A/N: This was inspired by a post from Tumblr that I reblogged a little while back. I wrote this out on paper yesterday, and decided to type it out. I wrote this partly as a vent piece, but I was also in the mood for some angsty stuff as well. While it's got Droop-a-Long's POV, it's still Ricochet-focused.

And yeah, more angsty friendship fluff featuring Ricochet. The thought came in suddenly, and I couldn't help myself. For time reference, this ficlet takes place a few months after the "Protector" arc.

Disclaimer: I didn't own Ricochet Rabbit and Droop-a-Long last year. What makes you think I own them this year?


Story 23: I'm Right Here

Droop-a-Long thought he was imagining the sound that came from the hallway-a cracking, choked sob, followed by a small whimper. When a louder one came from the hallway, he rose from the comfort of his warm bed and moved slowly towards the door. He wasn't sure if he was mishearing things, but it sounded like a woman crying. Perhaps someone was outside crying, sitting on the steps of the office; it wasn't the first time something like that had happened. Even so, he found it odd that Ricochet wasn't taking care of it. He had incredibly good hearing and was, for the most part, a very light sleeper, often awaking at the slightest sound.

He opened the door to his room and turned to head to the door, only to hear the sob again. He stopped in his tracks when he realized that it was coming from right behind him.

He turned to look behind him, and what he saw woke him up fast. Ricochet was leaning against the wall, his knees drawn up to his chest and his head buried in his arms. His body heaved with each sob he made, and he curled himself further into a small ball, desperate to control himself.

Droop-a-Long stared at him, eyes wide. What was Ricochet doing out here, crying in the middle of the night, no less? His mind went back to the last time he'd done this, and he frowned. Did he have another nightmare about losin' me? he thought. That must've been it; it was about the only thing he could think of that could make Ricochet break this bad.

But that incident with Sam Jose had happened ages ago-a few years ago, to be exact. He'd assured Ricochet that he had nothing to worry about, and that he could rest easy since he promised that he'd never do anything that dangerous again, as it had made him nearly sick with worry. So why was he out here, crying like this?

His mind then went to the last time he'd seen the sheriff cry like this, shuddering like a leaf and struggling to compose himself, and it came to him almost immediately-it'd been eight months ago, when he'd been found by Ricochet in Youngsville after he'd narrowly escaped the jaws of death again. Ricochet had lost his composure then too-it was then that Droop-a-Long had learned of the suffering his friend had gone through during those few days. He'd lost hope that he'd get justice for Droop-a-Long due to Dave and Chuck's actions, and he'd felt as though he'd broken his word to protect his best friend from people like them. Droop-a-Long had tried to comfort him as best as he could, but he'd noted to himself that it'd take more than one pep talk to get his friend back to normal.

And just from looking at him, his hunch had been right.

His expression becoming sympathetic, Droop-a-Long walked over to the sheriff, got down on his knees and pulled him into a hug. Almost immediately, Ricochet's shuddering slowed. He uncurled himself and looked up at Droop-a-Long, who looked down at him. Sympathy and understanding were present in his green eyes.

"D-Droopy," Ricochet started, his voice hoarse. He wiped his eyes and sniffled. "I-"

"It's alright, Mr. Ricochet. I'm not gone, or missin' or anythin' like that. I'm right here," Droop-a-Long answered, cutting off what was surely going to be an apology. "There's no need ta apologize. I ain't gonna judge ya for cryin' in the middle of the night. If you need to cry, then cry. If ya need ta vent, then vent. But for goodness' sakes, don't do it alone."

Just like that, tears filled his best friend's eyes. "Droop-a-Long..."

"It's okay, Ricochet," Droop-a-Long said as Ricochet wrapped his arms around his upper back and buried his face in Droop-a-Long's fur. He swallowed back a sob of his own and returned the hug. "I-It's gonna be okay..."

From there, Ricochet's emotions flowed like a burst dam. He told Droop-a-Long of his nightmare, where he'd been attacked by Dave and Chuck, who had managed to break out of prison. When he'd woken up from the attack, he'd discovered his deputy missing, a trail of blood leading outside of the office. The end of the trail led to Droop-a-Long's mutilated body, riddled with holes and fur scraped off. Upon waking up from that, he'd rushed to the bathroom before his dinner had painted his bed, the detail so vivid and gruesome he couldn't take it.

Droop-a-Long answered that with, "It's alright. I'm right here."

He then told Droop-a-Long how he'd nearly killed Dave in rage and revenge for what he'd done, but didn't follow through with it when Jeb had reminded him of Droop-a-Long's selflessness, despite everything people did to him. He'd barely been stopped from doing the unthinkable, and he hadn't told Droop-a-Long because he didn't want him to hate him.

Droop-a-Long answered that with, "It's okay. I understand."

He told Droop-a-Long that he'd been having nightmares like this for several months, but didn't tell him or Jeb about them because he didn't want them to worry. He'd tried to keep it to himself and keep going as he always did, but several nights in a row, in the comfort of his room so that nobody could see, he let the mask fall and just broke into tears.

Droop-a-Long answered that with, "It's alright. I get it."

He finally told Droop-a-Long that he loved him like a brother and couldn't stand the thought of him getting hurt or killed. It was the reason he was so protective of him, why he always looked out for him. He'd almost lost him twice, and he couldn't manage if he'd lost him permanently due to his failure to protect him.

Droop-a-Long answered that with, "You're like a brother ta me, Ricochet. I know jus' how that feels."

And when he'd finally said those things, he just cried. Droop-a-Long didn't do anything to stop it; he held his brother close and hugged him tight, willing himself to stay strong for him.

They remained that way for a long time, until Ricochet's sobbing had finally, finally ceased. Hiccuping, Ricochet removed himself from Droop-a-Long, and finally opened his eyes, which were red from crying so much.

"Are ya alright now, Mr. Ricochet?" Droop-a-Long asked.

Ricochet nodded, and sighed. "T-Thanks for bein' here, Droop-a-Long," he said, sniffling. "I-I needed someone to talk to 'bout this. I wasn't e-even gonna tell ya about any of it, to be honest."

"Ricochet, if ya didn't say anythin', you would've exploded," Droop-a-Long explained. "You know you can tell me anythin'; I'm willin' to listen to ya an' your rants. Like I said, you're like another brother ta me an' I'll do anythin' for ya if you asked me." He smiled. "How's about I fix ya somethin' hot to drink so you can calm down?"

"I-I think I'd like that." For the first time that night, Ricochet smiled, one full of gratitude and relief. "I appreciate it a lot, Droop," he said. He then gave the coyote another hug. "Thanks. Thanks for everythin'."

Droop-a-Long returned the hug, giving him a pat on the head. "You're welcome, Ricochet," he said. "Now come on. Let's get ya that drink."

The End


It's always nice to have someone to comfort you through the bad times, especially when you're dealing with things that you don't want to share with everyone.

The post that inspired this was about how important it is to normalize platonic affection between friends, which I agree with. Regarding Ricochet and Droop-a-Long in "Blazin' Trails", they have a close, brotherly bond, hence why stuff like Droop-a-Long petting Ricochet behind the ears, or Ricochet coming to Droop-a-Long for comfort isn't weird for either of them. To summarize Vulaan Kulaas, the two share a powerful friendship, iron bond :D

Next short probably won't be this angsty, but who knows for sure? I do have a number of shorts that I need to finish, some of which are just sitting on my hard drive gathering dust. It may one of those, or an entirely new short, like the last few were.

Constructive criticism is most appreciated!

God bless, iheartgod175