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janetbrown711 · 2 years ago

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Too Young to be Singing the Blues

Mei hangs out at Pigsy's noodles for a day while MK has to go to school because of her suspension. Also because of her suspension, she has a pile of homework and has to deal with strangers looking at her left and right. What fun for her.

tw for mentions of police brutality, microaggressions, systemic racism, funerals, minor references to child abuse, death and all that fun stuff

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8

Ao3 Link

When the familiar dreaded tone of Mr. Piggy’s alarm went off in the morning, all Mei could think about was how much this sucked. Her guardian was frantic as ever getting MK up and ready and starting to make breakfast, all while Mei just sat on the couch and stared out the floor-to-ceiling windows.

You could see the whole city from here, since it wasn’t above the clouds. Cars and people moved about like ants from all the way up there. As she got closer she started feeling giant– like a god looking down upon their people to smite them or gift them or whatever gods did.

And then she saw it.

Surrounded by construction and people in fluorescent vests and hard hats was the crumbling remains of her ancestral home. The one she burnt down.

…She ran away from the funeral.

There were rumors her great, great, great x1000 great uncle Ao Guang and his side of the family would be there– and that the whole thing was going to be comparable to the funerals of kings and emperors. All Mei knew was that thousands were going to weep and cry loudly for the crime she had committed, and no one would be there to comfort her– not really. Not like how Mama and Baba could. Which was why she ignored the pressed white robes laid out for her and ran to MK, who was living in the park by where his apartment building used to be, and they cried together for a while.

And then they explored, but then the cops– secretly tiger demons– came, and so they hid at the noodle shop and yadda yadda, now she was here.

She had been given her lilies to wear in her hair for the funeral. Supposedly they were from that great, great, great x1000 uncle of hers, with a card of his condolences. She didn’t read it though. She hadn’t ever met the guy and wasn’t exactly interested– at least in these circumstances. ‘Sides, she had asked if he was a big old dragon, and they said he preferred his human form which was totally lame anyways so why’d she wanna meet some old lame-o? She found a better old lame-o to live with anyways.

Mr. Piggy had been nice though– when he wasn’t mean, but he wasn’t mean mean like other babysitters or maids or butlers had been– he helped her set up an altar for them in the corner of her room with photos of her Mama and Baba. It did take some searching, but they eventually found them in a flash drive that survived the fire by some miracle.

Most days she couldn’t stand to look at the photo though, but she knew if she didn’t at least burn incense, then they’d be doomed in the afterlife, and then that would be two things that were her fault, so she tried her best.

She wasn’t doing that right now though.

She still was looking at the crumbling fractures that used to be her home.

“C’mon Mei, we gotta get going in twenty minutes,” Mr. Piggy pleaded with her from the kitchen, and like the good little girl she was, Mei obeyed.

She was glad she wasn’t going to school today, but she really hated that Mr. Piggy was still making MK go. She also hated that she still had a ton of homework to do. But she was grateful she didn’t have to wear that itchy sweater or button up or skirt. No, today she wore capris and a tank top over a long sleeved green undershirt. It was funny how normal she looked in it– except for her haircut but it was good to stand out and look cute.

She admired the look in the mirror for a bit before glancing at her parent’s altar– quickly remembering she needed to light the day’s incense. She mumbled and tripped over prayers, trying to ignore the feeling of failure and judgment crawling on her skin.

When it was over, she only glanced at the pictures of her parents before leaving the room and going to eat.

More of that toast stuff, which was kind of fun. Breakfast was so elaborate back home, but ever since she started living with Mr. Piggy it was simple and easy– if a bit bland. But Mr. Piggy was one of those ‘busy businessmen’ unlike her parents, but Mei liked the business. Finally it felt like someone around here moved at her pace.

Mei barely got to finish today though, as she had to scramble to pack her bag with all of her homework and walk with Mr. Piggy and MK to their school before she’d help around the shop while also doing homework today.

Yippee.

Cold autumn air hit her face like a ton of bricks, reminding her why the stupid sweaters were part of the uniform in the first place. Still, Mei was determined to not be cold and so simply acted like she wasn’t– besides, the last thing she needed was another lecture from the pigman.

“If I gave you a piece of gum, can I not go to school Mr. Piggy?” MK asked, digging in his khaki pocket until he found a stick of mysterious origin since Mr. Piggy hadn’t ever gotten them gum ever.

“Not a chance kiddo, your education’s very important,” The pig man chuckled a bit.

“Oh and mine doesn’t?” Mei said sarcastically, which made the chef roll his eyes.

“Of course it does, which is why you have lots of homework to do at the restaurant.”

Frick.

Welp. Couldn’t say she didn’t try.

“S’okay MK. If you come back and any of them’ve been mean to you, I’ll just sock ‘em in the eye again,” Mei grinned, punching her hand. She could see it made her guardian uneasy but it made MK smile so she didn’t care.

“You’re so cool Mei,” MK elbowed his bestie.

“Yeah, it’s true, I’m the coolest,” She went to swish her hair, forgetting that she cut it and the two burst into laughter.

“Alright alright, settle down– we’re here you two,” Pigsy informed the pair of besties, turning the laughing to dramatic sighs.

Mei had one last idea though.

“Oh dear Mr. Piggy, don’t you know we’re all we have left in the world? After our parents died, we didn’t know of each other's fates for so long, and it was something truly frightful indeed. Shant you spare us the pain, the torture of separating us?” She sighed, hugging MK and using her best blinking puppy dog eyes.

The chef remained unimpressed though.

“Sorry MK, you gotta go,” He patted the boy’s shoulder and MK nodded in defeat and gave Mei a hug.

“I’m serious MK, if they’re mean, they will feel my wrath,” Mei whispered to him.

MK laughed, “you’re the best.”

“And don’t you forget it.”

MK chuckled a bit before letting go and heading inside, waving to his guardian and friend the entire way, until it was suddenly just Mei and Mr. Piggy.

…This was weird.

Mei glanced at the pig demon, but strangely his eyes were still fixated on the glass door, like he was lost in thought. Well– he had to be since MK wasn’t there, and it wasn’t like anything else was happening around those doors. After a while he noticed her looking at him and snapped out of whatever he was thinking with a snap.

“Let’s get goin’,” He phrased it half like a question and half like an order, but regardless they got moving to the subway.

Mei found the process of the subway exciting– much more exciting than driving by car– though she did miss the bus a little bit. Plus, there was kind of a weird smell to the place Mr. Piggy refused to elaborate on anything other than “That’s just how it is”.

Once they were on the train, things were usually fine, though if there weren’t seats, Mr. Piggy would get a little cranky. Not to mention strangers would give her head tilts and/or get too close and Mei much preferred sitting. Thankfully this time was such an occasion, and they sat by the door in peace.

An indecipherable voice mumbled something something street and they were on their way.

The girl and the demon didn’t talk much. Mei didn’t know what was going on in that pig brain of his. She wasn’t sure if she was supposed to ask about it or not since whenever she did, people tended to shut her down or dismiss her. Which was fine, duh. She didn’t know a lot of things. That was fine.

After three or so mumbles, PIgsy and them got off the subway and headed out to the restaurant, where the pig lifted up the security shield before they both walked in.

“You can sit next to Tang’s stool at the bar while you work– I wanna keep an eye on you,” Pigsy instructed.

Today was gonna be so much fun.

Mei huffed and set down her heavy bag before plopping herself on the stool and getting out the big orange packet.

It read:

“MEGAPOLIS CITY ACADEMY DISCIPLINARY FORM: BULLYING AND HARASSMENT.

Bullying is defined as ‘seeking to harm, intimidate, or coerce (someone perceived as vulnerable)’, and is not allowed by MEGAPOLIS CITY ACADEMY and such behaviors blahblahblahblahblahblahblah…”

Mei’s glazed over the moment they hit the page and she immediately wanted to slam her head against the countertop.

“Mr. Piggy, this is boring,” She lamented, pushing the papers away.

“It’s been two seconds kid,” The chef laughed as he tied his halfway-apron thingy. “Can’t even try to give it a shot?”

“I tried my dig dang darnest yesterday, but I think this paper is no match for me,” She said, pushing it towards the chef, who looked at it after washing his hands.

“Wow that’s… yeah that’s one way to put things,” Pigsy cringed. “Maybe just trying skipping to the questions– I could actually use your hands to help clean up ‘round here.”

Mei blinked. “You mean I… don’t have to read the boring stuff? My parents always said I have to read the boring stuff, even if it feels like it's killing me.”

Pigsy had a weird look at that– something between panic and confusion.

“Well– I– uh–” He scratched his neck. “I mean– maybe don’t for regular assignments but this bullying stuff– umm…” The pig demon’s eyes were going all over the place. Mei just kind of ignored that and went to find her pencil case…

Her pencil case– where the heck was it???

She practically turned her leather bag inside and out fifteen times before she realized that nope– it wasn’t here and she totally forgot it.

Grrrrrrreeeeeeeaaaaaaaaat.

Well now she was at a standstill.

Should she A) Confess the missing pencil to Mr. Piggy, which would get her a looooooooong winded lecture about ‘the importance of responsibility’, B) Pretend she did have a pencil, not do her work, then get a long winded lecture also about responsibility but also with honesty thrown in for extra flavor, or C) Run away and become one with the street rats.

Honestly, option ‘C’ wasn’t looking so bad. She could totally pull off “street rat”, and she’d look great covered in dirt and plus she apparently knew how to break noses– it would be great! If she went right now–

“Mei,” Pigsy snapped, grabbing her attention.

“Yyyyesss?” Mei gave her biggest “please-don’t-ask-me-what-I-was-thinking-about’ grin.

“Work?” He did that ‘I'm reminding you gently but I’m also getting annoyed’ tone used by many a teacher, nanny, and parents alike to Mei.

“Yes! Work,” Mei put on a serious face, and immediately remembered again that she still didn’t have a pencil. There was an awkward moment where Mei didn’t want to tell Mr. Piggy she forgot her pencils, but he wouldn’t stop watching her with a curious look.

Finally, he asked, “Kid, did you forget your pencil bag?”

Shoot.

“I– y-yeah…” Mei knew she was caught and mentally prepared herself for the lecture.

Mr. Piggy must’ve been thinking of something long and strict because he didn’t speak for a long long time before–

“Here.”

Oh god– was he going to hand her a ruler for her to hit herself with? It wasn’t common, but that one nanny’s form of punishment still haunted her when she did measuring in class.

With a wince she opened her eyes, surprised to find he was holding out a pencil.

She took it with hesitation, which got her more of that weird look from Pigsy.

“No– uhm– lecture?” Mei asked.

“What? For forgettin’ something? Sounds a little pointless,” Pigsy snorted. “Just get your work done– we’ll talk after the first wave comes through here.”

Right.

She was already getting a lecture. Now it would be a double lecture about responsibility and character and ‘don’t forget things’ and anything else she’d mess up today.

Work. She needed to work.

Okay Mei, not too hard– just reading the question and answering– no biggie.

Mei took a deep breath and read the first question:

What choice did I make to get me here?

Mei frowned. She hasn't made any choices yet. She got here because Mr. Piggy knew the train– okay, it probably wasn’t that literal.

The paper was about discipline, so it was probably about that.

…Well that made the question even more stupid! It was that stupid jerk face Qiang that made the choice to be a big meanie to MK. She simply gave him what he deserved– wasn’t her fault it was a “knuckle sandwich” as the cartoons said.

With a huff, she wrote:

“Stood up for my best friend MK against a jerk.”

Next question.

Was this a good choice or a bad choice?

Very good. MK was happier and safer with her protection.

“Very good.”

How did this action affect myself or others?

Hm… This one felt like a trap of some kind. A way to make her feel bad for what she’d done.

Good thing she knew she was right!

“Made MK happy and protected. Gave me a black eye and hurt my fists, but I felt preeeetty cool. Qiang broke his nose.”

She tapped her pencil against her chin before adding–

“Good.”

What would’ve been a better choice?

Okay this one was definitely a trap. They definitely wanted her to be feeling bad. Well she wouldn’t be giving them the satisfaction.

“Breaking his jaw too.”

Page one complete, and in record time (probably). Of course there were at least a billion more, plus Mr. Piggy and Headmaster Jiangxi needed to sign this. So… yay.

The next one was “fill-in-the-blank” style and it seemed to be–

An apology.

Mei growled as she saw that Tao Qiang was already written in the blank labeled “(person you’re apologizing to)”.

“You alright kid?” Pigsy turned his head away from where he’d been prepping beef and turkey for the day.

Mei just gave a long sigh and flopped onto the bar.

“Yeah, yeah, I know it sucks– just be glad they’re giving you the chance and not just–” Pigsy suddenly stopped himself and shook his head. “Just do your best, kiddo.”

Somehow that felt worse than the lecture part.

The next blank was for her to fill out and started with “I’m sorry for _____” with “(what you did that hurt them)”.

What was she? Four?

Muttering every almost-a-curse word she knew under her breath, she wrote:

“for breaking your nose and making you feel bad for hurting MK which you TOTALLY “””””DIDN’T””””” deserve”

Mei wasn’t sure how she was supposed to convey sarcasm, and quotation marks felt like the closest thing she was gonna get.

The next two blanks went as follows:

I know what I did was wrong. What I did probably made you feel ____ and ____

…Well that was quite the presumption. She wasn’t sorry at all. But whatever. She’d been playing their game this far.

Mei filled in the blank with “like a stupid baby” and “uncool”.

The one after that was long, and went–

“In the future I will __________”

Now there’s an easy one.

“go straight for the neck.”

The page then said “will you please forgive me?”

Mei just kind of blinked at it. A part of her thought about crossing it out, but that was more effort than she wanted to put in.

After that was a whole paragraph of lines asking her how she thought Qiang would react to such an apology.

…Probably like a little baby, like he had in the cafeteria. Maybe he’d punch her again and they’d get suspended again and maybe this’d create an unending cycle of suspension. Or maybe they’d just fight in secret in a basement somewhere. Now there’s a million dollar idea.

Mei sighed a breath of relief when she realized that one was over.

After that was more reading, and then a quiz of some kind and since she had zero interest in doing any of that, Mei got to doing more of her regular schoolwork, though it was barely any better. The reading was boring, the math was boring, the history was boring, and everything else was so mind-numbingly boring she hadn’t even noticed Pigsy started opening shop and customers were going in and out and ordering food.

Some of them looked at her strangely, others smiled, but one particular lady kept looking at her as she was texting furiously. Weird, but she was technically used to it as a member of the one and only dragon clan.

Plus… you know… only one left alive, and uh– she kind of probably made the news for running away? It wasn’t like she had any way of knowing but it was supposed to be a huge event and she did just kind of dip out like no biggie– which it like– wasn’t– but– yeah.

When her order was called, she did something strange– changing where she was sitting to the bar stool left of Mei, though since it was nearing lunch time Pigsy didn’t notice.

“Hello, young miss,” She smiled at her.

“Hi,” Mei smiled back, a bit confused, but polite as she did her history work.

“What’re you doing there?” The woman continued to ask questions.

“Homework,” Mei glanced at the chef, but his back was turned.

“Why aren’t you in school?”

Mei laughed a little. “You ask a lot of questions, lady.” She laughed a bit too.

“Are your parents around?”

Mei frowned. “No, why?”

The lady shook her head and tsked, typing something on her phone. “Do you know where they are?”

A knot formed in Mei’s stomach so she didn’t reply.

“Is… anyone watching you?” The lady asked, looking around the busy restaurant.

“Duh, Mr. Piggy,” Mei snorted a bit, trying to pick up her pencil again, but she just fidgeted with it nervously.

“The… chef?” The woman said, almost aghast.

Mei nodded as the knot tightened.

The woman typed a few more things, read something, looked at Mei once or twice, before dialing a number on her phone.

“I’m going to be right back, okay? Don’t go anywhere,” She smiled but Mei just felt weird. She left the restaurant though, but Mei still couldn’t help but feel like something was wrong.

“Order for Li Xue” Pigsy rang the bell and finally turned to Mei, where his brow immediately furrowed.

“You alright kid? You look like you’ve seen a ghost?” Pigsy asked.

“Oh– well– I– uh–” Mei glanced at the door and Pigsy followed her gaze, where he scowled.

“Did someone say somethin’ weird to you?” He asked, looking back at her.

Mei shrugged. “I… guess?”

Pigsy huffed angrily. “Was it a grown man?”

“No, no– just some lady,” Mei shook her head. A tension left Pigsy’s shoulders, but he didn’t seem fully relaxed quite yet.

“You don’t have to talk to strangers, kid– especially if they start talkin’ weird, alright?” Her guardian looked back at the door.

She had no idea what he was referring to and so nodded. The chef nodded to himself and got back to cooking and Mei attempted to do her homework, but it still felt all too strange. At least it was over for now– or at least until that lady came back in.

“Hi sweetheart,” she smiled and took her seat next to her.

“Mr. Piggy says I shouldn’t be talking to you,” Mei informed her, trying to go back to her history homework.

“Does he now?” She frowned at the chef, whose back was turned yet again. “Well that’s alright sweetie, help is on the way.”

Wait, what?

“Help? What help? I don’t need help,” Mei tried scooting away from the lady, but the stool didn’t budge and there was only so much room.

“Oh you sweet child,” The woman placed a hand on her shoulder, which made Mei nearly jump out of her seat.

Just then, two, big muscley people walked through the open doorway–

Cops.

Pigsy looked at Mei, and upon seeing the woman sitting next to her with a hand on her shoulder, his eyes widened in panic.

The lady, upon seeing the police, let go of Mei’s shoulder and approached them, but before she could speak, Pigsy talked instead.

“Anythin’ I can do for you, officers?” Pigsy was clenching his jaw and Mei just wanted to hide under the counter with MK again.

“We got a call about an abandoned child at this establishment,” The officers looked around before locking their eyes on Mei.

“What– but that’s–”

“She’s been here a long time, officers. She says her parents aren’t around– I knew something was off the moment I noticed such a smart looking girl not in school and with– that hair?” The lady interrupted Pigsy. The lady then whispered something to one of the cops– a female one, who nodded seriously and started approaching Mei.

Nononono– not this again–

Mei looked at Pigsy desperately.

“Wait– there seems to be a misunderstanding– I’m her legal guardian through adoption,” Pigsy got out from behind the bar and stood by Mei, placing a calming yet firm hand on her shoulder.

The female officer looked at Mei. “How’s about you and I have a little chat, no?” she smiled.

Mei immediately shook her head. “I don’t wanna.”

“You don’t have to Mei,” Pigsy squeezed her shoulder. “If you have any issues, you can talk to our lawyer.”

The officer then looked at Pigsy and there seemed to be some kind of ‘shaping up’ –until the lady from before interrupted with a particularly loud comment to the male officer:

“You know, I wouldn’t trust a demon with a human child anyways– I mean she’s supposed to be at school, isn’t she?”

Pigsy growled.

“Yes, why isn’t your… she at school?” The officer asked, putting her thumbs around the shoulder straps of her bulletproof vest.

“I got suspended,” Mei answered for Pigsy.

The lady muttered something Mei couldn’t hear.

The officer got closer to Mei, which was when Pigsy got completely in front of her, but the officer didn’t care, as she was more interested in the homework on the bar.

Uh oh.

Please don’t read the discipline packet, please don’t read the discipline packet, please don’t read the discipline packet, please–

She picked up the orange discipline packet.

Flipping through it, she kept looking back at Mei, who was just about on the verge of tears.

“Miss Long here assaulted a fellow student in her school?” She looked at Pigsy.

“Defending a friend,” Pigsy stated flatly. “Again, if you have any issues, I can give you my lawyers card, but I assure you there’s nothin’ wrong going on around here, except that woman assumin’ a demon can’t care for a human kid.”

“From what she’s written here, it doesn’t look like defense,” She slid the packet closer to the pig demon.

No no no no no no no no–

“You don’t know anything about her,” Pigsy asserted.

“Sir, we’re gonna need you to calm down,” The male officer got closer to them, hand on his baton, and Mei felt very afraid.

“Calm down? You two’re accusing me of kidnapping my own kid-!” Pigsy argued.

“Adoption doesn’t make her yours, sir,” The female officer scowled. “She belongs to the state.”

This couldn’t be happening– Mei was not going to lose another guardian– not because of what she did– not again– she couldn’t– she can’t–

“Don’t hurt Mr. Piggy!” Mei shouted, her tears finally breaking free as she stood on her stool. All eyes in the room immediately turned to her.

Pigsy looked scared– really scared. But also very, very sad.

“Look kid–” the male cop started.

“N-no! He’s right, h-he’s my guardian– I-i call ‘im ‘Mr. Piggy’ as a joke– you can’t take ‘im! I-i don’t wan’ him to die!” Mei interrupted, stomping on the stool, causing it to shake a little and Pigsy immediately rushed to stabilize her, but Mei took the opportunity to immediately wrap her arms around his neck and weep into his shoulder.

Pigsy immediately hugged her back, rubbing her back soothingly before he said, “Look, if you have an issue, we close at 10, and I can give you my lawyer's information then. For now, I got customers and a child you’re scaring the crap outta.”

“We’ll need to see your restaurant licenses.”

Pigsy muttered an, “of course” before tilting his head towards the back. He still held onto Mei and Mei held onto him as the officers walked past them.

“It’s alright Mei, it’s alright,” Pigsy whispered as she continued to bawl in his embrace.

“B-but th-th-they– a-and– th-the tigers– a-a-and–”

“I know kid, I know,” Pigsy held her a little tighter.

“I-i-i miss MK. I-i miss Mama and Baba. I-i-i miss my home.”

“I… I know,” Her guardian sighed.

“I thought you were–”

“I know.”

“B-because they–”

“Yeah…”

“A-and they–”

“I know, Mei. I’m sorry.”

Mei cried more.

After a minute or two of just that, the officers emerged from the back.

“Everything appears up to code.”

Of course it did, the jerk faces.

“We found a card of your lawyer in the back. We’ll be in contact,” The female officer nodded at the two of them, but Mei wanted nothing than to burn them both to a crisp.

After that, everyone, including the woman who called the cops in the first place, left– as did most other customers– though Pigsy’s tip jar was a lot fuller than it was most days, so at least that was nice.

But that meant the first wave was over and Mr. Piggy was going to have to give that lecture about responsibility.

Mei forced herself to let go of the chef far before she felt ready. In truth, Mr. Piggy gave the bestest hugs in the whole wide world– probably because he was so squishy. Maybe also because her parents– or at least her mom– wasn’t big on hugs.

“You okay waiting a bit? I’ll just clean up a bit and then we’ll talk, okay?” Mr. Piggy looked at Mei after she broke the embrace.

Mei nodded.

Mr. Piggy wiped a tear from her cheek before going to clean as he had said, while Mei took back her seat at the bar.

She stared down at the orange packet with her stupid, stupid answers. Did she think she was funny or something? This wasn’t fair. None of this was fair.

Just when it looked like Pigsy was going to finish up someone came through the doorway, but thankfully it was just Mr. Tang with his book bag and laptop as usual.

“Ah– classes get canceled today?” Mr. Piggy asked, still cleaning up a few more things.

“Yeah, professor’s sick– plus I heard there was a commotion over here,” Mr. Tang informed.

“Could you untie the flap? We’re gonna close for a bit,” Pigsy requested, and the scholar did.

Mei just picked up her pencil and started doodling circles and dragons in the corners of the paper, her stomach still tied into knots and weightless tears kept dripping down.

“So what happened?” Tang asked, taking his usual seat, which was the spot to the right of Mei.

Mei bit her lip to keep it from trembling.

Pigsy sighed as he dried off the countertops of the kitchen and was officially done cleaning. Mei kept her eyes and head low even though she could feel him looking at her.

“Lady called the cops on us– assumin’ I kidnapped Mei or something,” The demon told.

Mei could feel both Mr. Piggy and Mr. Tang’s eyes on her, and she just kept doodling and doodling until she pressed too hard, managing to rip a hole in the paper and snap the pencil lead. With a huff, she slid the papers away from herself and got off the stool, causing Mr. Tang to jump to his feet and grab her arm.

“Mei, are you alright?” He asked, not letting go.

“This– This isn’t fair-! Why isn’t this fair? Why are cops and headmasters and teachers a-and adults mean– it isn’t fair,” Mei exclaimed, snatching her arm away, but she didn’t go anywhere.

“Kid…” Pigsy sighed, stepping out from the kitchen again. “Do you wanna talk in the office?”

Mei shook her head.

She could feel Tang and Pigsy exchanging looks.

“Do you want to talk outside then?” He tried again.

Mei shook her head.

“...In the empty apartment?”

Mei repeated the gesture a third time.

“Mei, we don’t have that many options here,” Pigsy sighed.

“I-i know…” Mei considered her options again, but still none of them felt right.

Home.

Mei wanted to go home.

…but that was never going to happen.

Mei wiped her face with her sleeve.

She missed MK.

Silent but quick, Mei got up from her stool, and went into the kitchen area, where she promptly sat in the same hiding spot she’d been in just a week before. There was a bit of whispering before Tang and Pigsy sat on the floor too.

“Kid, I’m… sorry any of this happened. I know life oughta be fair, but it just isn’t– especially for my kind,” Pigsy scratched the back of his neck.

“Your kind..?” Mei sniffled, confused.

Mr. Tang looked at her sadly. “Demons, Mei.”

“Oh…” Mei recalled lessons from her boring history class about demons and stuff. Guess she didn’t really think of her guardian as a demon because he was so nice– but maybe that was a bad thing.

“Mei– you said you didn’t want them to hurt me– is that something you think about a lot?” Pigsy asked quietly.

Mei nodded.

“Is it because of last time?”

The girl nodded again.

“Well, those were tiger demons last time, these ones were just regular cops– though, they still–”

“Th-they wanted to hurt you– I could tell– He was grabbin something,” Mei interrupted.

Tang looked at Pigsy in clear distress.

“That’s… my fault, kid– I raised my voice, and I’m not supposed to–”

“No, Mei, it’s the police’s fault,” Tang didn’t allow that to stand.

“Why? Aren’t cops s’posed to be good and not hurt us and not be like big tiger demons?” Mei sniffled. “That’s what Miss Yang says, anyways.”

“In… theory,” Tang shared a look with her guardian that made her heart sink.

“Mei, do you remember the lady who we toured apartments with a couple days ago?” The chef asked.

Mei nodded.

“Remember how she said ‘are you sure this neighborhood is right for your kind’?”

“Yeah– that was mean.”

“Well, she was referring to demons, like me. And she’s not the only person who thinks like that– in fact, it’s not exactly uncommon, especially in cops,” Pigsy scratched the back of his neck, and Tang placed a hand on his knee.

“But that’s not nice! You’re not bad! A-and you're my guardian– why don’t they believe that?” Mei protested.

“Hatred, kiddo. People blame us for our ancestors and they think we’re all just evil cannibals and just– they don’t want us in fancy shmancy places like that apartment building or your school,” Pigsy looked away.

“But… why?” Mei hugged her knees tighter.

Pigsy didn’t seem like he could talk much more, which clearly upset Mr. Tang, who stroked her guardian’s knee with his thumb. After a beat, Tang looked at Mei and spoke.

“There’s a lot of complicated history behind it, but it really just boils to the fact that demons are different than humans, and since there’s more humans, they don’t like that very much,” The man sighed. “Plus, there’s a bit of complicated– likely even exaggerated– history about how bad demons used to be in the old days, and people carry these assumptions to now, even though it’s wrong.”

“Like that Mr. Piggy would kidnap me?” Mei glanced at the chef again, but his head was fully turned away.

“Yes,” Tang confirmed.

Mei thought about that a bit.

“But– but that doesn’t make sense because me ‘n MK aren’t demons, so why’re we getting punished?” She asked.

Pigsy let out a large sigh and looked at her. “It’s cuz I’m your guardian, kid. Those ‘expectations’ and ‘assumptions’ are bein’ passed down to you. And I’m… sorry.”

Mei frowned. “It’s not your fault.”

“Yeah, but it doesn’t make things any easier. You said yourself I can be mean, and well– you aren’t wrong. I– I get angry and aggressive and it’s what they’re expecting–”

“There’s nothing wrong with that, Mei,” Tang interrupted. “Anger is a natural emotion, but when everybody is looking for something to hate, anger is seen as an excuse for many people to feel justified in treating him– and by extension, you and MK– poorly.”

Pigsy rubbed his forehead. “Look, kid, what we’re gettin’ at here is… what you did was right, and– heck, I’m proud of you for defending MK and I’m glad you’re such good friends– and I’m really glad that you care about me so much that you’d yell at cops…”

“but…” Mei sighed.

Pigsy nodded slowly, “But… because of our situation, people are gonna look at us and think I’m a bad influence, and then they’ll do things like call the cops or child protection services and then they’ll take you away– separating you and MK permanently.”

Mei gasped. “B-but– but they can’t do that-! MK’s my friend– a-and I like you! They can’t do that!”

“I know, I know,” Pigsy touched Mei’s shoulder, making her look into his tired eyes. “I know it’s wrong, but… God– I hate saying this but… if we slip up like this– get into one too many fights, or get the cops called too often– then you’ll probably never, ever see me or MK ever again.”

“B-but those jerk faces– they can’t get away with this,” Mei shook her head as tears started to form.

“We’ll try our best Mei, but that’s just… not how this works right now,” Pigsy sighed.

“But that’s wrong! Th-they can’t do that! I won’t let ‘em!” Mei declared.

“We can only do our best, Mei. Like I said, society doesn’t like Pigsy’s kind and they’re gonna be looking for the bad,” Mr. Tang informed her sadly.

“A-are they gonna kill him?” Mei asked, startling the two men.

“What? No– no– they– um—” Tang paused and glanced at Pigsy, which sent the panic from earlier instantly back in Mei’s body.

“I-i don’t wan’ him to die– I’ll be good Mr. Piggy, I’ll be real good– I-i won’t fight or anything. I-i’ll be so good– I’ll protect MK b-but not like in a bad ‘get in trouble’ way– a good way that’ll keep you and MK safe,” She swore on her seven-year-old life.

“Kid, I’m not gonna die,” Pigsy tried to assure.

“B-but my mama and baba–”

Pigsy winced a little and nodded. “Yeah, I know, but look–” He cupped her cheek, forcing her head to turn to fully face him– “I promise that I won’t ever leave you, alright? And I’ll do anything– anything– to make sure you and MK are safe and happy and together.”

Mei sniffled, putting her hands on Pigsy’s.

They were so warm, smelling like herbs and meat and noodles–

Like a home away from home.

“You promise?” She asked.

“I promise,” He smiled weakly.

In the blink of an eye, Mei crawled out from the cupboard and hugged Pigsy as tight as she could. Tang quickly joined the hug too, and Mei didn’t mind that one bit since he was really nice too.

This time, Mei allowed herself to stay in the embrace until she was good and ready to let go and she looked up at her guardian with a weak smile.

“Thanks, Mr. Piggy.”

“Anytime kiddo,” The chef smiled and ruffled her hair a little, making her laugh.

Carefully and slowly the three of them got up and back to their usual places– though Pigsy paused when he saw the homework.

“So, about that correctional homework–” Pigsy reached for the orange packet, and Mei immediately pulled it away.

“I– uh– need to rewrite my answers… and I need another pencil,” She confessed. Pigsy laughed, opening his hand for the packet anyways.

“Dont get mad…?” Mei requested, sheepishly handing it over.

“Promise,” Pigsy assured before taking it and flipping to the answers.

As he read, he had a very amused look on his face before he suddenly burst into laughter.

“What? What’s so funny?” Tang demanded to know, and Pigsy handed him the paper.

“Is this true? Your only regret is not breakin’ that Qiang’s jaw?” Pigsy couldn’t stop grinning.

“Until you told me about the cops and stuff– but yeah,” Mei confessed with a laugh.

“You really got some fire in you kiddo– I like it,” Pigsy winked and Mei beamed.

“Thanks, Mr. Piggy. I promise I’ll tone it down though– I don’t wanna–”

“And you won’t kid, so long as we work as a team, nobody’s separating us, got it?”

“Got it, Mr. Piggy,” Mei gave the chef a big thumbs up.

“Good,” Pigsy gave a thumbs up right back. “Now… about those answers–”

“I’ll fix em, I’ll fix em,” Mei chuckled and her guardian handed her a new pencil.

“Attagirl.”

#lego monkie kid #lmk #freenoodles #mei dragon #pigsy lmk #tang lmk #my fics #mei lmk #angst with a happy ending #hurt/comfort #idk how to tag things anymore #I used to #but that ability has long left the building

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