Chapter Text
Today’s filming had been a disaster.
It was 1950, a year after Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote’s debut. What was supposed to be a one-off episode had fans everywhere adoring the new characters added to the zany cast of Looney Tunes, and the duo were now more popular than ever. So, with great enthusiasm, a contract was signed for the duo to appear in many more episodes to come.
Road Runner was ecstatic about the fame, greeting fans that recognized him with a happy smile and his iconic “meep meep!”. He was a fantastic actor, perfecting every scene and keeping up with whatever needed to be changed, even drastically.
Despite the bird being new to acting, his directors were impressed by how well he was doing on set! There was rarely a time where they had to do more than one take during his scenes.
WIle E., however, was the exact opposite.
At first, he had taken the role with an optimistic outlook! He was ready to be known now after starring in small things like musicals and background roles.
But now, the fame as well as expectations were weighing down on him harder than any anvil. Knowing there were eyes on him at all times made his fur crawl.
He wasn’t eating much. He couldn’t sleep. He was starting to avoid going out in fear of being recognized, save for going to the studio. And even then, being at work was bringing more terror than it was joy. And all those factors were taking its toll on him.
He started forgetting his props. Messing up his places. Setting off his props before anything was scripted. Just one scene would end up with multiple takes and directors shouting at Wile E. They wondered why a seasoned actor was messing up so easily, while someone new could finish a scene in one take.
But today was one of the worst.
During a scene where Wile E. was supposed to press a detonator with TNT on the other end, causing it to backfire on himself, the prop was supposed to “explode” and paint the coyote with charred debris, which was actually just charcoal.
However, before places, Wile E. had neglected to check the prop to see if it would work. And so, when he went to press it, the entire thing fell apart along with a bunch of charcoal spilling everywhere. And by god, were his directors furious.
They screamed at him, voices raising loud enough to hurt the poor desert dog’s ears. Told him how hard the prop was to set up, and questioned why he couldn’t do this one simple task.
They’d threatened to replace him for another toon.
And at this point? Wile E. would have preferred to be replaced.
Although, fortunately for him… a certain bird had seen the whole thing. Roadie watched with an aching heart as they shouted at the coyote, trying to bite his tongue and trying to keep his feathers from fluffing up angrily. How dare they speak to him like that.
Exasperated, the directors called for lunch after almost 5 full minutes of yelling. As soon as they were done, Wile E. wasted no time. With his tail between his legs, he speed-walked away from the set quickly until he got backstage.
There, he immediately crumpled to the floor, pulling his knees up to his chest as he tried to keep himself from crying. He felt like he was going to be sick. He was absolutely and utterly humiliated.
Why did they think he was stupid? He obviously didn’t mean to mess up the prop! He’d been acting this for years, he didn’t know why he couldn’t do this simple thing.
But before he could spiral further, he felt a hand- or, rather, wing- tap on his shoulder.
He looked up, and was greeted by a smiling beak, as well as wide, gentle eyes. Roadie was watching him with a concerned expression. He’d seen the whole interaction, as well as seen the poor coyote run off.
He lifted a wing to sign, ‘Are you okay?’
The coyote grimaced. The road runner was the last person he wanted to see. He didn’t like being pitied by his co-star, the one who would NEVER understand what he was going through.
Because Roadie never messed up. Roadie didn’t get stressed by fame. Roadie never had to do more than one take. Roadie always remembered his place on the stage.
Roadie was perfect.
‘Go away.’ He quickly signed back.
Roadie’s smile dimmed. He then shook his head, a simple no, he wasn’t going to go away. He didn’t want to leave the desert dog alone to wallow in his sadness.
Coyote glared at him, a low rumble of a growl coming from his throat, but didn’t argue further. He turned away, half because he didn’t want to see the bird, and half because he was trying to hide his tears.
That didn’t stop Road Runner from sitting down next to him. He stared at the coyote expectantly, waiting patiently for him to turn back. Wile E. could feel Roadie’s eyes on him. He knew he wouldn’t leave him alone until they had a conversation.
The desert dog sighed through his nose, turning back to look at his co-star. Now having his attention back, Roadie tilted his head with a sympathetic frown.
‘They shouldn’t have yelled at you.’
Wile E. huffed once more, turning his gaze towards the floor.
‘Why do you care?’ He asked, looking back at Roadie.
‘Because you didn’t deserve it.’ Was the signed reply. ‘It was just an accident.’
Wile E’s lip curled in a frustrated snarl. It was more aimed at himself than at Roadie.
‘Yes,’ He paused, hands shaking. ‘An accident that’s happened more than once.’
The sentence caused a lull in the conversation. Coyote rested his head on his arms. He then felt a wing rest on his shoulder. He flinched, looking up at Roadie with wide eyes, the bird looking at him with a sympathetic expression.
‘I know this isn’t easy for you. You shouldn’t be so hard on yourself.’ He signed.
Wile E. glared at the bird, eyes prickling with unshed tears.
‘It should be. I’ve been doing this for years. I don’t know why I keep messing up.’
A shaky sigh left the coyote’s lips, paws shaking even more, his signing getting less and less legible.
“I don’t know how you do it. How do you handle the pressure? The fame? How do you never need another take?’ He blinked away the tears forming. ‘How are you so perfect even though you just started?”
Wile E’s head and ears drooped as his anger shifted to sadness.
‘I haven’t been sleeping or eating. My stress and exhaustion are causing me to mess up. They want to replace me, Roadie. I’m such a terrible actor that they want to replace me.”
His head then fell into his hands, defeated now. Roadie’s heart ached for his co-star. He hated seeing him like this, exhausted and dejected. He respected Wile E., and felt that the directors were treating him unfairly just because he needed a few extra takes.
It never bothered Road Runner that the coyote needed a little more time than he did. It wasn’t his fault, he was trying his best and deserved just as much attention and respect as he did.
He only wished Wile E. could believe that himself.
Wile E., still distraught with his head in his hands, shook as he tried to keep himself together in front of his co-star. He didn’t want Roadie to see him like this. He didn’t want to seem more pathetic than he already felt.
But then, Roadie lifted a wing to tilt the coyote’s snout up, making him look up. Wile E. squeaked out a quiet, raspy noise, eyes focusing on the blurry image of the bird in front of him, his eyesight blurred with tears. The avian brushed the tears away from his fuzzy cheeks. When the coyote’s vision was clear once more, Road Runner signed with his free hand.
‘Our difference in the amount of time it takes for us to finish scenes doesn’t make you any less than me, Wile E. You’re not a terrible actor. You’re funny. You’re smart. And most of all, you’re talented,’ He began, ‘You’re new to being in a bigger role. You’re stressed, and that’s okay.”
Wile E. stared at the bird with wide eyes. He blinked a few times, dumbfounded at the kind words from his co-star.
Roadie continued. ‘And I’m sorry those directors don’t have any patience. Just because it takes you a few extra takes doesn’t mean you’re bad at acting, and they don’t have the right to say those terrible things to you. You’re a great actor, and you deserve to be here.”
The bird then released Wile’s snout, smiling warmly at him, his face slightly flushed.
‘And if it helps, I never once was bothered that you took a little extra time in between scenes.’
The reassurance made the canid’s heart start to feel lighter, and a smile crossed his face despite himself. He was a little relieved to find that his mistakes weren’t all that big of a deal to his co-star.
‘Really?’ Wile E. signed slowly, his hands shaky and hesitant.
Roadie nodded in reply. ‘Forget our directors. It doesn’t matter what they think. If they want to replace you, their loss. There’s millions of people who’ve seen our cartoons and think you’re absolutely incredible.’
A beat as the bird looked away sheepishly. ‘And I’m one of them.’
Wile E. blinked a few times, obviously pleasantly surprised. His smile only grew wider, tail swishing ever so slightly against the ground. He had truly and honestly believed that Roadie viewed him as lesser than. As his co-star who always screwed up.
But the bird respected him. He always had.
And that felt really good to hear after everything he’d been told.
As for Roadie, he was happy to see the smile back on his co-star… and friend’s face. He didn’t understand how someone so kind and talented could be treated so horribly. If only Coyote knew how he felt about him, all the worry about those awful directors would leave his mind…
Well, that was another can of worms for an entirely different day.
Realizing they’d just been staring at each other for far too long, Roadie shook his head, clearing his thoughts and trying to rid his stomach of its fluttering. He then stood up quickly, once again looking away from Wile E.
’Anyway…’ He began. ‘We still have plenty of time during our lunch break. Would you care to join me?’
The bird then held his wing out for his friend to take, grinning warmly. Wile E. stared at it for a moment, then to Roadie, then back to his wing. He hesitated, fidgeting with his hand for a moment… until he sighed, taking it in his paw.
Roadie couldn’t help but beam as the coyote took his wing. He carefully hoisted his co-star up, the two of them now nearing beak-to-snout, smiles on both faces. They stayed like that for a fleeting moment, hand in hand with eyes locked onto one another’s.
However, Roadie’s face was quickly growing hot, and he let go and turned away before he became a feathery puddle on the ground. Wile E. watched him turn around and start walking toward the direction of the exit with an odd, yet not unpleasant feeling in his chest
.
It felt like, for the first time, he had someone in this studio he could actually rely on. He didn’t need to be perfect for Roadie’s sake. The bird just enjoyed his company. Enjoyed working with him, despite all his mistakes.
As the Road Runner was about to approach the exit, he felt a tap on his wing. He looked at the paw that had tapped him, then at Wile E., the coyote smiling coyly yet sincerely. He held up a free paw to sign three simple words:
’Thank you, Roadie.’
The bird couldn’t help but coo happily at the words signed to him. He tilted his head, a soft smile across his break, lifting his wing up to sign in reply.
“You’re Welcome.’
And with that, the duo of new friends exited the building in search of lunch.
***
“Hello? Earth to Coyote? That’ll be $27.70, hun.”
Wile E. shook his head, suddenly snapping back to reality and to the current year. Back to fretting about their anniversary gift.
The coyote looked up, blinking a few times at the tired, middle aged woman checking his items out. He nodded with a sheepish grin, holding up his pointer finger as he fished through his fur-pockets for his wallet.
As he fumbled around his wallet for a couple bucks, he looked down at his selection for gifts.
In his frenzy, he’d managed to find a fluffy plushie, a box of chocolates, and a small bouquet of flowers. Cliché, but a classic nonetheless.
Not as good as his usually well-thought out gifts for his partner, but hey, anything to keep roadie from being heartbroken.
He pulled out $30, handing it to the cashier. She took it with a grateful nod, turning to get his change while Wile E. fidgeted with his paws, waiting patiently. When there was a lull in the conversation, the cashier spoke once again.
“So, uh… you’re that coyote from those cartoons, right?”
Wile E. nodded with a polite grin. She hummed in acknowledgement.
“Well, where’s that road runner you’re always chasing?”
The coyote paused, realizing he’d have to explain their relationship to her. He decided to pull a sign out of his hammerspace. Despite signing with his directors and Roadie, it was easier and also more iconic to pull out his trusty signs.
[NOT CHASING!] He flipped the sign. [HE AND I ARE…FRIENDS]
He preferred not to explain his romantic relationship with his co-star in front of his audience. Her brows raised with surprise, but she nodded once again. Wile E. then pointed at the objects on the checkout counter. He then produced another sign.
[FOR HIM]
Now THAT got her attention. A box of chocolates and flowers? For a “friend”? Yeah, there was absolutely no way. There was something going on behind the scenes. Literally.
The woman couldn’t help but smirk a little. “You know, sweetie, I’m starting to suspect that these gifts are more than just ‘friendly’. You sure that’s all you two are behind the scenes?”
Wile E.’s face quickly shifted hues into a deep shade of red, his fur fluffing up. He really wasn’t good at being subtle, was he?
Well, he sure as hell didn’t want to stick around long enough to be completely figured out. So, he grabbed his items without taking his change, signed the cashier a quick ‘thank you’, and zipped out of the store without another word.
The woman was surprised at the sudden departure, but chuckled nonetheless, and yelled after the escaping coyote.
”Wait, you forgot your change!”