"Okay, we're leaving, don't wreck the house." Mao Mao called as he and Badgerclops headed to the garage so they could take the arocycle.
"Jeeze Mittens, have a little faith." Tanya sat back, chuckle when Mao Mao glared at her.
"Adorabat." The sheriff turned to the little deputy, arms crossed and brow raised.
"I know, don't stay up past my bedtime." Adorabat gave an annoyed sigh as she flopped next to Tanya.
"Come on Mao Mao, we gotta go!" Badgerclops called, already in the garage.
"Coming!" Mao Mao started making his way downstairs when he stopped at something Adorabat said.
"Have fun in your date guys!" He could hear her and Tanya's giggles, even when he entered the garage. Mao Mao put a palm to his forehead and gave a crooked smile.
"Mao Mao?" Badgerclops was staring at the cat, wondering what could have stopped him so suddenly, "You okay?"
"Oh! Of course!" The cat was snapped out of his daze. The crooked grin now looked nervous as he mounted the arocycle, "I just realized that this is kinda...my first date." The badger wore an amused expression as he got on behind the sheriff.
"Well I bet it'll be awesome." Both of them put on their helmets without a word. Mao Mao revved up the arocycle and the started off to the town.
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"Muffins's Bakery?" Badgerclops spoke with curiousity as he and Mao Mao took of their helmets and dismounted the bike.
"Yeah! I thought we could get something to eat and then...see where the night takes us." Badgerclops's eyes widened in surprise, which made Mao Mao nervous.
"You mean, you willing went without a solid plan, and decided to be spontaneous?" Mao Mao's insides twisted up and shame began to fill him.
"Did you not want-"
"No no, I like it!" The sheriff relaxed as his deputy grinned, "You don't normally just go with the flow. It's kinda nice to see you change things up once in awhile." Mao Mao brightened at the badger's approval of his choice.
"Uh...after you." Mao Mao mumbled with a smile as he opened the door to the bakery.
"Thanks." Badgerclops couldn't help but blush at the treatment.
"Hello, Sheriff!" Muffins called from the register, "Is Adorabat not with you?"
"Nope, just me and Badgerclops!" The cat and badger walked up to the counter together and gazed at the baked goods on display. There were others in the bakery, but they didn't seem to take notice. Usually, the Sweetpies got nervous that they'd be arrested if the sheriff or a deputy was around, but something was different this time. They could almost feel the warmth and affection radiating off of the two heros. It made them smile.
"One blueberry jelly donut, and one strawberry jelly donut please." Badgerclops said to Muffins after a quick discussion between him and Mao Mao.
"Just a moment. Feel free to take a seat while wait." Muffins kept a curious eye on the two until they were seated. She couldn't help but wonder why the aura these two had was so different.
As she prepared the order she was working on before the two had walked in, she smiled gently when she saw how happy the two looked. She almost dropped the jelly donuts they had odered when she heard the sheriff chuckle. It wasn't his usual laugh the Sweetiepies had grown accustomed too, which was harsh and maniacal, but a soft, gentle chuckle. Muffins saw that she wasn't the only one to react this way to the chuckle, almost every Sweetiepie in her bakery was staring at the pair in shock.
"Sheriff, your order is ready!" Muffins called out, putting two to-go bags on the counter next to the register. The deputy and sheriff walked up to the counter together, the sheriff pulling out the money he needed to pay.
"Keep the change." He said with a smile, grabbing the bags while he stored his wallet away. The sheriff handed his badger friend his to-go bag as they made their way to the door, still oblivious to the stares they received.
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"Wanna sit at by the fountain?" Mao Mao suggest, pointing to it as they neared the fountain. Badgerclops had already taken a bite of his donut (he ordered the strawberry).
"Sure." He said through a muffling mouthful.
"Yum." Mao Mao spoke in blissful glee as he took a bite of his donut. Once again, the two attracted glances from passing Sweetiepies, their joyful and affectionate moods throwing them all off.
"Pfft." Badgerclops giggles as he finished off his donut.
"What?" Mao Mao turned to face his friend, his donut also gone.
"Dude," a napkin protruded from Badgerclops's robo arm, landing in his palm, "you have blueberry jelly all over your face." Mao Mao didn't put up a fight when Badgerclops brought the napkin to his cheeks and wiped away the jelly.
"Hold on." The badger said as he put his now dirty napkin in his to-go bag. He cupped Mao Mao's chin in his hand and turned the cat's face side to side so he could make sure he got all of the jelly. Even though all of the jelly was gone, Badgerclops's moved his hand to grace the side of the cat's face. The touch was gentle as he smiled down at the cat.
Of course he wasn't expecting Mao Mao to accept his touch and lean into it. And as if that didn't put a rosy color in Badgerclops's cheeks, the sheriff put his gloves paw over the one the badger had put on his cheek. Badgerclops found the scene even more unbearably adorable and heartwarming when Mao Mao closed his eyes, smiled softly, and let out a little purr.
"Mao Mao and Badgerclops sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" A familiar, yet unwelcomed voice chanted from in front of the sheriff and deputy. Both turned to glare at Pinky, who stood in front of them with a devilish smile.
"Pinky, go away man!" Badgerclops tried to get the pink demon to go away before he continued.
"First comes love!" Pinky took a step back as Mao Mao's hand flew to his sword hilt.
"Then comes marriage!" Another step back as Mao Mao unsheathed Geraldine.
"Pinky, stop." Badgerclops true again, fearing of what would happen to the little devil.
"Then comes Adorabat in a baby carriage!" Pinky ran as Mao Mao lurched towards him, fleeing the scene as he filled the air with his gremlin laughter.
"I swear I'm gonna-" Mao Mao stopped his threat when he felt Badgerclops lay his hand on his shoulder.
"He's not worth it man, let's go." Mao Mao followed the badger, discarding their trash into a nearby trash bin as they searched for where to go next.
"I got an idea!" Mao Mao perked up, grabbing his date's hand and leading him to a hill just outside of town.
"What are we doing?" Badgerclops asked curiously as Mao Mao sat him down next to him on the hill.
"The sun is setting." Mao Mao said, gesturing off to where the sun was on the east side of town. The badger remained silent as they watch the sun go down, filling the sky with different shades of oranges, gold's, pinks, and reds.
"Wow." Badgerclops watched in amazement as the colors seeped into the clouds, and reflected off of the Ruby Pure Heart, casting the Valley in an array of colors.
"It's pretty amazing, right?" Mao Mao asked after the sun was gone, and the colors had faded away.
"It was beautiful!" The badger turned to the cat, smiling from ear to ear.
"I saw it on one of my evening patrols." Seeing the badger so full of joy from the beautiful scene made Mao Mao chuckle.
"This is nice. We should do this more often." Badgerclops suggested, laying down in the cool grass.
"Yeah...we should." Mao Mao laid down beside the badger, turning in his side to look at him.
"Hey Mao Mao," Badgerclops turned to his side to face the sheriff, closing in the distance between them, "I...like being with you." The badger's cheeks were bright pink.
"I like being with you too." The sheriff's cheeks caught a pinkish hugh as they laid there, just looking into the other's eyes, not saying a word.
Badgerclops became fed up with the silence and leaned in, planting a gentle kiss on the cat's forehead, making the cat's cheeks go from dull pink, to tomato red.
"Uh...we should probably head home." Mao Mao blurted out, his words tasting like sandpaper. He wanted to stay here with the badger longer, but fear had gotten the better of him.
"Okay." Badgerclops muttered, looking a little disappointed.
Once they were back home, Mao Mao turned to Badgerclops one last time.
"Hey Badgerclops." Mao Mao could feel his gut twisting up at what he was about to do.
"Yeah Mao Mao?" Badgerclops gazed down at the cat, expect a berating for kissing his forehead, but was pleasantly surprised when Mao Mao beckoned him to lean down and kissed his cheek instead.
"Tonight was nice." Mao Mao spoke quickly before he walked inside, leaving Badgerclops with a hand in his cheek.
"Yes it was." Was all Badgerclops said in return, even though Mao Mao was out of ear shot.