Chapter Text
"Where could he be?!"
"I don't know Tang, I didn't hear him leave."
"I didn't either!"
Pigsy and Tang had been looking for MK all day, at first Pigsy thought he was slacking off and sleeping in- but when neither Pigsy nor Tang could find him for hours on end, tensions ran high.
“Maybe he’s with Mei?” Tang suggested not for the first time.
“We already called her, you know that!”
“Maybe Monkey King, then?”
“He would have told us, we would have at least seen him!”
It was officially the hour Pigsy’s was closed for “maintenance” (read: Tang was gonna go berserk if Pigsy didn't let himself take a break from cooking), so when they heard the door chime open- it had to be one of only a few people.
“Heeeello everybody!”
Well, it was at least MK’s voice, but-
Tang peaked around the corner and to the door, eyes scanning over him.
He had to give it to the clone, he managed to look decently like MK- his hair still neatly tucked behind his bandana, only the one bit flopping out, and his added accessories nowhere to be seen, but the cheetah-print jacket in place of his usual Monkey King one gave him away.
“Porty? Where’s MK?”
Pigsy groaned, mumbling. “Of all clones-”
“I can't tell ya old man, was hopin' you’d mistake me for him.” He gave finger guns to Tang, fangs showing through his smile. “Since you know, though-” he whipped out his sunglasses and headphones, sunglasses going over his eyes and headphones on his ears. Tang sighed.
“Why can't you tell us?” Pigsy cut in, walking to the main room.
“Orders from OG, pops.” He made a clicking sound with his mouth, switching the headphones on and slipping one of them off an ear.
“Is he safe, at least?”
“‘Course, if he was hurt I’d be too.”
Tang nodded. “So why are you here?”
“To porty!” he stuck his tongue out at the two with a grin, before promptly rushing to the office that was rarely used.
Tang and Pigsy glanced at each other before rushing after him. There were small speakers around the restaurant, playing bland music for guests, but-
Tang flinched when disorganized music far too loud for the tiny speakers started playing.
“Haha!” Porty, er- Xingyu? If Tang recalled the name MK had given him correctly- laughed, rushing out. “I need people!”
“No!” Pigsy stomped over to the office, Xingyu putting himself between the pig and the door.
“Look pops, this is my porty and I do what I want-”
“This isn't a party, kid!”
“ Porty ,” he corrected, grinning as if he had won anything.
“Whatever!”
“You’re banned from music forever,” Pigsy groaned.
“What did you just say?”
“Pigsy maybe don’t threaten him-”
“Tang!”
“Just a suggestion!” Tang laughed. “Lead him away from the door,” he whispered, covering an ear with one hand. How did Xingyu even manage to get the music that loud?
Pigsy gave him a look, trying to leap around the clone and get to the office. Xingyu followed after him, blocking his path with a grin as Tang took any chance he could to get to the door.
“Oh come on!” he practically cried out as Tang went inside, giving a small laugh.
The music was turned down, but to Tang’s credit he kept it playing the clone’s party music. Not like they had any customers to complain-
“Hey Pigsy, I’m pooped from that- mind making us some noodles for lunch?” Tang gave a smile.
“You’re insufferable.”
“You love me.”
“Sure.”
Pigsy made his way to the kitchen, Tang and Porty watching before Tang turned to the clone. “Besides partying, what do you like to do?”
“What does OG like to do?”
Tang was confused for a few moments before the word clone rang in his head. It was easy to forget the clones were meant to be copies of MK, some had just- grown their own personalities too.
“Stay at the counter,” Tang gave a half-hearted attempt to keep Xingyu in place before rushing up the stairs into his and Pigsy’s apartment.
There were two apartments above Pigsy’s restaurant, MK’s was a story higher than the one Tang and Pigsy occupied- something that had been in debate for a while. The two wanted their son to have the quickest escape route from fires and such, but also if he was closer to the shop then he was also closer to any mishaps involving it. They didn’t want him dealing with robbers-
Hah. While Tang still wasn’t entirely comfortable with the idea of MK dealing with criminals, with everything he had done and everything he was learning, he was sure the kid could handle himself now.
He dug around his and Pigsy’s room, pulling out an old DS he hadn't touched in a while and checking the game was still in it.
He hopped down the stairs, handing it to Xingyu. “Here, it has an old Monkey King game on it.”
“Thanks old man,” the clone gave a grin.
“I’m no-” Tang cut himself off. “I’m younger than Pigsy!”.
Xingyu laughed, head throwing back with it.
Pigsy, despite grumbling about “freeloaders” and “I outta put you to work, ‘Porty’”, did actually make the three their own bowls of noodles. He even went as far as to specify them to each of their preferences-
“So, you’re sure you can’t tell us where Xiaotian is?”
Xingyu gulped down a portion of his noodles, his appetite wasn’t Delivery levels but hey, he was a growing man-
Well, he was a man-
Well-
“Nope! You’ll never get it outta me either!” He stuck his tongue out.
“You don’t seem to like being around us-”
Porty blinked slowly, squinting at Tang and his off-handed comment. “Ayo pops, has the old man always been that dumb orrr?”
Pigsy laughed, Tang smacking his arm as he swallowed a few noodles.
“Yes, he has.”
“One of you explain or I’ll personally make sure you end up in Diyu.”
Porty laughed. “I’d like to see you try!”
Tang gave an exasperated sigh and gestured to Pigsy. “Pigsy please- ”
“We’re clones of OG, we’re all gonna see you two as our dads whether you like it or not-”
It sunk in for a few moments, Xingyu growing nervous as his confidence waned.
Tang was the first to speak up. “So we have five sons?”
“More if you count the clones who aren’t as distinct as us four-” he gave a hesitant smile. This was fine, the two knew OG saw them as his dads, Sure Xingyu had never mentioned it, but hey-
Tang gave a smile. “Makes sense.”
“‘Porty’-”
“Xingyu,” he corrected with a smile. “Not that I care, but you sound like you’re gonna scold me and set a bunch of stuffy rules, so might as well use my name.”
Pigsy blinked, of course MK would choose that name for him.
“Xingyu. Don’t mess with the sound system again.”
“Booooring.”
“Tang, can you go with him on deliveries? I don’t want to deal with losing him to some party.”
Tang snickered. “What makes you think I won’t just party with him?”
“You hate loud sounds.”
Well damn, pops had him there- Porty snickered.
The whole day! The entire day, Tang and Pigsy kept him from diverging- and not for Xingyu’s lack of trying mind you!
At every derailing, distraction, loud music, arcade, park, anything fun! There was Tang, keeping him “on task” and “you’re even worse about this than MK” and "You can't drag me into it this time" and “you can have your own party when we get home and the restaurant is closed.”
Absolute bogus!
Well, okay the last one sounded nice-
But that wasn’t the point!
He stormed into the dim cabin, looking around for the original.
“OG! You owe me a huge porty for that- they practically kept me on a leash!”
MK looked to him with a tired smile and a yawn. “Thank you though, Porty, I just kinda-”
“I’m you too, OG,” he flicked him in the forehead. “I know what you’re thinkin' n’ shit.
“Sorry, yeah- you’re right.”
Xingyu hit him on the back of his head (affectionately, he thinks), before poofing and leaving MK once again alone with his thoughts, a dangerous thing for sure.
“Maybe I can get Delivery for tomorrow? If Xingyu had such a rough time..”