[ Not really what he meant, but at least they're not yelling. ]

[ He thinks Wukong is shoving him off when he moves his arm, and the dread is so sharp and sudden that his heart pounds for a moment. He draws a few deep breaths to calm it, and to steel himself to keep going. ]

I wouldn't have called myself one, back then. But I was.

You said to MK in the scroll that you were doing it to protect the people you cared about. I never wanted more power than we had, by the end. I just wanted you.

[ Past tense because... he's trying to protect himself, still. Speaking of cowardice. ]

I should have told you, whether or not you asked.