A/N: I was reading through some platonic prompts and found a few sentence starters, and I immediately got hit with the idea to write some BroTP fluff. This wasn't supposed to be the first time Rose appears but hey, you've gotta write what's in your head, right?

And this is kinda like a peace offering to Vulaan Kulaas, who I know is pretty peeved at me for disappearing on her...sorry buddy ^^; *turns and runs like the wind*

Warning: major fluffy feels ahead!

Disclaimer: I still don't own Ricochet Rabbit and Droop-a-Long. And this time around, Vulaan Kulaas owns Rose (Ricochet's deceased sister mentioned in Powerful Friendship, Iron Bond) and I own Betty and Rodney (Droop-a-Long and Ricochet's siblings, respectively).


Story 26: Just Like This

Inspired by: "Don't get up. I'm comfortable like this."

Every time lightning streaked across the sky, Ricochet's heart skipped a beat. He dove under the covers, curling into a small ball. The crash of thunder that followed made him yelp in terror, but he quickly calmed himself down. What was he scared of? He was a Ricochet, wasn't he? His dad and his granddaddy weren't scared of thunderstorms. And if his great-granddaddy saw him now, he'd probably laugh, the wiry old scudder.

And if they didn't laugh at him, his older brothers probably would. So he'd have to suck it up and deal with it.

A louder thunderclap shook his resolve. There was only one person who'd hear him at this time of night. "R-Rose?" he croaked out. The rumbling of the thunder afterwards sent him shuddering. "R-Rose, where are ya?!" The room went bluish white from under his covers and he screwed his eyes shut, whimpering.

"I'll be right there, Ricky!" There was a series of footsteps coming from down the hall, and then the door to his room opened. He didn't have to look up to see his sister; she was probably there in her yellow nightgown, her ears tied into a ball on her head and holding a candle. He saw the light brighten as she came closer, before setting it on the drawer. The covers were lifted, and he found himself looking into her comforting blue eyes. She gave him a small smile. "Can't sleep?"

"N-No…"

"What do you think?" His older brother, Rodney, snarled from under the covers. "His cryin's keepin' me awake!"

"Don't listen to him," Rose said softly, pulling the covers off of Ricochet's head. "I'll stay with you 'til the storm ends."

Despite himself, Ricochet smiled. "Thanks, Rosie," he murmured.

"Good," Rodney mumbled from under the covers. "At least one of us'll get some sleep around here."

"Shut up," Ricochet shot back, glaring at his brother's form from under the covers. Rodney's only response was to groan and bury himself in his pillow.

"I told you, don't mind him," Rose replied. She then positioned herself on Ricochet's bed, leaning against his pillows, and patted her lap. "Come on."

Ricochet did, climbing into his sister's arms and then nestling against her chest. He started briefly when he heard more thunder, but Rose simply pulled him closer to her, and he settled slightly. "Rose?"

"Hmm?"

"You think I'm a wimp, don't ya?"

She chuckled. "Now why would I think that, Ricochet?" she asked.

"W-Well, look at me! I'm scared of thunderstorms, I can't handle Rodney, an' you an' the others do better than me!" he said. "And I cry a lot, too…"

He felt rather than saw her smile. "I don't think you're a wimp, Ricochet," she said.

"What do you think I am, then?"

"I think you're normal, just like anybody else," she said. "Everyone's scared of something. Pa used to fear snowstorms an' I remember Great-Granddaddy Ricochet feared scorpions."

"Huh…w-well, what about you?"

"Me? I hate snakes. Rodney still scares me into thinking there's one in our room, you know," she said.

"Hmm…but still…" Ricochet paused as another rumble of thunder filled his ears.

"Of course, I could let you go now so you can prove that you're not a wimp," Rose said, a mischievous glint in her eye.

"N-No way!" Ricochet replied, locking his arms around her. "You promised ya'd stay, an' you're goin' to!"

"Oh, alright," she chuckled.

Thankfully, the thunder started to peter out slightly, leaving only the sounds of the rain. Distant rumbles still came here and there, but Ricochet was already starting to nod off, taking in her warmth. His sister's comfort could drive away anything, even scary thunderstorms.

"You ready to go to sleep now, Ricky?" she asked.

"Don't set me down yet," he said. "I'm fine…just like this, Rosie."

If it were any of his other siblings, they'd still shove him off. But Rose's response was to smooth out the fur on the back of his head and smile. "Goodnight, Ricky," she said softly.

He smiled back and then settled for nestling against her. "'Night, Rosie…"


Ricochet awoke slowly, and attempted to sit up, only to find that he was being carried. He squirmed, trying to get his bearings in the dark. "W-What the-"

"M-Mr. Ricochet, did I wake ya?"

Ricochet settled with a sigh. "Oh, it's just you, Droop-a-Long," he muttered. "And no, you didn't wake me, I was just-" He paused as he realized what was going on, as he was facing the ground behind his deputy. "W-Why are you carryin' me, anyway?"

"You fell asleep at yer desk. Figured I'd take ya to your room. And this was the easiest way to carry ya since you'd hit yer head against the wall if I carried ya sideways," Droop-a-Long answered, opening the door to his room. "Hope ya don't mind."

"No, I don't mind it. Thanks," he said.

"No problem. You was workin' since four this mornin', of course you're tired," Droop-a-Long said. "Reckon you were in the middle of a really good dream, weren't ya?"

"…yeah," Ricochet said, a wan smile on his face. He was starting to feel sleepy again even as he said it. "I sure was. I was dreamin' 'bout my sister, Rose."

Droop-a-Long stopped in his tracks, and then looked at him from the side. "Ricochet, normally it hurts ya to think about her…"

"Not every memory I have of her is bad, Droop. This dream…I think it's 'cause it's rainin' outside, but I dreamt of a time when Rose held me like this. When I was a kid, I used to be scared of thunderstorms, but Rose would always calm me down by holdin' me in her arms," he said. He smiled and he closed his eyes. "I used to make her stay in my room 'cause she was so warm, I never wanted her to leave."

"Awww," Droop-a-Long replied, his mouth twitching to form a smile. "Betcha you're feelin' right warm and comfortable now, huh?"

"Mmhmm…" Ricochet heard Droop-a-Long move the covers aside, but he didn't feel like moving. "You're kinda like her in that regard, Droop…you're real warm…"

Droop-a-Long heard the drowsiness in Ricochet's voice and sat on the bed. "I'll set ya down now, Mr. Ricochet," he said.

"Mm…not yet, Droopy," Ricochet mumbled, wrapping his arms around his shoulders tightly. "Don't set me down yet. I'm fine…jus' like this."

Droop-a-Long wanted to set him down regardless, but he felt the strength in that squeeze. The light snoring that followed told him that Ricochet wasn't planning on moving any time soon. He sighed, but smiled. He settled into Ricochet's bed, putting his feet on the baseboard and draping the covers over them both, and then removing his hat and setting it on his nightstand.

It was odd seeing a clingy Ricochet, but Droop-a-Long felt that he understood where the rabbit was coming from. His little sister, Betty, did the same thing when she was little, coming into his room often during snowstorms or whenever wolves were out. She'd claimed the same thing that Ricochet had said, that he was the warmest person she'd known.

Reckon this is what they call déjà vu, or whatever it is that Mr. Ricochet says, Droop-a-Long thought. Either way, he didn't find it that weird that Ricochet was doing this. It wasn't the first time the sheriff had come to him for comfort.

"Goodnight, Ricochet," Droop-a-Long muttered, petting him behind the ears.

A shove of his arm away, followed by Ricochet shifting to rest his head against his chest, told him that the sheriff wasn't as sound asleep as he thought.

"…nice try, Droop-a-Long."

The End


I've been writing a lot of fluffy stuff for Blazin' Trails lately...

Not sure what the next chapter will be, since I have quite an impressive backlog of chapters (a few of which I need to finish), but I know that this story will probably be updated sporadically since I'm trying to focus on a few other stories that I have to do-and a few things on my profile that I need to clean up.

And by the way, Rodney is one of Ricochet's older siblings; in this universe, Rose is older than Rodney by two years. Did I forget to mention that in the Blazin' Trails universe, he's got eleven brothers and sisters? Yeah...whenever Lucky shows up, he's not going to have a shortage of uncles and aunts :D

But anyway, I hope that this super fluffy chapter satisfies a few of you!

Reviews are great as always!

God bless, iheartgod175