Monkey

It had started as an insult.

In those first 2 years, when emotions on both sides were heightened from the recent grief, Tang Yi had seen fit to comment on Shao Fei's ears a total of 40 times.

These ranged from minor insults ('I'm surprised that even with ears that size you can't seem to get my message into your thick skull'), to fully blown digs ('Aren't you afraid of flying away, Dumbo?'), which Shao Fei took with increasing amounts of indignation.

The insults died down as their encounters became more infrequent, and as Tang Yi began to use Shao Fei's incessant stalking to his advantage, that when Tang Yi had told him how surprised he was that a monkey could reflect, Shao Fei couldn't help but be shocked.

The start of their relationship beyond rivals was a rocky one, each man dancing around the other warily, fearing that everything they had would shatter around them if they weren't careful. Tang Yi made sure to only tease Shao Fei when he knew he could take it, which meant any commentary on his ears was a no-go area.

The next time it happened, it was a complete accident.

It was 3 months into their budding relationship, and Shao Fei was leaning against the Tang Yi's bathroom sink, watching as the latter meticulously styled his hair into the iconic quiff.

'Why don't you let your hair down more?' He asks suddenly, causing Tang Yi to stop his fiddling. 'I like it when you have your hair down, makes you look younger.'

'It's exactly that reason why I don't' Tang Yi replies amusedly, turning his attention back to the mirror. 'Being a gang member means showing no weakness, and being young in this kind of world is a weakness'

Shao Fei snorts at the seriousness of Tang Yi's tone, causing him to turn round at glare at the officer, only for his expression to soften as he noticed the glint in the other's eyes.

'You're just jealous because you've had the haircut of a school kid your entire life' Tang Yi joked, ruffling Shao Fei's hair for good measure. 'You know, if you grew it out a bit I could probably give you something similar to this if you'd like?'

Shao Fei shook his head.

'No, it's okay... hairstyles like that always just make my... you-know-what's more obvious...' He said sheepishly, flicking his ears slightly to make his point.

'Is your current one supposed to hide them, then?' Tang Yi laughs, before noticing Shao Fei's expression had become more solemn. 'Hey, no need to give me that expression! You know I'm only messing with you, right?'

Tang Yi solidifies his point by running the tip of his finger down one of Shao Fei's ears, causing the latter to twitch minutely and smile.

'That tickles!' He complains, brushing Tang Yi's finger away. 'And I know you are I just... I've always been really self conscious of them, that's all'

Tang Yi looked at him expectantly, so Shao Fei hesitantly continued.

'In the first year of the police academy I didn't have a lot of friends, Zhao Zi only arrived a year later, but there was this one older guy who always seemed to be nice to me, even when everyone else just found me annoying... But then we were on a mock mission, and I accidentally forgot to do something, can't remember what, and he just exploded at me. He said how incompetent I was, and that a monkey like me would never get anywhere in life... After that, everyone else started calling me... that... It only really stopped when Zhao Zi came around, he may not look tough but he can definitely hold his own in an argument!' Shao Fei smiled fondly, before glancing back at Tang Yi with a shrug. 'It doesn't bother me anymore, especially since I aced my final exam and that guy never even made it past the entry level'