A/N: Okay, so here's the second chapter of this little short story series. This short is inspired by the 100 Ways to Say I Love You series of prompts on Tumblr, but of course this story is all about friendshipping! Nothing much to say here, though, other than bonding fluff awaits.
Disclaimer: I still don't own Ricochet or Droop-a-Long, folks.
Story 2: Night Owls
Inspired by: "It's okay. I couldn't sleep, anyway."
"Oh, Susanna, don't you cry for me..."
Ricochet's ears twitched at the sound of Droop-a-Long's off-key singing echoing around the office. Cracking open his eyes, he looked at his alarm clock and saw that it was 1:00 in the morning. He groaned as he pulled himself to a sitting position. This was the fourth time this week he'd been awoken in the middle of the night by his deputy's shuffling around, and though he could manage on a few hours of sleep, tonight he really needed it because they were going to a meeting in the morning.
He got up and walked out of his room, making his way downstairs to the office. Droop-a-Long was sweeping up the place, a steaming pot of coffee on the stove in the corner, and still singing "Oh Susanna". Sighing, he asked, "Don't ya think it's a bit early to do mornin' chores, Droop?"
Droop-a-Long jumped, utterly startled, and turned to face him. His green eyes were alight with surprise. "Oh, mornin', Mr. Ricochet. Did I wake you up?"
"It's hard to sleep when you're makin' a lot of noise," Ricochet said.
"Sorry, Mr. Ricochet. I sometimes sing to myself when I'm workin'."
Ricochet waved off the apology. "It's alright, Droop. I couldn't sleep anyway."
Droop-a-Long's face fell. "Mostly because of me, I reckon."
"Why are you up this early, anyway? Mornin' duties aren't until after seven," Ricochet asked.
"Well..." Droop-a-Long scratched his chin in embarrassment. "I can't sleep. I'm kinda like a night owl, as you'd probably say, Mr. Ricochet."
"Really?" Ricochet's eyebrows rose in surprise.
"Yeah. When I was growin' up, I used to stay up late to keep an eye out for my pa. He'd work for really late hours, so it was up to me to keep things clean and hand him a cup o' coffee. At first, I couldn't stay up for any longer than ten o'clock, but I eventually got used to stayin' up late."
"Ah, I see," Ricochet said. "I used to be the same when I was younger, Droop. I had so much energy, I wouldn't be able to sleep for hours. Had to get that stamped out of me when I trained to be a sheriff."
"Even then, you're still full of energy, Mr. Ricochet. I can barely keep up with ya," Droop-a-Long pointed out. "'sides...sometimes when I sleep, I think of home, and realize how much I miss my folks and my friends."
Ricochet walked over to Droop-a-Long, and put an arm above his waist. Due to his diminutive size, it was the closest thing to an arm around the back as he could manage. "I understand, Droop. The first few years I was a sheriff, I was pretty homesick," he said. "I slowly got over it, though, when I sent letters to my parents and let 'em know I was okay. Plus, chattin' with a few o' my friends helped out, too."
"I wish I could do the same thing," Droop-a-Long said. "My folks move from place to place, so I never know where they are. And I never really had any friends..."
"You'll find 'em, Droop. I know you will. Plus, ya do have a friend ta talk to," Ricochet replied.
"Who's that?"
"Whaddya mean 'who's that'? I'm talkin' 'bout me, Droop-a-Long!" Ricochet said. "I'm your friend, ain't I?"
"You're my best friend, Mr. Ricochet," Droop-a-Long replied. "But-"
"But nothin', Droop. If there's anythin' that's troublin' ya, I'll help ya out...even if it's somethin' like helpin' ya feel less lonely," Ricochet said. He looked up at Droop-a-Long, who stared down at him in surprise. "And even if it means stayin' up all night."
"Aw...thanks, Mr. Ricochet," Droop-a-Long said, smiling at last. "That really means a lot to me."
"Anytime, Droop-a-Long," Ricochet replied, patting his deputy on the back. "Now, since we're both wide awake now, how's about we sit by the fireplace an' drink some coffee? It'll probably help ya take your mind off home."
Droop-a-Long smiled down at the sheriff. "One cup of coffee comin' right up."
An hour later...
"...an' that's how my Granddaddy Ricochet saved that thar little lady from bein' sent off, Droop-a-Long," Ricochet said, leaning back in his chair, his feet crossed and propped up on the table. "She was so grateful to 'im that she gave 'im loads o' kisses. Chocolate kisses, ta be precise. Though I bet there were regular ones involved, too." He chuckled.
Droop-a-Long, who was sitting in the chair opposite of him, sat at the edge of his seat, eyes wide with interest, as they had been for the last ten minutes. Ricochet wasn't even sure if his deputy had blinked the whole time. "Wow...that's such a wonderful story, Mr. Ricochet," he said at last.
"Yeah, an' ya know that gal he saved? She's my grandma," Ricochet said. He smiled as he sank into his chair. "He told me that he'd never loved another gal since. Same with my daddy, too."
"Aww, that's jus' sweet," Droop-a-Long sighed. Upon seeing Ricochet's surprised expression, Droop-a-Long gave a small laugh. "Sorry. I kinda have a soft spot fer romantic endin's..."
Ricochet chuckled. "So did a friend o' mine. He was always tearin' up at a love story," he said. "But more importantly, my Granddaddy Ricochet learned that day that he wanted ta be a sheriff from then on out. So ya could say that he started the family tradition of the sons bein' sheriffs."
"Wow..." Droop-a-Long sighed again. "Sure wish my family was like that, Mr. Ricochet. My family's always been kinda odd."
"Really, now? How come?"
"Well, all the older sons in the family have done all sortsa things. My grandpa made clocks, my dad ran a store for a lil' while, and my older brother Hop-a-Long's a cook," Droop-a-Long said.
"Sounds ta me like they're more hands-on folks," Ricochet noted.
"Yeah, an' I'm not too good with my hands, Mr. Ricochet. I mess up anythin' I touch," Droop-a-Long replied. "'bout the only thing I can do decently is cook, an' that's only when I concentrate real hard. I almost gave ya food poisonin' the last time I made somethin'..."
Ricochet couldn't help but shiver at that. "Yeah, I do remember that," he said. Upon seeing the coyote's dejected expression, he said, "But Droop, jus' cause you're not much of a hands-on guy doesn't mean that you're bad at everythin'."
"How do ya know, Mr. Ricochet? I've only been workin' with ya for a good few months," Droop-a-Long said.
"You can pick up a lot 'bout folks in a few months, Droop. For what ya lack in hands-on skills, ya make up for it with your senses. You're very observant, even more so than I am. You're able ta pick up more sounds, smells and sights than I can...an' that's somethin' I normally don't admit," Ricochet said. "You're more of a visual person."
"Even so, my family's kinda borin' when ya line them up next to yours, Mr. Ricochet," Droop-a-Long said. "Your family's...eh, what's the word I'm lookin' fer...uh, oh, now I remember. Unique."
"An' so's yours, Droop," Ricochet said. "We're all unique. If we was all the same, then it'd be a right borin' world. Sure, most o' my family's got a thing with speed an' a love of upholdin' the law. But from what I've heard, most o' yours likes to trade things, and most of all...they like ta serve people." He paused upon seeing Droop-a-Long's confused expression. "I'm not sayin' that y'all are servants or anythin'. Ya can serve in many ways, Droop-a-Long, such as what your granddaddy did with clocks, or what your daddy an' your brother did by supplyin' people with food."
"And how am I servin' people?"
"By helpin' uphold the law, Droop. So ya see, your family's not borin' or odd 'cause each of 'em did somethin' different. Your family's unique. An' so are you," Ricochet said. "Ya shouldn't forget that."
Droop-a-Long stared at him for a few moments more, utter shock on his face. Then, a warm smile spread across his face. "Thanks, Mr. Ricochet," he said. "I appreciate that a lot."
"You're welcome, Droopy. I'm glad I could make ya feel better," Ricochet said, smiling back. "Now that I've told ya a bit 'bout my family, I wonder what sorta family stories you've got."
"Shucks, I've got a lot of stories," Droop-a-Long said. "One o' my favorite memories was a story my grandpa told me 'bout how he met my grandma. It's really sweet, too."
"Oh, really? I don't mind a lil' heartwarmin' story every now an' then," Ricochet said. He picked up his mug, only to find that it was empty. "Say, do we still have coffee in the pot, Droop-a-Long?"
"I think so. If not I'll have ta make another batch," Droop-a-Long said, getting up to go to the stove. "An' while I'm up, I'll get some snacks, too."
"Oh, and Droop-a-Long?"
Droop-a-Long stopped to turn around. "Yes, Mr. Ricochet?"
"When ya make the coffee this time, don' make it too strong," Ricochet said. "I almost chipped my tooth off!"
Droop-a-Long gave an embarrassed smile. "I'll make note o' that, Mr. Ricochet..."
Many hours later...
Ricochet awoke with a groan, pulling at his nightshirt in order to get some air flowing. It was sweltering in the office, and his nightshirt clung to his body, matted with sweat. The first thing he'd noticed was that Droop-a-Long wasn't in his chair. The second thing he noticed was the large clock above his desk that currently chimed two o'clock.
"Oh, no..." He groaned again, this time in irritation. He'd missed the meeting due to staying up all night with Droop-a-Long. He'd thought they'd fall asleep within an hour or two, but they'd stayed up for about four hours, sharing family stories and laughs, among other things. By the time Droop-a-Long had finally fallen asleep, it was five in the morning. Ricochet had fallen asleep thirty minutes later, remembering the times he'd had with his best friends.
He got out of his chair and stretched, feeling the bones in his spine crack into place. This action caused something to fall off his lap and crash to the floor, and he looked down at his feet. A blanket had fallen around his ankles, as well as a metal plate with some carrot coffee cake, now in crumbs on the floor. Picking up the blanket and brushing off the crumbs, he folded it, placed it on the chair, and then picked up the metal plate. As he was walking over to his desk while brushing off his fur, heading for the broom, he noticed that there was a note on the desk. He picked up the note, and immediately encountered Droop-a-Long's swirly handwriting.
Went ahead to the meeting, Mr. Ricochet. I'll be back later this afternoon.
Droop-a-Long
No sooner had he finished reading that than Ricochet heard the door open. "Howdy, Mr. Ricochet," he said. "Sorry I left ya behind. You looked so peaceful that I didn't wanna wake ya up."
"I just got up right before you came in, so it's no big deal." Ricochet turned around to face Droop-a-Long. "When did you wake up, Droop?"
"Around noon, I reckon. I slept like a baby the whole time," Droop-a-Long replied. "Granted, I didn't understand everythin' they were sayin' at that sheriff's meetin', but I did grab a few papers from the buildin' that they said you're supposed to look at."
"Thanks, Droop. I appreciate this," Ricochet answered, taking the papers.
"You're welcome, Mr. Ricochet. Say, how's about we stay up late again?" Droop-a-Long said.
"Much as I'd like to, Droop, I'd rather not sleep the whole day away again," Ricochet said. "But maybe sometime in the future, alright?"
"That's fine with me, Sheriff.."
The End
I don't know why, but I definitely see Droop-a-Long as a night owl. Ricochet's more of an early bird, due to his nature, although I also think that he prefers napping.
I expanded this short to show a bit more of both Ricochet's and Droop-a-Long's families. Ricochet's family was mentioned in the episode "Mostly Ghostly", where his grandfather Ricochet is mentioned as being the one who started the family tradition of upholding the law. So, I added a little bit more detail to this character, who I think could grow to be more interesting in his own right. As for Droop-a-Long, I had to make up his family from scratch, since they didn't give a lot of hints to his family other than his adorable little nephew Tag-a-Long. I figured Droop-a-Long had to have a brother, so I made up Hop-a-Long. His story's on my profile page.
Showing how Ricochet and Droop-a-Long bond over family stories is pretty nice, though. And I liked writing Ricochet in this chapter,showing that he is a genuinely nice person who does care for others. He's not nearly as empathetic as Droop, but he doesn't have a heart of stone, either.
The next short will probably be a silly little thing that's based off of the Fake Friends vs. Real Friends thing. Constructive criticism is great as always!
God bless, iheartgod175
