#ic.tang

[niightwcves]

@diisccvery sent: "Hope ya don't mind I took your delivery this time around, thought it would be a funny spin that I came to bug'ya at your work for a change." - Pigsy for Tang || unprompted

Crinkling of plastic bag now set upon his desk earns the chef a quick glance upwards by the scholar, who had been buried deep in reading & notating a recent tome he'd taken sudden interest in. A small jolt of surprise at first, as eyes are wide in his gaze to him, suddenly shifting to glee as he stands up from his seat to move around the desk. Without question, he greets him with warm embrace & kiss pressed to his cheek in proper greeting.

" You're always so busy at the restaurant, I never would have thought you'd leave to come visit little ol' me here, " Tang hums. Of course, he doesn't mind one bit. There's a quick glance at his watch, almost out of worry he had been doing his research for far longer than he had anticipated ( not too much longer than normal thankfully ). Fingers immediately fidget with the tied up food to see what the other had in store for him. Actually-

" This means you're sticking around, right ? You came all this way for me & it's not exactly right around the corner to your place. After lunch I can show you around ! Meet some of my coworkers if they're around ? What do you think ? "

[niightwcves]

"Hey dad can you hand me that?" Mk was doing some sketching at the counter beside Tang, one of his charcoal pencils rolled away from him though, closer to Tang and just out of reach. (From monkiekiid)

At first there was no response. Don't get it wrong, Tang had heard it loud & clear upon the young man's request. But he hadn't thought twice that it was meant for him. Quietly reading away, small annotations litter the text of his personal copy, the realization hit hard and fast.

Pigsy was out running errands for the shop. He's not so much in the same building as them right now.

Hand shuts the book & rests at his lap while the wide-eyed look rests upon the young man looking right back. Perhaps his expression gave it all away, the look of surprise, an almost disbelief of what he heard. There's a small fumble of his fingers reaching for the pencil, offering it back to him.

" Uh, MK... " Now, probably he shouldn't have said anything ( maybe it was just a slip of the tongue, wasn't about to tease him too much over that ). The thought of being seen as a father figure did appeal to him though, even if it was only a fleeting dream for as long as he could remember. " Did you... mean to call me that ? "

@monkiekiid || unprompted

[niightwcves]

Wukong is staring up at Tang, cheeks puffed out a bit. Tang hasn't paid attention to him in ten minutes, a grave sin ! With a quick reach of the hand, the Monkey King grasps at the sleeve of the scholar. Attention shall be his !

There's  a  voluntariness  to  the  other's  antics,  despite  discipline  perhaps  needed  this  time  around.  Quietly  reading  through  the  current  novel  in  his  hand,  he  notes  the  tug  of  his  arm,  quickly  feeling  the  presence  of  a  cheeky  monkey  wishing  for  attention.  To  completely  disregard  him...  well  that  wasn't  in  Tang's  nature,  even  if  he  did  need  to  get  his  reading  done.

Relenting  to  the  monkey's  whims,  he  carries  his  arm  over  to  gently  comb  through  the  fur  at  the  top  of  Wukong's  head.  A  gentle  smile  rests  in  greeting  to  him,  acknowledging  his  presence,  before  trying  to  go  back  to  the  next  page  of  his  book.

@dayscorch || unprompted

[niightwcves]

"Awh that..that feels nice..." His eyes are shut, a pleasant, relaxed smile is a rare sight only shared amongst his closest family.

His loved ones.

The gentle bristling of the brush against his fur massaging his knots out and tugging lightly on the loose hairs that stuck to it.

"Thank ya, you're a saint." - Pigsy for Tang

Gentle. Slow. Tang strokes through the strands of fur with a soft-bristled brush. Hair short enough to not need to worry about too many tangles, thankfully. A smile, lazy & relaxed, adorns his face as he continues to brush him. Always careful to move a certain way, a certain pattern, so that it looks well kept in the end.

It had been a few times now that he's asked, but only now has he found a rhythm & method that works best. This little act of kindness that could make this not feel like such a burdensome task. After a few strokes, he carefully cleans off the brush before continuing on.

" Oh come on, " Tang replies, " I don't think I'm that good at this, but you're more than welcome. " The scholar looks at him warmly before adjusting where he was to brush a different part. " I know things like this can stress you out. And I needed a little break from the texts I've been reading through. Pretty much a win-win for us both, don't you think ? "

@diisccvery || unprompted

[niightwcves]

" Sure. Her shriveled up, single, dry-looking carrot on display really shows how 'beautiful' her wares were... " // @diisccvery

[niightwcves]

For Kisses - Pigsy for Tang

" C'mere. " Arms wrap around the other's shoulders for a moment, placing one kiss on the right cheek, then one on the left. His hands soon slide back, with palms pressed against his face as he gives him one big kiss to seal the moment together. Pulling back, his smile beams his way, all too pleased with his actions right then & there.

@diisccvery || 5.3/5 kisses taken ! (no longer accepting !)

[niightwcves]

when was the last time you slept? wukong and tang !

"  Ah...  I  did  sorta  sleep  last  night.  It  was  just...  rough.  "  Exhaustion  clings  to  his  shoulders,  knowing  that  he  can't  feign  a  refreshed  look  on  his  face.  Circles  darkened  around  his  eyes  with  a  near  glossed-over  expression  on  his  face,  one  could  easily  deduce  this  man  needed  a  nap.  However,  he's  functional  enough  to  respond.  Not  to  the  level  of  MK's  insistent  self-inflicted  insomnia.

"  Just  some  bad  dreams.  "  Oh  how  much  he  undersells  that  fact.  As  if  the  very  ordeal  didn't  nearly  shake  him  to  his  core  &  neigh  paralyzed  in  his  own  bed  for  a  few  moments.  Heart  pounding  out  of  his  chest  as  he  finds  the  ability  to  move  &  snap  the  light  of  a  nearby  lamp  back  on  that  night.  Tang  yawns,  covering  his  mouth  as  he  does  so.  "  I'll  be  ok,  Monkey  King.  Maybe  I'll  just  skip  on  the  mystical  practice  today.  "

@dayscorch || last time I slept was...

[niightwcves]

"It's nothing special, but I noticed that your scarf was getting a lil'tear and wear action going on do I uh, I went to the market and got ya a few others. I tried'ta look for the most scholarly lookin ones.."

Did a man need more than maybe two scarves? No. Did he buy more than two? Maybe.

"Here, try this one. I thought it was really cozy." - Pigsy for Tang

"  Most  scholarly  ?  "  Tang  parrots  back  with  a  cheeky  simper  resting  on  his  face.  Well,  sure,  he  knows  there's  plenty  of  scarf  styles  out  there,  but  he  hadn't  considered  a  style  as  such.  (  He's  pretty  cute  for  doing  something  as  nice  as  this.  )

"  Y'know,  I  think  I've  worn  this  thing  for  just  about  everything  so  far.  Definitely  needed  a  new  one.  "  A  moment  of  sentimentality  lingers  as  he  unravels  his  scarf  &  holds  it  dearly  in  his  hands.  Strange  how  just  a  piece  of  cloth  started  as  just  something  to  keep  him  warm  &  cozy,  now  almost  a  staple  piece  of  clothing  in  his  everyday  wear.  Perhaps  now  would  be  a  good  time  to  start  shaking  up  with  different  colors,  different  patterns  perhaps.  So  used  to  wearing  gold  and  red,  perhaps  it's  time  to  switch  up  a  little  more  often.  Setting  down  his  old  scarf,  he  now  reaches  for  the  new  one,  feeling  the  fabric  between  fingertips  &  coiling  it  around  his  neck.  It's  soft,  with  the  right  amount  of  fabric  to  keep  himself  from  not  being  to  warm.  Before  he  could  speak,  he  does  lean  over  to  press  a  kiss  to  his  cheek.  Regardless  of  the  outcome,  to  know  that  he  had  gone  out  of  his  way  to  get  him  something  as  nice  as  this,  he  was  ever  grateful.

"  So  what  do  you  think  ?  I  really  like  the  feel  of  this,  actually.  Color's  already  growing  on  me.  "

@diisccvery || unprompted