Hero Reborn - Monkie Kid

Part 1 - Birthday

'It takes courage to grow up and become the person you want to be.' Tang had always told MK ever since he became his foster parent.

Tang and Pigsy came across MK in the foster home when he was ten years old. The poor kid was sitting all alone, looked like he hadn't eaten in days, and was utterly terrified of anyone getting near him.

After spending most of the day at the foster home, Tang managed to get close enough to tell the little boy about one of his favourite Legends, the Monkey King.

The stories captivated the boy instantly, and it was in that moment, Tang and Pigsy decided to foster him. After signing the papers, they found out the boy's name was Qi Xiaotian (MK's birth name).

Several years later, MK still loves listening to Tang's stories about Monkey King. The Great Sage, Equal to Heaven, was a strong, brave, and powerful Legend, that continued to inspire him, so much so, that he now goes by the name, MK.

Tang always loved the way MK smiled when he retold his stories of the Monkey King, but the scolding and backlash from his husband (Pigsy), was something he could live without.

And the pig demon, once again, catches Tang filling MK's head with the silly stories, that he so claims to be a mythical hero. Not to mention, MK always repays Tang with free noodles, which was a huge no-no for Pigsy.

"Hey! No freeloaders are allowed in this store!" Pigsy yells, dropping his grocery bags and stomping over to Tang. He snatches the bowl of noodles away from his husband, and Tang slouches back into his chair, not too happy with having his favourite food taken away.

MK winces when Pigsy yells at Tang, averting his gaze when the pig demon takes the bowl of noodles and looks over at the teen. Pigsy picks up on MK's reaction, and tries to calm down, knowing full well that the kid doesn't cope very well with yelling.

Previous foster homes for MK were full of traumatic and negative experiences – including neglect and abuse, to which both Tang and Pigsy were aware of when they fostered the kid. And even though MK was eighteen now, he would still experience some stress and anxiety.

MK fiddles with his fingers, waiting anxiously for Pigsy to say something, and knowing his foster parent was upset, he was almost certain that Pigsy was going to punish him. Especially after he'd asked so many times for MK not to give Tang free noodles. However, Pigsy sighs before speaking softly,

"MK, there are some orders that need to be delivered. Can you do those for me?" He asked.

MK grabs his arm, giving Pigsy a nod, "Sure." He looks up, "Also... I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it, Kid. Just go deliver those orders. I'm happy to let it slide, this time." Pigsy winks, and MK's frown turns to a soft smile.

He was happy that his foster dad wasn't overly upset with him. So, he rushes out and gets ready to deliver the orders.

Placing the orders carefully in the back of his food cart, MK sits down, slips on his headphones with his favourite music, and sets up the first delivery route. Once everything was set, he just focused on delivering the orders he needed too.

When he got back, MK headed straight to his room and face-planted on his bed. Thankfully he didn't get scolded by Pigsy today, but he still couldn't help but feel guilty for causing so much trouble. And the fact that he'd been told several times before, made him feel even worse – why was he such a screw up?!

After staring at the ceiling for a few hours, MK eventually fell asleep and it felt like time had disappeared, as he was waking up within seconds of closing his eyes.