Chapter Text
“Back up, Monkey.”
Pigsy's command was abrupt, turning both the Monkey King's and Tang's heads as Pigsy shoved the former out of the way.
“Hey! What gives!”
Pigsy shot Wukong a look, momentarily silencing the monkey, who stepped towards the back of the RV to give Pigsy the space he'd demanded.
Pigsy reached for Tang's hand, but his gesture was denied when Tang shrank into the cushion behind his back.
“It's over,” Pigsy said, lowering his voice so that hopefully the simian wouldn't hear. “He's back to normal. No one wants to eat you.”
As if the universe timed its response just to prove Pigsy wrong, the RV shook, and Pigsy remembered why they'd woken Monkey King in the first place.
“What was that?” Sun Wukong shouted from around the corner, causing a noticeable flinch from Tang. “Is that MK and Mei outside?”
Pigsy poked his head around the corner. “It's not. We got separated. Can you go check–”
“What do you mean, you ‘got separated?’”
“Long story. Will you go check out what's attacking us before it destroys the van!”
The Monkey King huffed, but ultimately did what he was told, muttering something about a “Wuneng” on his way out the back doors.
Pigsy turned back to Tang and finally caught a small glimpse of his face. His glasses were missing, likely jostled off and forgotten amidst the commotion. Pigsy glanced around the floor of the RV before he discovered and retrieved the pair of spectacles and placed them in Tang's hand.
Tang carefully put his glasses back on and looked around. Pigsy noticed the tears in his eyes. “Is he–” Tang sniffed. “Is he gone?”
“Yeah,” Pigsy answered. “He went to go check on–”
Tang threw himself past Pigsy into the passenger seat. “We need to hurry,” he said, wrestling with the seat belt. “Before he gets back.”
“Tang.” Pigsy climbed into the driver's seat, but he didn't turn the key in the ignition. “Are you saying we should leave without–”
“Yes!” Tang shouted. “You saw what he did! I can't just–”
“Hey guys!” Sun Wukong called from outside the van. “It's all clear now!”
“Pigsy,” Tang said, clutching the chef's arm and lowering his voice. “I can't… I can't handle this. Not right now. Please.”
“Well then,” Wukong said, his voice louder and less muffled, coming from inside the van. Tang flinched, pressing himself against the passenger door. “Will one of you explain how exactly we got separated from MK?”
Tang gave Pigsy a pleading look, but there wasn't much Pigsy could do now that the Monkey King was in the van with them. “We're not sure,” Pigsy said. “But we're heading back to find out.”
Sun Wukong huffed again, sitting cross-legged on the floor and closing his eyes. “Wake me up when we find him,” he said. Shortly after, he began to glow and hover a foot off the floor.
Tang and Pigsy exchanged a look. They definitely wouldn't be waking him up.