Chapter Text
Wile E. came to consciousness slowly, which was unusual for him. Lately it seemed like the only way he’d woken up was in a panic or after some severe injury. Mentally, he filed through anything that might require him to shoot out of bed wildly, but honestly he couldn't think of a thing. Kevin the lawyer was probably still in the hospital, Paige probably hated him for putting her uncle into the hospital, and the Road Runner was snuggled beside him.
The Road Runner was snuggled beside him.
Hm.
Wile E. was still a little sleep-addled, but he tried shifting, which revealed to him that his arm was in fact stuck firmly in place beneath the intense grip of Road Runner. Like a finger trap each attempt at wiggling out just made it tighter. The Road Runner appeared to be fast asleep, malicious entrapment a manifest of his unconscious mind. Wile E. wasn't overly fond of being forced to lie still and wait patiently for the other to arise, but he worried that if Road Runner startled awake it would result in a panicked kick and a very dead Coyote.
He was caught.
That wasn't right. That wasn't right at all. Wile E. did not get trapped. He did the trapping. He tried once more to wriggle out of the grasp, but it was unnaturally strict. The stupid Road Runner was supposed to be his prey! Look at him; sleeping in a motel, laying with a man, completely useless against all the threats he'd faced. He should be ashamed of himself! Acting like a coward, unable to even push someone away.
Well he would not be resigned to his fate. With determination he pulled as hard and fast as he could, his arm flying free of his captor. Except he may have pulled a little too hard, as the next thing he knew he had fallen to the floor face first. He pushed himself off the musty rug, just to be met with the big eyes and unkempt face of that damned Road Runner. He was silently laughing, having evidently been awoken by the commotion. He watched as the other stretched, jumping off the bed with energy and waltzing around the room. Wile E. wiped a hand over his face, lifting himself up. The room was stuffy and smelt vaguely of pee, the only aspect of indoor living he did not miss in the cave. So he threw open the door to let some air in.
“Wile E!”
No fucking way.
Paige was holding onto Kevin who looked… nice. Good. Alive, that's what he was indeed. Held aloft in his hand was a keycard same as Wile E’s own, only a lot more weathered. He raised an eyebrow questioningly. He hadn't told Paige where he was going. And he didn't really think she would want to see him anyways. Why were they at a motel? He assumed they were successful enough to own a house at least. Rent an apartment. All the things he himself couldn't do.
Paige took her arms out from Kevin who stumbled slightly without the support, leaning onto the door. “Hi! Wow, really didn't expect you to be here. Is Roadie with you?” Of course she had already given him a cutesy nickname. Come to think of it, Kevin had called him that too. It was certainly a little easier than saying The Road Runner. Wile E. nodded his head, in time for a loud crash to echo from his little room. He turned around to see The Ro… Roadie’s head stuck out the door, looking guilty.
Paige smiled brightly, while Kevin tried desperately to scan the card to his room, clumsily missing many times. “Hey there! We didn't really meet properly at the hospital, I'm sorry, I was just, so stressed out. I mean it's all a little crazy right?” She let out a breathless laugh, holding her hand out to Roadie. He inspected it, tilting his head, before reaching out his own. She took it enthusiastically, and the two shook hands for frankly an uncomfortable amount of time, before Paige finally coughed and withdrew her arm.
“Well, I think Kevin has fallen asleep already, so I should probably get back to my apartment.” Ah, so it was only Kevin who was a low-life. He had made it into his room at some point, falling immediately onto the bed and snoring loudly. Paige gently pulled the door closed. “Im not really sure where his car is to be honest, so ill pop by tomorrow morning and we can figure out what to do when we’re all fresh and ready, whaddya say?”
A thought came to his mind so he motioned for paige to stay, running inside to pick up his little notebook that had been discarded to the floor of the motel room. Once he returned he dropped the keys to his storage unit into Paige's hand. Clothes. After reading Paige nodded seriously and waved goodbye. Once her car was out of sight, the two men returned to their room, not having much reason to stay outside.
You were much nicer to Paige than Kevin, he noted, sitting down on the bed while Roadie hopped around the broken glass from the picture he had knocked down. The pen was once again swiped from his hand, as had become routine in the past few days. He honestly should just get Roadie his own at this point, maybe a notebook to boot.
You seemed comfortable around her. I trust you. Wile E. frowned, but before he could write more Roadies head was drooping comically, so he scribbled out the letters to instead ask if he was tired. Roadie nodded sadly, once more crawling onto the bed. He planted himself face first into the pillow, and then was still. Wile E. was not really a night person, but he had already gotten plenty of rest from his previous nap. Honestly, with all the stress recently his sleep seemed to be the one thing that actually improved, considering often he was too exhausted to spend his nights tinkering.
Aside from the little bombs he made during the short road trip with the lawyer, he really hasn't had much time for himself. For what felt like the first time in ages, he sat down on the floor, with the intention only to create. It was sad he wouldn't be able to cyanotype anything for a while, but just sketching them out would be enough for him. Like clockwork images flowed through his mind, pictures and shapes and wiring all marked down in quick succession.
Pipes that would measure and record the turbidity of water as it flowed through.
A security system that could not be hacked into or deactivated.
A tracker that could withstand speeds of mach 2.
Not all of his ideas were feasible. Not all of his plans were original. But they were all his. He hadn't enjoyed himself this much in a while. He kept going and going, drawing and writing and planning. He didn't want to stop. He was having too much fun! Far, far too much fun.
***
A sharp pain in his stomach woke him up from his light slumber.
Wile E. yelped dramatically, jumping to his feet to glare at Roadie crouching innocently, fist held out in front of him like a murder weapon. He snatched the nearly full book off the floor where it fell, scribbling angrily.
What the hell was that for? Roadie's mouth widened into a shit-eating grin, and he began to beep in shorts and longs again, but Wile E. cut him off. It's too early to decipher morse, he declared. Roadie pouted, but he humbly took the writing instruments from Wile E.
It's the morning he wrote. Wile E. was ready to grouch at him for such a stupid excuse but… honestly he felt pretty good. And he did prefer waking up earlier rather than later, he just didn't see a point in sleeping in if he got enough rest at night. Roadie might've done him a favor, but he could've done it nicely. At least he didn't kick him.Wile E. liked his organs where they were.
The first order of business was to clean up. Both Wile E. and Roadie were sweaty, unkempt, and in dire need of a change of clothes. The clothes they could figure out later, he had a heap of them in his storage unit, but he really needed a shave. The issue was he had no razors on him. But he did have a neighbor. Who was a grown man. With stubble. Ignoring the sounds of a confused Road Runner, he made his way to Kevin's room, a whole meter away, and knocked.
There was no reply.
He knocked harder. Roadie came out of the room and watched him as he continued to bang on the door, joining in with more speed and force than was probably natural. Cursed Tuning. Normal people like him just couldn't keep up. Eventually the guy inside seemed to finally get sick of their knocking - seeing as the door flung open to reveal a very tired looking guy.
“It is six in the morning. What could you possibly need.” Wile E. pointed to his beard, then Roadies, then kevins, making the motion of shaving. Kevin sighed deeply, rubbing his eyes. “Fffffine. As long as you promise to leave me alone until a reasonable hour.” He disappeared into his room, returning with a small plastic bag filled with eight or so disposable razors. He threw them into Wile E.’s face, then slammed the door shut. This guy seriously has attitude problems.
Walking into the bathroom with Roadie, a sudden problem arose in his mind. Do you know how to shave? He asked. The other man touched his chin fluff, seemingly not having noticed it before then. Like the hair on his head it was blue, meaning that was his natural hair color. Blue wasn't an unnatural colour, but it was quite unusual, like two-toned hair or red or green. It was certainly recognisable, especially one so pretty like Roadies.
Road Runner shook his head, giving a mute shrug. It figured he really wouldn't know how to do much for himself. Who was going to teach him, the people breaking his legs? Do you want to shave? He asked. Roadie looked confused, looking at the question like he had asked if he came from mars. He very slowly nodded, looking at Wile E.’s face. It was kind of disconcerting. Wile E. took a razor out of the bag and held it out to him. Roadie stared at the razor, then stared at Wile E. again. Wile E. rolled his eyes. I'm not going to do it for you. Roadie’s eyes widened, his mouth opening slightly as he hesitantly took the razor out of Wile E.’s hand.
With that, Wile E. slowly showed Roadie the ropes. Seeing as they had no shaving cream, he instead used the cheap motel hair conditioner and warm water to lubricate their faces, then slowly traced down the lines of his face, motioning for the other to do the same. The first time he sliced down way too fast, scaring Wile E. to death as he checked to make sure he hadn't shaved off half his face. He held The Road Runners wrist gently as he shaved down the second time, keeping him at a responsible pace, then let go once he seemed to understand the technique.
They went on, Wile E. only stepping in to show Roadie which angles were best. It took longer than usual to finish up, but once they were done they proudly admired themselves in the mirror. The Road Runner gently touched his long hair, looking a little forlorn. It was terribly tangled, with the type of knots Wile E. would rather cut out with a knife than brush.
Do you want to cut it? Roadies eyes widened. He looked at it, patting it then closed his eyes, nodding sharply. After a quick trip back to Kevins for some scissors (and a sock in the face) he and Roadie were in the bathtub slash shower. Roadie’s legs were bouncing up and down in anticipation, while Wile E.’s hands were shaking only slightly.
Turns out, cutting hair is quite easy. Cutting hair nicely is why people get it done professionally. Roadie was staring at himself, and a thousand worries flew through Wile E’s mind. Did he cut too much? Was this his end? Would he be defeated at the foot of a bad haircut? But Roadie simply beeped happily, and Wile E. let out a sigh of relief. He had never quite feared for his organs as much as he had been these days.
Thankful for the garbage bags provided by the motel, he threw the dross into the corner and moved to the last piece of the agenda; showers. Well, first they needed the change of clothes. Luckily, the time spent cleaning up was enough that Paige would arrive soon, so Wile E. got Roadie to help him clean the remaining hair from the drain and the floor, a surprisingly enriching task.
Eventually a knock on their door came, and Paige was revealed, holding a box overflowing with cloth. “I wasn't sure what you’d like,” she explained, “So I figured I'd just bring everything.”
That was certainly appreciated. Kevin had exited his room, wearing the same suit that had just been in a car crash. “Im not forgiving you guys for waking me up at six.”
Paige gave him an unimpressed look. “You could do with waking up before midday more often, uncle.”
“Im here now, aren't I?” he grumbled. Wile E. took the box of clothes from Paige, placing it on the floor so he could- you guessed it! - write.
What's the plan now?
Paige inhaled sharply. “Well, we kind of need to explain to our coworkers why we’re blowing all of our money on a bunk lawsuit. I'm not sure what to do with Roadie though, we cant really bring him with us, i dont think…”
Kevin chimed in. “I don't see why we can't leave him in the room. He's a grown man.”
Roadie had stuck his head out at this point, smiling and waving at Paige and looking dirtily at Kevin. “Is that okay with you?” Paige asked. He tilted his head. “Staying in the room.” he looked a bit uncomfortable, staring into the room for a while before finally grabbing the hem of Wile E.’s shirt.
“Oh, uh, Wile E. needs to come with us,” she said, smiling awkwardly. Roadie looked at her, looked at Wile E, then shook his head.
“We do need-” Shake.
Kevin sighed. “Sal and Dottie deserve to have a proper explanation, and Wile E. deserves to be put on the hot seat a bit. We won't take more than a few hours.” Roadie seemed to get angry at that comment, and he stamped his foot, causing the building to shake. The concrete beneath his bare foot was cracked significantly.
Kevin and Paige gaped. “Understood,” he eventually relented. Out of his pocket he took out a pair of car keys. “These are for my spare car, just click the button and see which one reacts. Take him out to the desert or something, just nowhere he can cause more property damage.”
***
The desert was quiet, as usual. Wile E. stopped the car off the side of the road, opening the door for Road Runner so as to protect another car from his wrath. The wind whipped lightly through his short hair, dancing in navy hues. Teaching him to use the shower was thankfully quick, since at least he knew how to do that on his own. He had let Roadie pick out whatever clothes he desired, and the ensemble he put on was a little bit gaudy (he didn't even know he owned orange socks) but quite fitting for the Runner. He was quite stunning like this, Wile E. realised. He shook his head, a slight flush on his cheeks, and took to writing. His wrist was going to hurt with how much he had to communicate recently.
Stay in sight he said, but of course the Road Runner bore that same confused look as always.
The Road Runner was hopping in the dirt, stretching like an athlete ready for a performance. ‘Why?’ He beeped out, leading Wile E. to roll his eyes.
Have you forgotten ACME is still out there?
The Road Runner beeped quizzically. ‘I can outrun them?’
Wile E. grumbled. I can't. If they come for me, what then?
The Road Runner smiled. ‘I’ll protect you.’
Wile E. raised an eyebrow, not sure how to respond. He… Well, it's been bugging him for a while now. He just didn't know how to broach the subject. He was certainly grateful that the Road Runner was so keen to be allies, yet…
Why do you trust me? It weighed on him. He had done nothing to earn Roadies' trust. He had worked for ACME! And he was pretty sure Road Runner knew that. He didn't understand why the other treated him like some lifelong friend, they had barely known each other for a month.
The Road Runner stopped jumping around, and he looked at Wile E. His eyes bore into him, and his eyebrows furrowed, but this felt like a different kind of confusion than before. He brought a hand up to his throat and let out a small breath.
“You… were hurt too. Even… hunting… You are kind. People are not… kind… to me.” Wile E. was silent, the shock of his voice kept him paralysed. “You said we are friends. That's… All I want…” The Road Runner coughed, falling slightly. Wile E. dived to hold him, gripping his hands as the Road Runner shakily leaned on him.
Wile E. gaped at him. He could speak. His voice, he’d heard his voice before, sure, but to hear words, language, it felt impossible, it felt surreal. ROad Runner could speak. A part of him, the worst part of him, immediately felt angry. Of course he could. Wile E. was the only useless one here. But he didn't want that part of him to show. This was a good thing. He had to be supportive. Even if his hands were shaking with emotion.
Gently, he let go, once Roadie had regained stability. Are you okay? He asked. Collapsing after speaking well… he couldn't imagine that was good.
“Mhm. No, it's good. Ah… ACME,” He glowered at the name, "didn't always… own me. They… my voice… they didn't like… it.” He shuddered. “It's all in my head…but… wherever I speak… I feel…”
Wile E. waved in front of his face, breaking him out of his stupor. Dont force yourself. Roadie smiled, and quickly started skipping around once more. But Wile E. was stuck in place, tapping the notebook with his pen. He sighed.
Roadie had at some point realised he had started writing, and so sat patiently for him to finish. He dotted the final sentence, handing over the booklet, looking away solemnly. Roadie had shared a part of himself with Wile E, it was only fair he reciprocated.
I’m not a good person. Roadies eyes widened. A genius, maybe, but I'm crooked. Im not the person you want to be your friend. I was only chasing you for my own gain. Im only here against my will. If I had the choice, I wouldnt be involved in any of this. Thats why I cant speak to you. I dont deserve to.
He read it silently, then stood up, handing the notebook back. Wile E. felt slightly sick watching him read. He deserved to know, but it felt raw. He wasn't fond of being open. Roadie began stretching, then began to… beep?
‘Lets run.’
Huh?
Roadie grinned at him, revelling in his confused expression. He took back the notebook, scribbling in it. I like running. It clears my head. Maybe you need to clear yours too. He paused for a moment, then continued, if you dont want to talk, you owe me this.
Wile E. snorted, feeling lighter than usual. If I catch you, I’ll tease you verbally.
Road Runner beeped. ‘I wont be slow.’
Itd be no fun if you were.