into him.

   “Pigsy?”

   Pigsy purrs. “Yes, love?”

   “Um… why do you want Tripitaka?”

   “Don’t be jealous, babe.”

   “I’m not!”

   “You’re both equals in my heart. He’s beautiful just like ya are, how could I not want him?”

   “What? You don’t even know him.”

   “I know him, doll but relax your pretty, little head. No need to be jealous.”

   “Don’t call me doll,” he repeats.

   Pigsy smirks and plants a kiss on his cheek. “Why not?”

   “Because I’m not a toy!”

   “You’re right, ya aren’t. You’re more like royalty, although I could treat ya like a doll if you want.”

   “Shut up.”

   Pigsy narrows his eyes at him and roughly pulls his chin up. “Now babe, it’s rude to tell your future husband to shut up.” The pig’s blue eyes glow as he says this, it makes Tang shiver, the chef’s fingers are cold like they have been for some time. His blue eyes glow brighter. “Never tell me to shut up again, got it?”

   Tang nods reluctantly. “Got it.” Pigsy smiles and lets go of his chin. Tang puts the rest of the books back and as he finishes, Pigsy lifts him into the air. “Wh-what are you doing?”

   “Almost supper time. I should treat ya like the king or queen ya are and escort you myself,” he replies and walks Tang to his dining room, book still in the pig’s hands as he takes him.

   They arrive at the dining hall, the pig gently lets him down and pulls out a large throne meant for Tang. He silently commands for him to sit down, Tang glares but he knows better to disobey, he sits down reluctantly then the pig pushes it slightly.

   Pigsy kisses his cheek. “Any preference on dinner, love?”

   “No…”

   “Alright, I’ll make ya somethin’ then we can chat and have some fun later,” he purrs. He places the book on the table and saunters off.

  Tang grabs the book from the wooden table, he stares at it, he wants his disciples, he needs his disciples to rescue him, he doesn’t know where Bajie or Wujing are but he hopes they know what’s happening, he hopes there’s a plan to rescue him. He presses the book against his chest, he misses them, it’s been so long since he’s last seen them. He’s all alone and he has no one to rescue him this time, he has to be smart, the kidnappings have made him smart.

  Tang ponders on the information he’s gathered. Pigsy doesn’t want to eat Tripitaka, well him so that’s good at least. His heart thumps at the reason the pig took him to this place, he hadn’t realized that Pigsy was in love with him, how long had the pig been keeping it in? He does love Pigsy, the real Pigsy and he wants to be with him, not until he’s freed, until they’re both freed.

   The Buddhist knows he’ll have to comply with what the pig says, get him to lower his guard down then escape when he has the chance. He knows Pigsy doesn’t want to hurt him, he just wants the scholar to be his, he can deal with it, it won’t be too bad, right? All he needs to do is find a way to get out and get rid of the White Bone Spirit. He prays the group finds a way to rescue him and Pigsy. He moves the book away from his chest and flips to a page. The memories of his disciples and their journey flood back to him, they were always there to keep him safe but they weren’t here and he had to fend for himself.

   Tears fall from his eyes as he reminisces, the cold air of the castle sweeps through him and he shivers. He leans back into his wooden throne, he’s thankful it’s not made of ice unlike that throne Pigsy makes him sit in constantly. He twists the bracelet around his wrist that he was forced to wear, pulling the collar of his tight outfit, he hates it, it isn’t him, it isn’t comfortable like his old cassock or his current outfit. He’s practically a doll for Pigsy to dress up and play with, he can’t bring himself to hate the pig for it, he knows he isn’t in his right mind.

   He hears the doors swing open and he shuts his eyes. He hears multiple plates being set on the table. Pigsy places a thumb under his eye, he shudders at the contact. “Love,” The pig starts. “Why are ya cryin’?”

   Tang sniffles and wipes his tears with his hands. “Oh I didn’t realize. It’s nothing.”

   The Buddhist opens his eyes when the pig runs a hand through his face, Pigsy is down on his knees. A soft look is on his face, it’s almost like he’s him again. “It’s not nothin’. You are my queen.” Tang rolls his eyes at the queen part as more tears roll down his face. “You deserve to be happy. What’s wrong?” He wants to tell Pigsy everything, he wants to open up to him, hug him, kiss him but this isn’t Pigsy and he continues sobbing. “Hey,” he whispers. “Ya don’t have to be sad. I’ll take care of ya, I promise.” He presses a kiss to the back of Tang’s hand and gets rid of his tears.

   Tang observes him and smooches his cheek, the demon purrs and the scholar can’t help the smile that creeps on his face. He plants another kiss and enjoys the other purrs that come out of the demon. The pig has a lovestruck look on his face and Tang lets out a laugh. “I don’t doubt that. I’m fine now that you’re taking care of me.”

   Pigsy kisses him on the forehead and he turns red. “Okay but if anythin’ is botherin’ ya, you tell me. I hate seein’ ya upset. You deserve to be happy.”

   The monk beams. “Thank you.”

   Pigsy nods and sits in the throne right beside him. He holds the monk’s hand in his, Tang rests a head on his shoulder, for a moment he can pretend everything is fine. He blushes more when the pig places a kiss to his lips and feeds him, whispering gentle promises of love into his ear. Tang playfully pushes him away at one point when the pig uses a cheesy pick up line.

   “My love,” Pigsy purrs.

   Tang rolls his eyes and asks “Yes?”

   “Have I ever told ya how beautiful you are?”

   “Oh, only about a dozen times now. Although I wouldn’t mind hearing it again.”

   “Good cause I’ll tell ya as many times as I want.”

   “Wow, that almost sounds intimidating. Should I be scared?”

   “Just tellin’ the truth, dear.” He winks as he feeds Tang again.

   Tang accepts it and basks in their little domestic moment. “Do you ever run out of names to call me?”

   “Nope,” he replies. “I got a thousand in my head just for ya.”

   “I feel special,” he jokes as he chews on another spoonful.

   “As ya should, you’re mine after all.”

   Tang frowns for a second. Something about that statement makes him snap out of it. A pit of guilt forms in his stomach, he feels as if he’s taking advantage of Pigsy. The pig looks at him in worry and he has to look away because he can’t give in, no matter how many times he acts like Pigsy, he has to turn him away.

   The demon puts a hand under his chin to force the human to stare at him. The icy blue orbs quickly remind him of the possession, he bites his lip to prevent sobs from slipping past his lips. The demon furrows his eyebrows and Tang sends him a fake reassuring smile, Pigsy nods and continues feeding him.

   After dinner, the pig carries him to their room with the book of the journey still with them. The pig throws pick up line after pick up line at Tang while examining the book, he tries to scoot away but the arm wrapped around his waist pulls him in closer.

   Tang groans when another line is thrown at him. “You know you could do better than cheesy pick up lines.”

   Pigsy snarks, “Sometimes they work, I have other lines, just don’t know if you’re ready for that.” Tang huffs and leans against his shoulder. “Don’t worry, honey, we got time.”

   “Time? Time for what?”

   “For me to shower ya with as many compliments as there is. We have a lot of time.”

   “Oh, great. How wonderful,” he replies, sarcasm present in his voice but Pigsy thinks it’s sincere and gives him a peck on the side of his head.

   “So rose, do ya want to pay me a compliment back?” He winks, the scholar rolls his eyes and scoffs. The demon pinches his waist and he lets out a yelp, the demon’s eyes glow blue as they always do when he gets even the slightest bit angry or annoyed. “Well, do ya?”

   Tang freezes and takes deep breaths, he reminds himself that he has to get the pig to lower his guard down. As he cups the pig’s face, he trembles and touches his forehead with his, the other’s eyes dilate. “Yes… ummm… well… it’s embarrassing to say…”

   “Come on, babe. Any word that comes out of your mouth is stunnin’. Just say it.” Tang’s heart thumps at the compliment.

   “Well…” he taps his chin. “I love that you cook for me and never threw me out of your shop despite my unwillingness to pay. You care about me despite your gruffness…. And umm… yea.”

   The demon purrs and kisses him a whole bunch. “See, love, absolutely stunnin’.”

   “Thanks…”

   “I think that’s enough readin’ for tonight, babe. Readin’ this book bring back old memories of my journey.”

   “Huh?”

   “I’ll tell ya later. Let’s go to bed, can’t wait for ya to try on the other outfit I picked for you.”

   “Great…”

   Pigsy kisses him and gives him the silky pajamas he chose, thankfully for Tang they are more comfortable than his earlier clothes. Pigsy places his own crown to the side and gets into a better outfit. He snuggles up to the scholar, the demon rumbles, Tang tries not to coo on how cute this would be in normal circumstances. He adjusts himself so he is facing away from Pigsy, the demon whispers sweet nothings.

   Hours pass and Pigsy is snoring into his ear, Tang’s eyes droop and he looks at the bedside clock that the pig set up, it is now 3 am. Tang wriggles out of the pig’s grasp, he grabs a robe set aside on a chair, and puts it on. He tiptoes out of the room, once he’s farther enough, he bolts, he’ll have his escape tonight, nothing will stop him.

   He tries not to slip on the carpet as he dashes, he quivers at the air and wraps the robe around himself tighter. Despite the castle only having the two of them, it is humongous, he can barely wrap his head around it. He finds the icy stairs and grabs the railing, carefully walking down so he makes he doesn’t trip. He would tell Pigsy next time to cover the stairs with carpet or something, if there was going to be a next time that is.

   Tang smirks to himself and finds the front door of the palace, that would be too obvious. He searches around for another exit, he finds a window and tries desperately to thrust it open but he’s too weak. He scrambles around for another exit, his heart beats fast, he’s terrified of Pigsy waking up.

   There’s a door leading to the back entrance of the palace, does he risk it? He nods to himself, the door has no traps around it, if he’s quick enough he can run before the alarm sounds. He’s about to open the door when arms are placed on his waist and a figure rests a head on top of his own, his heart stops.

   “Sweetie…” he hears a growl. “What are ya doin’ up? I’ll give ya one chance to explain yourself.”

   He gasps and turns to face Pigsy, his eyes light up the darkness. “Ummm… well… I was looking for something to eat. I’m kinda hungry…”

   “DON’T LIE TO ME!” He shouts, his hands balled into fists, Tang flinches. “Ya were tryin’ to escape!”

   “N-no! I-!”

   “Yes you were! Don’t lie!” Pigsy slams a wall with his fist. “Your mine, ya hear?! MINE!”

   Tang swallows and backs up slowly, the pig is huffing out of anger, his fist still against the wall he punched. The Buddhist trembles, he’s regretting trying to run now, but a part of him wants to flee to escape Pigsy’s anger. When the demon turns, still with an angry expression, Tang feels goosebumps on his arms. The demon quickly lets go of his frustration and leans down to cup the scholar’s face. He smiles but Tang is trembling, scared out of his mind and crying, the pig’s cold fingers and dark smile made everything worse.

   Pigsy plants a kiss on his forehead. “I know you’re just confused. It’s okay. That monkey has poisoned your mind. I know ya want to be mine, ya just have been brainwashed.”

   Tang gasps, “I… I…”

   Pigsy shushes him. “It’s okay. We’ll be happy soon enough. I won’t let that monkey manipulate ya the same way he did master.”

   “Wh-what?”

   “Hm? I just said I wasn’t gonna let ya be brainwashed. Jeez, love bug, you’re supposed to be the smart one, although ya haven’t been actin’ so smart recently.” The pig let out a chuckle.

   The Buddhist rolls his eyes. He thought to himself, Pigsy had said “master,” Tang remembers when he use to go by master... wait… was he talking about Tripitaka? “No, not that! It’s just… you said something about your master? I wasn’t aware you had one.”

   “As I said, there’s a lot ya don’t know about me.”

   “Like?”

   “Now, babe, ya disobeyed me, don’t think ya have a right to know that information just yet.” Tang narrows his eyes, if he’s staying here, he needs information, he’s shaking but he needs to be smart. He pouts and gives the pig his best puppy eyes, the pig’s ears droop at the pout. “What’s wrong?”

   Tang wipes the tears left over from his fear, trying to make it seem as if he’s upset that the possessed demon refuses to tell him anything. “Well… it’s just…” he fake sniffles. “You refuse to tell me anything. I want to know more about you. I want to know what it was like before we met but you’re so secretive!” He covers his face with his hands and smirks when he hears Pigsy let out a whimper and attempt to pull Tang’s hands away to look at him. Tang wipes more fake tears.

   “Hey…. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to keep secrets from ya, I didn’t want to tell ya and have you get jealous!”

   The Buddhist hides his smirk, he has him in his grasp. He stomps his feet for good measure and takes a step back angrily when the pig attempts to pat him in reassurance. “Well you talk about Tripitaka all the time! You never tell me why, how are you so sure I’m not jealous now?!”

   “Babe…”

   “Don’t “babe” me!” He sniffles again. “I thought you didn’t care about me… I want to stay with you,” he lies through his teeth, “but you won’t say anything. How am I suppose to take that?”

   Pigsy frowns and shrinks back to his normal size. “I’m sorry… I’ll tell ya whatever it is you want.”

   He shows him a fake smile. “Thank you.”

   “But never run away from me like that again, okay?”

   Shivers shoot up Tang’s spine and he nods. “Okay…”

   “Good. Now let’s take ya back to bed then I’ll tell ya all ya want to know.” He carries the monk back to their bed, the monk sits up on the bed. “So what do ya want to ask first?”

   “Ummm… so you used to have a master?”

   “Yep, I was his disciple, we used to go on a lot of adventures together, most of which you have read about.”

    “Really? Because I would remember that.”

    Pigsy grabs the book from his bedside table and holds it up. “Yes ya have. It’s all written here, most of it anyway.”

    Tang’s eyes widen and he snatches the book from the demon’s hand. He scans it because the demon must be joking, he leans against the bed frame. “But this is about the Journey to the West…”

     “Yea, told ya that you have read most of it.”

     The gears in Tang’s mind spin as he tries to uncover the pig’s words. Master… Tripitaka… mentions knowing him…. a pig demon… no… no, no, NO! All the clues clicked but he doesn’t want to believe it. It can’t be, Tang is praying that he isn’t who he thinks he is. “Wait… are you- are you saying that your….” He trails off, he can’t finish his sentence.

      “That I’m the Zhu Bajie? Yes, I am, doll. Told ya I knew Tripitaka, he’s my gorgeous master. Took you awhile to figure that out.”

       “Are you- are you serious? Please tell me you’re joking!” Gods no, he can’t be Bajie! That would mean… that would mean his Bajie, his first love is also his second love and has been with him the entire and he never knew. He can’t be Bajie… his disciple who he’s longed to reunite with has been with him. A feeling of dread washes over him and he wants to laugh and to scream, Pigsy’s face is completely serious.

      “Why would I be jokin’ about this? I’m Zhu Bajie. It’s impressive, huh?”

      Tang feels his eyes water. The rake… the talk about Tripitaka… everything points to him being Zhu Bajie. “Ye- yea… impressive.” He thought it was a coincidence, he thought he would never see them again. He fixates his gaze at the book in his hands.

       Was Pigsy ever planning on telling him? Does this mean Sandy is Sha Wujing? His two disciples were going to fight their brother… this can’t be. Did Pig- Did Bajie love him? Love him back when he was Tripitaka? He always loved the pig, no matter what and… wow… This was the worst way to find out.

     Sobs escaped from his lips, his whole body shook and Pigsy wraps his arms around him in an attempt to comfort him. Tang gasps and stares at the book of his, of their journey.

      Bajie kisses the side of his head. “Awwww, babe, are ya cryin’?” Tang nods, he can’t look at the pig. “Ya don’t need to cry, I know how great I am but you’re even greater, just like Tripitaka is, I can’t wait to see him.” At the mention of his old name, he sobs louder. “Huh? Babe, don’t worry, you’re both equals. I won’t let ya or him get jealous. I’ll love you both forever and you’ll never be able to escape me.”

    As he stares up at the pig’s eyes, it hits him, he’s trapped in a house of madness.

[tigerseye46]

Possessed Pigsy Au Masterpost

Hey! This is stuff for my au about Possessed Pigsy! I don’t have much for it now but I’m working on stuff. Feel free to ask about it!

Possessed Pigsy Au

Possessed Pigsy Au Ideas

Futile Resistance and Manipulation

House of Madness

Never Let You Go

Fighting But Failing

His Plan to Vanish

[tigerseye46]

The Discord server came up with angst and now I crave for more! How about some FreeNoodles with 31? (You can do regular or your au, up to you)

MWAHAHA! Ask and you shall receive. Needed an excuse to write more of this au, lol.

Manipulation, Possession

31. “Just follow my lead. You trust me, don’t you?”

———————

Pigsy, well “Pigsy” stirs a pot of noodles, a creepy grin on his face, his eyes never blinking as he did so. Tang was too immersed in his bowl of noodles to notice that, although he could tell something was a little off about the way the pig had been acting. Aside from his eyes which was just probably the lighting, he had been making weird comments lately, including giving Tang as many bowls as he wants, he’s never done that before! The only time the pig had ever given him free noodles was on a rare occasion, he wonders what put him in such a good but at the same time, he got free noodles so he wasn’t going to question it much.

He flips to a page in his book as he pushes his now empty bowl away. “Pigsy, can I have another one?”

Pigsy turns to him and passes another bowl to him. “Of course ya can, Tang!”

“Thanks. You’ve been acting weird lately.”

“I have?”

“Yea, you’ve been in a good mood lately. I’ve been seeing you smile a lot more. What’s up?”

“Pigsy” opens his mouth to speak while the real Pigsy tries to use all his willpower to scream to Tang that that isn’t him but he can’t. Instead the chef comments, “Well I have ya and the kids, how can I not smile?” He purrs and lifts Tang’s chin up, Tang blushes.

“O- oh. Charm- charming…”

“Thanks, gorgeous. I try.”

“Gor- gorgeous?!”

“I’m not wrong, aren’t I?” He smirks and leans into Tang, extremely close to his lips, inside his mind he fights the urge to kiss Tang.

“I- I guess not…” He pushes the pig away slightly and nervously laughs. “Jeez, you’re really weird lately. Are you sure you’re not sick?”

“How can I be when I have ya right at my side? I’ll take ya away from that monkey and you’ll only be mine,” he mutters.

“What?”

“Nothin’. Ignore me and go back to what you were doin’.”

“Okay?” He eats the soup reluctantly, eyeing Pigsy who takes the time to smile and wave at him, muttering some intimate comments under his breath and it makes Tang shiver and blush slightly, he’s never known the pig to be open with his feelings, does he like him? Tang shakes that thought off, Pigsy is just being Pigsy right now, it doesn’t mean anything.

Their kid comes in shortly afterwards, wielding his staff and whistling. “Hey bába, hey papa!”

“Hey MK!” Tang says as he waves at him.

Pigsy spots their kid and rushes over to him, he gives him a big hug. “KID!”

MK giggles. “Hey papa!”

The pig nuzzles his child. “Did that stupid monkey train ya too hard?” He growls at the thought of Sun Wukong.

“No, I’m fine!”

“Good!” He continues to nuzzle his kid with Xiaotian secretly sending Tang a raised eyebrow, Tang shrugs.

The scholar gets off his stool and goes over to them. “You’re going to crush him, Pigsy,” he jokes.

“But look at him, Tang. Don’t you just want to keep him away from that stupid Monkey King?”

“What?” The two both question.

“Nothin’. Nothin’ you two need to know at the moment.” The two look at each other and decide to shrug it off. Mei comes in after that, waving her arms. “MEI!” The chef hugs her.

“Hi Piggy! Guys, there’s another demon attack! Sandy is there right now!”

MK twirls his staff. “Alright! We’re on it!”

Tang nods and Pigsy scowls. “Stupid monkey is makin’ ya handle all his dirty work, ya sure you want to do this, kid?”

MK cocks an eyebrow. “Yea… I’m sure.”

“Pigsy, MK can handle himself. Now let’s handle this demon.”

The pig scoffs. “Of course, love. I won’t let anyone touch our kids.”

“L-love?” Tang doesn’t have time to question it further as he gets dragged out.

The pig gives a scream in his mind as they go to face the demon, nothing comes out of his actual lips. The White Bone Spirit is smirking at him as she always does, she enjoys his futile resistance. He narrows his eyes and attempts to kick her but she’s too far away from him to actually do so, she giggles at his meaningless attempt.

“So much resistance, Zhu Bajie, haven’t we already decided you can’t escape me?”

“Shaddup” is his only response.

“Awwww, such a talker,” she teases. “You made it so easy to possess you. In fact, I hardly have to lift a finger.”

“I’m not doin’ any of this! This is your fault!”

“Is it? Is it really? I just pumped up your already bad qualities and you have so many.” She chuckles. “Now that I look back at it, you haven’t changed at all, so greedy, so selfish.”

He struggles against the chains. “Shaddup! You don’t know anythin’ about me!”

“I know plenty, remember? I remember how you flirted with me when I showed up, how jealous you were of the monkey.” She closes her eyes only to open one. “I also remember that monk, how foolish he was to believe you of all people.”

Pigsy growls, “Don’t you dare talk about him!” He struggles against the chains again.

The White Bone Spirit smirks and seemingly vanishes, the pig looks around and gasps as he feels a kick to his back. “You know another thing I noticed is even though you flirted with me, your eyes seemed to be on that monk. Poor you, all you wanted was his attention but how could he love you? A selfish pig, his eyes were always focused on that monkey and that’s why you did what you did.” Bajie stays silent. “No words? Pathetic.” She shapeshifts into Tripitaka and he holds back in his tears, she falls in his arms. “All you wanted to do was hold him, make him yours but he loved that monkey and who could blame him? After all, he was a much better option.”

Bajie closes his eyes and tries to block out the image. “SHUT UP! YOU AREN’T HIM! I KNOW YOU AREN’T!”

She lifts his chin up. “Bajie,” she says in a voice just like Tripitaka’s.

He opens his eyes rapidly, he knows this isn’t the real Tripitaka but he can’t help himself from falling again. “Mas- master?”

“Yes, Bajie. It is me. What are you doing, my Bajie?”

“I- I don’t know…”

“You should just give in.”

“But- but- I can’t!”

“Why not? Don’t you see how lonely I am without you? I haven’t seen you in ages.”

“You’re lonely without me?”

“Yes I am. All I wanted to do was for you to take me and never let me go. Why didn’t you?”

“Because I thought you loved Wukong!”

“No, how could I love him? He was the one who kept us apart from each other. He made sure we were never a couple, maybe I should have used the circlet on his head so we could run away together.” He smooches the pig’s cheek, the demon lets out a purr.

“Ya want to run away with me?”

“Of course I do. Now I am in Heaven without you, you left me.”

“I- I didn’t- I didn’t mean to,” he stutters.

“But you did. Now think about it, you could use all this power you got to rescue me.”

“Rescue you?”

“Yes, rescue me.” He smooches Bajie’s cheek again and tickles his chin. “I am trapped in stupid Heaven, I need you to rescue me then we can get married and live with your kids happy and safe, away from Wukong.”

“Our kids,” he replies. “They would be our kids. Ya really want to marry me?”

“Yes, our kids. Of course I do. We would do all sorts of fun things together. We could even bring that scholar you like so much.”

“Ummm… ummm…”

“Don’t worry. You could have us both.”

“H-huh?”

An image of Tang appears and he approaches them both. “He’s right, you know.”

“Tang?!”

“Tang” runs a hand over Pigsy’s face. “You could have us both,” he repeats.

Pigsy swallows and nods. “I could have ya both.”

The two seem satisfied and kiss him. Tripitaka states, “All you have to do is use your new power to get rid of Wukong and grab our kids then we can be happy.”

“Okay,” he says simply. “I’ll- I’ll handle him.”

Tang cheered, “See, that wasn’t so hard now.”

“Uh huh... Gods, you’re both so beautiful.” They smile and give him the affection he so desperately craves, he doesn’t notice how the chains on his wrist get tighter as he gives into his desire, happy tears roll down his face.

He opens his eyes and blinks out of haze. He stares at the direction in front of him, it shows the battle the kids are currently in, it’s like he’s looking at it through a tv. He sees Tang in the battle with the kids, but isn’t Tang with him? Then it hits him, this isn’t real and he’s been tricked yet again.

He lets out a wail then the fake Tang disappears. He stomps his feet, rage burning in him. He narrows his eyes at “Tripitaka” and the White Bone Spirit goes back to her original form. She smirks at him. “You are really easy to manipulate. Aren’t you, darling?”

He screeches, “SHUT UP! SHUT UP!”

“No, I don’t think I will.” She cackles and vanishes.

He turns his attention back to the battle. He pulls at the chains, he bites them, he does anything he thinks that can get him free. He screeches, he howls, he’s desperate but nothing works and he watches as his possessed body watches gleefully on the sidelines. He can do nothing to help his kids.

In the real world, Tang tries to help his kids and Sandy fight off the demon but they are struggling. He glances at Pigsy who is smirking for some reason, the pig hasn’t been doing much to help. As Xiaotian hits the demon, Tang rushes over to Pigsy.

“Pigsy! We could use your help!”

“Why, Tang?”

“Because we’re kinda getting destroyed out there!”

“But ya look so gorgeous fightin’ like that.”

“What? Are you joking? This is serious!”

“I know, I know. Don’t worry. I’m just lettin’ the kids have some fun first.” He shuts his eyes. “Now.” He opens them and his currently icy blue eyes glow along with his body. “This should be easy.”

Tang takes a step back. “What are you doing?”

“Just follow my lead. You trust me, don’t you?”

For some reason, Tang’s gut instinct makes him want to say no but why would he say no? This is Pigsy, he might have been acting weird but Tang has no reason to distrust him. Pigsy is their protector and whatever plan he has has got to work. “Yes, I trust you.”

Pigsy smiles and it sends shivers up the Buddhist’s spine. “Kids!” He calls. The kids look at him. “Stay back and let your father handle this. Stay behind Tang and Sandy.” The kids nod and get behind Tang, Sandy going next to them to protect them. The pig stomps to the large demon.

Tang reaches a hand out to him to stop him. “What- what are you doing?”

The pig sends him a reassuring look. The large demon they’ve been facing laughs at him. “What are you going to do, little pig?” They continue laughing.

Pigsy smirks. “Oh I’ll show you.” He puts his hand up and ice shoots out from his fingertips, he freezes the demon’s feet first, the demon tries to break free but Pigsy freezes the rest of them, a gleeful look on his face. He turns back to the group who have their eyes widened. “There, all taken care of.”

Tang goes “How- how did you do that?”

“Oh Y’know magic and such.”

Xiaotian approaches his papa, his eyes now sparkling. “Wow, papa! I’ve never seen you do that before! Can you teach me to do that?!”

Xiajiao asks, “Me too, please!”

Sandy keeps his mouth shut, a billion questions racing through his mind. The pig simply laughs. “Sorry, kids. It’s a special power only I can master.” The kids whine in disappointment. “Don’t worry. Ya two are plenty strong already. Now let’s go back to the shop.”

The scholar raises an eyebrow. “How come this is the first time we’re seeing it? You’ve never mentioned it before.”

The pig lifts his chin up. “Because doll, it was meant to be a secret but you’re so cute that I had to show ya. Did I impress ya?” He winks.

The scholar mutters, “Oh you definitely did something alright.”

Pigsy beams and plants a kiss on his cheek. “Now come on, let’s go home.” The kids nod and he walks to the shop, the two following behind him.

Only Sandy and Tang are left. Sandy mumbles, “In all the years that I’ve known him, he’s never done that.”

“Really? He’s never done that?”

Sandy shakes his head. “No, never.”

“That’s- that’s weird.”

“Yea… I feel like something is up with him lately.”

“Me too. Maybe we should keep an eye on him.” Sandy nods.

Pigsy shouts to them. “Hey, you two! Come on!”

They nod and walk with the rest of the group, Pigsy wraps an arm around Tang’s waist, the scholar blushes at the contact but eyes him suspiciously as they make their way to the shop. He has no idea why the pig is acting so weird but he should be mostly fine, right? Tang prays there is no reason to worry.

Meanwhile, the real Pigsy continues to try and break the chains, rage boiling and he screams but no one can hear him.

[tigerseye46]

I'm really enjoying your take on Pigsy getting possessed by the WBS, give me all that hurt/comfort and freenoodleshipping angst!

Thanks!! Glad you like it! I love your Tang and Su works and all your other works and art! I’m actually working on some possessed au stuff currently. I’m going to write one of confrontations between Wukong and Pigsy (should really work on the first one, lol) because I have very specific image in my mind on how Pigsy looks with the possession. I feel bad for both of them because on one, it’s not fun to learn your second disciple has been with you all along and the only reason you learn is because he got possessed. Two, WBS literally uses a bunch of illusions to persuade Pigsy. She doesn’t even have to later on but she likes manipulating him too much.

[skellebonez]

AKLJFAHKLFAS, I LOVE THE WAY YOU WROTE SU! If you don't mind me making another request with Tang and Su, how about 34 and 51 with more freenoodleshipping?

HEY-O I heard it was your birthday! HAPPY BIRTHDAY! I know you’ve been waiting a long while for this prompt (too long, I have so many...) so I yanked it out of the list and went all out in writing it for you today! I really hope you like it, I tried to work with Su’s new bee form and I have come to the conclusion that bumblebees are the cutest little balls of fuzz with wings.

Truth be told, I forgot they were even here/Can you two save the kissing for later?

"Tang, you're later than usu-whoa," Pigsy startled as the scholar entered Pigsy's Noodles for is usual lunch, deep dark circles under his eyes and hair so messy Pigsy couldn't tell what style it was supposed to be in. "Uh... you ok?"

"Hrmg," was the response he recieved as the man took his usual spot at the bar, barely removing his glasses before face planting into the hard wood with a thunk. The motion made the large bee hanging onto his back jolt, wings buzzing as they craweled further up to his shoulder muttering something softly that Pigsy couldn't exacty hear.

"I think I'll take that as a no," the chef sighed, watching as Su tried to get any kind of response from the clearly exhausted man and was only rewarded with a heavy sigh. "Hold tight."

If it had been any other time in his life Pisgy would be incredibly horrified about a large cat sized bumblebee with pink eyes crawling over his significant other, but at this point in time he was... somewhat used to it. Kind of.. Sure, he was still not entirely used to the whole symbiosis thing and he still startled every so often when they popped up from Tang's back and when Tang suddenly looked at him with entirely pink eyes. But it didn't really scare him like it used to (he would never admit that it used to scare him and that his first time seeing Su one of the first thoughts that he had was that he didn't know whether or not Tang was allergic to bees and instant panic... he still wasn't sure if Tang was allergic to non-demon bees, but he thought that one of them would tell him if he was at this point), and now when he knew Su was around he just reacted as if seeing them were no different than seeing Xiaotian or Xiaojiao. And it kind of was, he supposed.

He hoped that Su was picking up on that, given how adamantly opposed he was not all that long ago. He remembered he was... well, he remembered and was trying not to repeat it.

With the two sitting at the bar he could easily watch them as he prepared a bowl of fresh noodles for Tang, making sure to sneak in a few extra pieces of his favorite ingredients. It was clear the man was exhausted, but even so he did not ignore Su when they started to nuzzle against his face. He watched as Tang lifted a hand without turning his head and gently pat Su's head, rubbing a finger in the soft fuzz between their wings and chuckling softly as Su emmited a tiny purr in response (and if the size didn't give away that Su wasn't just a bee that demon purr certainly did). It really made them seem more like a weird cat than anything else.

Pigsy couldn't help but smile, putting the fresh bowl down to let it cool as he moved to prepare some coffee. It wasn't anything special, he was too impatient to wait for anything more than instant when he absolutely needed caffeine and he always prefered tea anyway, but it looked like Tang needed a bigger energy boost to at least get himself home and he wasn't picky as long as the coffee had enough cream in it himself.

In time he heard a groan and the shuffle of Tang sitting up, buzzing of bee wings signaling that Su had moved to sit on their usual shoulder perch. That was as good an indication as any that Pigsy needed before bringing the still warm soup and just hot enough to be gulped coffee and place them on the counter in front of Tang.

"Coffee first, talk after," Pigsy said as Tang opened his mouth to say something, not missing the soft smile he shot his way before sipping the drink as Pigsy turned to grab something else.

"Oh caffeine how I appreciate you," Tang mumbed out as he took another gulp of the coffee, seeming to care less about the taste than anything else. "Almost as much as Pigsy and Su."

"Oh, it's second place only to the two of us, huh?" Pigsy chuckled as he turned back around with a small saucer of... something that he placed on the counter, clear liquid with yellow something floating around in it.

"Ooooh, oh, what is that?" Su asked, wings buzzing in curiosity. "It smells good!"

"It better smell good, it's for you," Pigsy said with a shrug, taking in the surprised expression on Tang's face and the way Su's head turned in curiosity. "It's uh... sugar water. With some pollen from the flowers outside. Supposed to be like... a treat for bees I guess? Wasn't entirely sure if the pollen was necessary but... uh, it's not something you should have all the time, kinda like coffee." He added the last bit with a smirk toward Tang who let out a laugh.

Su buzzed excitedly, slowly crawling off Tang and making their way to the saucer between the two men to give it a tentative taste before eagerly helping themselves to the treat. Again, Pigsy couldn't help but make the comparison to a cat in his mind.

"So," he said casually, leaning against the counter as Tang moved on from his coffee to take a bite of noodles. "Rough day?"

"Aaaaaaaaaagh yes," Tang groaned, putting his bowl down in an attempt to fix his hair. "I uh..."

"You didn't actualy go to bed last night did you?" Pigsy accused with no anger in is voice.

"I did! For... an hour..." Tang admitted, hiding his face behind his bowl to sip the broth. "I had work to finish and I was already behind and just... snuck out of bed to finish it and before I knew it you had gotten up?"

"I thought you got up to get a head start," Pigsy sighed, reaching out to fix a lock of hair that Tang had missed. "It can't be good to pull all nighters like that."

"It's not," Tang admitted with a scowl. "I feel like death. Apparently I also look like death because I was actually ordered to go home since I had managed to finish everything I needed to and what I was started on was beginning to sound like... gibberish."

"Yikes, that's bad," Pigsy frowned, remembering how Tang had asked him to proofread his work in the past and you could actually tell where he was starting to get tired as his sentences went from scholarly to 'was this person drunk when they wrote this' very obviously. "Can you make it home ok?"

"As long as Su keeps talking to me I'll be just fine," Tang chuckled, taking another thankful gulp of warm broth with a smile. "And maybe with a little... extra incentive to leave?" He raised a brow, smirking and pushing his bowl to the side as he leaned forward.

"I could just make you pay for those noodles," Pigsy teased, leaning forward himself. "But I think you have something else in mind."

He smiled as they both leaned forward, his snout making contact with Tang's nose before they tilted their heads and moved closer to-

"Hey!" Su yelped shakily from between them where they had tried to flatten themselves into the counter, startling them into pulling back and looking down at the cat sized bee. "Can you two save the kissing for later? Like. For 5 seconds from now. When Su won't be squished." Tang burst into laughter, covering his face with one hand and taking in stuttered breathes as he tried to stop himself. He carefully pushed the saucer of sugar water toward Su as they backed away from them, letting out a happy buzz when they deemed themselves at a non-squishing distance. "Ok, you may kiss now!"

This only served to make Tang laugh harder, laying his head down on his arms as his laughter devolved into just shaky and jumpy intakes of breathe. Oh, yeah. He was super tired if this made him laugh that hard.

"Truth be told, I forgot they were even here," Pigsy muttered, feeling his face heat up in embarassment.

But he couldn't feel upset with himself, not when Tang sat up and breathed heavily in less intense laughter and giggles, cheeks flushed and hair messed up again. Pigsy couldn't resist, he dragged a stool that was hidden behind the counter over with his foot and climbed onto it, leaning over the conter to grab Tang's scarf with one hand and gently drag him forward, giving him a few seconds to realize what he was doing and nod before smirking and pulling him into that kiss. His snout scrunched against Tang's nose and Tang broke the kiss with a giggle before bringing his hands up to cup Pigsy's face and tilt his head so they fit together better, lips finally touching the way they were supposed to and Pigsy rested his hand on Tang's shoulder.

He chose to ignore the other giggles and buzzing coming from the other side of the counter as he pulled away, smiling at Tang. "You get more if you go straight home and get some sleep."

"That is just the incentive I needed."