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Adorabat blinked her eyes open from the heavy sleep that had set in since the previous night. With a yawn and stretch, she flapped off her perch under the bunk and hovered to check the status of her friends' beds. It was still quite early judging from the pink hued light seeping in from the blinds, but Badgerclops and Mao Mao weren't in their bunks. With a quick noise of confusion she let herself float to the bottom bunk's bunched up blanket to see if it was all weapons or if the small black sheriff was in the tangle somewhere.
"Mao Mao?," she called softly, lifting the blanket only to find more gear.
Then a muffled laugh came from across the base.
"Oh!! They must have gotten up early!" The small bat said to herself with a grin as she flapped into the kitchen.
Finding herself alone in another room, Adorabat pouted. The kettle was still warm and a box of tea was sitting on the counter so her mentors had to be around here somewhere! Murmurs of a conversation sounded from the training dojo so with sleepy landing, the smallest deputy waddled her way in that direction.
"Mannn what does Helen know?? Sweetie pies have like 1 worry per year and she used hers up getting in our business!"
"I don't know. I don't think I'm ready. I keep thinkng... what if I end up like my da-"
"Woah woah woah. Hey, look at me dude. /We/ got this! You're not alone in this and you definitely won't end up like buttface because you like, actually have a heart. 'Sides I think you're a pretty good dad so far."
Mao was quiet.
"..so far? Are you challenging me to be an even greater parental figure?"
"Yeah man, I'll even let you be the favorite dad sometimes."
"SOMETIMES??? IF ANYTHING-"
After the bickering and chuckling subsided the pair relaxed into each other again. Badgerclops wrapped an arm around his smaller companion.
"Dude if I knew pureheart valley had sunrises like this, I woulda come here sooner."
"Oh like you knew this place existed before we crashed."
The sheriff pulled his head from the large fluffy shoulder it was leaning on and stretched to nuzzle the cyborg's face before placing a soft kiss on the badger's grinning lips.
"WOW!!"
Mao mao would never admit it but the scream had taken him off guard and he fell off the railing he was perched on, landing hard enough to knock the air out of his chest. His cape followed suit and fell, covering his face.
"Dude are you okay?"
Unsure if the statement was directed at him or Adorabat the sheriff jumped to his feet and barked out a quick "I'm fine."
"Oops, sorry Mao Mao I didn't mean to scare you.." the blue bat said with a face of pure concern.
"You didn't scare me I- WHAT ARE YOU DOING UP SO EARLY??"
"Oh I guess my body's alarm clock said to get up," she hummed. "But then you guys weren't in bed so I tried to find you and-" as she dissolved into an excessive explanation, Mao Mao looked to Badgerclops for help. "How are we gunna explain the k-i-s-s to her," the sheriff muttered quietly through his teeth.
Before Badgerclops could speak, Adorabat came to the end of her ramble "-and then I heard you guys talking and WOW! I can't believe I get to have TWO dads!! That's twice the dad I had before!" Their little bat resumed happy rambling about being the best action team and how it was even cooler because they were a family and-
Mao blinked in shock. No ew cooties? No disdain for the emotional weakness ?
"See dude I told you we got this... until she starts telling everyone what a softy you are."
"IM NOT-" his bark was cut short by two small wings wrapping themselves around his leg in a death grip.
"Mao mao?"
"Uh.. yes adorabat?"
"Ih bwob oouh"
"What."
She peeled her face from its tear soaked spot on the sheriff's shin.
"I love you."