Chapter Text
“WUUUUUKKOOOOOOOOONNNGGG!!!!”
A loud cry erupted from the mountain beside him, shaking the ground below him. He turned to face the sound, hands tightly gripping the scroll, vision focusing on the figure growing in the distance. Their tail whipped behind them as they rushed toward him. Rage radiated off of them in waves, followed by sadness, and rage once more.
He braced himself, digging his heels as their claws bashed into his chest and nearly threw him back. The shockwave burst through his body as he held his ground.
“Hey, Ao Haoyu! Long time, no see…. Uhh…”
They growled at his words, shoving him back.
“Where. Is. My. SWORD?!? ”
He forced his heels into the stone to stay in place as they shoved him down. Their claws dug into his fur and cracked into his stone skin, forcing him to finch as they shoved their face into his. They growled in anger, fangs bared. Dark, blue eyes stared into his own golden ones.
“ ANSWER ME!! ”
“It’s in my house!” He chuckled nervously, straining against their hold. “On the mountain, behind my gate. Threw it somewhere in the pile, you know how I am.”
They growled once more. Their grip lightened, eventually releasing him and stepping back as he stumbled to catch himself. He fell to his knee before jumping up again, straightening himself as they kicked him down once more. He caught himself and turned up to face them. Their dark eyes stared down at him with lessened fury, yet their scaly tail still whipped side to side, mimicking a cat. Dark blue scales covered the ends of their arms and the length of their tail, with short spikes and two long horns sprouting from their head. They were still powerful, this much was true, but this form was so severely limiting… had he not done what he had to, they would already have destroyed him with this rage.
“You break one of my swords, and then entrap the other. When will you release me from this? You know how delicate and important those blades are to me.”
“I can give you your swords back when you actually listen to me.”
They scoffed. “Never happening.”
He stood straight and brushed the dirt off of his clothing, adjusting his scarf and slipping the scroll back into his pocket. The two stood at a standstill, neither willing to give up their position, even as their anger lessened and the atmosphere relaxed.
“Feeling better with some silence?”
They sighed, crossing their arms. Their tail swayed slowly now, instead of flicking side to side, as if upset but willing to hear him out. He pondered his chances. It was far more likely that they would refuse, with nothing to entice his deal, and nothing they owed to him. Perhaps he could call in an old favor? But it was such a major favor, for such a small deal?
“Truly, this isn’t that bad.”
“No way! You were bleeding because of me, and now I have to take care of you!”
Echo sighed in their seat. A subtle warm pain emanated from their right bicep, wrapped in a tight bandage, the slightest hint of red bleeding through. They’d been caught in a scuffle earlier that day when a minor demon decided to take over a radio station to promote his new crypto scam. When the Monkie Kid and his friend Mei showed up to stop him, Echo had been close enough to make for a handy hostage, and there happened to be a machete in the building. Apparently one of the station workers was a big fan of weaponry and liked collecting, though why the blade was left inside a radio station was a mystery.
That was how they received this minor cut on their upper arm. It wasn’t deep, and it didn’t even hurt that much, but the two heroes panicked at the sight of their blood and rushed them to their little home base, a small store called “Pigsy’s Noodles.” Pigsy happened to be the pig demon behind the counter, currently serving up a bowl of noodles for Echo and the others. The smell was absolutely enticing. So, despite their protests and internal debates, they decided to hang around a while longer and see what would happen next. MK and Mei were pretty well known after all, maybe they could learn something about them through all this? Social media was brimming with hero stories and being featured in one would probably bring a lot of attention.
They had expected that MK and Mei wouldn’t hang around for too long. Their other friend, Sandy, had already made plans with them and they were too energetic and impulsive to sit down and relax with Echo and Pigsy, even when he yelled at MK for skipping his shift.
They had not, in fact, expected to see an old coworker walking down the stairs from the upper apartment. He had slick black hair and big round glasses, and had actually been the one to patch up Echo’s wound earlier. Tang. Their old coworker from the local library, from over a year ago at least, before he gave up the job to settle in a smaller store. This little restaurant must have been the place he was talking about.
“So.” They shuffled in their seat, avoiding all eye contact with Tang. “This is the place you left the library for?”
“Mhm. It’s cozy and warm, and I get free meals.”
Pigsy snapped around at his words, nearly spraying all of them in broth. “You do NOT get free meals from me! You’re only lucky MK loves you so much, or else I’d take you to court for every unpaid bowl and every used up chopstick!”
“Oh Pigsy, you know you love me.” Tang laughed at his own comment, and even Pigsy seemed to relax at his laughing. Echo smiled. Their interactions were interesting, and sweet, even if they both refused to admit it.
“I can understand why you left now. This place is so warm and comforting. Plus, it’s not like a big restaurant, so there’s not as much of a heavy rush.”
They pushed their noodles around and took a couple into their mouth, along with some broth. It was warm and slightly spicy, and brought a feeling of comfort and relaxation as they ate. They could absolutely understand leaving a library job for such an amazing recipe now. There was no way Pigsy would share the recipe, not without some coercion, or something incredibly enticing to offer in return.
“So, Echo.” They looked up to face Tang as he spoke, head leaning on his palm, a relaxed smile on his face. “What’s been up with you? I mean, aside from being taken hostage and then dragged up here. I haven’t seen you in a long time now.”
“Yeah. I was kinda wandering around, looking for a place to stay. That massive celestial dumpling incident from a week ago sorta kinda destroyed… my apartment.” They took a heavy breath and another bite from their bowl, taking time to savor the flavors. “So, now I’m sortaaa… homeless. For now. There’s not a lot of open places with all the people who have been displaced recently.”
Tang’s smile dropped as they spoke and he sat up straighter, concern clear on his face. “That’s worrying.. I’ve heard that, since the whole DBK fight from a month ago, a lot of people have been resorting to shelters and tents. Construction can’t always keep up, as advanced as it is.. and you live on the fringes.”
“So I don’t get the fancy holographic construction tech. I have to rely on older models, physical cranes and trucks, if even that.”
Echo sighed. They leaned onto the palm of their hand and continued eating, staring down into the bowl. While it's true this city was well known for its high quality of life and relative safety from outside dangers (example being the demons, the only ones which actually ever destroyed the city being the Bull family,) that didn’t mean there wasn’t a difference in the way people lived. Holograms and holographic technology was abundant, but many in the outer rim were just that cheap. Not even basic drones and holographs were cheap enough. No, they used physical construction and manual labor just to save on that extra penny- and consequently kick out every tenant of their land.
“Well, even if the apartment gets fixed, I can’t go back. My lease was set to end soon anyway, so they just gave me part of my deposit back and ended it early. I’m hopping around shelters right now until I can find a place to rent.”
Tang’s frown deepened. It hurt him to see an old friend in such a state, so he extended his hand. “I know it’s not a lot, especially with all the help you offered me in the past, but if you want we can house you here for a while.”
Echo looked up at him, a small light in their eye.
“Are.. you sure? I don’t want to intrude. I can tell this is a really small space..”
“Absolutely. I’m sure Pigsy wouldn’t mind, and you could share a room with MK. He’s got an unused air mattress anyway.”
They smiled, turning to Pigsy, who was currently busy serving a pair of elderly women. Tang waved at them and they turned back to each other and their own food. Echo’s bowl seemed warmer than before, the heat traveling through their core and bringing a laugh up their throat. They hadn’t even done very much to warrant this, but it seems Tang still considered them a friend. Maybe they could catch up. Hear more about the kid he was always checking out books for, and learn more about the life he had now.
“..Alright, if you’re sure. If none of you would mind, it’d be nice to have a proper place to stay for a while.”
“Diiid somebody say, New Roommate?! ”
MK’s voice exploded through the door, nearly smashing it down as he entered the shop. Echo jumped in their seat and turned to face him with a soft smile. They had no reason to worry about his opinion then…
“Yeah. If that’s okay with you, I sorta need a place to stay for a bit.”
“Of course you can stay here! I’ve been dyyying to have someone sleep over with me! Oh I have so much to do, we can watch movies, play games, stay up all night talking about our favorite fan theories-”
MK stumbled back as Pigsy smacked the top of his head with a wooden spoon. He grumbled and groaned and threw the keys to the delivery car in his face, before shoving at least 8 orders into his arms.
“You should get moving on your work before I make you sleep on the mattress and Echo gets your bed!”
Echo couldn’t help but laugh as MK tripped out of the store, balancing every order, and speeding off into the distance, still yelling about sleepover ideas. As much as they loved his energetic behavior, they were.. a bit tired at that moment.
Pigsy sighed. “Sorry ‘bout him. We’d love to have you stay for a while, I’ll set up a bed for ya. You don’t have to worry about working either, but don’t expect free food.”
He glared at Tang, who stared right back, and took a long drink from his bowl.
“Well hey, if I can help at all, just let me know. I’m sure we can figure out some kind of deal so I’m not freeloading.”
“But don’t worry about that right now Echo!” Tang laughed and stood up, taking both of their own empty bowls. “You are hurt, so get some rest upstairs. I bet you want a nap. You can take MK’s bed, he won’t be back until late if I know him.”
They nodded and stood up. “Thank you, Tang.”
By the time Echo awoke, it was already the next day. Early into the morning, moonlight shining through the one window of MK’s bedroom, faintly illuminating his sleeping form. They groaned and shoved the blanket off of themself. They hadn’t meant to take his bed overnight, and now he slept on the floor instead. He could’ve asked them to move.
They sighed and stretched as they focused. With a heave, they pulled him up into his own bed, dragging the blanket over him and ensuring he wouldn’t feel sore in the morning. His soft snores and the gentle breeze outside filled the silence of night. If there was any time to relax, it would be now, and yet Echo felt on edge. They leaned against the window sill, watching the sky. It was dark. Not a ray of starlight could escape the light of the city, even the brightest of stars faded against the neon lights and city streets. Only the moon remained, traveling alone across the night sky, dipping between the clouds. They reached out as if to grab it before pulling away. Chang’e was likely having a good night, at least they hoped.
Echo sighed and turned away. They were awake now, so they should find something to do. They grabbed the empty electric kettle shoved in the corner of MK’s room and filled it with water before setting it to boil, searching around for a mug and some tea. With a flavor picked out- chamomile to lure them to sleep again- they sat on the air mattress and watched as the water began to heat. The faint glow of the power button was the only unnatural light in the room, glowing against the desk and journal thrown onto it. Seems like that was the little biography Tang had been borrowing books for. They smiled at the memory.
Tang had taken so many books during his work. He had always returned them the day they were due, without a scratch or a bump, occasionally forgetting a bookmark within the pages. He was really fond of reading ancient Chinese tales of demons and creatures, even ones disconnected from the monkey king. Echo always teased him about his obsessiveness, how it made him seem like some kind of monk or scholar trying to avoid being eaten. He always laughed it off.
The hiss of boiling water snapped them out of their thoughts and they quickly snatched the pot from the heat before it could wake up their roommate. They clicked it off and poured the hot water into their mug, tea bag already resting inside, and set the kettle back down. Steam lifted into the air and pulled a sweet, floral scent through the room. Chamomile would be nice to lull them back into sleep, though they would’ve preferred a peach tea, or lavender honey to accompany whatever flavor. Maybe they would buy some when they got some of their money back. MK and Mei would probably enjoy the sweetness of the peach tea.
Echo stretched and flinched at the sharp pain in their arm. Maybe that cut had been deeper than they’d thought. Normally, they would’ve never gotten hurt from such a dull, weak blade. But there was an easy opportunity to get themself closer to MK and Mei, so they took advantage of their situation, sharpening the blade just enough and struggling against the demon until it pierced their skin. Maybe they’d pushed too hard and cut too deep. Well, they were stuck with it now, no way to heal it unnaturally without giving something away to the group. Since they were living in their apartment, it was as if they were under constant surveillance.
They took a drink from their tea and sighed. What a situation to find oneself in..
Well, no matter. I gave my word, so I will stick to it. Besides, I didn’t lie about my apartment being destroyed. The lease on my apartment did truly end.
A cold shiver flew down their spine as they looked out into the empty alleyway. They glared down into the darkness, frowning, before pulling the curtains down and turning away from the creeping feeling of being watched.
Hopefully that isn’t a familiar presence.
When MK awoke, there was a hot mug of green tea sitting for him on his counter. Though he had taken the air mattress to avoid waking up Echo, he’d still woken up in his bed this morning. They probably moved him overnight. He sighed and stretched as he woke up, rays of sunlight warming his face as he combed through his hair with his fingers. His new roommate was nowhere to be seen, but if the empty mug next to his was any indication, they were probably already awake downstairs. He felt slightly guilty about waking up later than them.
By the time he was dressed and downstairs, the bit of caffeine in his tea had woken him up enough. Pigsy was hard at work already, Tang sat by the counter with a half empty bowl, and Echo was not downstairs with them.
“Hey Pigsy. Where’s Echo?”
Pigsy nearly flung a spoonful of noodles and broth at his face as he snapped around, anger radiating off of him. “Where have you been, slacking off all morning? You’re lucky Echo picked up your place, there’s your answer!”
MK shied away from him and chuckled nervously. Echo had taken his place? Oh boy, he'll have to apologize for sleeping in later..
“You’re only an hour late, and you have a replacement, so I’ll forgive you this one time! Got it?!”
“Yes sir, absolutely!” MK did a mock salute as Pigsy turned back to his noodles. He sat on the chair beside Tang. “What do you mean ‘Echo took my place’ though?”
“Echo felt really bad about staying here and basically freeloading, even though I offered it first. So they’ve brought some roller skates from their old apartment and decided to do some delivery runs for Pigsy. Nothing too far away, so you still have your delivery job, but they said it’d be a good way to pay back for the food and shelter, and Pigsy had no reason to refuse so..”
Tang took a long drink from his bowl as he finished speaking and MK processed his words.
“So Echo’s gonna be a new coworker of mine and a new roommate?”
Tang nodded. “But don’t slack off, you’ve still got deliveries to do. Echo can’t handle everything alone can they?”
“No way! I’d never let them do everything all alone, it’s not fair!” MK jumped out of his seat with a wide smile, snatching the keys to his delivery car and throwing his jacket over his shoulders. “I’ll get out there right away! Not one of these deliveries will be late, by even a minute! Or a second!”
He blasted out of the shop before anyone could get another word out, blowing wind behind him and making Tang clutch his bowl tightly. He couldn’t help but chuckle at his fast paced enthusiasm. MK had so much energy to spend, and focusing that onto something- be it his deliveries or his magic monkey training- would help keep him grounded and focused. Though it bothered him that Monkey King would abandon his apprentice with barely any warning. Sure, the king was on vacation, but he left MK without any instructions or backup. Hell, the kid had to handle a massive celestial dumpling a week back, his only support being the junk left in Wukong’s place. It’s not like Tang didn’t respect and admire the stone monkey. He was just concerned about his so-
“Are you gonna pay for that bowl or are ya gonna make someone else cover for you?”
Tang jumped at Pigsy’s voice, leaning over the counter and speaking quietly, his fists clenched and eyes narrowed. He giggled nervously. Tang pushed his mostly-finished bowl of noodles out in front of him, sinking into his own scarf, smiling widely.
“Tang….” Pigsy leaned over him, clutching his spoon tightly, his nose nearly pressed against his glasses. Before either of them could think properly, Tang leaned forward and touched his lips against Pigsy’s nose, giving him a tiny peck and leaning back into his chair once more.
The pig demon’s pink face betrayed nothing, but his grip loosened and he stepped back from his looming position over Tang. With a heavy sigh he smiled, and the human let out a sigh of relief.