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’

He said the last part with a smug smile, which Tang Yi couldn’t help but grin at.

‘You know I could hunt these people down and have them killed for you if you want?’ Tang Yi said suddenly in a mock serious tone, painting his face with a forced frown.

Shao Fei whacks his chest with an exclaim of ‘You’re such an idiot’ before the subject is changed to something less heavy.

 

It’s next brought up a few nights later, as the two men lie in bed wrapped in each-other’s arms.

They had been lazily making out for the last few minutes, both too exhausted from the days stresses to escalate to anything more, when Tang Yi pulled away suddenly.

‘You know that I love your ears, right?’ He asked softly, looking into Shao Fei’s eyes as he curled a piece of the other’s hair around his finger.

Shao Fei snorted, giving him a bemused expression.

‘Where’s this coming from?’

‘I was just thinking about what you said the other day, how you’re insecure about them, and I just realised I never told you how much I love them’ Tang Yi said with as much sincerity he could muster, which (it turns out) is a lot, as Shao Fei finds himself becoming glassy eyed despite himself.

‘Kinda sounds like you love them more than me’ He attempts to joke, his voice choking up slightly.

Instead of replying, Tang Yi chooses to twist Shao Fei’s head to the side, his hand resting on his jaw. Shao Fei watches what the other was doing from the corner of his eye with a gulp. Tang Yi let his other hand graze the shell of Shao Fei’s ear, before bringing his lips down to kiss it.

‘Tang Yi you don’t have-‘ Shao Fei gasped with a small laugh, only to break off as Tang Yi continued to trail kisses along it.

Tang Yi pulled back, only to turn Shao Fei’s head the other way and start his gentle attack on his other ear.

‘You’re ridiculous you know that!!?’ Shao Fei said with a slightly breathless tone, as Tang Yi brought his tongue to gently caress along his ear lobe.

‘I know’ Tang Yi said bluntly between his kissing.

Tang Yi turned his lover’s head again and returned to kissing and nibbling at Shao Fei’s ear, causing the other to giggle slightly at the ticklish feeling.

Eventually Shao Fei used all his might to push Tang Yi away from his ears, which had now turned bright red from both embarrassment and abuse.

Tang Yi smiled cheekily as he noticed Shao Fei’s cheeks had a blush to match his ears, before dissolving into chuckles.

‘I hate you’ Shao Fei said with a pout, bringing his hand to his ears and rubbing them. ‘You made them all wet, that’s so gross!’

Shao Fei continued to rub them sheepishly as Tang Yi’s laughter faded, the latter stopped the former’s movements before bringing one of his hands to his lips and giving it a soft kiss.

‘I just wanted you to know that there is nothing about you I’d ever want to change’ He said softly, as he looked into Shao Fei’s now wide eyes. ‘And your glorious ears are at the very top of my favourite things list!’

He pauses before leaning closer in and whispering.

‘My little monkey’

Shao Fei went impossibly red at that as Tang Yi pressed his lips to his, and resumed the kissing from before.

When they broke apart, Shao Fei was uncharacteristically speechless.

‘You ok there?’ Tang Yi asked, half in amusement and half with genuine worry.

‘I... umm... yeah I- I’m fine!’ Shao Fei stuttered. ‘You’ve just... umm... never called me that before...?’

‘Do you not like it? i won’t say it again if you don’t I just thought-‘ Tang Yi said in a rush.

‘No no no, it’s fine! I... I liked it!’ Shao Fei said with a small smile, as he brought his hand up to caress Tang Yi’s cheek. ‘Thank you, Tang Yi, for making me feel better about it...’

Tang Yi simply smiled as a response before burying his face in Shao Fei’s neck as they both let sleep wash over them.

 

Shao Fei still felt somewhat insecure about his ears, but at least he always knew Tang Yi would be there to love them even if the rest of the world did not.

 

(6 weeks later, a former Police Academy student received a strange unsigned letter in the post of a badly drawn monkey holding a knife, with the ominous inscription of ‘I know what you did, be warned’.

Tang Yi would deny having anything to do with the stunt, and the fact Zhao Zi seemed to have an extra 20 Dollars in his hands and was spotted sneaking around the academy records and handing Tang Yi a suspicious document was purely coincidental.)