Mao Mao's Secret

More Tension

"Mao Mao!" Badgerclops was practically chasing the feline to the dojo. The sheriff had avoided him all morning, and he was sick of it. Mao Mao of course, ignored him and kept speed walking to the dojo.

"Mao Mao, I know you can hear me, I'm literally four feet behind you!" Still no response. The badger felt his patience finally disappear as he slammed a foot into the ground.

"Mao Mao Mao, if you don't answer me, I swear I'm gonna hide all of your Lucky Ducky stuff!" That got the hero's attention. He turned to face his co-hero with a viscous scowl.

"If you lay a finger on any of my Lucky Ducky merchandise, you're going to need a new bionic arm 'Clops." The sheriff suddenly realized what he called the badger as his cheeks redden. He turned back to the dojo, but didn't get two steps before Badgerclops spoke again.

"I knew it! You do remember what happened last night!" The deputy couldn't help but smile in triumph.

"No I don't!" The sheriff had reverted back to using his fake deep voice since he'd woken that morning. The cyborg had realized the voice wasn't just a way for Mao Mao to sound more heroic, it was a defense mechanism. Whether the cat realized this or not didn't matter, it told the badger enough. Mao Mao was scared he was going to be hurt again.

"Mao Mao, I just want to talk about what you said." Badgerclops closed the distance between him and the cat, speaking gently so he didn't shut him out. What the sheriff said couldn't be ignored, the cyborg wouldn't let it be ignored.

"Yeah right, you just want to talk." Mao Mao seemed to discard the lie that he didn't remember the night before. His tone was calloused as he stood, cape engulfing his body.

"Come on buddy, you know I would never hurt you on purpose." It was the truth. Badgerclops would never intentionally hurt the cat.

"Then leave me alone!" The feline shouted. His gaze was sharp and intimidating, but Badgerclops didn't back down.

"Dude, we need to talk about it."

"Why!?"

"You said you loved-"

"Don't say it!" Mao Mao quickly interupted, storming into the dojo, his co-hero following suit.

"What's so wrong about it, Mao Mao!? Are you really that embarrassed by it!?" Badgerclops felt hurt by the thought. Did the sheriff really think having a crush on him was so unappealing?

"N-no!" Mao Mao's voice cracked a bit. The deputy was starting to get through to him. Just a little bit more of a push in the right direction.

"Then why won't you talk about it!?"

"I just don't want to! Why can't you leave it at that!?"

"You can't keep bottling up your feelings and pretending they don't exist!"

"Watch me!"

"Come on man, tell me!"

"Why is this so important to you!?"

"I don't want you to hurt yourself just because you think it makes you look like a hero! I want to help you!"

"Then leave me alone!"

"Why won't you just talk to me!?" Mao Mao whirled around in a quick blur of red.

"BECAUSE I'M SCARED!!!" Mao Mao's voice was back to normal, so the answer pierced through the badger's ears even harder.

"Is that what you want to hear?" Mao Mao was crying now, "That after everything I've been through, I'm scared I'll be hurt again by someone I care about, That I'll be left alone?"

"Mao Mao, look at me." Badgerclops kneeled down so he could look the sheriff in the face. As soon as the cat met his gaze, the badger wrapped him in a tight hug.

"It's okay to be scared, especially in these kinds of situations. Just know that no matter what, I'll be here for you." They stayed in their embrace for a few moments, Mao Mao calming down with shaky breaths.

"Better?" The deputy asked after the feline was breathing normally.

"Yeah."

"Do you want to talk now?"

"Yes...but I don't know how to say it." The badger now held Mao Mao in front of him, hands on his shoulders.

"What do you mean?"

"I'm not sure how to express...my feelings." Mao Mao was blushing now, staring down at his gloves paws.

"Well, I have an idea on how." The thought had just floated into Badgerclops's head. It was not only a way Mao Mao could express his feelings, but a way for the bionic badger to answer a question that had been burning in his mind since last night.

"What is it?"

"Why don't I just show you?"

"O-okay." The sheriff's voice was full of nervous energy. It seemed his friend was slowly closing the space between them.

Badgerclops put a paw on the cat's cheek, smirking at how Mao Mao leaned into his touch. The badger remembered how he said he'd been waiting for the special to come along. Maybe that special someone was the feline standing right in front of him. That didn't seem to ridiculous, did it? There was one way Badgerclops could find out, he just needed to get closer.

"Badgerclops?" Mao Mao's seemed glazed over, as if he was in a trance.

"Yeah, Kitten?" Even though he sounded half asleep, the badger chuckled lightly at how the sheriff's cheeks became rosy. He filed the nickname away for later use.

"I...I love..." There was almost no empty air between them now. Badgerclops's goal was so close to being complete. The answer he wanted was in his grasp.

"Yeah?" He could feel the warmth of the cat's breath on his cheeks now. Badgerclops wouldn't deny that he was utterly terrified, but he felt elated too.

"I love-"

"Mao Mao, Badgerclops! Where are you!" Adorabat's voice sounded from the house, "Shin Mao and a lady cat are here!"

"Mom and Dad!?" The sheriff sounded shocked at his parents arrival. The two suddenly snapped out if their haze, blushing brightly as the parted.

"Let's uh...let's talk later." The badger suggested.

"Probably a good idea." The feline sounded a little crestfallen. He had longed for what they were about to do for so long, and now it was gone.

"Mao Mao! Badgerclops!" Adorabat called again, now sounding a little worried.

"We're coming, Adorabat!" Mao Mao shouted from the dojo. He turned to the cyborg beside him with a phony smile, "We should get going."

"Yeah. Let's go." The two walked back to the house in silence, both beating themselves up in their heads for letting that moment be stolen from them.