The Two Kings

Sleep Bug!

A/N: Who's ready for ✨ANGST✨

It had been a few days since the Spider Queen's defeat. The people of Megapolis had wasted no time beginning to rebuild. Yet, despite the rapid recovery, the city's collective trauma was palpable. No one seemed willing to talk about what had happened, as if avoiding the subject would somehow erase the memories. In hindsight, that was probably unhealthy—but, oh well.  

Parker, however, wanted to talk about it. But MK's distance only made it worse. For days now, MK had been avoiding him, throwing himself into deliveries and meaningless errands to dodge Parker at every turn. Even at night, the avoidance was suffocating. MK would silently hand over his bandana, lie down across him in his own bed, and turn his back until sleep came for one of them. The routine was chipping away at Parker's nerves like slow, deliberate cracks in glass.

He'd tried talking to Mei and Pigsy, but they'd brushed him off with awkward excuses. Tang, as expected, was worse. No one wanted to address the elephant in the room, leaving Parker to spiral in the silence. Every attempt to fill the void in his chest only widened it. Where was Sandy when you actually needed him? He'd know how to fix this—or at least how to stop Parker from feeling like he was unraveling.

Desperate for answers, Parker stumbled into the kitchen late that morning, eyes rimmed red from yet another restless night.

"Hey, guys," he muttered, seeing Mei perched at the counter. His voice came out hoarse, and he cleared his throat. "Oh, Mei, didn't expect to see you so early. I thought the movie wasn't until two?"

Mei glanced up from her phone, her brow furrowing. "Parker, it's noon. Have you been asleep this whole time?"

Parker blinked slowly, as though the words had to work their way through fog before he could process them. "Huh?" He turned to the clock on the wall—12:15. Another sigh pushed its way out of his chest.

"You should drink that sleep tea Sandy gave you," Pigsy said from the stove, setting a bowl of noodles in front of him.

"Sorry, Uncle Pigsy," Parker muttered, stifling a yawn. "It's just... Spider Queen's attack took a lot out of me. Speaking of which, have you guys seen MK? I didn't see him when I woke up."  

"He said Monkey King needed him for something," Mei replied, smiling. "Probably teaching him some new power!"  

Parker's face fell at the news. "He is? I thought we were gonna train with Wukong before heading to the movies..."  

"Right. Of course," he muttered. The tightness in his chest twisted harder, sharper.

"Okay, that's it," Parker declared, skidding out of his chair. "Enough's enough. I'm getting it out of MK one way or another."  

He didn't wait for a response as he stormed toward the door. Halfway across the courtyard, Parker groaned, realizing he'd left his coat upstairs. The brisk air wrapped around him, prickling his skin and making him rub his arms for warmth.

His hands brushed against the raised scars along his skin, and he winced slightly. The memory of how he'd gotten them felt distant, yet the weight of their presence was always there. Whoever had left those marks clearly enjoyed it. Some of the deeper ones looked lethal, the kind that made people stare too long.

Parker hated his scars. They felt like reminders of every imperfection, of every moment he wasn't strong enough. He tugged at his sleeveless shirt with a grumble. Who even invented these things? What's the point if they don't cover your arms?