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Rain, rain, rain, more rain. MK guessed that it had been raining for the last week, and he was bored out of his skull. The city was sluggish in this weather, blurry headlights casting dim streaks through the fog. Overbearing and impenetrable dense storm clouds hung across the skyline, blocking out any faint sunlight that might have brightened the afternoon on a normal day.
Still, the noodle shop remained crowded as ever, as the rain brought hungry people to the best thing bad weather could offer: a bowl of rich, hot broth and hand-pulled noodles. The lunch rush was almost over, but stragglers remained at the few tables, lone students typing away at laptops and teenagers making conversation with their friends. Pigsy’s was known better for delivery, and while a large crowd ordered in on a rainy day such as this, MK had to guess that many people just wanted an excuse to leave their houses.
He had finished the orders for the day and was washing a few dishes in the sink, while Mei, who was, as usual, at the counter scrolling absent-mindedly on her phone between sips of taro tea. MK grimaced as she ate the pearls straight out of the cup with a spoon. In the back of the kitchen, Pigsy grumbled over receipts, muttering something about “profit margins” and “excess revenue”.
“Ughhh, Mei, I just wanna do something.” She shrugged, chomping on a tapioca pearl. Tang wasn’t even here today, so he couldn’t even swap stories of the Monkey King to pass the time.
He dried off a soup bowl with a rag, wishing he was anywhere else but here, but there was nowhere TO go. He was considering taking a nap when the door swung open sharply, causing both Mei and MK to startle at the bright sound of the bell. In a soaked red overcoat, a boy who looked around their age shuffled in, wiping his boots on the mat. He had a dignified look about him, not slouched over like a typical teenager.
Pulling off his hood, he revealed a mane of fiery red hair, tied back to fall against his back. MK watched him with interest, mostly happy to see something out of the norm, but also curious about the young man’s appearance. Most people don’t dress so formal around here… is he some kind of royalty? MK noticed a menacing looking scar on the right side of his face, and his curiosity deepened.
Brushing stray droplets off his shoulders, the stranger looked around for a place to sit and settled by the counter, all the way on the other side of them. MK put down the dish he was drying and slid a menu across. The red-haired boy picked it up, somewhat disjointed and still dripping water from his coat. He had an air of confidence, but also looked strangely on-edge, as if he was being watched.
“ He’s weird-looking!!” Mei leaned over the counter and whispered loudly behind her hand, in typical Mei fashion. She watched him intently as he ran his finger over the letters,
“Mei!” MK hissed back, looking over to make sure the boy hadn’t heard, who only squinted at the menu under a pair of small black glasses. After a moment of scrutiny, he cleared his throat stiffly.
“Hey, washer boy. Spicy beef.” His voice was pointed and authoritative, making MK shiver. Clearly this kid was used to commanding.
“Y-yeah, sure, one spicy beef bowl. Will that be all?” He stammered, suddenly feeling very sloppy in comparison. The boy nodded, resting his head on his hand like a little prince, and grimaced, showing pointed canines. MK took his menu gingerly, avoiding eye contact with the stranger.
He scribbled down the order, pivoted to slip it under the order window to Pigsy, and slumped back down against the counter as Mei giggled to herself. Of course she had been staring the entire time. MK made sure the red-haired boy was turned away and leaned over to talk quietly to Mei again, more than a little steamed.
“Who does this kid think he is? Washer boy? ” He whisper-shouted while eying him warily. MK was used to getting bossed around-- Pigsy certainly let him know what his place was at the restaurant, but that treatment wasn’t exactly expected in a kid who looked no older than them. “Didn’t his parents ever teach him manners?” MK rested his elbows on the counter, annoyed at how much the comment had gotten under his skin.
“Maybe his parents are rude, too!” She countered, all smiles. Mei slurped up the rest of her drink and with a well-aimed throw landed the cup in the recycling across the room. “Score! You should talk to him if you’re so bothered.” He had to admit she had a point, but what did one even say to a customer?
MK ducked under the gate that separated the order side and the dining side, and scooched across till he was seated between Mei and the boy, causing him to startle.
“What do you want?” Great. This is going to go nowhere.
“Uhh… I guess I just hadn’t seen you before. Most of our in-person customers are regulars; we don’t normally see new people in the restaurant.” MK shifted in his seat, already wishing he hadn’t initiated a conversation with this prickly prince. When he got no response, MK tried again, noticing his coat. “Why'd you come here in the rain? People usually just order over the phone in this weather.”
“Well I WOULD have, but… I don’t have a phone.” He crossed his arms defiantly, and MK stifled a laugh. Apparently he had overprotective parents. “Mother doesn’t like me going out in the city, so I had to sneak out.” So that explains why he was looking over his shoulder earlier.
“Oh. That sucks.” MK didn’t really know what to say to that. “Why’d you even come here?”
“Why does anyone go to a restaurant? To get lunch, duh. And because I was bored.” He shrugged, flipping his mane of hair over his shoulder nonchalantly.
“Oh yeah? And why were you bored?”
“God, you should be a reporter, the way you’re interrogating me.”
MK instinctually put his hands up to defend himself, “I didn’t mean--”
“Relax. It’s not like I have anything better to do than answer your dumb questions. My Mother and I are always busy, that’s why. Of course I want to help her, but the work was so tedious, so I wanted to escape.” MK was about to respond when he heard Pigsy yell from the kitchen, poking his head out of the order window.
“ MK!!! The food’s ready, so stop chatting with the customer!!”
“Right, sorry!” He scrambled over the counter and took the bowl gingerly, as it was hot to the touch. Trying not to spill a single drop, MK placed it in front of the boy.
“Wow, this actually looks really good.” With a satisfying snap, he broke his chopsticks in half and immediately added a generous spurt of hot sauce to the bowl. Guess he likes it HOT.
“What did you expect? Pigsy’s noodles are the best in the city.” MK retorted self-assuredly, getting a whiff of the soup. Personally, he preferred chicken, but the spicy beef bowl was super popular with customers. And anything that fragrant was going to inevitably make him… so… hungry. MK wished it was his break already. He hadn’t gotten anything to eat yet, and a bowl of chicken and bok choy soup sounded perfect right now. He watched the red-haired boy dig in ravenously, like he hadn’t eaten in days.
Something about the way he moved, MK felt a strange envy. It was like this kid already knew exactly who he was, and he acted like it. He seemed like he had a purpose-- not every teenager could say that about themselves. MK felt a little weird about watching a stranger eat, but at the same time, he was fascinated. Under all the hostility, there was an uncanny warmth.
Now that he thought about it, under all those peculiar garments someone would probably describe the boy’s features as “classically handsome”, not that MK was saying that or anything. But that hair, those eyes… he brushed off the stupid thought.
“Okay-- mmph,” The boy tried to talk while eating, losing his uptight manner along the way. “This is delicious.” He took a swig of water and finished the noodles with a sigh. “I should eat in the city more often, this is way better than what Mother tries to make.” He laughed loudly, in a way that one might describe as a cackle- like some kind of storybook villain, MK thought with a chuckle.
“I need to get home, before she notices I’m gone--” He reached in the pocket of his coat and pulled out a few bills, leaving them neatly on the counter. MK reached to count them as he got up to leave, pulling his cloak snugly over his shoulders.
“Wait, this is way over!” The boy waved him off, already turned away. “Keep it, I couldn’t care less.” MK wanted to respond with something smart, but his brain just didn’t seem to work today. “Uh, come back soon!” He called, but the kid was probably out of hearing range already, halfway across a room of people chatting and eating. He slumped back against the counter, still clutching the money.
The prince looked over his shoulder again, grinning a fanged smile “Thanks for the lunch, washer boy.” MK felt heat spread over his face. What is WRONG with me? He shook off the goofy grin he had gotten and sat perched on the chair, head in his hands.
Breaking the silence, Mei finally spoke again. “Still weird looking!”
“God, Mei, did you really have to listen the whole time?”
“I mean, it was my idea in the first place. It’s nice to see you talking to new people anyways, heehee--” Mei responded with fake reverence, messing up his hair. MK shrugged her off.
Mei leaned against him as they both watched the kid leave, putting his hood up again. Now that MK thought about it, it probably wasn’t just for the weather, but also to hide his face in case his mother was looking for him. “I think that guy liked you, MK!”
“WHAT? He did not.” MK shoved her playfully, embarrassed. I should’ve gotten his name, though. Too late to think about it now. The door swung closed as the bell chimed once more, the stranger disappearing into the steady rain.