Once Bitten

SQ (21)

Wukong walked off and MK followed, walking close as the other found a light switch and flicked it on, grinning when the building's main lights lit up the area, showing that they were in a food court.

"Cool!" Wukong spoke and MK winced at the volume as it echoed slightly in the empty space, still unsure as he followed Wukong's excited path around the area, looking at the different restaurants excitedly.

"Look bud, a pizza place!" He gasped out happily as he rushed into the open store, and MK was quick to follow as his nervous eyes scanned around them, staring at every shadow like it was going to jump out at them. He looked back in time to see Wukong staring at a pizza that had been left out and grimaced at the sight of it. It had obviously gone off and yet his eyebrows shot up in alarm as Wukong went to pick it up.

"Hey! Don't eat that!" He snapped, slapping it out of Wukong's hand and watching as the older pouted like a kid when it fell to the floor.

"Aww, why not?"

"That was definitely going to poison you, it's been out for so long!" MK huffed, arms crossed as he watched Wukong open and close the fridges, annoyed at the lack of actual food in there. All he could find was fridged dough, sauce, and toppings which MK watched as he pulled out curiously.

"Let's make our own pizza then!" The older cheered, setting the things down and grinning.

"They've got everything here so we might as well." He added and MK was sold, excitement sparking at the thought of making a pizza with Wukong. It sounded like fun, and he never got to make pizza at home considering Pigsy was a noodle business.

They didn't have to make the dough so it didn't take long to roll it out and put the ingredients they wanted on it, making two and putting them in the pizza oven the establishment had. He waited by the open oven as they cooked, watching and leaning into the heat coming off, enjoying the prickly feeling on his face.

"How're they lookin', kiddo?" Wukong asked after a few minutes and MK opened his eyes again, not sure when he'd shut them, to look into the oven at the pizzas that looked much the same. It hadn't been long, after all. 

"Good, I can't wait till they're done." He admitted hungrily, his stomach growling in agreement as he leaned closer to the heat and closed his eyes again, listening as Wukong started nosing around the rest of the kitchen and ignoring the noises as he relaxed.

It was nice here, warm, and it made MK think of how warm it was in Pigsy's kitchen, that same feeling of heat on his cheek when he sat at the bar to talk to Tang and Pigsy while he was working. The memories made him smile, the feeling of safety and family soft in his mind as recalled the way Pigsy would scorn Tang for constantly eating them out of house, and MK would listen as Tang ignored him and told MK stories instead. 

Stories from mythology, stories of Pigsy, anything and everything he said MK was interested in listening to. Mostly because he had such a good story-telling voice.

Then abruptly his mind drifted elsewhere, and suddenly the heat of his cheek was too much, too warm, and too painful. His eyes flung open but all he could see in front of him was fire, flames licking and smoldering as it melted the car in front of him, the feeling of heat on his cheeks bringing a stinging sensation as he gasped, his heartbeat thundering in his chest. 

Fire and burning tires and plastic were all he could smell as his mind reminded him so cruelly of that night and suddenly the smell turned from plastic to burning skin, the remainder of Bai He, alone in that car as it blew up making him take a jolting step backward, his back hitting something as his eyes stung and something fell.

"Hey, I heard a crash. You okay, kid?" The voice felt like static in his ears, heartbeat just as loud as he still felt the heat on his face.

"MK?" A hand on his shoulder made him gasp and he spun around, chest heaving as he came face to face with Sun Wukong and suddenly he was back in the mall, the pizza oven behind him and no car in sight.