JourneyTober! Day 23 - Shadow/Light
The flame of the torch flickered in the evening wind, casting dancing shadows amongst the trees. Night had long since fallen, a quiet chill settling over the forest. Jen kept her light close, following the trail up to the stone formation nearby. She stopped near a rocky alcove, the torch’s warm glow barely illuminating the inside.
Monkey sat in the center of the floor, still and silent in meditation. The darkness surrounding him was stirred by his soft, rhythmic breaths. A blindfold was wrapped around his eyes, making his usual stoic expression seem deeper, his features sharpened and focused. Part of Jen wanted to reach out and smooth the furrowed brow and slight frown at his mouth.
Hovering just outside the stone wall, Jen watched but hesitant to call out. After making camp, Monkey had excused himself to practice some new skill, leaving his companions to work out dinner. Hours later, he still hadn’t returned and Jen couldn’t help but worry. While Bajie had waved off her concerns, he did suggest she could fetch him for dinner. And now, she just felt silly, following him all the way to the stones to interrupt his training.
Before she could turn to leave, Monkey perked up, head tilted to listen closely. Then the corner of his mouth curled just a bit. “Jen?”
She winced, caught red-handed. “Sorry,” she said, quiet and contrite. “I–we wanted to remind you about dinner. I can go, if you want.”
Monkey shook his head. “Please stay, I would like your company,” he said, tapping the floor in front of him.
Warmth bloomed in Jen’s chest, coloring her face in a bashful blush. Leaving the torch outside the wall, she crossed the alcove, sitting cross-legged in front of Monkey close enough for their knees to touch.
Up close, his handsome face seemed even more intense, cast in shadow and concentration. Monkey seemed to sense Jen’s stare, a knowing smirk lightening his features into something more playful. Biting her lip, she glanced away, thankful he couldn’t see her reddening cheeks.
“So, what kind of training is this?” Jen asked after a moment, her hushed voice echoing off the stone walls.
“Learning to rely on other senses,” Monkey answered, tapping at the blindfold. “I may not be able to see an opponent but I can learn to sense them; to see without seeing. Through sound, smell, touch.”
Jen stifled a gasp when Monkey reached over, taking her hands in his. They were calloused and warm, his large palms dwarfing hers in their gentle grasp. His thumb caressed the delicate skin of her wrist, feeling the jump of her racing pulse. Even while obscured, his unseen eyes were fully focused on her.
“What can you sense right now?” Jen asked, curiosity overriding her anxiety.
Monkey sat still, head tilted in thought. After a moment, he spoke, “Would you like to find out?”
There were a thousand possibilities in his question. And all of them sent jolts of panicky anticipation through Jen, tying her stomach in knots. “S–sure,” she managed to squeak out.
He pulled his hands away, the loss of his hold sending a pang of disappointment right to her heart. They weren’t gone for long, one brushing the side of Jen’s face before gently covering her eyes, the warm palm shrouding her sight in darkness.
“Okay?” Monkey’s voice whispered across from her.
Jen nodded, careful not to dislodge his touch. “Okay.”
“Take a deep breath, find your center,” Monkey instructed. Inhaling slowly, Jen willed her racing heart and trembling nerves to calm. “Now listen; what do you hear?”
Without her eyes, the sounds of the cave echoed even louder than before. “The wind outside,” she said, listing each noise that reached her straining ears. “The torch fire crackling. Your breathing.”
“Good. Now,” he leaned closer, knees pressing against hers. “What do you feel?”
“The ground,” Jen answered. She reached up slowly, tapping his wrist. “Your hand. And–ack!” she broke off with a laugh. Something fluffy brushed against her neck and ear, tickling a giggle out of her. Jen’s hand flailed blindly in the air until Monkey chuckled, wrapping his tail around her wrist. “And someone making fun of me.”
“Never,” Monkey assured softly. Her hand was guided forward, palm pressed to his chest and fingers buried in plush fur. Jen could feel his heart pounding like a drum.
“Warm fur,” she murmured, brushing through the soft hairs before smoothing them back down. “And your heartbeat.”
A nervous twinge froze Monkey under her hand. “We can stop now if–”
“What about smell?” Jen cut in, feeling cheeky at his sudden shyness. “Isn’t that one of the senses?”
She didn’t need to see to know he was frowning. “Now who’s making fun.”
“I’m not; you smell nice,” she smiled in his direction. “Like a storm in the forest mixed with campfire smoke. Fresh and outdoorsy and a little wild.”
“Incense,” Monkey suddenly said. “You smell like incense, and morning mist, and fresh leaves.” There was a weight to his words, a hidden meaning Jen couldn’t decipher. Her ponderings scattered when Monkey’s free hand cradled her jaw, thumb tracing the growing heat of her cheek. “It’s warm, comforting, safe. I feel at ease when you’re near.”
As his confession faded into silence, Jen’s senses focused solely on Monkey. He was closer than she originally thought, the heat of his body radiating to her own. Even without touching, she could feel his face hovering just in front of her, their noses nearly brushing. Soft breaths tickled her cheeks and breezed down her throat in a shivering caress.
“There is…one more…” Monkey offered, voice tense and slightly strangled.
The spike of anticipation returned, every want and desire suddenly battling to escape her fluttering ribcage. “Yes?”
A tension built between them, something heavy and overwhelming but painfully fragile. Jen waited, hopeful and anxious, nearly trembling where she sat. What she wanted, Monkey clearly wanted, too. She could feel it in his panted breaths, in the desperate clutch of his grasp. His desire, his hesitation, his ironclad restraint crumbling. “May I?”
Lips pressed against hers, warm and soft and perfect. The hands on her face held her steady, the delicate touch meant for something precious. It was sweet and chaste and still set Jen’s heart aflutter. She reached up, stroking the fur of his cheek. Her other hand remained on his chest, feeling his heartrate jump at her approving hum. Monkey sat up, pulling her close so their bodies were flush, tail wrapping around her waist. Heat and desire burned through Jen, fanned higher when Monkey deepened the kiss, sharp fangs nipping at her lips.
An unimpressed snort boomed around the cave, startling them both. They jumped apart, frazzled and panting, Monkey’s hands clutching Jen’s shoulders protectively. With her sight restored, Jen blinked against the sudden light, a familiar figure focusing into view. “Is this what’s considered training, nowadays?”
“Oh, remember I exist now, do you?” Bajie scoffed. “I thought maybe you got lost on the way here. If I had known what sort of training you were up to, I would have saved myself the trouble and had dinner already.”
Both Monkey and Jen sat in stunned silence, red faced and mortified. Rolling his eyes, Bajie handed Jen the torch and marched out of the cave. “Come on before the food gets cold or something else finds it before we get back.”
As the shock wore off, a nervous chuckle bubbled out of Jen. A rumbling chuckle followed from Monkey, sharing in her mirth. “Well,” Jen sighed, climbing to her feet. “Let’s go before he decides come back and scar us even further.”
Monkey grumbled but stood as well, Jen taking his hand to lead the way out of the shadowy alcove. Even after tugging off the blindfold, Monkey let Jen guide the way back by the light of the torch, hands still firmly clasped together and blushing faces smiling.
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(This has been in my head for nearly a week, I'm so glad I got to finish it! Come get yo juice! Longest one yet, totally worth it. Bajie is a terrible wingman but a terrific cockblock, change my mind. Big thanks to everyone for reading, hope you enjoyed!)
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AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/61597126/chapters/157478944
