Chapter Text
Boom!
The trees came toppling down as the trio came down full throttle, the aerocycle stopping once firmly planted into the earth. The sudden stop sent Mao Mao tumbling with shouts of aggravation. Badgerclops held onto Adorabat, popping off his helmet and smiling. "I dunno about you guys, but I think that went pretty well."
Mao Mao was able to skid to a stop with his paws, dusting dirt off of his fur. Adorabat squirmed out of Badgerclops' arms to fly over and see if Mao Mao was alright. Of course he was, but he was also upset at the snide comment his co-hero added. "Could you be serious for five minutes?!" he'd shout through sharp teeth, only getting a smile out of Badgerclops.
"If I really put my mind to it, sure!" Badgerclops replied in amusement, only stopping himself when he looked at Mao Mao's face. Yeah, he was pretty mad. "Hmph. Well, at least we made it out of there in time. No thanks to you and your poor cardio." Mao Mao scoffed while trudging back towards his beloved bike, looking it over for any damages. Badgerclops took offense to this, standing up and putting a hand on his hip.
"I'm not a fast runner dude, you know this. It's not like it was my fault that ship blew up. We got out in time, didn't we?" Badgerclops said defensively. Mao Mao popped open the hood, narrowing his eyes at the power source to see if it was cracked or non-responsive. He wasn't good with tech in comparison to his partner, but magic was a different story. Crystals could hardly count as tech.
Adorabat flew over, perching herself on Badgerclops' shoulder. "Is it broken?" she asked with a frown.
"No, luckily. We should be able to make it to Headquarters in five minutes. See Badgerclops? This is how you crash without damaging any parts of the vehicle. A hero always considers the less destructive path to take if destruction is inevitable."
"Wow," Adorabat gushed. "So you planned to hit all of those trees on the way down?"
This comment caught Mao off guard, his fur bristling. "Huh? Of course! All part of the plan, naturally. It was the best route down, no other way." Mao Mao insisted with pride in his voice, smiling at Adorabat's impressed expression. Badgerclops didn't look as impressed. "Everything you said was totally made up on the spot."
"NO, IT WASN'T!" Mao Mao shouted, grabbing Badgerclops' helmet and hopping onto the aerocycle so he could slam it onto his head. "Why don't you pull this precious thing out of the ground so I can drive us back instead of making untrue statements?"
Badgerclops glared at Mao Mao after stumbling. Jokes on him, now he didn't have to put his helmet back on. Badgerclops gripped the sides of the vehicle, ripping it from the crater it dug itself into. The three of them stared at the front wheel, still embedded into the ground. "Huh." Badgerclops said after a moment of silence.
"Huh?" Mao Mao's fists clenched. "The wheel breaks off and that's all you can say?! Huh?!" His aerocycle- ruined! That was their fastest and main means of transportation. What were they supposed to do now? Mao Mao was about to rant and rave about this before Badgerclops raised his hands up. "Dude, chill. I can fix it, It'll just take a couple hours-"
Mao Mao narrowed his eyes, opening his mouth to complain before Adorabat gasped. "So we're camping? Like survivalists in the wilderness?" her eyes were wide and sparkling with excitement at the thought.
Badgerclops shrugged. "I guess-" Mao Mao cut him off, much more complacent with the idea of staying out here while Badgerclops tinkered with the aerocycle. "It would seem so, Adorabat! This is an inconvenience, but being out here gives me a chance to teach you proper survivalist techniques that every hero must learn in case of events such as these! Let's see... A simple task to begin with is foraging. What's safe to eat and what isn't. I think there are some sugar berries nearby. Now, they sound delicious, but in reality they are highly po-- ADORABAT!"
Adorabat froze, about to stuff her face with sugar berries. "What?" she asked. Mao Mao sighed, realizing that he might have his work cut out for him after all.
--
Time passed and Adorabat learned a lot of new things like how to build a shelter from leaves, shrubbery, and twigs. It took a while because Mao Mao kept messing up couldn't find suitable building material that could withstand even the smallest of winds. Building a fire was one of Adorabat's favorite things, and Mao Mao's least favorite when she nearly set fire to the whole forest. He really underestimates how much of a loose canon his deputy was. Eventually he was able to calm her down, telling heroic tales at the campfire.
"...And that's when I found myself completely surrounded, armed with nothing but my own fists."
Adorabat listened intently, eyes drooping. Despite looking tired they still had the same interested gleam whenever Mao Mao told her stories of his past adventures. Mao Mao noticed her body language, stopping himself mid sentence and picking Adorabat up. "Alright, I'll finish my epic tale tomorrow. Young heroes need their rest. Now now, I know you're disappointed and not tired, but it's important for a hero to... Adorabat?"
He looked down to see the kid already sleeping. "Well, that was easy."
Badgerclops walked over, putting a hand on Mao's shoulder. Mao Mao wasn't startled, thankfully, and turned his head to look at him. "Yo, finished fixing the bike. We can head back now."
Mao Mao looked down at Adorabat, then back up at Badgerclops with a slight smile. "Nah. Home isn't going anywhere. Let's camp out here. You know- like we used to do."
Badgerclops watched him turn away to figure out how to put Adorabat to bed, simply deciding on wrapping her up in his cape and keeping her by his side. He stayed up with Badgerclops, talking and laughing with him until the moon was high in the sky and the stars made themselves at home. It was a pretty sight. He often forgot to cherish nature and the sights the world brought him while exploring. Badgerclops kept talking, noticing that Mao Mao went silent. He also began resting his head on Badgerclops at some point, which he knew better than to bring up.
"The stars look cool, right?" Badgerclops said with a smile. "I haven't really stargazed in a while, but I noticed a couple constellations."
Mao Mao hummed. "Just looks like a bunch of dots to me."
"No man, look, I'll point them out." Badgerclops pointed out various constellations that he recognized, Mao Mao listening and watching him as he did so. Adorabat was sound asleep, nestled at Mao Mao's side. He kept a protective arm around her, growing tired. Falling asleep didn't take long.
Badgerclops stopped looking at the stars, glancing down at the two beside him. He smiled, placing an arm of his own around Mao.
"Night, yall." he whispered as the fire died out.