Chapter Text
Xiaoxing, honestly, is kinda bored. Red Son and Aunt Iron Fan have something going on today. And he doesn't really feel like going around the city right now. He emerges from the cozy spot in his bedroom, and goes for another short walk around the house. Maybe he'll take over the TV if Dad doesn't mind.
The monkey checks his phone as he walks, tail lazily swaying behind him. Every so often, there's a post somewhere about Demon Bull King being spotted around the city. "Hm. Red's dad's back. Good for him." He moves one side of his headphones off his ears and listens.
The TV is turned on. It sounds like the news station. Not loud enough to be anything more than background noise. Good, then Xiaoxing should get away with channel surfing until he finds something interesting.
Sure enough, when he steps into the room, he sees the Six-Eared Macaque himself lying casually on the couch with a book in hand. “Hey, Dad.”
“Hey, kid.” The macaque regards him with a nod. "You're not too bored on your day off, are you?"
"Nah. Who'd want to waste their time being bored?" Xiaoxing slips his tail into a shadow portal to grab the TV remote. "Do you mind if I take over the TV?"
Dad chuckles. "Sure, kid." He disappears into shadows, then reappears next to his son. He ruffles the younger's hair. "Knock yourself out."
Xiaoxing laughs. "I'm an adult, you know." He jumps over the back of the couch and flops down in the seat of it. He prepares to change the channel, but stops. "Isn't that… Red Son's dad?"
The giant bull demon's right there on the news. The camera is a little shaky as it captures him destroying the city. But isn't what mainly hooks Xiaoxing's attention. No, what grabs his focus is the guy with the mustard-yellow jacket and the red bandana.
See, Xiaoxing is the kind of guy who likes to lurk around all over the city. And, well, his long lost twin just so happened to have a job delivering noodles all over the city. The two bumping into each other was both bound to happen and near impossible. Have either of them told anyone else about meeting again? Of course not! But they still meet up once in a blue moon.
He tries very hard not to act like he recognizes the guy. They may be twins, but they're not perfectly identical. Unless they get a clear view of his face, then Xiaoxing can play dumb. "That's the armor Red was working on. I think he said it uses rare items to power something."
"Hmm." Dad stares at the TV with one of those looks that Xiaoxing can't exactly read.
The channel doesn't change. (Although the volume may have been turned up slightly.)
Xiǎotiān… did Xiaotian just die? Honestly, Xiaoxing has no idea. Red Son never said what would happen if a living thing jumped inside that contraption. Xiaoxing has to will himself to stay indifferent. Until that… rock? The whatever-it-is comes out.
Dad barely restrains the hissed inhale. If Xiaoxing wasn't so perceptive, he would have missed it. The boy explodes out of the rock egg thing, although still in a human form. So no reason to expect he was—
"Where the fuck did the stick come from!?!" The young macaque can't keep himself from exclaiming.
Okay, it's not just a stick. He's not stupid. You'd have to be living under a rock to not know the legends of the Monkey King’s Staff. And no mere human could ever hope to lift it, let alone wield it. And the kid on the TV, sure, he looked human. But it’s not like a superpowered monkey demon has never worn a human disguise before.
The mortals would most likely theorize and dream about who he is and how he could wield a mighty weapon like that. But Xiaoxing and his dad knew better. Who else to wield the staff but the child of Sun Wukong.