"They aren't my friends." It was an automatic response. Friends implied a deeper connection, and Sanzo generally just thought of them as a group that he could trust a little more than the common stranger not to stab him in the back. "And fucking stop calling me that."

Sanzo glanced away, as Goku settled down next to him, followed by Kenren, who he could probably do without. It was weird: the monkey usually would be diving right into the food, sometimes without any regard for manners. Right now, the absence of that one quirk was enough to make him wish for the pigsty eating style rather than that confused smile that just spelled out uneasiness.

"If you're just going to stare at it, don't bother picking it up: you're just wasting food."