One bowl of Spicy Noodles

Chapter 15

Over the ocean, past the shoreline, up a mountain full of vibrant peach trees that are always either in bloom or bearing fruit, and into a cave, MK and the Great Sage equal to Heaven are training together, though one can clearly tell the other is distracted by thoughts that aren't supposed to be eating at him. Sun Wukong groans, tossing MK to the ground, beating him with as much effort as the time they first trained together. Going over to a defeated MK, he now knows something is really up as the kid hasn't bounced back yet. He always bounces back after a defeat. Monkey King picks MK up from the ground he's laying on, dusting him off, and making sure he's okay.

"Alright, what's buggin' you?"

"What are you talking about?"

Wukong can't help but groan, already picking through MK's hair to ensure cleanliness and to help ease the kid's mind.

"You're not giving as much effort as usual, kid. You're distracted. Now, what's on your mind?"

"Well..."

MK sighs, sitting down. This doesn't stop Sun's grooming, though.

"I'm kind of... I... you see, well..."

"Just out with it! The suspense might actually kill me, you know?"

MK collects his thoughts to a sentence, having a more focused face than the pilgrim has ever seen on him.

"You know Red Son, right?"

"Yes?"

"I kind of, sort of, maybe, fell in love with him?"

The monkey stares at MK, silence taking them.

"Oh, yeah, I figured."

"You knew?!"

"It was impossible not to see. I mean, you hold hands all the time. Also, 'fell in love'? I know, for a fact,  you've been dating since that festival at least."

"Wh-wh-what?! No, no, no, no! We're not like that--not to say I wouldn't want that, but I--I don't even know if he likes me back! You know?"

Sun can't help but look at MK confused and curious, raising a brow at him in suspicion.

"Really, Monkey King, it isn't like that between me and Red."

Upon saying that, the kid starts to look disheartened.

"Though I'd like to change that... and I don't know how to tell him."

Resisting the urge to facepalm, the Monkey King sighs, eating a bug that he found in MK's hair. He continues grooming MK, wondering how his successor could be so dense. Anyone that's ever seen the two in public thinks they're a couple! Even the monkeys that live on the mountain know at this point that the two are in love, and Red Son hasn't set foot on the island! Sighing, he knows that if he wants their wedding to be on flower fruit mountain to allow his subjects to be present for it sometime this century then he'll have to help them get the ball rolling.

"Just tell him how you feel and that's that. As long as you say it and he knows what you mean then you'll be fine."

"But what if he doesn't feel the same!?"

"...Kid, that isn't possible. I mean, look at you! You're great!"

"Shouldn't I get him something, though?"

Monkey King stops grooming his hair to think.

"Well, hmm... what do I know about human courting? Oh! You could get him flowers or sweets... oh! Try grooming his hair! That's typical romance, right?"