Memo hummed a noise in thought, tilting his head to look at Alexei with curious eyes. “Out of nowhere, huh?” he asked, voice a bit dreamy. Sure, Alex. Sure.

Like he said, things to be unpacked.

“Oh, well,” Memo sighed, looking back out across the picturesque fields. Their afternoon as shepherds would be coming to an end soon. “He may just be an ass forever. It was a good idea, mi amor; I think Jove’s just too sour to be sweet.”

---

mission: wooloo who cry wolf
wearing, but with sneakers

Alexei Ivanov

☉

When Alexei talked like that, it made Guillermo wonder. Like he was speaking quickly to cover something up. Not anything sinister, mind. Just something he might feel would be embarrassing. Like his undying love for Wooloo could ever be anything but adorable.

His words hung in the air, almost visible like music notes; he expected as much, and was rewarded with the vision of Alexei turning red up to his ears when he realized what Memo had said. He babbled a bit, flustered, then looked away.

“Mmhm.” Memo leaned back against his unicorn, who was minding her own business and nibbling at the grass. She shifted in Alexei’s direction just slightly, and Memo went with her; he reached his hand over and gently threaded his fingers with Alexei’s, face a peaceful smile.

"You're cute when you blush."

---

mission: wooloo who cry wolf
wearing, but with sneakers

Alexei Ivanov

☉

Memo knew he was asking a lot. Gentle touches and cute blushes aside, they both had… baggage. Him especially. Thirteen years of repression, abuse, closeted suffering, and a string of poorly planned… shall we say, encounters, hadn’t exactly set him up to be anyone’s life partner.

But they weren’t, at this exact point in time, talking forever. No, this was something they could take at their own pace. Right now it was just them and a field of sheep on a sunny spring afternoon. And Memo… Memo figured he was ready. He felt ready. This felt good.

He hadn’t expected Alexei to come tumbling into his hands, but, by now, he was well-practiced at catching him; the difference was, this time, there was only abstract vulnerability. The kind that came with living. No terrible frights, no near-death encounters.

Memo winked at the scheming sheep before focusing his attention on Alexei.

“Can I kiss you?”

---

mission: wooloo who cry wolf
wearing, but with sneakers

Alexei Ivanov

☉

With Memo’s weight now fully off of her and leaning over Alexei, Zuza, too, opted to take the chance to make her escape. She followed close behind the Wooloo, wickering politely to them as she went.

Soon, it was just the humans, the warm breeze, and the distant baa-ing of a hundred sheep.

Memo couldn’t fight the smile on his face if he tried. Watching Alexei come apart was revoltingly endearing-- the kind of cute that made his stomach fill with butterflies. He felt like a little boy again, with a schoolyard crush-- except he wasn’t a boy, he wasn’t at home, and there were no parents to tell him what he was doing was wrong.

Alexei’s voice continued to climb through the octaves as his face got redder and redder.

“You are so cute, you know that?” he murmured, his voice soft and filled with awe; his eyes flitted over Alexei’s features, taking in everything and committing it to memory. Because he could. He needed to, right at this moment.

If you’re alright with it--

“Oh, I’m more than alright with it,” Memo said, a growl rising unbidden into his words.

--go ahead.

So he did. He lowered his face to Alexei’s and gently nuzzled against the heated bridge of his nose; he let his eyes fall closed and, ever so softly, brushed his lips over Alexei’s.

An advancement, of sorts. Something he’d meant to do long ago. But also, a tender invitation for more.

---

mission: wooloo who cry wolf
wearing, but with sneakers

Alexei Ivanov

☉