Reincarnate: A Monkie Kid Fanfic

Memories Of Old Recipes

A Wednesday Morning, Years Ago

"Food brings those who aren't close, closer." An unfamiliar voice chirped rather loudly on a Monday morning. The words strummed the untouched depths of your heart. "So it's important to at least learn the basics." The man continued his warm lecture.

Your eyes wandered from the bottom of the sidewalk to the shop beside you. They slowly lit up upon seeing a bowl of noodles as the main logo. Food sounds really good right now. You pushed open the class door of the shop, rolling your suitcase inside behind you. Warmth brushes over your cold fingertips and you feel welcomed within your first couple of steps inside.

Cheery holiday music played quietly behind all the chatter of people you had never seen before. It took you a couple of seconds before you found a seat tucked in the back to sit at. Relief flooded your system as you lifted your heavy backpack from your shoulders and set it off to the side. You slid the suitcase under the table and sat back, eyes still wandering the shop curiously. You'd been to plenty of food places across China, but none had caught your eyes, as well as your nose.

That place, whatever it was called, was definitely an exception. People swarmed the counters and the tables. Everyone was either laughing or eating with a smile painted across their face. It was a nice change, compared to the first eighteen years of your life. The warmth of the food as well as the people was definitely welcomed.

You tucked your cold hands into your sleeves and slightly struggled to pick up the menu. It was cold outside; contrary to what you thought it would be. The news always made Megapolis look and sound warm, but maybe it was describing the people in it. If you were to decide to indefinitely stay here, this was something you could get used to.

"Order up!" The same voice from earlier hollered, his raspy tone somehow cheerier than it was before. "Number 234!" Your eyes scanned the shop further before coming up empty handed.

There were too many people to see where the voice was coming from. It took a couple of seconds of sitting and debating before you decided to stand up and search for the man yourself. You bit down on your lip and stood, vision going slightly spotty. It's been a long day on a train, so getting something in your system sooner rather than later was a good idea.

You tapped the shoulder of the man sitting at the counter next to your table. "Excuse me," your voice was practically a whisper, which barely caught his attention, "will you do me a favor and watch over my things while I order my food?"

The tan-ish man pushed up his glasses before his eyes wandered yours. He abruptly smiled and sipped what remained of his noodles, which smelled utterly delicious. "I would love to!" His voice was nasally, nothing like the voice that continued booming over everyone else's to announce orders. "That's your table, right?" The brunette hopped off his seat and walked over to your table. He sat back and crossed his arms.

"Yeah," you smiled and nodded, "I'll be back soon, I promise." He nodded and watched as you turned the other way.

You gently moved around the bustling shop, making your way into a rather long line. Maybe you won't be back so soon after all. That's okay! Don't let the nervousness overwhelm you. Megapolis seemed nothing like home, so nothing bad was going to happen.

You jinxed yourself.

After ten minutes of waiting in the line, you'd forgotten literally everything on the menu. You glanced back over at your table and smiled when you saw the familiar brunette still sat at your table. He somehow had another full bowl of noodles, but you know what? Doesn't matter. You looked back at the cashier in front of you and nearly gasped. The boy who was running it looked exhausted and utterly disheveled.