Who: Ryder and Pepper Hendrickson What: Checking in When: Friday night Where: Their house Warnings: likely none Status: Closed/partial gdoc TBC
Ever since her conversation with Dwight at the Easter Egg Hunt, Pepper had been thinking a lot about whether or not Ryder was really happy with them. She thought he was and thought he'd say something, but on the off chance that he wouldn't, she thought it best to broach the subject as delicately as she could manage. He was a good kid, helped look after Fate no questions asked, did his homework and helped out his friends. It meant a lot to her that he had gotten comfortable with them so quickly, but she was more than a little self-conscious in that regard.
One night, after dinner and homework were done and dessert had been had, Dwight had turned in and Pepper couldn't resist anymore. Ryder was no doubt getting ready for bed so she knocked on his door. It wasn't entirely out of the ordinary for her to check in on him before bed, so hopefully this wouldn't arouse too much suspicion.
"Ryder? May I come in?"
***
Ryder glanced up from where he sat on his bed, playing games on his phone, surprised by the knock. His guardians usually didn't worry too much about him once he'd called it a night and headed to bed to read or play on his own o a while. If anyone did it was Fate scratching at the door to be allowed to join him and Ryder always gave in and let the pup come sleep on the floor at the foot of his bed.
"Yeah, of course," he called back, straightening a little and setting his phone down as she came in. "What's up?"
He didn't mind the visit at all, never did; he liked his guardians a lot and was very grateful to them for everything they did. He was glad to be allowed to be a part of their family in ways that he'd only felt with the PAW Patrol before this.
***
Once he'd said she could, Pepper turned the knob to open the door. She left it partially open as she moved inside and took a seat on the end of his bed. "I just wanted to check in and see how you were doing," she replied honestly. A noise at the door drew her attention and she smiled faintly to see Fate run in and jump up on the bed. The pup went right to Ryder and nudged his hand, asking for pets.
"You were a huge help at the Easter Egg Hunt. Did you have fun?" She'd thought so, as it had certainly looked like it, but double checking was important. Especially when it was leading toward something else. It mattered to her if he enjoyed helping her out with those sorts of things because she usually needed help when she decided to take the reins on planning something for everyone. Pepper liked to stretch those muscles every once in a while, though everything else she was happy to leave in Lena's capable hands.
***
With a bright smile, Ryder nodded. "Yeah, I had a great time. Thanks for letting me help out with that."
He'd missed being able to help people more than he'd thought he would. Ryder wasn't even the one who did most of the work when it came to helping people back home. The pups did the heavy lifting, he just did the thinking and directed them. But without any of that, without the PAW Patrol, he didn't really have a purpose sometimes. Having something to do like that had been really good for him and he hoped to be able to do it again some time.
"I didn't know you got involved in planning things like that." Now that he did, though, he'd definitely be making use of that knowledge and lending a hand where he could.
***
She smiled warmly at his enthusiasm. "Of course. It's been a while since I got to organize one of those things. I used to do it quite a bit, but then Lena took a position at the Old Market on Main and most of our town events were hosted there. It was fun, putting it all together. Next time, we can plan something together from start to finish," Pepper offered easily. She was glad to have the opportunity to bond with him a bit more by working together on a project.
"You were a big help, you know. And not just because it meant I wouldn't help every little kid I saw find some Easter Eggs," she teased. "We really appreciate everything you do around here, too, especially taking care of Fate. The pup had settled down nestled at Ryder's side, his head in his lap. It was honestly too cute.
Pepper studied Ryder carefully. "It might seem a little silly to ask but, you are happy with us, right? You'd tell us if we weren't doing something you needed?"
***
"That sounds great," Ryder agreed just as easily. He was more than happy to help, was eager to do it. He wanted to do things with her and with Mr Hendrickson. He wanted to be as close to a family as they could be.
Petting the dog idly he just nodded at her question, was a little curious why she'd be asking. He didn't think he'd given any indication that he wasn't happy with them. He was, didn't want them to think that he wasn't. Apparently he just needed to go so far as to actually say so. "I am," he assured. "I'm really lucky to have you guys and I promise you guys are doing way more than I need."
He could take care of himself, for the most part. He was used to taking care of others. He didn't need everything that they did for him but he did appreciate it, did appreciate the chance to just be a boy for a little while.