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Memo’d done his fair share of baby-raising, having brought Zuza up from just a foal into the beautiful, gracious unicorn she was today. Then he had Besaraña-- little Besa, who was already so rambunctious and energetic that she was giving him a run for his money. Add to that the two younger siblings that he practically helped raise and he already had a veritable family of child-raising under his belt.

But Ovejita was the first baby that felt… she felt like his child. It was a very strange thing, the gap between I’m guiding you to adulthood and I’m the reason you exist. It was weird and frightening and maybe he was being a little bit more overprotective about her than he should have been.

Which is why she showed up decked out in a bright yellow hair-bow with a protective entourage in tow: Corazón stayed close on the little lamb’s tail and Ester the Bisharp was a permanent, looming shadow in the near background.

Ovejita didn’t seem to mind the company-- in fact, she rolled around like Wooloo royalty, nose in the air, knowing she was papa’s favorite.

When she saw her twin, she let out a bleat of excitement and rolled over to say hi, Corazón sticking close behind her.

Alexei Ivanov

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The two wee ones touched noses before Memo could jump in and insist they sanitize their snouts before they could touch-- who knew what kind of yuckiness they could pass to each other! Always on guard, Corazón sniffed the other Wooloo thoroughly to ensure she wasn’t a threat. Then, discerning it was safe, she sat back with a ruff, as though to say you may proceed.

“They’re necessary!” Memo said, amazing Alexei didn’t have a full guard out with his half of their… children. Yeah, we’ll process that part later. “What if she wandered off and got hurt? Or what if someone tried to hurt her?” He pointed first to his Stoutland, then to his Bisharp. “Cora is making she sure doesn’t get lost, and Ester keeps an eye out for threats.”

As if on cue, the Bisharp made eye contact with someone else’s Granbull, across the park. She lifted her arm-blade as if examining it, allowing it to flash threateningly in the sun. The Granbull paled, and ran back to its trainer.

“I have a system,” Memo insisted.

Alexei Ivanov

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Memo made a hmph noise and placed his hands on his hips. “Yes, Mister Expert Parent, I know,” he said, being impudent on purpose. Yeah, look, Alexei’d been doing this a lot longer than he had and Memo knew that. It was like those TikToks where when parents had one kid they handled them with gloves and safety pads and by kid two they were rolling them through the mud on purpose.

“Not all of us have an armada of birds and dragons to do our babysitting, mi amor,” Memo said, crossing his arms with a bit of a pout. “Some of us have a habit of gathering idiots, and so our babysitting prowess is limited.”

Honestly, if he could have a super stealthy invisible assassin guarding Ovejita every minute of the day, he would.

Meanwhile, Corazón sat on her haunches and carefully observed as the little lambs played, completely prepared to take her guarding duties seriously.

Alexei Ivanov

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“Well,” Memo said, letting the word hang there for a moment, thinking about what to say. “I’m not sure about put together.” There was a sardonic twist in his voice, hinting at sarcasm-- but his smile was all glee. “But you certainly have more experience with being a daddy, I do have to admit.”

Ah. His ears were going red again. This was the best.

“If it’s anything like how many Pelipper you have, love, I’d say more than enough,” Memo said, voice a gentle chuckle. He was so caught up in Alexei’s cute blushing that he’d forgotten to be worried about Ovejita. See, this was why she had the double protection brigade. It was the next best thing to a bubble.

Ovejita was rolling after her twin, baa-ing all the way.

“What does that word mean?” Memo asked, quiet and out of the blue. “”Lapushka’?”

Alexei Ivanov

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He must’ve really done it to get the blush to spread from Alexei’s ears to his cheeks, bright red against the pale of his skin. Briefly, Memo wondered if he should feel bad for relishing in such enjoyments-- but the thought was pushed away in a warm chuckle as Memo realized that life is short and some things were just too good to pass up.

“I gathered that, sweetness,” he murmured, pointedly looking at Alexei. “But what does it mean?”

He had an inkling-- he had googled Russian terms of endearment before, but if it was anything like it was with Spanish, he didn’t trust anything on the web.

Alexei Ivanov

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“I could be a million years old and still not get tired of seeing you blush,” Memo said, tenderness wrapped in a laugh. He reached over to lace his finger’s with Alexei’s by means of apology. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to put you on the spot. I think it’s cute. I like it.”

Ovejita managed to catch up with her sister and tagged her with a snoot-boop to the rump. Determined to win, she immediately turned and booked it in the opposite direction, away from her flirting parents. Corazón ruffed and trotted after her, not letting her out of her sight, as she rolled over hills and around park benches and trees.

Alexei Ivanov

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Memo’s eye’s wrinkled with his smile. “I think it’s perfect,” he said, thoroughly enjoying this… this weird, domestic bliss. Something joyful to be gained from the purity and simplicity of the moment. “I think whatever you pick is perfect.”

Ovejita, meanwhile was on a mission. She had rolled well out of view of both dads and onto a walking path, nearly tripping up a group of joggers. Bobbing and weaving, she rolled across a children’s playground, collecting woodchips in her wool; Corazón, doggedly on the chase, was barking at her to let her know she’d gone too far. But she was on a roll-- literally, heading towards the wooded edge of the park.

Alexei Ivanov