Chapter one of Like father-figure, like son-figure.
Story[]
One day, there was a shipment intended for the city of Zumcan in Carnuvia that asked Higher-for-Hire to supply it, and of course Rebecca agreed to it, however she will need just about all of her employees (minus Wildcat) to help bring it over to the business, and fortunately Molly was hanging out with some friends from school, so that left only Ramón needing a babysitter. Sure Kit would do it, but she asked him to come help her along with Rey Riven and Baloo and wondered if any of the Jungle-Aces would like to babysit Ramon, she knew of their fondness for him. Kit called them and ultimately Ernie accepted. While prepping to leave Kit was instructing Ramon to behave. "Now try not to give Ernie a hard time okay" Kit requested, "yes sir" Ramon obeyed as a knock resounded from the door, Rebecca was the first to answer it, "hey Ernie" she greets and allows entry, Ernie happily walks in and to Ramon, ruffling his head-fur provocatively, "hey Ramon, ready for some fun?" he asks, "oh yeah" Ramon cheers, Kit smiles: it reminded him of when he would babysit Molly, "now seeing this is your first time Ernie, if Ramon would like to go out make sure it isn't too far" Kit instructs, "uh huh" Ernie replies, "and Ramon, try not to make it hard for him, like how Molly did with Kit on his first try when he was your age" Rebecca advised with some humor, much to Kit's embarrassment, "Ms. Cunningham" Kit whines but this only made him laughed at by everybody, once it died down they walk off, but Kit halted to review his instructions to Ernie, "be sure he doesn't do anything silly like jump off the balcony or something like that, or eat a lot of treats, or use my airfoil as a sled on the stairs-" Kit fills in until Baloo grabs him and pulls him out, "come on papa-bear" Baloo jokes embarrassing Kit again, "Baloo!" Kit exclaims as he was laughed at again, "be safe, I'm trusting you Ernie" Kit yells before he gets pulled away and Ernie closes the door with amusement, "okay Ramon, wha-?" Ernie began until he noticed Ramon wasn't in the room, though he reasoned the scamp was toying with him and decides to play along, walking around in a predatory-like fashion, while Ramon was hiding behind the desk, "gee, where did he go?" Ernie asks himself playfully, however he failed to think about behind him and Ramon pounces by jumping onto the hyena like a Velociraptor having found its prey, Ernie stumbled and flailed before falling on his front onto the floor, Ramon laughing the entire time, "that's for messing up my hair" he taunts, "okay you got me" Ernie admits as Ramon gets off and helps him up, "so what do you wanna do?" Ernie asks, Ramon thought hard, and by a minute or so he found an answer.
Later, we see the duo entering Cape-Park. Ernie had brought his bike over but was letting Ramon ride it right now while he walked. They then come to a popsicle stand and Ernie looks at Ramon, "wanna popsicle?" he asks, "sure, I'll take the lemon-flavored one" Ramon answers and Ernie buys that popsicle for Ramon and a chocolate flavored one for himself, unfortunately while his back was turned Ramon bounced on the bike strong enough that it loosened its brake and it began wheeling away, with Ramon, "uh oh" he murmurs, "okay Ramon we-Gah!" Ernie began but gasps at seeing Ramon runaway with his bike, "keep the change!" Ernie says to the tapir-salesman and jets after Ramon, who was holding on for dear life as he plows through people and objects, and Ernie right behind him.
Meanwhile with Baloo Rebecca Riven Kit and Rey, they had finished with acquiring the shipment and were riding the truck carrying said shipment back to Higher-for-Hire. They were driving when the trucker (an egret-man) stops abruptly when Ramon whizzed by, and Ernie too. "Okay that was weird" Riven remarks, "you know, if I didn't know any better, they looked like Ramon and Ernie" Kit notes feeling a sense of Déjà vu, while correct they both were moving too fast for him to identify, and he prays that it was just a coincidence that those two look like Ramon and Ernie, "oh come on Kit, Ernie may be immature but I doubt he'd do something like that with Ramon" Rey dismissed, "I hope you're right" Kit responds worriedly.
Back with Ramon, he was zooming down to a waterfront. He tries to put down the brakes, but the pedals were just too far for him to reach, so instead he opted to turn the handlebars to his left, and it helped to stop, only by launching both himself and the bike a few feet down before both landed flat on the ground. Ernie panted as he reached to him. "Are you alright?" he asks crouching to him, "yeah" Ramon replies, the worst he suffered was a bit of stains to his clothes, a cut on his left-palm and some minor abrasions on all four limbs, Ernie winced at the filth on his hoodie and the gash in his hand, and is not looking forward to getting in trouble for this, "come on, lets get you home" he suggested and picks up Ramon with his left arm and his bike with his right-arm, and was a bit distraught at the bike now having a flat-tire, most likely resulting from that maneuver to stop, "uh sorry about your bike" Ramon expressed, "don't worry about it, I can get Sam to fix it, he's good at fixing things" Ernie dismissed, "so am I" Ramon notifies, "I know" Ernie teases as they head back to Higher-for-Hire.
At Higher-for-Hire however, Kit Rebecca Baloo Riven and Rey had gotten there first. After loading the cargo off that truck, they went in to check on Ernie and Ramon, but found the place was empty. Now they turn to Wildcat for possible answers. "Hey Wildcat?" Baloo asks Wildcat who was already prepping the Sea Duck's cargo-bay, "yes?" Wildcat replies, "have you seen Ernie and Ramon?" Baloo continues, "yeah I have, they said something about a park and then they left, though I'm not sure if they mean like Cape Park or are driving somewhere to park" Wildcat explains, "well Ernie doesn't have a car, and came here on a bike, so Cape Park seems most plausible" Kit deduced, not worried for now, but that would soon change.
Back with Ernie and Ramon, they continue to Higher-for-Hire. Ramon was still feeling guilty about getting Ernie's bike totaled, but hopefully neither of them will get in trouble. "Hey Ernie, if you want I can fix your bike" Ramon proposed while walking alongside, having gotten the strength in his legs back after that landing, "if you insist, but can you keep a secret?" Ernie replies after finishing his popsicle, throwing the stick in a trashcan on the way, "sure" Ramon says as they arrive at Higher-for-Hire, Ernie laying his bike against the wall before opening the door, "don't tell Kit that I took my eyes off you and you rode my bike like a racecar, he'll kill me" Ernie requested, not knowing that Kit and Rebecca were each in the kitchen getting a drink when they heard the door open and Ernie's little speech, Kit in particular grew suspicious and eavesdrops, "of course" Ramon vowed, "yeah, especially since that waterfront you drove to was pretty far from here, I'm just glad I'm familiar with that area since I usually come here from that way" Ernie said without knowing that Kit has walked right to him and standing right behind him listening, Ramon sees him and panics while pointing which Ernie noticed, "why are you...someone's right behind me isn't there?" Ernie asks until he felt that someone was behind him, "boo" Kit whispers making Ernie scream in fright just when Baloo comes in only to stop cold in his tracks when seeing Ramon and Ernie were back, also taking into account of Ramon's dirty appearance and Ernie looking guilty about something, "Kit, hey, I see you guys beat us here" Ernie greets nervously upon seeing not only Kit, but Rebecca and Baloo present too, "yeah, it appears we did" Kit says with no humor at all, much to Ernie and Ramon's nerves, "um, you didn't hear anything did you?" Ramon wonders, "what, that this hyena let you steal his bike for a joyride to a waterfront?" Kit retorts, "crud" Ramon mutters knowing that they were caught, "Ramon did what?" Rebecca repeats, though she wasn't angry since Ramon was Kit's kid, "is that why he looks dirty?" Baloo wonders, "okay I'm sorry: my bike's brakes failed and ran off with Ramon while we were in Cape-Park getting popsicles, but I ran after him and he swerved to stop and did, and sure my bike's front wheel is flattened and he suffered a cut to his hand and the dirt he's covered in right now, I didn't intend all that, honest" Ernie admits, "wait, he has a cut?" Kit gasps and pulls over Ramon's left-hand and saw the bleeding cut, and couldn't help feeling angry at Ernie, "oh nice job Ernie" he berated and pulls Ramon up the stairs, "uh oh" Rebecca murmurs, this was beginning to feel like Kit's messed up attempt at babysitting Molly to her, only without any giant squids with a taste for ice-cream to wreck havoc, "but Kit I-" Ernie begs, "I don't wanna hear it" Kit interrupted, "but Kit" Ramon pleads but Kit wasn't listening to him either, all he was thinking was treating Ramon's wound and cleaning him up, "he's sounding like me when he first babysat Molly" Rebecca remarks, was this what she looked like when she berated Kit for messing up? it was making her feel guilty, "it was an accident you guys" Ernie explained as Riven walks in having overheard himself, "I know Ernie, I'll go talk to him" Rebecca assures and heads up the stairs after Kit, while Ernie was fixing to leave, but Baloo stops him, "Ernie you don't have to go" he begs, "but I blew it big time" Ernie complains, "you said it was an accident, I completely understand that" Baloo says while looking upstairs.
With Kit and Ramon, the teen-bear was washing Ramon's hand to wrap a cloth around the wound so as to avoid getting the dirt in it. Ramon shivered from the water making contact with his blood but didn't struggle as Rebecca arrives. "Kit, you should really give Ernie a chance" she begs as Kit was wrapping the cloth over Ramon's hand to prevent the bleeding after turning the facet off, "forget it" Kit rejects while tying a knot on the cloth, now was time for the bath, "ah come on Kit, I know Ernie can be immature, but he would never hurt Ramon" Rebecca notes, "yeah well, you were mad at me when I first babysat Molly regardless that it was accidental" Kit reminds, "ugh, you just had to bring that up didn't you?" Rebecca moans, "what happened when he was babysitting Molly?" Ramon wondered, "I don't wanna talk about it" Kit replies sternly as Riven arrives, "need some help?" he asks Rebecca, "yes" she concedes and lets Riven try, "whatever it is Riven, no" Kit objects after filling the bathtub, he was just about to undress Ramon when Riven marches in boldly, "Kit, has Ernie ever tried to hurt Ramon?" Riven asks making Kit look at him puzzled, "well, no" Kit admits, "see? if he got Ramon hurt on purpose then you're welcome to be angry, but it isn't and you're treating him like it is anyway, an accident means he's innocent" Riven asserted strongly, "I learned that the hard way Kit" Rebecca reminds, Kit remembers that and was beginning to feel bad, "okay" he relents and walks out to apologize.
Back with Ernie, he and Baloo were just standing around doing nothing when they see Kit come down the stairs with remorse written on his face. Baloo decides to give them some privacy and heads into the kitchen. "Ernie" Kit whispers in a nicer tone, "I'm sorry for lecturing you wrongfully, I know you would never hurt Ramon" he adds, "apology accepted, you were just being an overprotective parent like Oscar's mom, I completely understand that" Ernie says, he didn't blame Kit for being frantic over Ramon, every parent was like that, and Rebecca and Baloo were no exceptions, "thanks buddy, and if you want, you can babysit again whenever you like" Kit promised, which Ernie didn't expect, "you serious?" he gasps, "of course, like I said: I know you wouldn't hurt him" Kit answers and Ernie was more than happy. From the kitchen and upstairs balcony, Baloo Riven and Rebecca watch with pride, "that's a good papa-bear" Rebecca teases, much to Kit's embarrassment, "Ms. Cunningham!" Kit exclaims, which for the third time in a row today gets him laughed at, though he knew they were just playing.
Stay tuned for Like father-figure, like son-figure, Chapter two