Disclaimer- I don't own Happy Days or any of its characters!

To Fonzie, being in Hamlet wasn't something he really expected to happen, much less stopping in the middle of a monologue to talk about how there had been a time where he had thought about ending things. If he was asked, Fonzie wasn't sure if he could hide his surprise that he actually talked about how he felt. Fonzie knew that he needed to talk about these things, but doing exactly that wasn't easy. There were plenty of people that wouldn't understand how it felt to be in that situation in the first place.

After the performance, Richie approached Fonzie, trying to hide the worry in his eyes. Although he wasn't sure if Fonzie was willing to talk about what he had said earlier, Richie wanted to make sure that Fonzie was okay. "Fonz?" Richie asked, his tone careful. When Fonzie turned to look at Richie, he almost immediately saw the worry in Richie's eyes.

"Look, Richie. I don't want you to worry 'bout me, okay?" Fonzie didn't exactly try to pull back, but he did keep his eyes on Richie, as if making sure that Richie wouldn't get too close. "I thought about it- wanted to- but I didn't. Now I can't, so you don't have to worry about that. There are too many people and..." Fonzie let himself trail off, glancing at the ground before looking back at Richie.

"Do you still think about it?" Richie asked him, worrying about Fonzie, even though he said he didn't want him to. Honestly, he wasn't sure if he would be able to not worry about Fonzie, especially after what had been said. After a moment, when Fonzie doesn't reply, Richie speaks up once again. "Fonzie, I want to make sure that you'll be alright."

Fonzie nodded, sighing to himself. Although he didn't like talking about these things, he doubted that Richie would give up on this. "I do think about it sometimes. I can't say anything because people expect me to just be okay," Fonzie told Richie, his voice quiet. Although it seemed unlikely that it would happen, Fonzie didn't want anyone to overhear what he was saying. After all, he didn't want some people to know that he had still thought about these things at times. "I need to be okay."

Richie's gaze softened just a bit, taking a careful step toward Fonzie. "I don't. I don't expect you to be okay all the time." Richie's voice was calm, not wanting to have Fonzie stop talking about this. Honestly, Richie wasn't sure if Fonzie would stop talking if he let the worry show in his voice. "Fonzie, you're not alone. Not everyone expects you to be okay all the time." Fonzie offered Richie a half-smile, nodding at Richie. "I'm here for you, okay?"

Fonzie's smile grew a bit as he kept his gaze on Richie. "I'm not good with words like you are. I can't talk about these things too easily." As he said this, the smile on Fonzie's face fell, not knowing if Richie would be upset at him for this. When he realized that Richie wasn't upset with him for this, Fonzie almost couldn't keep the grin from his face.

Richie smiled at Fonzie and shook his head. "You don't have to be. I just want to be here for you where I can," Richie told Fonzie, prepared to take a step back if needed. "I don't expect things to be worded the best way, but I do want to help you."

Fonzie nodded at Richie, hoping that things would end up alright and that Richie wouldn't worry too much about him. However, he knew that he couldn't guarantee that Richie wouldn't worry, especially now. That didn't mean that Fonzie didn't appreciate that Richie cared enough to offer. Fonzie did appreciate it, although he wasn't sure how to say this.

Instead, Fonzie wrapped an arm around Richie's shoulders with a smile. "Let's get you home, alright? That way, your parents won't worry 'bout you," Fonzie told him, the smile growing as Richie nodded.

Maybe he wasn't always alright, but at least Richie cared enough to be here for him. That was a start, right?

Maybe someday, he would be able to make it up to Richie.