Ronance one shots

Mr.Wheelers political sign gets damaged(fluff)

There was a vandal in Hawkins, Indiana.

Ted Wheeler was sure of it.

A criminal punk with no morals was terrorizing the street. Specifically, him and his home. They had been for months now, and the police did nothing about it.

These were his stewing thoughts as he stood on his porch, holding a cup of coffee and saw that once again his Reagan campaign sign had been tampered with. The first time it happened he thought the wind had simply blown the sign over and fixed it without a thought.

But then it happened again.

And again.

Four days in a row he found his sign knocked over though the weather was still and windless. Each time he grumbled and mumbled to himself as stomped the sign spokes back into the grass, forcing it in a little deeper each time, hoping to deter it from continuing.

But continue it did.

Day after day, he found the sign knocked over or ripped out of the ground and thrown in the bushes.

"Which one of you is messing with the sign?" he asked his kids over breakfast.

"What sign?" Mike asked around a mouthful of pancake.

Nancy coughed once in the middle of a drink and cleared her throat of the inhaled orange juice. Wincing at the citrus burning her windpipe.

"The campaign sign in the yard," he continued, "You know, Michael you can run around with your friends playing your make-believe fairy dragons all you want- "

"Dungeons and Dragons."

"-but there are some things that are more important than childish games. Real adult things that you need to start taking seriously. Things like patriotism and love of country."

Nancy rolled her eyes, seeing the same action reflected on her brother's face at the familiar old diatribe.

"Oh my God," Mike groaned interrupting the rest of the spiel, "I didn't touch your stupid sign."

"Mhmm, one of your little friends?" he asked.

"No! Ok, none of us care about it. None of us touched it. Jeez!"

Ted hummed again, taking a sip of coffee.

"Nancy?"

"Hmm?" she asked, pitch slightly higher than normal as she turned to look at him, "No I don't know anything about it."

Ted looked between them again, eyes briefly going to Holly before Karen clicked her tongue at him for thinking their youngest was capable of some kind of prank.

"All right," he said, putting down his mug and picking the paper back up, "Let's hope it doesn't happen again. Starting to think it's time to call the police."

"The police, Ted?" Karen asked in surprise, "Over a yard sign? It's probably just some kids messing around."

"It's vandalism," he replied, "For all we know it's the work of communists."

Nancy wiped her mouth on her napkin, "We should be getting to school. Mike?"

"Coming," he said, shoving the rest of his pancake in his mouth in one go before leaving the table with his sister.

The next day, Ted found the vandal had struck again. And worse.

The sign crossed through with a bold black marker.

There was no denying it now. A criminal was targeting them. Someone without loyalty to their country. Sick of it, and with proof, he did call the police.