Chapter Text
MK woke early the next day, surprisingly. Then again, he hadn't really slept. The memories of before being blasted to this other world kept haunting him. Was Mei and Redson okay? Did they get sucked in like he did? Were they somewhere else within the city?
The questions plagued his every thought, turning his dreams into nightmares of them getting hurt seeing as they both look human and clearly humans weren't treated nicely here. He had hoped that everything was just a weird and multilayered dream. It obviously wasn't.
Sitting up on the couch, he took out his phone. Biting his lip, he turned it on. He had service and Wi-Fi, which was a sigh of relief. Then, he began to scroll through his calls. If he had service and everything, maybe he could call them? Maybe he could guide them to-
"The number you are trying to reach is unavailable." He tried Redson's number next.
"The number you are trying to reach is unavailable."
His head fell down, his eyes misting. Taking a quiet breath, he tried to see if he could search things.
Nothing.
Gritting his teeth, he looked back up to the top of his phone. It had said he had- oh... He didn't. No service and no Wi-Fi. What a disappointment to get his hopes up like that.
Squeezing his eyes closed, he pressed his head to the screen. He needed to calm down. He had to calm down... Baba always said when he got upset, he made stupid discissions.
"Stop it..." He muttered to himself, gripping his phone tighter. "That's not his name..."
"Not who's name?" A sleepy voice called to him, making the young man jump to his feet in surprise.
Tang, not his Papa, raised his hands with wide eyes.
"Sorry." They both said at the same time.
Their surprised expressions softened with a nervous chuckle leaving MK's lips as he rubbed the back of his neck. The air felt awkward with this man that looked so much like his Papa but wasn't him.
"I..." He could lie, it wouldn't be too hard. This Tang didn't know his tells like his Papa did. But hat would've felt so wrong. "I was thinking of one of my mentors." He admitted, already moving to the kitchen. "Breakfast?" He was going to make it anyway.
The man nodded, taking his stool.
"What were you thinking his name was?" There was a teasing tone.
MK paused for a second, hand second away from grabbing the rice. His eyes closed tight, his breathing a bit tight.
"I called him Baba." His voice was soft. "He doesn't mind..." He hurriedly pulled the rice to him, going to the counter space.
Tang tilted his head, looking a bit confused.
"Okay... So," he raised his hand, "you have a Papa, a Dadsy, and now a Baba?" Three fingers were raised, along with his disbelieving expression.
MK nodded, his smile thin.
"Yeah, then there's... Well I call him Bama, mixing the words Baba and Mama... But he's also my first mentor." His breathing felt a little tense. Maybe he shouldn't have said anything, he didn't know how this stranger would react. "They all take good care of me, and I know that they loved me, but... My Mentors... I've only really met them a few years ago, so it's... It still feels weird calling them that." He offered a shaky smile while he made some congee.
Tang nodded slowly, still looking a bit confused but stayed quiet. He was thinking, and it was so strange to see that familiar expression on a familiar person but for all the wrong ways. Like he was in trouble. So, he started looking around the kitchen to enhance their breakfast. He grabbed some fruit from the basket along with the important ingredients to make dumpling dough.
"What were your mentors training you for?" His dark eyes trailed to the boy's exposed arms and then to his wounded face.
"Fighting." There was a strange pride in his voice as he began to make some fruit filled dumplings. "My city had a lot of people that liked trying to destroy it or enslave the people that lived there."
"Doesn't sound too different from around here. Now whatcha makin'?" The large pig demon marched into the room, his narrowed eyes glaring at the mess that the boy had caused.
MK felt himself frown at how causal the demon was able to say that.
"Fruit filled dumplings."
"For breakfast?" An eyebrow was raised.
"It won't be that sweet." He pouted a little, his hands not stopping their movement.
Pigsy rolled his eyes in what most would've taken as annoyance, but even in another world MK knew it was amusement. If this Pigsy was annoyed, he was sure that he would also let him know. Loudly. Even the guy's normal talking voice was loud!
The trio stayed quiet after that, Tang and Pigsy both watching him as he moved easily around the kitchen. They both noticed how at peace he looked, how his body relaxed completely. It was almost unnoticeable till then, but his body seemed ready for a fight, ready for something bad happening.
"All done!" He shouted, grinning like the sun.
He gave each of them a bowl of congee with three fruit-filled dumplings. He stayed standing as he began to eat his own food, tilting his head side to side. Tang took an eager bit into the sweet dumplings, humming happily. Pigsy took a more tentative bite. He gave a low hum, finishing his meal.
"A bit too sweet for breakfast, but that's fine." He huffed, stomping off into his room.
MK blinked a little, glancing back to Tang. The man just shrugged before getting up and going into the bathroom. Alone, the young adult quickly got the kitchen cleaned up and properly packed the sweet dumplings.
"Runt." Pigsy's gruff voice made the sorta human look up to him.
He was carrying a white undershirt and a white chef's shirt along with black pants.
"Take a shower and put these on."
MK smiled, bowing a little as he took the uniform. As he had taken the uniform, Tang exited the bathroom in a white and grey tang suit top that was paired with black pants. It seemed to be his waiter uniform.
Not long after that, the three of them were back in the kitchen. A few other chefs were waiting for Pigsy, bowing when they saw him. However, they didn't seem very keen on greeting Tang in the same manner. In fact, they looked ready to add him to the menu.
MK stood in front of him, narrowing his eyes. They glared back, till he made his very briefly flash of his gold eyes. Then they refused to look him in his. Not that he minded since they were being rude.
"Runt!" MK looked to him, watching as the boar demon glared at him. "I want you to make me a noodle dish that you believe would dazzle the customers. Remember, noodle dish."
The way he had emphasize it made the young man give a sheepish smile. Quickly, he cleaned his hands and then he began to get the ingredients. He did see some already pulled noodles, at least made the night before. However, he didn't want to be seen lazy, so he was just going to do what he would with his Dadsy.
"Look at him?" One of the chefs staged-whispered.
"Yeah, what's he thinkin'?" Another snickered.
"He's just wasting time." The third chef didn't even bother trying to whisper, his condescending tone making it very clear on what he thought of MK.
The boy just ignored them, focused completely on the noodles and broth. He was making one that Pigsy had made specially for lovers. Something filling, something to talk about and around. Something that everyone would enjoy.
"And done!" MK gave a proud smile at seeing the familiar family dish.
Looking to Pigsy, he felt that smile waver. The Boar demon looked unimpressed; his lips thinned. Keeping his smile up, he expertly poured five bowls for the five people there to taste.
"Makin' a bowl for a server? How wasteful." The first chef, a bird-demon, sneered. The other two glared at the two but stayed quiet.
"And then how will he be able to tell customers how it tastes?" MK's voice and expression was sweet, but his words aggravated the trio.
"Shut it and eat." Pigsy growled to them before they could say anything.
A few minutes passed as they ate. The trio's noses wrinkled but said nothing. Tang looked happy, cleaning the bowl in seconds! Pigsy held his thinking look, his brows knitted together with his nose twitching.
"Yer slow, Runt." His words made the three demons stand taller. "But cha know noodles. Ya worked with noodles before?" There was a near distrustful tone to his voice.
MK pretended he didn't hear.
"Yeah, my Dadsy owned his own shop. He did most of the cooking while I handled the deliveries and customers."
"Not 'round here?"
MK shook his head, his smile finally leaving. "No... My home... It's very far from here... I don't really know how to get back..." He rubbed the back of his neck, his lips thinning. "But that's alright! I'll just need a little time to figure out where my city is and then I'll be out of your hair!" His smile reappeared, looking as if he had solved the hardest problem.
Pigsy sighed heavily, finishing off his bowl.
"Ya make decent noodles... And ya say ya got experience with deliveries and customers." He didn't look to believing in that. "I'll have my head Deliverer and Tang 'ere keep put that to the test."
MK tilted his head, blinking owlishly.
"Not cook?"
The three chefs sneered at him, putting their surprisingly empty bowls in the sink.
"Ya too slow fer that, but I won't be opposed to teachin' ya to be faster. Yer Dadsy, I'd eventually like to meet him."
MK grinned, bowing his head in appreciation.
"Today you'll be in the kitchen with me. Got it?" Pigsy glared, making it clear that this wasn't up for a debate.
"Of course, Sir Pigsy!" MK saluted him with a bright smile, his body relaxing. At least he now had income and shelter secure, all he needs next is to deal with what in the name of the Buddha did Yin and Jin find!