LMK: NEXT GEN

A New Hero is Born

Baby Xiao is born.

👶🍼🔸🔥🐒🐮🌶🍜🌈

What a wonderful early summer day it was on the rooftop of Pigsy's Noodles! The sun was beaming down, and a soft breeze was gently caressing the air.

With great expertise, Pigsy flipped the skewers of sizzling meat and vegetables, spreading the irresistible scent of BBQ throughout the atmosphere, with the Demon Bull King lending a helping hand.

Sitting at a wooden table under a parasol, Mei and Spindrax cooed at their newborn, Penelope, while Tang and Princess Iron Fan were deep in conversation, discussing a book topic they had both recently read.

Meanwhile, MK, visibly pregnant, giggled while Red Son is being an overprotective husband, looking after his love.

"Careful MK, you shouldn't strain yourself." Red Son said, watching as MK stood up from his seat to stretch his legs.

"I'm fine Red. I may be pregnant, but I'm not helpless." MK said confidently before walking towards an outdoor tea table that Sandy had set up.

"Tao! Stop running around and come eat your food!" Moaned Sun Wukong, who is holding a plate of grilled parsnips, sausages and tomato's.

However, the young Monkey Demon ignored his father's advice and kept leaping around the rooftop, eager to try out his newly grown-in wings.

Fortunately, Tao's mother, Leona, caught him and put him back into a seated position on a chair.
"Look Tao, yummy food." Leona cooed, showing Tao a plate filled with roasted veggies and meat. "Try some, my little angel." Leona encouraged.

Seeing his mother smiling, the young Monkey accepted the plate of food and started to eat it.

"Okay, how do you do that?" Wukong asked, giving his wife an incredulous look.

Leona smiled at him lovingly. "I have my experience with cute, cheeky monkeys." She replied simply before booping her husband on the nose, causing Wukong to blush slightly.

"Hey, where's Macaque? Wasn't he invited too?" Mei wondered while bottle-feeding Penelope.

"He'll be here. He mentioned something about bringing a guest with him." Said MK, placing himself back onto his chair and taking a sip of his tea.

Spindrax raised a brow and stated, "Really, I didn't think Macaque had any other friends."

"Spin!" Mei growled, glaring daggers at her.
"Just kidding. I'm joking." Spindrax chuckled nervously.

At that moment, the said dark furred monkey materialized from a shadowy portal. "Hey guys." Macaque greeted with a friendly smile.

"Uncle Mac!" Tao yelled excitedly, jumping from his seat and running towards him.

"Hey Tao." Said Macaque, picking up the small boy and giving him a hug.

"Guess what. My wings grew in!!" Cheered Tao, proudly displaying his large pair of brown feathered wings.

Macaque laughed. "Wow, congrats kid." He then turned to a figure standing behind him.

A Silver furred monkey demoness stepped out, looking a tad bit nervous.
"Everyone, this is my girlfriend, Rin Rin." Macaque announced.

Rin Rin gave a shy smile and waved at everyone. "Hi." She said quietly.

Leona gave a big warm grin and stepped forward to welcome her.
 
"It's nice to meet you Rin Rin. I'm Leona." Leona introduced herself.

"Nice to meet you, Leona." Replied Rin Rin politely.

"Let me introduce you to everyone else." Said Leona, gesturing Rin Rin to take a step forward towards the others.

"This is my husband, Sun Wukong, and our 9 year old son, Tao." Leona began.

"Hello!" Tao greeted happily.

"Over there is MK and his husband, Red Son. Red's parents are Demon Bull King and Princess Iron Fan. And next to her is Tang. And that's Pigsy and Sandy. And lastly, we have Mei and Spindrax, with their baby daughter, Penelope." Leona concluded, indicating each person one by one.
Mei gave a friendly wave while Spindrax gave her a quick nod.

"Nice to finally meet you all!" Rin Rin smiled brightly.

"Nice to meet you too." Everyone politely responded back.

"So Rin, how did you and Macaque meet?" Sun Wukong asked curiously.

But before Rin Rin could answer, a sudden sharp gasp cut through the air, causing all heads to turn towards MK.

"MK!" Red Son cried out. "What's wrong?"

MK's face paled as he clutched his stomach tightly, groaning in pain. "I think...I think the baby's coming!"

"What!? Now!?" Red Son panicked.

"Mei, call an ambulance!" Pigsy ordered.

"On it Piggy." Mei said before grabbing her phone and dialling the emergency number.

"Sunny, can you use your nimbus cloud to 'carefully' levitate MK off the roof and down into the ambulance as soon as it get's here?" Leona asked.

The auburn haired Monkey Demon nodded, summoned his cloud and gestured for Red Son to lend a hand in lifting MK onto it.

As soon as the ambulance had arrived, Wukong did as Leona suggested and safely transferred MK into the vehicle.

Red Son hopped into the back of the ambulance alongside MK, before the doors were firmly closed and the vehicle sped away towards the hospital.

At the hospital, MK was rushed into the delivery room, where MK's screams echoed through the halls.
"We need all medical assistance here. We're having a premature birth!" The nurse announced.

"Hang in there MK, everything's going to be fine." Red Son reassured him, Squeezing his hand firmly.

Soon enough, a nurse came in and asked, "Are you the Monkie Kids partner?"

"Yes, I'm his husband." Red Son answered.

"Stay by your husband's side and do your best to keep him calm." The nurse instructed. "We'll work on delivering the baby."

"Of course." Red Son nodded in agreement, turning to face MK who is still in intense pain.

"Red, I'm scared," MK confessed, clutching his stomach, tears pouring down his eyes.

"Don't worry my darling. Everything will be alright. Just hold on, okay?" Red Son soothed.MK sniffed and nodded. "Ok."

Red then kissed MK on the forehead before whispering, "I love you, my darling Noodle boy."

MK smiled weakly, "I love you too, my handsome Fire Prince."

After a few minutes, MK once again, screamed in agony when another contraction gripped his abdomen.

Meanwhile, the rest of the group decided to sit down and restlessly roam around the waiting room.

"Geez, I can't believe MK's finally having his baby." Said Mei in disbelief.

"And 3 weeks early too." Leona noted with a worried expression.

"I hope he's gonna be alright." Tang said, biting his thumb nail anxiously.
Pigsy firmly gripped his partners hand reassuringly.

"I'm sure it's fine." Wukong spoke up, trying to make them feel better.

They all suddenly stiffened when they heard MK's piercing scream.

"You were saying, Wukong?" Macaque said, glaring straight at him. Wukong immediately swallowed nervously, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Oh my," Princess Iron Fan gasped, covering her mouth with her hands. "The poor child..." She muttered.

"What are they doing to him?!" Mei squealed.

Just then, a light blue female goat demon Doctor entered the room, and the Stone Monkey jumped out of his seat. "How is he!? Is he still alive?!" He asked frantically, gripping onto the Doctors coat desperately.
The doctor laughed. "The Monkie Kid has successfully given birth to a healthy baby girl and they are both doing just fine." She said calmly before motioning for everyone to settle down.

The group breathed a sigh of relief, relieved that their friend has made it through the childbirth.

"Thank goodness." Leona sighed, sitting back down.

"Thank you Dr. Capri." Princess Iron Fan said gratefully.

"Always a pleasure, Princess." Dr. Capri grinned.

Tang looked at the two woman in interest. "You two know each other?" He asked.

Iron Fan chuckled. "Dr. Capri is well associated with our family. She is our private doctor." She explained.

"Can we see the baby now?" Tao questioned eagerly, peering over his fathers shoulder.

The goat doctor shook her head. "I'm afraid not. At least, not yet." She answered.

Tao frowned. "Why not?"

"Because, she's a premature baby. They are alot smaller than regular babies, and are very likely to be more fragile." Dr. Capri explained.

Tao hanged his head in disappointment. "Oh."

Wukong leaned down beside his son. "Don't worry Tao. You will be able to get to see your niece in no time." He comforted.

"Yay!!!" Tao cheered and grinned excitedly.

"Oh, he's MK's brother?" Dr. Capri asked in surprise.

"Half brother." Leona corrected. "Wukong is both their dad. I'm not Mk's mother, but Tao is my biological son." She explained.
Dr. Capri nodded in understanding.

Back in the delivery room, MK and Red Son both shared a loving gaze at their precious baby.

MK gently cradled the little one in his arms, feeling an overwhelming sense of joy.

"Oh Red, she's beautiful." MK whispered in admiration.

"She certainly is." Red Son agreed, smiling lovingly at their tiny daughter.

As the baby awoke, her eyes started to flutter open, revealing a pair of golden brown eyes staring back at her two dads.

Seeing the infant's appearance, Red Son couldn't help but let out a chuckle.
"Well look who's finally awake." The fire demon exclaimed cheerfully. "Welcome to the world, little one."

The baby blinked a couple of times, before smiling and reaching towards her dads with her chubby hands.

"Look at you! Your so tiny and cute." MK cooed softly and stroked the infant's silky cheek with his fingers.

The baby giggled softly, making both her parents grin widely with adoration.

Just then, the door slowly creaked open, and Mei peaked her head in.
"Hey, is it safe to come in?" She asked.

Red Son turned to Mei and smiled. "Sure." He replied.

Mei quietly entered the room, and the rest of the group followed suit.
Soon enough, they were all gathered around the newborn, observing her closely.

"Oh my gosh, she's adorable." Tang gushed, watching as she yawned and stretched.

"She even has your red hair." Sandy remarked to Red Son, who looked quite proud.

 "Except it's a little darker." Macaque corrected, noticing the differences.

"Doesn't matter. She still looks adorable." DBK said warmly, looking at his granddaughter with a loving smile on his face.
Princess Iron Fan gives her husband a fond smile.

All of a sudden, the red-haired baby started to experience a subtle tingle in her nose.

"Whoa, what's wrong?" MK asked, alarmed.

Pigsy's eyes widened, realising what was happening. "Uh oh, I think she's about to..." But before he could finish his sentence, she sneezed, interrupting his words.

The whole group felt their hearts drop as a petite burst of fire emitted from their baby's mouth, causing her to morph into a monkey demon with similar deep red fur.

Everyone stared at her in utter shock, completely taken aback by this development.

"Did she just..." Mei trailed off.

"...Shift?!" Leona finished.

"Awesome! Another monkey demon in the family!" Sun Wukong declared happily.

"Yeah, a monkey demon with fire powers!" Pigsy anxiously stated. "If that doesn't sound like a recipe for disaster."

"Pigsy!" Tang scolded.

"What? I'm just saying." Pigsy defended.

The second the baby reverted back to her human form, she instantly began crying as if she were extremely frightened.

"Oh no, please don't cry baby girl." MK pleaded.

Just then, Dr. Capri and a human male nurse entered the room, rushing over to the little girl's bedside.
"What happened?" The doctor asked.

"She sneezed out fire and then shifted back and forth from human to demon forms." Red Son informed.
"And that's when she started crying." MK added, caressing her head soothingly.

"Oh, good." Dr. Capri murmured.

"Good!? How is that good!?" MK shouted in confusion.

"Random transformations and power surges are perfectly normal for first born demons." The doctor assured them. "Didn't your husband or any of your friends here ever tell you this?" She asked.

"No!" MK shouted angrily, glaring daggers at Red, Wukong and Pigsy, all three sheepishly chuckled and lowered their heads.

"To be fair, I was born from a stone. So I wouldn't know anything about demon birth." Wukong pointed out.
MK sighed in defeat.

Red turned his head towards the doctor. "So, there's nothing wrong with her then?" He inquired hopefully.

"Despite her abnormal size, your little girl seems to be in perfect health." The doctor answered.

"That's good to hear." MK responded, sounding very relieved.

"But, I'm afraid she needs to remain here overnight for further diagnostics. To ensure that there aren't any health issues that could arise in the near future." The doctor announced.

"You mean, we can't take our baby home with us?" MK asked in concern, wearing a look of sorrow on his face.

"Not until tomorrow." She confirmed.

MK and Red Son looked at each other, exchanging worried glances, before looking down at their daughter.

A moment later, they sighed. "We understand." Red Son told the doctor.

Dr. Capri nodded in response. "Oh and before I forget, Can you both please verify her name for me?" She requested politely.

"Oh right, her name! Of course!" Red Son exclaimed. "It's uh..."

"Xiao Huo." MK supplied.

"Xiao Huo?" Red Son repeated, raising his brows.

MK flashed a bright grin. "Yeah. I mean, it makes perfect sense, right?"

"I'm still not that fluent in Chinese. What does Xiao Huo mean?" Leona questioned, scratching her head awkwardly.

Sun Wukong chuckled as he wrapped his arm around his wife's shoulders. "It means, 'Little Fire'." He translated with ease.

"Ah!" Leona suddenly understood, nodding her head.

The other members of the group exchanged amused glances.

"I think that's a lovely name for her." Princess Iron Fan commented.

"Yes, it certainly suits her perfectly." DBK agreed.

Everyone else nodded in agreement.

Red Son smiled warmly at baby Xiao Huo, brushing his hand over her soft hair tuft. "I think it's a beautiful name." He said in an affectionate tone.

"Alright, Xiao Huo it is." Dr. Capri stated, taking the clipboard and pen from the nurse and started writing down some information on the sheet.

A moment later, Dr. Capri gently informs the parents that she has to take baby Xiao to a NICU room where they can check her up properly.
The Monkie Kid and Fire Prince were hesitant at first, not wanting to leave their precious daughter alone. But in the end, they relented, and allowed Dr. Capri to take Xiao Huo away from them. After all, it was only for one night.

After the doctor had left the room, that was cue for the whole group to depart.

Red Son helped his mate get back up onto his feet, and headed towards the doorway.
He then noticed that MK still looked rather upset.

"Xiao will be in good hands, I trust Dr. Capri to take care of her." Red Son comforted the distraught man.

"I hope so... It just, sucks knowing that we won't be able to take our own daughter home with us right now." MK muttered sadly, leaning his forehead against Red's shoulder.

"Agreed. But it's only until tomorrow." Red Son reminded him.

"Yeah, but alot could happen overnight." MK retorted. "I mean, what if a bad guy finds out, and they manage to kidnap her and use her as a bargaining chip?" He suggested worriedly.

"That won't happen!" Red Son insisted, hugging him tightly. "Dr. Capri would never allow such a thing to happen. To any of her patients."

"Promise?" MK mumbled through teary eyes.

"I promise." Red Son replied, placing a kiss on top of his partner's head.

"Thank you. You're the best." He whispered.

Red Son smirked smugly and leaned down, pecking his lover gently on the lips.

After a moment of silence, Red Son sighed. "Okay, let's head back to Pigsy's. Maybe some Noodles might cheer you up?" He suggested, offering his hand to his love.

MK nodded happily, allowing Red Son to escort his out of the hospital.

Later that evening, after the whole gang dispersed for their individual residences, MK and Red Son are seen cuddling in bed.

"Hey Red." MK murmured softly to Red Son, "Thanks."

"For what?" Red Son asked sleepily.

"For being in my life." He replied softly, snuggling closer to his love.

"Oh MK..." Red Son murmured, caressed his mate's dark hair lovingly. "Likewise."

The next morning, the couple arrived back at the hospital for Xiao.
They were greeted by Dr. Capri, who led them to the nursery where their precious girl is currently resting.

As soon as they walked in, Xiao slowly stirred, yawning in her sleep.

"Morning Princess." Red Son and MK chorused together.

The baby gave a small gurgle, her cheeks reddening slightly due to the attention she received from her dads.

Dr. Capri smiled widely at the adorable scene. "Well then, shall I go ahead and sign the discharge papers?" She offered.

Both men nodded in agreement, and the doctor proceeded to fill out the paper.

Then Xiao was finally able to go home with MK and Red Son, who were both so overjoyed.

They couldn't wait to start their new lives as a family of three.

End of chapter.