Chapter Text
In a western town called Acme county, There is a small town that although in the Midwest of a desert land with little trees and little forest surrounding, there was a good town that had good people during its period within that great county, and has the best teacher (their only teacher).
His name was Yakko Warner.
Although Yakko was at a very age of at his best being a teacher of Acme county, he had two siblings that he loved very much, but as much as he had what he believed everything he needed, he did wanted to spend his life with someone special. So over the course of half a year, he has been sending letters to his secret admirer. Now, back in the day if you were interested in doing pen pals or even finding a suitable wife or a husband there was always within any's newspapers. Yakko thought he found someone who appreciates his thoughts and interests and when it came to their meeting, Yakko was excited as he was getting ready. Being a mix, it was hard to be taken seriously. That and his younger years being a little mischief put the town in caution. Nevertheless, he proved to be a great teacher and now everyone in town was excited to see Yakko found someone.
"Hey sheriff goof!" Pj, deputy of the sheriff Maximillian goof, came rushing in.
"Pj, what got you in a hurry?" Max was leaning back having his day plan.
"Yakko's admirer is coming today! I was gonna go and see them!"
Bam!!
Pj winces to see Max leaned too far back and fell back. "That's… great for him…. Help please?" Max held his hand out.
Pj helps him up. "Want to come?"
"Nah, I still got some papers to go through." Max insisted as he went to work.
Pj shrugs and hurries out but Max however groans looking at the paperwork.
Yakko was getting ready as his siblings were too getting dressed but both his siblings were unable to shake the feeling that this may not work out. Yakko may be strong minded and confident, he has a sensitive heart that they were afraid could break.
"Yakko, whatever happens, it will be ok." Dot smiles.
"Sibs, it will always be ok." Yakko smiles. "Besides they told me they will be coming." Yakko added and Wakko, who was the youngest blacksmith, was getting ready.
"I really hope my pen pal will meet you guys and get along with each other."
"Of course Yakko but know if we don't like your pen pal," Dot pulls out the mallet.
"And I'll respect that." Yakko smiles as he puts a lavender in his chest pocket. "Alright then, time to go." Yakko was so excited and was about to bring flowers but stopped remembering what he said and didn't and headed off.
Making their way, Yakko was waiting by the train station with hope as he noticed other townspeople were coming and passing him, wishing him best and congrats him. He couldn't help but feel happy but thank them as he waited.
And waited….
And waited………
It was past the time when he realized he was not coming at all.
Dot and Wakko saw this and held his hand. "Maybe he went to a different county?" Dot tried to help lighten the situation.
"Yeah! I mean he is probably just late!" Wakko added but they could see that Yakko was unfazed.
Yakko was quiet as he got up and went back to his home and sat alone before crying out.
Dot and Wakko frowns and when Yakko went quiet, they went in to tuck him to bed.
"Dot."
Dot perked covering their brother up and was shocked to see there on the desk,
A letter of resignation and a map circled up to New York.
Slappy, the mayor of the town frowns seeing their best (only) teacher was left standing like a doofus. She was sitting in her office wondering what to do because Yakko is hurt.
"Nah we need to fix this up. Skippy, call everyone to the saloon. I need a sasparilla."
"Ok!" And hurried off to call everyone who almost came.
Almost
"C'mone sheriff!"
"I am not going to the meeting. Besides, I need to finish work. I don't want to hear another marriage proposal."
"But it's about Yakko-"
"I need to go check on the fences." Max spoke and hurried out.
Skippy shrugs and wonders why Max never tried to be a part of anything related to Yakko since he came about a year ago. "They never met." He sighed before hurrying out to the saloon which was closed for the meeting.
"Alright friends! We need to get Yakko feeling better again."
"Why do we need to? It is not needed nor should we pester Yakko." Brain spoke, the inventor of the town and partner to Pinky the shop owner of the town.
"But Brain Maybe we should, Yakko has been so kind to us." Some people agreed and even listed how Yakko was the best and only teacher around
"Thanks Pete!" Slappy grins
"His name is Pinky!" Brain corrected her.
"Whatever. Now come on people, we need a plan!" Slappy spoke but just as she looked around, Dot and Wakko burst in.
"Yakko wants to leave!!" They shouted in sync.
"What!?" They all shouted.
"I cannot teach again!!" Brain stated.
"People, we gotta think fast!!" Slappy shouted.
Skippy however looked out to the window seeing Max was more depressed than usual but thought of a plan.
"Hey aunt Slappy, why don't-"
"Why not have Yakko ship with someone!" Slappy grins.
"Duh' Um' But we can't have him leave!" Ralph pleaded.
"It's an expression you dolt! We just need to know who can be the sap to woo Yakko?"
They all were quiet. They knew Yakko knew everyone in town.
"Why not the sheriff?" Pj pointed out. "I mean they haven't talked or met since we came here."
Slappy was thinking and wondering why. "I'll go talk to droopy and see if he can-"
"But droopy left-"
"I meant Max! Sheesh you call one droopy and they get you on about it." She mumbles away.
It took slappy a while before she found him setting up to leave. "I see you leavin’ town."
"That's the plan, mayor." Max said. "I'm heading to New York, my dad wants to meet and start working up something about pictures."
"Shame, and we needed you to help keep Yakko here. He's leaving too with his sibs to New York too."
"Let me guess, his partner wants him there? Classic fancy people's excuses." Max rolled his eyes and felt annoyed by this news! * now I got more reason to tell dad-'
"No partner said that Max, they duped him and left him broken-hearted." Slappy sees Max stiffened.
"What?! Is he ok?! Did they seriously do that to him?! He's the nicest guy I see- heard!"
Slappy raised a brow before realizing now why he was skipping town.
Max was head over heels for the older Warner.
It made so much sense.
Slappy thought why not. "No letter or telegram. Left him there broken-hearted. He wants to leave-"
"Is he still here?!" Max asked, he was very shy and nervous over the sweet and kindhearted toon, would he give a chance to court him.
"He's here out but he’s out like a light. Passed out from all the crying he did. Which is why I'm here with you. Wanna help him get better Max?"
Max was feeling his heart racing and feeling sweaty hands already. "I-I-I would but he hates me for not meeting him or talking to him.” He felt bad a lot for hiding but he did work on the problems Yakko sent like a missing chicken, fixing his fence, and help donate by bringing books he would buy from Mr. Pete’s general store (which was expensive but he would do as much as he could).
"He knows you as sheriff but does he know your name? Or seen ya?" Slappy knew Yakko got annoyed that he had never seen the sheriff, but he was always grateful to the sheriff when he helped around.
"As far as I know…. No." Max knew well he has not ever let Yakko see him.
"See this as a chance to win him over." She grins. "Let's get you cleaned up-" but she saw Max running ahead of her to get cleaned up.
"Ah, young love makes me sick. But a good kind of sickness." She went up on her way to her office to make up a fake telegram.
Max was getting dressed in his house as he was hurrying to make himself look good. He grabs the stuffy suit his dad sent him. It was a reddish suit that was not fancy, but it was simple and he changed quickly and went to his small garden to get some lavender he’s been tending over a year now. Max fell for Yakko since he first came to town. It was when he saw Yakko was walking with books but he felt something in his heart beating so fast. He would love to talk to him…………………
…. If he didn't hide so much.
He always had a hard time talking to Yakko but there were times he would be close to hearing Yakko teach but what made him different was how much Yakko was passionate about teaching. He learned Yakko loves the stars. He could recall all the stars Yakko listed and how much about history! Max would sit outside the window, listening to him teach and one time heard him sing about the world. That made him almost have his heart running out of his chest.
Literally his heart almost did that and it amazed and terrified him.
He tried to approach him 29 times, and failed 28 times. There was one time he almost got close but he was hiding behind a horse's feed and used a fake voice.
"Guess this is the 30th and last." He smiles seeing his lavender bush was nearly gone.
"Well well well, it seems the sheriff has finally got the guts to talk to the orphan teacher."
Max glared at the outlaw that only hangs around to mess with him and watches him fail.
Bradley Uppercrust the rich bandit.
Did he mention those 25 times he failed was because of him?
"Lay off, I am not gonna deal with you today.” Max sets the bouquet up and cleans his knees as he got up.
Bradley only laughed. "Ah but seeing you suffer makes my day. Plus it's such a shame Yakko was led on by that admirer. Everyone knows you can't trust the mail express." His goons laugh behind but not Tank who recently quit the gang and became the blacksmith teaching Wakko the works.
"Why are you here?" Max glared, looking his way.
"Simple, I want to buy off Yakko's property. It has good land and I thought it was fun to mess with that sap." He throws the whole stack of letters at Max and sees they were indeed Yakko's words.
Max was beyond mad as he gripped the letters. "How could you do that!? Messing with his heart?!"
"Simple, he made me look like a fool and I want to make him be a fool!!" But just as Bradley was expecting words, Max punched him hard in the face, knocking him out.
"Get out!!" Max shouted, making Bradley's goons carry their boss out.
Max looks at the letters and holds them before going inside reading some of them. it was indeed Yakko's writing and they were sweet and eloquent and mostly about his days. He would read them more if he had time. He grabbed his suitcase he had set up and thanks to Bradley, he got what he needed. He took a deep breath and left his house.