It all started with a simple question of two words asked by a sleepy little tot, "Where Momo?"

   And now, Ruru was in his car driving to the places they went to today searching for a stuffed duck.
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   "Look at your son. He looks so peaceful," Kylie smiled craning her neck, her eyes pinned on her son in his carseat.

   Ruru looked at the rearview mirror and smiled, "Napagod siguro kakalaro."

   "Ang saya niya nitong araw nato. Grabe ang hyper!"

   "Pasalamat nalang tayo na spoiled siya sa mga Ashti at Aldo niya," Ruru chuckled. He still laughs at how bizzare his son's endearments are for his godparents.

   "I think Mikee's her favorite Ashti."

   "Mikee's not his Ashti, Ide-a daw she said," Ruru shook his head remembering the long impromptu presentation she had with her phone just to prove her point, no kidding.

   "Kase siya daw yung totoong panganay natin. Hay, that girl," Kylie smiled.

   "Babe, you go get him out of the carseat and I'll bring the baby bag," he compromised the moment he parked the car.

   "Why? I took him out of the carseat the whole day."

   "I can't do it without waking him up but, you can."

   She sighed, "Fine."

   Carefully, she unbuckled the seatbelt of the carseat and slowly carried her two year old in her arms. She gently bounced him in his arms trying to shift his weight to make him lighter.

   Why did he have to get his father's build?

   "Baby, you're so heavy na," she whispered and kissed his cheeks. She swears, those cheeks are so red they look like apples.

   "M-ma," Amir mummbles.

   "Hey there, Pogi," she greets him with a smile, laying him down on his toddler bed.

   "Mama, I hungry," he said rubbing his tummy.

   "You ask Baba to get you food. I'll get you clothes muna so you can take ba-bath na huh?" she instructs clearing his forehead of stray hair.

   "Baba, food peash," he said tapping his father's knee.

   Ruru scooped down and carried his son, "You want cookies?"

   "Hey, no cookies. He had ice cream with Aldo Rocco and Ashti Sanya a while ago."

   "Okay, no cookies daw, Baby. Payag ka?" Ruru bounced him in his arms.

   Amir nodded.

   "No yummy, crunchy, chocolatey, delicious, yum yum in your tum tum cookies?"

   "Ru, don't do that. Go get your son some biscuits or something," Kylie looked over her shoulder and glared at him.

   "Yes, Ma'am. Let's go get you some food, lil' man!" he exclaimed and was out the door in a snap.

   In a while, the two were back with a few crumbs on Amir's lips. Munching on snacks was never really a clean task for the young boy.

   "Amir, you show Mama your pout," Ruru instructed.

   Amir put his cracker down and pouted his lips. Kylie giggled. He looked just like her. Ruru snapped a picture of his son right after putting him down. A few seconds later, Kylie's phone notified her that her husband just posted something new and mentioned her in the caption.

   Posted by rurumadrid8:

He's got his Mama's pout. @knpmadrid look at your son #AmirJoaquin #AngMuntingRehav

   Kylie smiled and liked it. She turned around to see her son has finished eating the cracker and his eyes were starting to give up on him.

   "I think someone has to go take his afternoon nap already," she carried him, "Ba-bath muna, mahal ko, ha?"

   Amir nodded.

   "Love, clear his bed from the crumbs please," she instructed to which Ruru nodded to.

   Surprisingly, his bath wasn't as messy as it usually is. Maybe because the poor thing is barely keeping his eyes open.

   With an Amir that was wrapped in a towel to look like a burrito in her arms, Kylie walked out of the bathroom. Changing him into his sando and pajama pants were also very easy to do. She carried him to his bed while Ruru closed the curtains and dimmed the lights.

   "Take a nap muna, Kulit," Ruru said touching the boy's cheeks and covered him with his light blue blanket that he had since birth.

   Just when everything was going good, Amir asks, "Where Momo?"

   Kylie smiled, "Oh, wait lang, ha?"

   She opened his closet to find just clothes and no Momo. Ruru went to the bathroom but the duck wasn't playing in the tub. Kylie looked at the changing table and under the bed but, no signs of Momo.

   "Momo?" Amir sat up.

   "Lay back down, Buddy. Baba's gonna go check in the car, okay?" Ruru said and ran out the door.

   The plush wasn't in the carseat or under the seats. It wasn't in the car in general. He pulled his hair out of frustration and looked in the living room and the kitchen but still no Momo.

   "Anak, sleep na. I promise Momo will be back when you wake up. Sige na," Kylie pleaded although she knew it was hopeless. The kid couldn't sleep without the duck.

   "Gimme my Momo!" he exclaimed, his eyes already teary and was ready to burst out crying.

   "It isn't in the car, Love. I checked the living room and the kitchen, it isn't there either," Ruru said as he entered the room with sweat beads on his forehead.

   "Momo! Baba, Momo!!!" Amir exclaimed, tears already leaking out of his eyes.

   "Sshh, hey, don't cry please. We'll find Momo, I promise," Ruru comforted but all fall to deaf ears as Amir continued throwing a fit in Kylie's arms.

   "Maybe we left it in McDonald's or the set. Go check, Love, please," Kylie begged.

   Ruru wasn't blind to not see the mix of frustration and displeasure on her face. For the record, she was still in her denim jeans and blue tank top from a while ago.

   "I'll go muna," he said and kissed Kylie on the lips and Amir on the head.

   "Love, hurry!"

   Driving quickly but carefully, Ruru passed by the McDonald's branch they ate in at lunch. He asked the cashier people, who obviously were fawning over him, if there were any stuffed animals in their lost and found. Unfortunately, there was not.

   He grunted and raced to the set of the reunion movie that the Encantadia cast was having. Parking his car just outside the tall, green gates of the studio, he got out and went straight to the actor's lounge.

   "Bro, what brings you back?" Rocco asked as he pretended like he was not texting Sanya.

   "Nakita mo ba si Momo?" Ruru asked already bent over, looking under his folding bed.

   "The duck? No, check in the girl's lounge daw."

   "Thanks, man," he mustered as he ran to the girl's lounge.

   He knocked first and slowly opened the doors. Everybody's face lit up.

   "Ru, si Amir nasaan?" Sanya asked.

   "Nasa bahay. Si Momo ba nakita niyo?" he said checking Kylie's folding bed.

   "Andito sakin," Glaiza announces and raised the stuffed duck in the air.

   Ruru let out a relieved sigh, "Mahibaging Emre, thank you!"

   "Si Ky, nasaan?" Gabbi asked.

   "Nasa bahay kasama si Amir."

   "Kumusta naman si Kulit doon? Nandito pa naman stuffed toy niya," Glaiza asked.

   "Ayun naga-alburutong. Sige na, alis na ako. Thank you ulit," he quickly said and ran to his car.

   "Lakas maka Usain Bolt nitong taong ito," Mikee joked.

   Before turning the car on, he dialed his wife's phone number.

Ringing.

Ringing.

Ring- answered.

   "Hello, love. Amir, no!" she said over the phone, "Don't touch Mama's phone please."

   He could hear his son's screams over the phone and he could already imagine the struggle Kylie was in right now.

   "I've got Momo and I'm on the way back," he said and heard a sigh from Kylie.

   "Thank you so much, Love. Here, talk to your son," she said and put the phone on speaker.

   "Hey, Buddy. Momo is with me na. Don't worry, okay?"

   "Momo?"

   "Yes, Bud. Momo. Bye, love you," he said and ended the call.

   Mean while, Kylie was still dealing with the tantrums. Amir didn't want to be put down so he stayed in her arms, throwing a huge fit.

   "Baby, stop crying na. Baba's gonna be back with Momo in a bit," she tried to comfort.

   "Big boy! I not baby!" he exclaimed flailing his arms in the process.

   "Okay, big boy, stop crying na please," she said kissing his sweat-covered forehead.

   "No! I want Momo!" he screamed in a very high-pitched tone.

   "Anak, please. You aren't making anything easier for Mama," she was at the edge of crying herself.

   The tot continued screaming high-pitched notes and flailing his arms making it hard for Kylie to carry him. She would bounce him in his arms to try and shift his position but he would bend and squiggle.

   "Ru, hurry up," she mustered under her breath.

   "Anak, sleep muna please. Sleepy ka na oh, that's why you're so cranky."

   "I not cwanky!" he exclaimed and let out yet another high-pitched scream.

   "Stop throwing tantrums na, Amir. You want to watch Barney nalang? Let's go watch Barney," she tried diverting his attention.

   "Momo! I want Momo!"

   "I have Momo!" a panting Ruru interjects raising the yellow, stuffed duck.

   "Momo!" Amir happily exclaimed.

   The moment his duck was in contact with his skin, his screams turned into little sobs. Kylie swayed from side to side to get Amir to sleep. Later on, the boy's breathing evened and he fell asleep. She put him down slowly on his bed and covered him with his blanket.

   They both planted a quick kiss somewhere on his face and quickly ran out the room. They ran faster than the speed of light.

   "Never again are we losing that duck," Ruru shook his head.

   "It's my fault. I'm sorry," she slightly laughed.

   "What? You didn't lose the du-"

   "I meant his attitude. He got it from me," she giggled and and hugged him.

   "Yeah, I remember your grandma telling me that you used to throw fits if she doesn't buy you a toy," he pinched her nose.

   "I know, I was a brat."

   "I don't know why he still looks for that duck. It doesn't even smell like you anymore."

   That duck was Kylie's when she was a kid. When Amir was born, she passed it onto him as a welcoming gift hence, it was with him since birth.

   "Maybe because it looks like you," she joked and ran away.

   "If I catch you, I swear you won't be able to walk tomorrow!"

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Inspired by my cousin.

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