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The first time Donald ever saw Panchito so…unlike himself..or..maybe melancholy was a better word for it, was back in college. Maybe about 4, or maybe even 5 months after they had all moved in.
The three caballeros had settled in nicely with a routine and actually were beginning to get to know each other a little better. Day by day.
Today had been good, Donald had done all of the grocery shopping with José, while Panchito tidied the house, and all three of them actually had enough money for once to go out to eat somewhere decent for once. (Not nice, decent. He could never afford chey Quackmore!)
And they’d even had no dumb missions or adventures for today! It was nice and quiet and relaxing. The way Donald liked it, most of the time.
Donald was welcomed back to consciousness with a loud thump! That could be heard from somewhere above his room, on the roof.
He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. What could that’ve been? He looked to his ceiling, that was littered with band posters. He didn’t see any dents or anything, so whatever that was up there wasn’t big.
Could it be Felldrake? Or, most likely, one of his lackeys. Donald swallowed quietly, now worried about the possibility of the thing hearing him. He sighed. He had to do something, didn’t he? He couldn’t just let their cabana be invaded!
He opened his bedroom door as slowly as he could, then peered out. José’s room was still shut, and donald wasn’t surprised. He could sleep through an earthquake.
He looked to the hallway leading to the living room. Xandra usually slept on the couch, that is if she even felt like sleeping.
Xandra was out visiting some gods back at Olympus, currently. To find a possible way to break the curse between her and her atlas. So it couldn’t have been her.
and if she were here, she would’ve already been alert and had woken everyone up with her yelling. that was kind of the main reason they had gotten a moment of rest today.
Donald thought to Panchito. He, contrary to José, woke up at the slightest movement or noise. It was a miracle that hadn’t woken him up, His eyes finally trailing to the roosters room. Wait.
No, the roosters door was wide open. Donald suppressed a panicked quack, rushing to his room.
Empty. Donald should’ve expected that.
Oh no. Was Panchito kidnapped?! Was that thump the rooster fighting their attacker?
He braced himself, heading to the living room hurriedly. Panchito needed help. Okay, fine. He could do that. he thought, as he made his way out of the (seemingly) long hallway their rooms confided in.
Oh, what a way to ruin his perfect day! Nothing had gone wrong so far until now!
He thought about waking José; but the attacker would probably be gone by the time Donald had succeeded in waking the parrot up. So, that was off the table.
Besides, he could handle this himself. He had dealt with kidnappers more times than he could count on his fingers. Donald was more than capable of saving the rooster!
Donald almost giggled like a schoolgirl at the thought of that: saving Panchito. It was embarrassing. Wait-enough of that! Like Panchito ever needed help saving himself!
Panchito was strong and capable, and could probably fight off anyone himself, of course. but that didn’t make him worry and less.
He just needed to make sure nothing really bad happened. He grabbed a zip-up jacket from the couch as he grumbled.
Flinging the front door open rather quickly, he zipped up his jacket halfway, half-heartedly, and walked out. He spun around to get a good look at the roof, and surprisingly, he saw nothing.
Oh. Well. He did see something, actually. He could just barely see a certain someone’s sombrero, sitting on the edge of the roof.
Donald raised an eyebrow. Okay. No unwanted house guests in sight…then what was Panchito doing out here? On the roof, for that matter?
The duck contemplated just going back to bed, Panchito obviously probably wanted to be left alone.
But. Donald froze mid step. He could hear faint crying.
His breath hitched, as he hurriedly made himself unseen, ducking underneath the patio.
It was a jarring sound, really. And kind of intimate..he didn’t know Donald was out here. It felt like an invasion of privacy.
Donald had never even seen him cry. Sure, mildly upset, or uncomfortable. But- he knew this was silly. Very silly- The duck caught himself sometimes thinking happy was just Panchito’s default. Only default.
Could you blame him? Panchito was always so cheery!
But Like he said before, it was jarring. He could almost feel the roosters sadness.
The duck let out a sigh he didn’t know he was holding. He glanced up to the patios cover. He couldn’t just..pretend this hadn’t happened.
He went to the ladder he knew was on the opposite of where Panchito was, and began to climb.
As he got closer and closer to the roof, Donald realized he wasn’t sure what exactly his plan was. to comfort him, obviously, But he wasn’t sure how. He wasn’t the best at it.
The duck finally Reaching the top, and out of breath. He trudged carefully up the roofs shingles and there he saw him.
Panchito, hunched over with his legs pulled tightly to his chest, if Donald had to guess. It was hard to see with the gaint sombrero blocking his view of the rooster.
“Pancho?” Donald’s voice cut through the air after an abundance of silence. He used the nickname Donald had gotten accustomed to using on the rooster, to maybe make things less awkward.
Panchito jolted at the sound of his name, sharply turning half of his body to meet Donald’s eyes, almost loosing balance while doing so.
His face was covered in fear. Then embarrassment, then guilt.
The rooster was quick to reply, “D-Donal’! Aha, I am so sorry, did I wake you somehow?” Panchito’s voice shook, as he forced a false levity to his tone.
Donald opened his mouth, then shut it, a little flustered. Then shook it off, remembering his task at hand.
“Oh. uh, no. Well- yes. You know im a pretty light sleeper, and I just. I heard a loud noise on the roof and saw you missing from your room and-“ He cut his rambling off, deciding to stop beating around the bush.
“Are you okay?”
If Panchito had looked embarrassed a couple seconds ago, he looked it even more, now. With his wide eyes and dark blush on his beak.
He finally sighed, shoulders slumping and his body un-tensing, like admitting defeat.
He blinked, before replying, “I-Si, Donal’. It is just-“ He began as Donald slide down the roofs slope to meet him, narrowly avoiding slipping and stumbling off.
“Have you ever missed your family?” Panchito finally finished. Donald mimicked his earlier action, blinking right back at him in response.
Hm. He hadn’t expected that question. Nevertheless, Donald replied anyway,
“Er. Yeah, I do. I miss my sister, my cousins, even my crazier family members, like my uncle, sometimes. It’s weird for them not being around all the time.” He landed on.
And it was an honest answer. Donald had gotten used to having to drag Della or Fethry out of trouble.
Panchito had never had any problems with expressing his emotions, he was a pretty vocal person. He talked of his family often, and how much he missed them. Maybe he was homesick?
The rooster didn’t seem satisfied with that answer. His face was almost pleading for a different one.
“Even the ones you have not met?” He sounded desperate, desperate for Donald’s validation and approval. The duck was taken aback.
He’d never heard that tone in the roosters voice before. He swallowed. Was it bad to say he liked it on Panchito? Maybe not at this specific time, but-
Before he could shake away those thoughts and form a coherent response, he heard an out of breathvoice come from behind them.
“Donald? Panchito? What are we up to up here?” José stood at the peak of the roof, gently sliding down elegantly to the edge where they were, wearing his pajamas, similar to the rooster and duck.
“José, you too? I apologize for waking you two up- I needed somewhere to think quietly, I..” Trailing off, Panchito hugged his knees to his chest, like he was unable to explain out of embarrassment and guilt.
José sat down next to Panchito, leg dangling off of the roof, Glancing at Donald in confusion, raising a eyebrow. Donald shrugged as an answer.
He hadn’t really asked what had happened, yet. Donald joined the two and sat down next to them.
The parrot spoke reassuringly anyway. “Pancho, please. It is fine!” He stressed, laughing softly. “Now. What has happened? I am sorry if this is rude, but you do not look so good.”
Donald was kind of glad José was here with them, now. He was much better at talking to others, he felt like.
Panchito brought his legs closer to himself, almost burying his face completely. “I…was talking to my family on the phone, earlier.” He began quietly.
Donald had forgotten about that. while getting ready to go to sleep, he could hear Panchito rambling on in Spanish (Which Donald understood every second or third word, his Spanish was rusty) to his family a couple rooms over on the landline phone.
“And I just…” He stopped, frustratedly grumbling, putting his hands in his hands.
“We were talking and…They always compare me to him, My father. It makes me feel so..bad. He left before I was born, and then died- I know they don’t mean any malice, I just-,”
He cut himself off, laughing a little crazed-like, quietly. (to himself more than anyone, Donald had to guess)
“It is stupid. I should not bother you both with this. I am sorry.” He concludes, awkwardly apologizing.
Ouch. Donald diverted his gaze to the lawn below them. He didn’t really know his father very well, either.
Him dying when Donald was about..hm. What age? 10? 11? He couldn’t remember anymore.
He knew what it felt like, to be used as a comparison to your father. Though it was all good things, it never didn’t unsettle him slightly.
Scrooge did it a lot, always saying he, “practically could be Quackmore, you resemble him to a T, lad, it’s uncanny.” With a shake of his head, disbelievingly.
Donald didn’t know..something about it just..bothered him? He felt sick and bad about it, even though he knew his father had been a good man.
He looked to José. The parrot looked properly upset. He looked kind of scary, when he was mad. Donald unconsciously inched away a little in slight fear. He didn’t think he’d ever seen Joe look like that. Ever.
“Paco.” He abruptly said to the rooster, “It is not. It is not stupid to feel such a way, your family- though I am sure they mean well- They should not say such things!” The rooster turned his head to him, surprisingly unreadable.
The parrot sighed, “Whoever your father was, you are not. Please, believe me, And I do not even know him!”
He insisted, grabbing the roosters hands and squeezing them, somehow already knowing what Donald-Panchito was thinking.
“You are wonderful, Pancho. Do not let the past of someone else get to tell you otherwise.”
Panchito shook his head frantically, tugging his hands away. José, with a disappointed look let go in return, “That is the thing! He was horrible. I know he was horrible. But I still wish I knew what he liked, what he enjoyed. I shouldn’t, but I do.” He argued, looking up at the sky.
“Maybe then, if I knew, I’d know what they were comparing me to.” He looked so…sad. Like he knew he wanted something so badly and just..wouldn’t get it.
A beat of silence. “..I get it,” Donald said, shrugging to look up at the sky with him.
The rooster remained eerily quiet, The most silent he’d ever heard from him, sat up and staring at him intently. His dark, black eyes meeting his.
Donald added on, stumbling over his words for a moment, “-I mean, I get what you’re saying. I get comments like that all the time. It bothers me, too.”
José looked saddened by Donald’s words, looking at him with an even more serious expression. anger now gone, like it had never even been there to begin with.
“But I just keep remindin’ myself that I’m not. I know it’s kind of obvious and dumb, but it works. I’m not him, I’m my own person, You are too.” He said, putting an arm around the rooster, pulling him slightly into a side hug.
Panchito continued to stare at him, face void of emotion. It made Donald tense. Did he say something wrong? Was that the wrong thing to say? He really had just spoken from the heart, he wasn’t sure if Panchito would find that advice helpful.
He began to sniffle. Then tear up, then full on cry into the ducks neck as he pulled José into their awkward hug-like embrace.
Donald’s face heated up. They were really close. He looked to the parrot once more.
He chuckled as he looked to the rooster, then to Donald. He smiled at him, a looked that only made Donald more red.
He sniffed once more, before finally speaking, looking to the two of them.
“Thank you two. Very much.” His laugh was still wet from crying. “It is strange for you to see me like this for me. I do not like..to be seen like this. it is a little embarrassing..” He laughed harder, pulling them closer.
José patted him on the back through their awkward hug, “Oh, Pancho. Do not feel embarrassed to come to talk to us about things like this. We care about you.” He said, so matter of factly, like he meant every word.
And José was right. Donald did care about the two…
“Yeah, we’re pals! We can-you can always come to us if you need someone to talk to!” Donald added on, stumbling over his words.
Panchito gave him a smile that was much more in character for him. Donald could feel blush growing on his cheeks. It could really light up an entire room.
But Donald wondered. Maybe he should stop thinking about what he expected from the rooster.
He hadn’t given much thought about about it, but he felt a little guilty about not really thinking he could be anything other than, well, the emotion he displayed ninety percent of the time. Happy.
The parrot and the rooster seemed touched by Donald’s words, Panchito letting out a sickeningly sweet, “aww!”
José let go of Panchito and Donald to dust of his hands and get up, not ever loosing his balance while doing so.
“Now! That your spirits have been lifted, how about we go back inside? I want to have a couple more hours of peace before Xandra arrives back at the cabana. Yes?”
Panchito nodded. Donald groaned exasperatedly.
“Ugh, Y’know, I almost forgot she’s making us go on that stupid goose chase tomorrow!” Earning a loud laugh from Panchito,
He argued playfully as they climbed down the latter, “Maybe it will be fun! That is the one she said something about an idol she needed collecting, with the scary snake monster guarding it?”
The duck sighed in response. “Yep. That’s the one..” Donald was really not looking forward to tomorrow. He already had been to enough temples full of snakes, snake demons, snake people, for a lifetime, thank you!
The parrot chuckled along with them, leading them inside. “I would hope there is no monsters, please.” He said worryingly enough to the point of humorous.
He paused in the middle of the living room after opening the door.. “I do not really feel like sleeping a the moment. How about a movie?” He flopped onto the couch, grabbing the remote and began flicking through channels.
Shrugging, Panchito joined him. “I don’t see why not! What should we watch?”
Donald weighed his options. On One hand, he should probably get some rest for tomorrow…
On The other, it would probably take him about 3 hours to fall back asleep, and that would be about the time of watching three movies, so.
Xandra found them all asleep together on the couch that morning, limbs intertwined and tangled with one another.