All characters are at least 18 years old. This is a non-canonical story related to the Family Morsel series.
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Drew
There were a ton of people, and the crowds kind of determined which animals we saw first. We were funneled toward the giraffes, and Cherry immediately took the chance to yank my chain.
"Look, Stilts, it's more of your kind!" she laughed.
"Damnit, she beat me to it!" Stef grumbled.
"Wow, you guys are so original. How long d'it take to come up with that one?" I sighed.
We moved on to the zebras, and there was still a big crowd around. Pushing through all the people wasn't an option, and Brie was forced to crane her neck to see anything at all.
"Well at least we can hear them," she joked. "Jeez, it's still so weird that they sound like that."
I felt another tug at my wrist, and Cherry's mouth was quirked as she hesitated. "Can you... Ugh... Can you lift me up?"
"Sorry, the giraffe doesn't take requests," I replied with a sly grin.
"C'mon, Stilts. Drew baby, please?" She pouted again, and I grit my teeth. Must. Stay. Strong.
"Are you seriously gonna use the same trick every time?" I groaned. "Acting cute is gonna get you nowhere--" She batted her eyes at me and I gave in, just like that. Oh God, I was so fucked if she already had me like this.
I reached down and held her by the waist, lifting her up. Good thing I'd been working out since Christmas, or the noodle arms I used to have wouldn't have cut it. Instead I deposited her on my shoulders, making her squeal with joy.
The twins exchanged a look but said nothing as I carried Cherry from enclosure to enclosure. Half of the African animals were just way too packed, so we moved on to the aquarium with plans to return later. We saw beautiful blooms of jellyfish, some cool-looking sharks, and a blue-ringed octopus.
"How cute," Brie commented at the thumb-sized cephalopod.
"It's one of the most venomous creatures on the planet," I supplied. "Probably one of those one-touch-will-kill-you animals, y'know? There's no antivenom for it. Octopuses are actually some of my favorite animals."
"Of course they are, you fucking perv," Stef snorted.
"What's not to like?" I agreed with a grin. "Built-in smokescreens, active camouflage, multiple tentacles--"
"Okay, maybe not so cute," Brie muttered.
"--that can grow back, and they're wicked smart. They can figure out how to open bottles, did you know that? Although I saw one vid where it couldn't figure it out, so it just crushed the glass to get to the little fishy the scientists had put inside. So, super strong too. And yeah, blue-rings are pretty cute."
"But they're alone all the time, right?" Cherry asked quietly, and I nodded, a bittersweet feeling in my heart.
"Yeah... Yeah, they're always alone."
The moment seemed to hang in the air, and the twins didn't know how to respond, until suddenly Stef shouted, "Ey, penguins!"
"I love penguins!" Cherry cheered, almost toppling off my shoulders.
"Who doesn't?" Brie agreed.
"But they're my
favorite,
" Cherry said as we walked over. "They're really cute, and they're so well-dressed."
"They're also one of the few animals where the dad sticks around to be a parent," I added, before regretting my choice of words. I just made it super awkward due to my own father ditching my mom when she was pregnant, a story the others knew.
Luckily, Cherry helped me salvage the moment. She ran her hands through my hair, petting me tenderly. "Yeah," she said quietly. "That's the main reason I like them. Penguins mate for life, and they're loyal to their partners. They take care of their partners, and take care of their kids." Was she... dropping hints? Some people say that your favorite traits of your favorite animal were an indication of what you looked for in a partner. Never knew how much credence to put into that, but if it was true...
"Did you know that there are gay penguins?" Stef blurted.
"Yes! I saw that too!" Brie laughed. "I love it. It's weirdly wholesome."
Cherry was still stroking my hair, and I rubbed my thumbs against her thighs. Jesus, my feelings were a total mess now. Couldn't even have a visit to the zoo without steeping it in sentiment. I wasn't a sappy person... or at least, I thought I wasn't. But this warm fuzzy feeling that Stef refused to talk about was now welling up somewhere in me. Oh my fucking God, she'd really gotten me good.
"Let's move on," I said quickly, carrying Cherry and leading the twins toward the next section of the zoo. We saw kangaroos, wombats, cassowaries, and of course, koalas.
"Koalas! Gosh, they're so cute too," Cherry enthused.
"Stupid animal," I muttered, and she gave me a light smack on the top of my head.
"Wow, you take that back," growled Brie. "How are they stupid?"
"They can only eat eucalyptus," I ranted. "Like literally, that's the
only
thing that goes in their mouth. They don't even drink water. And if their tree falls down -- which could happen naturally, doesn't have to involve humans or anything -- they just sit where their tree used to be and freaking die. Any animal that's so unadaptable
deserves