#pigsy 100% missed that tang was flirting with him here is is oblivious as hell

[skellebonez]

(I saw the new prompt list and I couldn't help myself)

Fluff prompt #18 with FreeNoodleshipping please?

I have been looking forward to this prompt since you sent it, it fits perfectly with one of my headcanons (that they knew each other before MK). So much I went overboard... again... 

“You come here often?” “Well considering I work here, yes.”

It was that guy again, the... well, he didn’t know exactly what his profession was now that he thought about it. Given his glasses and the fact he was always with a book or two and sometimes paperwork he just kind of assumed he was either a scholar, student, or librarian of some sort. He could have just been a huge unemployed nerd for all he knew, but considering he came into the shop at least 3 times a week that was unlikely unless he had some kind of cash squirrelled away.

His clothes were fancy enough that he wouldn’t put it past the other man, but he also seemed to wear two or three copies of the same outfit (he noticed that one sleeve on one of his tops was starting to fray and he could tell the difference now and he was not going to think too much about why he noticed that) which contradicted that as well. The man was as much of an enigma as he was a regular.

He ordered a different bowl every time, only repeating orders once he had tried everything. At first he simply came in for food and sat in the seat closest to the back of the shop for obvious privacy, but at some point he started to move closer and closer to the counter until he just took a seat at the farthest counter stool every time it was open.

Today the Scholar (he figured that was the most likely answer even if he was wrong) took his seat and ordered without opening a single book. He hadn’t even brought one. Odd. As he ate his noodles he actually seemed to try to eat slower than normal. Also odd.

He ate slow enough that Pigsy noticed that it was at least 20 minutes past when he normally would have had only broth left to sip as he read or wrote. The shop was completely empty aside from the two of them, normal lunch rush gone like normal.

“Sooooo...” For the first time outside of ordering the man spoke to him, looking down at the pig’s shirt instead of his face, smiling awkwardly. “UH...  you... You come here often?”

“Well considering I work here, yes,” Pigsy replied in confusion, raising a brow. “I own the shop, sir.”

The man’s face fell into an expression that could only be read as “kill me now I no longer want to live in this world”, ears and face reddening as an embarrassed flush overtook him. “A-ah... yes. You... you do...”

To be honest it was kind of cute. Pigsy let himself smile and chuckle a bit, shaking his head. “Happens to the best of-” the man picked up his bowl and chugged the rest of the broth, slamming the bowl down and standing. “-us...”

“Thank you very much for the delicious food,” was the flat and overly formal reply that came from the man as he bowed, gaze turned toward the ground even after he straightened back up as he immediately headed out the door. It took Pigsy a moment to react, the man’s bizarre actions surprising him so much, and it took another moment to realize...

“Hey! HEY!” He ran out the front after the man, barely able to catch up to him before he turned a corner. “You didn’t pay for your noodles!”

Freezing, the man buried his face in his hands and groaned loudly, muttering a muffled “I’m so so sorry Mr. Pigsy I- sorry” before he turned to face the noodle shop owner and rifle through his pockets. And rifle through his pockets... and... “Ah... I... seem to have forgotten my wallet...”

Defeated. That’s what the man looked like in one word. Completely and utterly defeated. Like the world’s saddest lost puppy entered into a dog show that somehow knew it landed last place.

Sighing, Pigsy mustered up a softer smile and shook his head. “Hey, guy, I can tell you’re having an off day. How’s about I open up a tab for ya?” It wasn’t something he’d ever really done for anyone before, but this guy had been dinning in his shop almost since the week it opened up. It was the least he could do just this once.

“Really?” He finally turned to Pigsy to look him in the eyes and he could see the flush on his face had deepened even farther. Poor guy must be really embarrassed.

“Yeah, just need your name. Or any name, as long as I can match it to your face.”

“Uh...” The man blinked, finally smiling for the first time since his awkward blunder. “Tang. My name is Tang.”

“Alright, Mr. Tang,” Pigsy laughed, an actual happy laugh. Finally, he had a name for this mystery guy! “You got one tab open. Just remember to fill it next time ya come in.”

“Oh, please, no formalities necessary!” He insisted, shaking his head. “Just Tang is fine!”

“Then just Pigsy is fine for me too,” the shorter man insisted. “No Mr. Pigsy. Now I can see you’re in a rush, don’t let me keep ya.” He turned and waved behind him as he made his way back to his shop. “See ya in a couple days, Tang.”

He could have sworn he heard an odd inhale from the man, but that was probably just the sound of someone else on the street. He looked forward to seeing Tang again, the guy seemed interesting now that he finally got the chance to talk to him. If a bit easily embarrassed.