If I Don't, Who Will?

Disclaimer: Loonatics Unleashed and the characters in herebelong to Warner Brothers, not me.

---------

In an almost drunken state, Danger Duck clung to the wall as he tried to make his way to his room. His grip tightened against the wall as his peripheral vision worsened, his world growing blurry by the second as he felt his legs tremble trying to keep his body from falling onto the cold, hard floor.

No good.

Duck gave a feeble moan, his legs giving way as he succombled to the endeless darkness that was sleep.

'…Where am I…? Come on eyelids, open! I command thee to open! OPEN!'

'…'

'Okay, three…two…one…open!'

If Duck could actually move, he would've poked his eyelids, discouraged that his body was refusing to listen to him. Although he was mentally reprimanding his eyelids about listening to him more, in the back of his mind, he could sense that someone was in his room.

Wait…hadn't he been staggering to his bedroom a few minutes ago? Unless he had somehow learned to 'quack' himself in an unconscious state, then logically, someone must have found him and carried him to his bedroom.

Duck's body felt like lead. He couldn't move, or move accurately, he just didn't want to move.

He nearly flinched –if he could have- when someone pressed a warm, oddly comforting hand on his forehead. They were most likely checking his temperature.

"Come on Duck, I know y'er awake, no use pretendin' y'er sleepin' now," a familiar voice commented, annoyingly poking his beak with a furred finger.

"Leave me alone Ace," Duck croaked out, his throat and beak hurting as he tried to keep still. Even if he was only moving his mouth, it all felt very draining.

Although his eyes where shut tight, he could just see that look of annoyance that crossed Ace's face because of his reply. Knowing what was going through that ridiculous head of the leader of the Loonatics, he would not take that for an answer.

"Ya betta' get off of this bed before I make ya," Ace threatened, his voice more forceful and loud. He must've moved closer to the bed.

"I'm tired Ace...mind your own business and leave me alone." Finally opening his eyes, using all the little strength that he could muster, he looked into the yellow' bunny's narrowed ones, "It's not like you'll need me for further missions anyway."

"What're ya thinking ya silly duck," Ace chastised. "We ain't the Loonatics without ya."

Duck remained silent after that, his head tilted to the side, opposite of Ace, whom he stubbornly didn't want to look at, at the moment.

Ace shook his head, momentarily looking at the ceiling as he rolled his eyes. No one could say that Danger Duck was not stubborn.

"I almost…let her die."

Ace abruptly looked down at the still duck, his ears twitching at the barely audible whisper. Slowly, the information processed through his head, his bright eyes widening as he came to the realization of that tiny, hushed sentence.

"Hey, hey, no one's blamin' ya for that," Ace replied hastily, settling himself lightly on the edge of Duck's bed. "The girl's still alive, so it's all good."

"If I hadn't been reckless, she wouldn't have had gotten injured," Duck murmured, burying his head further against his pillow. Duck had somehow managed to scoot to the far edge of the bed, trying to keep away from the annoying rabbit.

"Nothing a good rest at Acmetropolis Hospital and a few stitches won't fix!" Ace immediately replied, obstinately staying where he was suited although Duck obviously didn't want him in the room.

"She shouldn't have needed them if it wasn't for me," Duck refused to give in. It was his fault an innocent bystander was currently in the hospital. If he hadn't tried to grab the glory from Ace, she would be at home right now, rather than at the hospital.

Ace was about to come with up another retort when Duck interrupted him.

"And Tech wouldn't have had to use that stupid invention of his to fix your arm."

Duck had rolled around, looking up at Ace, his eyes narrowed at the rabbit before him, guilt and shame glimmering in those dark depths.

"It's my fault you and that little girl got hurt. If I hadn't ignored that little girl for those few seconds, she wouldn't have been hit by that sonic blast, and you would've have needed to shield me!" Leaning up, Duck raised his voice, although his voice may have been hoarse, pounding his fists against his mattress. Duck winced as the headache that had been a dull throb returned at full force, making the world around his spin.

Ace was now a pointy yellow blob in front of him.

Before Duck could pound his fist against the bed again, the same one that had been injured that day from the battle, a swift hand shot out, grabbing his hand and pulling him back down against the bed. He didn't have the time to yelp in anger before Ace pounced on him, keeping him trapped on the bed, using his own body to pin him down.

Duck's eye widened she froze; Ace's eyes had turned a brilliant yellow color as they looked down at him in his still form.

The firm hand that held Duck's own hands above his head slackened slightly to an almost gentle state immediately, remembering that the body beneath him was injured. His other hand, still bandaged from the attack was used to press Duck's chest against the bed while both of his legs were on either side of Duck's body.

"Yeah…I'll agree with you that you were a bird-brain. You're obviously a glory hog and that selfish head of yours nearly got that innocent little girl injured, and yourself," Ace was about to continue if Duck had narrowed his eyes slightly.

"You done?"

"Almost, it's getting kinda fun," Ace replied, smirking at him. "That and you have the worst sense of timing, BUT, don't you dare think that my injured was entirely your fault."

Seeing the dumbfounded look on Duck's face, Ace continued. "I should've paid more attention to what you were doing and where you were! I'm your leader after all. Don't blame yourself for every little thing."

Duck's body was lax underneath Ace's body, knowing that he couldn't fight Ace while he was still injured and drained. Still, Duck managed to reply quietly. "None of you will blame me for this, so I have to. I have to cover for all of your lazy butts, as USUAL."

Under normal circumstances, this would be something off the Twilight Zone. Yet…between these comrades, whose ancestors had crossed paths time and time again, the history of when one Duck began and the last Bunny ended began to blur. Yet, the latest of the two descendents paths had finally crossed again, just like the original Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck had all those years ago.

To Duck's surprise, Ace's grip on his uninjured hand tightened as the other spoke softly, keeping his place atop the other. "Even if we did blame you, ours would not come as close as to the blame that you're putting on yourself."

Duck remained silent his eyes now looking up into Ace's.

Never, ever, not while he was still alive would he agree with Ace's words, but…deep down inside, he knew that the other was right.

It was a familiar feeling that made him shudder with disgust –or maybe…nostalgia?- that he actually agreed with the other with all the other Ducks before him that might've been in this position. Not this exact position per say, but in grudgingly agreeing with their eternal carrot crunching rival.

Duck idly noticed Ace's hand that held his so tightly. To others, such a gesture would've seemed strange, or, mean something that that he would prefer not to delve further about, but to him, and only him, he knew that this was Ace's way of trying to comfort him.

It was strange to an outsider's view; there was not doubt in that.

Yet, to the rabbit and the duck staring at each other with complete and utter silence, that kind of gesture was a simply of comradely, a symbol of the bond that was different between them and any of the other Loonatics that they interacted with.

It was something that was only between them too. This moment only helped to strengthen it.

Duck resigned, sighing softly as he moved his hand from Ace's lax grip, signaling to the other that he wanted him to get off him.

Cautiously, as if he would break the still duck, Ace leaned up and along with the natural born ability that had been instilled in his genetics, he swiftly jumped off the bed and onto the floor close in one fell swoop, that is, before he settled himself back on his original post on the bed, right next to the duck.

Silence reigned throughout the room except for the soft breathing between the two sole people. It wasn't uncomfortable for either of the occupants. They were used to each other, in the ease room, disagreeing over the same subjects. Duck at Ace's throat, while the rabbit effortlessly countered Duck's heated comments.

In this room, soundless except for the breathing and mechanical sounds that would make itself known every few seconds that they both could count the exact seconds before the sound would reverberate again.

"You okay," Ace, breaking the comfortable silent, still keeping his eyes locked on the still figure before him, just as the other did to him.

"I'm Danger Duck, so obviously I'll be okay," Duck said confidently, his attitude now back to normal after that talk with Ace. He didn't feel as tired as he did before just half an hour ago. Strange.

Grabbing one of his muscle building chocolate bars off his dressed he tore the wrapper of and took a large bite of it just to prove his point.

That is, if he had not taken too big of a bite, nearly chocking on it if Ace hadn't given him a large slap on the back, helping him to swallow the large chunk of chocolate.

Laughing as he rubbed the other's back, Ace managed to comment through his laughing, "Yeah, yeah, you're alright, yup."

"Shut up you…" Duck growled, still cough slightly, although Ace was helping a little with the back. Ignoring the face that his eyes were watery and Ace was just a yellow blurry…thing in front of him again. Duck playfully pushed the other off his bed. "Alright, now that we've had our weird little bonding thing, you can leave now.

"Nah," Ace tapped Duck's beat gently with his knuckles, chuckling to see his feather's ruffle slightly with the action, "I'll just stay right here and make sure you get some sleep, like Tech said you should."

"I'm not a child," Duck pouted, pulling the cover above his head as he rolled onto his side, away from Ace's excessive smile. IN the darkness of his sheet, Duck couldn't remove the oddly pleased smile that stubbornly stayed on his face.

Ace, still with that smile that ruffled Duck's feathers so often, grew as he leaned back against the bed's headboard, resting his head lightly against the cool wood. Settling himself comfortably on the bed, he somehow managed to jostle his still injured arm, wincing as he did so.

Suddenly, much to Ace's surprise, he felt something being pressed against his side near his injured arm, a very soft something. It was Duck's pillow, his personal favorite if the rabbit remembered correctly.

"I already have enough pillows over here," Duck said gruffly, burrowing further into his blanket.

"Who knew ya cared Duck," Ace replied as he settled his body against the ridiculously large black and orange pillow.

There was a pause, as Duck remained silent, actually thinking about what he was going to say, surprising Ace even further who immediately assumed that there would be another arrogant retort fired his way. This time, Duck snorted and gave a sarcastic reply, making Ace smile widely.

"If I don't, who will?"

SS: I'm weird. That, and I have a weird pension for weird pairings. -laughs- Heh, so...I hope all of you enjoyed it, or thought it was weird also.