you, me (and him!)

Chapter 7

"Ahh, it's so great to be home!" A feathery voice flits through the household, Sun Wukong keeps his eyes trained away from the other two presences inside the house. He dons his apron, adjusting his hoodie and tying it neatly, going over to the fridge to reheat some of yesterday's dinner after putting away the groceries.

"Ohh, what are you making?" Sun Wukong glances behind him, seeing his mother gazing up at him with her bright blue eyes, leaning on the marble top counter by her elbows. Sun Wukong flinches back, holding the bowl up, "Just reheating food, I'm sure you haven't eaten yet." He curses the way his voice tightens.

His mother's eyes lit up, a hand hovering just over her mouth. She brings herself up from the counter, instantly going behind the counter and entering the kitchen with a bright smile.

"Let me reheat it! It's been so long since I last used this kitchen." His mother's soft voice laced with determination, Sun Wukong awkwardly tried to step back, as the woman leaned too close for his liking. He would like to do it himself, thank you, as they just had gotten home.

"Dear, you should let him do it, take it easy. We just landed from a 17 hour flight after all." A deeper voice joins the conversation, Sun Wukong's lip twitched as he feels the unease in his gut suffocate him as if he was sinking in quicksand. His mother's attention is thankfully taken by his father, to which the older woman pouts up at the man.

"Hmph, I haven't cooked in so long. Can't you let me indulge just this once?" His father's face seemed to twitch in what Sun Wukong guessed as hesitation, which made Sun Wukong curious. His mother and father continued to stare each other off, Sun Wukong wonders if someone turned the heater up.

"I cannot stop you." His father sighed out exasperatedly as he turned his head away, walking over to the couch and placing down his laptop. Sun Wukong's mother sighs indignantly from beside him, "You scold me about cooking yet you are already digging your nose into work! You are a hypocrite."

"You married this hypocrite." His father raised his hand, proudly brandishing his ring without looking at the direction of his wife. Sun Wukong darts his eyes away from his parent's interaction, it's not everyday he sees.. This sort of interaction. He feels as if he is invading, this was not something he should see.

"Ignoring him, now, can I use this kitchen dear?" His mother whipped her gaze at him, to which Sun Wukong suppressed the urge to wince. Her presence in the kitchen he's been using for so long, it was like the force of a rainstorm in a normally sunny town. But Sun Wukong could not deny her, as this house belonged to them.

"Ah, sure." Sun Wukong brings the bowl up to her, "Here you go, mother." His voice gave away his reluctance, but his mother did not seem to notice. She takes the bowl all too happily, Sun Wukong gave the apron too as he was shooed off the kitchen. He looks at the place longingly, as he stares at the figure walking around the very place he knew like the back of his hand.

He awkwardly stands in between the kitchen and living room, as both of his parents occupied the two places he was always in aside from his bedroom. But it's not like he can go to his bedroom, that would be too disrespectful and they just got home! Shouldn't he be.. Spending time with them? Sun Wukong felt a strong pull of hesitation and an emotion he could not name pulled him back.

'Spending time..' Sun Wukong tried to muster an image, a family of four, with their faces on it. Like a droplet of water dropping suddenly in the calm sea, ripples of foreign unease touched at the tips of his fingers to the balls of his feet. Such a rare idea..

Sun Wukong feels himself flinch as his mother puts back things in the wrong place, and heated up the food in the microwave when it was supposed to be heated up in a pan. Sun Wukong glances at his father, who only occupied a part of the couch but Sun Wukong feels all too weary awkward to even approach the loveseat placed a few feet away from the couch, away from his father.