Mao Mao's Valentine's 2020 ♡

The Time We Met

Word Count: 802
Warning: None

Padding softly into the dojo it didn't take long for the well honed hero to pick up on his daughter standing in the doorway. Gaze shifted from Geraldine in his lap, Mao smiled at Ren coming down the steps to him.

"Hey there kiddo," Mao set his sword next to him to give his daughter his full attention, "What's up?"

An over exaggerated huff just as she sat down with a plop, "Dad."

"That's my name don't wear it out," Mao winked. 

Only earning a good eye roll from the teenage feline, "Staph, I have a question."

Oh god, Mao's internal monologued panicked. Was this the day? The day he'd have to explain the birds and the dragons to his baby girl? There was no way! She was just a baby yesterday there's no way she'd come to the dojo for anything less important than that! This couldn't be happening. Zu out of the house where was his scapegoat for this?? Was he even qualified for this kind of question??

Ren completely oblivious to the panic setting in on her overthinking father. She continued on with what brought her into the dojo in the first place, "Dad, what was it like when you met Mom for the first time?"

"Wut?" Mao's brain lagged about the five seconds after Ren's question was popped.

Her heterochromic eyes blinked unwavered by her father's weirdness just to repeat herself, "What was it like when you and mom met? You've never told me."

"When...your mother and I met...?" Mao was taken back a little bit he felt like it was such a heroic line in his woven tale of heroics that there was no way he hadn't told his kid about it at least five hundred times. But the look on Ren's face really painted the picture that not once had he shared the epic tale, "Well, my child, if you must know. It was upon my arrival here in Pure Heart Valley!" Jumping to his feet the black cat took a heroic pose with his foot hiked up on the railing of the dojo, "The bright early day of Badgerclops and I's arrival was that of epic proportions! Sky pirates threatning the Ruby Pure Heart, the Royal family in disarray after a misshape leaving the valley exposed and nothing but your daring pops to save the day!" Mao sprung off the ground up onto the railing sweeping his arms out towards the empty dojo as his story was belted out for all to hear, "There she was, Sky Pirates thieving the royal ruby, your mother out numbered and at the mercy of fate! But fate, had a name. And that name was Mao Mao! I sprung into action!" He of course emphasizing his story by launching off the banister and landing with a thud in front of his daughter, "With a slash! And a parry! And all the heroic muster in my body I saved your mother from the menace! All to be, hehe, rewarded royally." 

Following the story to a T Ren was leaned in fixated on her father as his story peaked to the most heroic ending possible. Mao winked with his last snippet and Ren finally sat back with a nod, "So...you swooped in and saved mom like a damsel in distress from the evil sky pirates? Earning the Kingdom's love and Mom's?"

"Of course!" Mao clutched his stomach and laughed, "How else would your old man do it!"

Nodding along slowly like she understood each step crystal clear. Mao was sure he had his daugher in the throws of his epic tale. But that was quickly shattered, "Mom said you broke the Ruby Pure Heart by running the aerocycle into it, crashed into the fountain in the square and them mom held a knife to your throat threatening you to leave and never come back after you destroyed our grandparents heirloom that protected the valley. Oh, and mom said you looked really stupid staring at her while she tried to kill you only to have you tell her how pretty she was ignoring the threat." Every word shattered Mao's facade and Ren looked up at her deflated dad unphased, "So...mom lied?"

The trap was set. Now Mao knew better than to fall into it, "....no, she's just remembering more details I guess if you want to be nit picky and-"

"Thanks dad!" Ren popped up from her seat without lingering for a second more of what he dad had to say. The calico cat spared a quick kiss on her dad's cheek with the smuggest smile on her face, "I knew you'd remember it just as well as mom!"

Grumbling to himself Mao picked Geraldine back up mumbling to himself, "Yeah yeah yeah, I remember how we met alright."