A/N: No, this isn't the final chapter of BT. Still working on that. But I kinda wanted to leave you guys with some brotherly fluff after the angst fest I uploaded earlier today *laughs nervously*
This story kinda came about after writing up some of Ricochet's headcanons. Y'know, the cute fluffy headcanons where our normally aloof sheriff is actually a clingy and affectionate with those he's close to. So, here ya go.
Disclaimer: No, I still don't own Ricochet Rabbit and Droop-a-Long.
Story 30: I Can Trust You With This
Droop-a-Long's slumber was interrupted when he felt heat pressing against his body. Heat that wasn't supposed to be there. Heat that only made the humidity worse. Summers in Texas were already torture; he didn't need this.
Groaning, he stirred to find the source of the heat, and found a pair of familiar ears in his face.
Mr. Ricochet? Where'd he come from? Am I dreamin'? He blinked a few more times, and looked down. No, he wasn't dreaming. The bearer of said ears, Ricochet Rabbit, was in his bed. And not just in his bed either—he was buried into his chest, his short arms wrapped around his upper back in a tight grip.
Droop-a-Long's eyes went wide at this. What was Ricochet doing in his bed? More importantly, why was he this close to him? There'd be no reason for him to do this...unless he was…
Droop-a-Long's face went several shades of crimson. He hadn't thought that Ricochet went that way. He'd always shown interest in females, be they of his own species or any others. Or maybe he'd been faking it so he could show his affections towards-
I don't know where he got that idea, but I certainly don't like 'im like that!
He was ready to throw the sheriff across the room, but the grip around his upper back tightened. That would probably be a bad move; Ricochet was strong, despite his diminutive size. He'd learned that the hard way when he'd slept in later than usual one morning.
That meant he'd have to wake Ricochet up and ask.
Swallowing a lump of fear, he asked, "M-Mr. Ricochet?"
Ricochet's ears perked up, and he looked up at him. Droop-a-Long started to ask what was going on, but his eyes were what stopped him. Where his usual energy and pride was, there was overwhelming sadness and grief. And his eyes were teary, something that he never saw.
The sight of a distraught Ricochet overrode Droop-a-Long's shock…mostly.
Ricochet blinked, surprise on his face. "Why're you so red, Droop-a-Long?"
Seriously? He had the nerve to ask him that? "I-It's just, erm…y-you're in my bed, Ricochet…"
"Yeah," Ricochet replied simply.
How he could say that with a straight face was beyond Droop-a-Long. "A-An' you're this close ta me…"
"Yeah, and…?" Ricochet's second reply was more of a question. His eyes even furrowed to drive it home.
Droop-a-Long's next words were nearly incoherent. "A-An' you've got yer arms wrapped 'round my back…"
"An' that's a problem?"
"Well, of course it's a problem!" Droop-a-Long shouted, disbelief in his tone. "I-I don't like you like that, Mr. Ricochet!"
Ricochet's eyes went wide. "You…you thought that I-" He groaned. "No, Droop-a-Long. You've got it all wrong. I don't like you like that at all! What made you think that?!"
"You bein' like this is what made me think that!" Droop-a-Long said.
"Listen, I don't swing that way, Droop-a-Long," Ricochet answered, irritation creeping in his voice. "I know what that looks like, an' I'm not like that."
"A-Are ya serious?"
"Of course I'm serious! I've never liked you in that manner, and I never will," Ricochet huffed.
"Oh…"
"Geez…an' you said I overreact…"
Droop-a-Long sighed, his heart rate going back to normal. So Ricochet wasn't showing romantic attraction to him. Thank goodness. He didn't know what he'd do otherwise.
"T-Then…uh…w-what are ya doin'?" Droop-a-Long asked. They'd cleared that up, but he was confused all the same. "I-I've never seen ya like this before."
"…it's a long story," Ricochet answered quietly. His expression was downcast. "I've got too much goin' on, an' I can't sleep."
That was all? He didn't have to make such a big fuss about it by doing this! Droop-a-Long tried to keep his tone even as he replied with, "Well, ya know, you could just talk ta me about-"
"No, it's too much ta talk about. An' I don't feel like talkin' right now. Right now…I need somethin' ta keep me steady," Ricochet answered. His voice was shaky, and Droop-a-Long felt a pang of concern. "I feel outta place an' I…I need someone to steady me."
"M-Mr. Ricochet, but…" Droop-a-Long trailed off, dwelling on the sheriff's words. He needs someone ta keep him steady? But why would he come ta me? "Ain't ya got a girl or somethin' you could do this with?"
"If I did, I wouldn't have come to you," Ricochet answered. "It's jus' plain' an simple."
"Oh…"
The sounds of the crickets outside filled the coyote's ears. He looked down at Ricochet, who had averted his gaze. "Mr. Ricochet, are ya alright?"
"Droop…I'm just gonna be honest with ya," he said. "As sheriff, I'm not supposed to let tough cases affect me. But sometimes, they do. An' a tough one like today really got under my skin."
Droop-a-Long didn't say anything, just listening.
"You know why I try to be professional all the time?" he said. "It's not jus' part of the job. I-It's ta keep myself under control."
"Keepin' yerself under control?"
"My mama told me that I'm a reactor. I act on whatever feelin' I feel. Sometimes that's a good thing. But other times…well…you saw what happened today," Ricochet said.
Droop-a-Long grimaced, remembering the sheriff's cold gaze he'd given a sheriff turned outlaw, threatening to kill him for what he'd done. "Y-Yeah…I-I'd never seen ya like that before…" An' I hope I never see ya like that again.
"I try to keep my emotions under control, but I can't all the time. Sometimes, they get the best of me. An' when they get the best of me, it goes to the extreme. You stopped me from killin' that outlaw," Ricochet explained, "but that wasn't enough. I'm still feelin' like I'm gonna drown in grief an' anger. That guy was one of my old friends…an' I was so angry an' hurt that I wanted to kill him."
"D-Do…do you still want to?"
"I kept thinkin' about it. An' that's not the type of thoughts a sheriff should be havin'. I know sometimes it leaves me no choice…but I didn't put 'im on the earth. I don't have the right ta take his life," Ricochet answered. "But there are those moments where that dark side comes up. There are moments where I feel like I'm gonna snap an' give in. A-An' I don't ever want to give in."
The conviction behind those words stopped Droop-a-Long short. He felt that there was a more personal reason behind the sheriff's statement, but before he could ask, Ricochet started talking again.
"I'm sorry if I startled ya by doin' this…but I don't mean ta imply anythin' untoward towards ya. Honest. I swear on my honor as sheriff."
"Then why did ya-"
"I trust you." Ricochet's simple words cut off Droop-a-Long once more. In a hushed voice, the sheriff continued with, "I felt that I could trust you enough with this, that I can do this an' not feel awkward. If I tried it with anyone else, they'd react like you did earlier."
"You trust me this much…?"
"If I didn't trust you at all, you wouldn't be my deputy," Ricochet answered. "You're always there ta listen. You're there for me in my darkest moments. An' today, when I nearly killed that feller…you brought me back from the brink. Nobody in this whole town has stopped me from doin' somethin' like that. About the only person 'round here who stops me from fallin' to that is you. Tonight, I needed someone ta keep me steady through all this…an' the person I immediately thought of was you."
He couldn't help but feel moved. "Ricochet…"
"I trust you with everythin' else. I think I can trust you with this…"
Droop-a-Long nodded. "You can count on me, Mr. Ricochet. I'll keep quiet about it. I-I don't know what ta do if someone asks, but…I won't tell anyone about this," he said. "If anythin', I'm glad that you trust me enough with this."
"Yeah…not ta sound rude or nothin', but keep quiet for a moment, okay? Silence helps me relax."
"Okay…" Droop-a-Long didn't know what to do, so he tentatively wrapped an arm around the rabbit, patting his back. "I'm-a try an' go back ta sleep."
"Good idea. And Droop-a-Long?"
"Yessir?"
"Thanks. Thanks for understandin'."
Like everyone else, the sheriff had some boundaries, but he'd thought their friendship would break them. Droop-a-Long had found, however, that just when he thought he got him to open up, it felt as though he'd run into another wall. It'd been several years since they'd met and Droop-a-Long felt he was no closer to understanding Ricochet.
But after hearing this…he felt he could understand the sheriff a little more.
He gave Ricochet a small smile before he closed his eyes. "You're welcome, Mr. Ricochet."
I couldn't help but put Droop-a-Long through that for laughs. XD According to what I've heard from rabbit owners, if a rabbit sleeps in close proximity to you, you've earned their complete trust. So there is a biological reason why Ricochet would suddenly want to sleep next to Droop. In other words, he's just acting like a rabbit.
But this story was a reference to another short story that I haven't published yet, where Ricochet confronts a fellow lawman turned outlaw, and is so angered by his betrayal that he's half tempted to kill him, only for Droop to talk him out of it. At this point, Ricochet and Droop-a-Long are still good friends, but Ricochet hasn't completely opened up to Droopy about everything yet, as mentioned in the story. Ric hasn't had many lasting friendships, and his habit of keeping people at bay is what keeps him from fully opening up/trusting others, so naturally, he'd go to the one person who expressed concern and talked him out of making a horrible decision. It would be a little after this story that they eventually develop their close bond that's on display during the rest of the series.
Will next chapter be the long awaited final chapter? Who can say? But the end of this story is near, folks, and soon, it'll be time to work on Redux! I'm super excited!
Reviews are much appreciated, as always!
God bless,
Iheartgod175
