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They’re hanging out late at night together, on the balcony of Tang’s room; Pigsy with his back against the railing, and Tang leaning forward over it. It's way past midnight, and if Tang’s mum found out they were out there, he’d be banned from seeing “that troublesome demon” ever again (at least until Tang buttered her up enough. No one could stay mad at Tang.)
Pigsy’s trying and failing to start a match to light a smoke he stole (because he’d seen his father do it, and no one had ever messed with his father, so maybe it would stop the bullying.).
It’s a warm summer night, and they’re silent within each other’s company.
Sandy had left a couple hours ago, and their constant bickering had faded away to a familiar yet charged silence. They were best friends - probably the closest in their group - but there was always something lingering between them. Static electricity. Fingers frozen in a halfway reach. Lips bitten and heads turned away.
But maybe that was normal. It wasn’t like either of them had had friends before…
Sandy didn’t count. He was so perfect it was impossible to compare him on a scale of averages, anyways.
And so thoughts continued to swirl between the boy and the demon, a habit of a pastime they had fallen into through their mutual inability to sort through their own muddled and complex feelings.
“Do you like boys?” A blurted question spiked the rails of every train of thought and sent them all crashing down to an explosive and gorey death. Tang cupped his hands over his mouth as fast as the words slipped out, and took a comically large step to the left, away from his friend.
“What.”
“Huh.” Pigsy repeated his confusion, hoping his heartbeat didn’t echo in his throat. He pushed off the railing and took the smallest step towards the other. Tang was staring forward into the night with an intensity to burn another star in the sky around them, so he didn’t see Pigsy’s hand rise up, freeze, and fall back down again.
There was another beak of silence, before it was broken once again by Tang, an awkward laugh forcing itself out of his chest. “I-I mean, obviously, I meant like, do you ever think about boys?- I MEAN I MEAN do you ever think about, liking boys, hypothetically, you know, like that would be really weird and I sometimes just think about weird random things that I can’t relate to at all you know like for fun to just consider other perspectives it’s really pretty interesting not that liking boys is interesting again because that’s weird like I wouldn’t hate someone for that you know I’m not a hater I’m a pacifist and honestly I don’t know why I even said that that was so random and gross hahahahahahahahahahahahaha sorry.” And Tang’s hands covered his mouth again, balled into fists like he was trying to warm his fingers. He was shivering too, as if it really was cold, but the heavy summer air did not excuse his actions. He continued to stare ahead, giving no reaction to Pigsy aside from a hiccup in his monologue when Pigsy leaned forwards over the railing, trying to look at his friend’s face. Pigsy’s eyes were wide in confusion, searching Tang’s face for a hint of what he was hoping for, but big round glasses hid all emotions like a mask. And lucky for both of them, it was too dark to see one blush.
The sudden emotional distance brought Pigsy’s walls back up again, and he stepped back to his previous spot. He pushed certain feelings a little bit deeper down, and snorted.
“Tsh, why would I think about somethin’ like that? It don’t concern me, and, like I even have time anyways with tryna learn how to run my grandma’s business. Hypothetical junk is for wishy washy nerds who wanna be flashy history majors.” He crossed his arms and leaned his hips against the railing, feigning light hearted disinterest like he was back in theatre class with all his might. He thought to himself how much he deserved an award for the part he was playing now.
Tang let out a long sigh neither one of them could translate.
“Hahah, I guess that makes sense. Ignore me, honestly, forget I ever said anything ever. Super inappropriate. Randommm. Hah!”
His voice was octaves up, and his hands had lowered to grasp at his chest, tugging his shirt and worrying the buttons.
Pigsy would kill to know what he was thinking right now. But no death would give him the answers, and it was so late, and the humid air was sticking to his skin.
He snorted again. “I don’t see what’s inappropriate about it.” He said carefully, trying to sound strong. “It’s no different than preferrin’ girls with brown hair, when you think for a minute. And they ain’t botherin’ nobody. It’d be more embarrassing for a human and a demon to fall for each other.”
Tang let out a fearful chuckle, “Yeah, and what if they were a human and a demon and both boys? Hah!” He turned his face towards Pigsy then, finally breaking his staring contest with the stars to meet his friend’s eyes, and the reality of what he said echoed back in them, opened so wide that the whole sky seemed to fit inside. If Tang had any more self-respect he would have exited the building through his 10th story balcony right then and there.
He tried to laugh it off again, and he didn’t know whether to dance or cry when Pigsy joined him. They laughed over the ridiculous notion, making fun of the very concept, perhaps for a bit too long. “No no, that would be silly!” “Could you imagine?” “If that happened to me I would just-” “I know right? I could never-”
As his laugh slowed, Pigsy looked back at his friend again. He couldn’t help it. There’s just something in that summer air.
“I dunno, maybe it wouldn’t be so bad. Maybe if he was a fantastic cook. Or was really strong.” Pigsy flexed jokingly, and Tang pushed him away, his laugh picking up again. “Oh gods Pigsy nooo!” “Heheh, or he has a really really nice moustache.” He leaned in to Tang’s face, puckering his lips and stroking facial hair that grew unevenly across his face. “Pigsy what is wrong with you! Get away!” “Or real rich! I’d settle for a rich man, then I wouldn’t have’ta make noodles to survive.” “Pigsy my mother is going to wake up and find us and I’m going to be out on the streets!” “What, you’re just jealous because you don’t have what it takes to court me.”
They were close now, physically and emotionally closer than they’d before, a strange sort of inside joke they couldn’t even name shared between them.
“Uhuh,” Tang flicked Pigsy’s nose and giggled as he slipped out of reach of a joking attack. “Like any guy could fall for your ugly mug.” “HEY!” “Or your temper,” “You little-” “Or your big dumb brain!” Tang finished in defiance as he was trapped in the corner of the balcony, Pigsy grinning with feigned violence as he leaned over Tang. It forced him to lean back as well to avoid getting too close for comfort. Pigsy had chased him around the balcony before grabbing Tang’s long habit, which was still bunched in Pigsy’s hand; riding the cloth up to tease a stomach sucked in with tenseness.
Tang would blame the adrenaline rush from such an arduous exercise for his next actions, for he took a breath and flashed his teeth right back, pushing as much as he could forward against Pigsy, nose to nose and chest to all the rest of the way down. “As if you’d settle for anyone other than me, Piggy. You already promised me free noodles once you took over the shop, hm? Maybe you’re the husband you described.” And his bold cheekiness peaked with a suggestive look down and back up, into eyes that were now holding the entire galaxy in them, so wide as they were. The grin was wiped off, leaving a dumbstruck expression behind. “But maybe without the moustache thing.” And he slipped under Pigsy’s arms and away with a giggle, backing up and pulling a power stance towards the stunned demon, who stumbled forward a step into the space that held Tang moments ago. “Haha! I win! You know, I can preeetty slick when I need to.” He smirked, preening.
Pigsy took another moment before he shook his head, clearing away the fog. It was just from the humidity in the air. Duh. He rested casually against the railing. “You cheated there somewhere, didn’t you? Cast some fancy spell you learned from some dark magic book you read, or somethin’.” He sounded way more out of breath than Tang expected. Pigsy was never out of breath, he had the stamina of an ox.
Maybe Tang was just getting better.
“Ohohoh, my dear Pigsy, there’s no shame in admitting defeat! I will let you walk out alive,” he added dramatics, striking a pose as he pointed towards his friend. “If you make me lunch tomorrow.”
Pigsy snorted once again, out of relief for a conversation he was finally familiar with. “Yeah, in your dreams.” He stood up, pointedly ignoring anything his body was trying to communicate to him and shouldering Tang lightly away as he went to open the screen to the bedroom and head inside.
“No way! I totally deserve a victory feast for that! You done got schooled! I want uhhhh long noodles, duh, with that yummy clear broth you tried the other day, and no greens! Even the broth doesn’t make them taste good, and I want two eggs! And-” Tang followed Pigsy inside, prattling instructions to him as he seemed to ignore them all. But Tang knew that come lunchtime tomorrow, he’d (almost) dodge a thermos to the head that would be filled with noodles, just the way he asked for them.
Thought maybe still with some greens. Pigsy was a stickler for a balanced diet.
And maybe, years and years down the line, when noodlemaking was second nature to him, and his muscles were a familiar tool, and the moustache era had come and gone, and he was up late punching numbers for tax write offs that he was putting towards something special, Pigsy would take off his glasses and rub his eyes, and look over at the man snoring with his head on a pile of receipts on the table beside him, hair mussed and drool dripping down his cheek. And he’d laugh at himself, for being such a fool back then, but damn it if he wouldn’t change a thing.