Work Text:
Occupational Hazards - A Baffy Short Story
By: SteveFromTheBetween
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5/3/1951
10:24 AM
Warner Brothers Studio
Sound Stage 2
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"Duck thseathson! FIRE!!"
The explosion from Elmer Fudd's shotgun erupted violently onto Daffy's face and forcibly knocked him to the stage floor. His vision was obscured by a thick, smokey haze and prompted him to instinctively bring his hands to his eyes to rub them. Within moments his ears began to rhythmically ring and crackle so loudly that he almost didn’t hear the director belt out, “and….CUT!”
Upon somewhat hearing this, he forced his eyes to dart this way and that in an attempt to find something that wasn't spinning. Images became steadily clearer and their solidity was far more stable after some few seconds of rapid blinking and strained focusing. Amidst the blurry bedlam that was his senses, he made out a voice that was soft, yet distressed and that had a certain familiarity to it. He spun his head towards the source and found his gaze settling on a large, grey figure that seemed to be sprinting towards him.
"Daffy? Daffy, are you alright?!" Bugs exclaimed as he dashed from his position offset over to Daffy’s side. He quickly knelt down and started frantically inspecting his face with his ungloved hands, being sure to handle him with as much gentleness and care as he could muster in the moment. He released a shaky sigh when he found that his little black duck was still mostly in one piece. Bugs then stood and stretched out his hand to Daffy in an attempt to help him stand up. He looked up to his mate groggily and attempted to respond after realizing his sight had somewhat returned to him enough to be able to truly look upon the disquieted rabbit staring down at him.
"I....I'm okay...", he scratchily stated as the once pervasive ringing in his ears finally ceased. He gathered himself together a little by way of rapidly shaking his head for a few seconds before accepting Bugs' outstretched hand," ...we need to have a talk with Mr. Warner about how much black powder isth usethed insthide thosth gunsth."
The gray rabbit cracked a relief smothered grin as he hoisted Daffy from the floor and led him over to a nearby chair. After he helped him to sit down, he leaned around the black duck to the fountain behind them to get a small paper cups' worth of water. He brought it back to Daffy once it was filled and placed it in his still trembling, but accepting, hand. He took a slow, even sip and savored the refreshing feeling it gave him before smiling at his mate," thanksth, dear. I needed that."
Bugs smiled back with greater ease as he stood behind Daffy and brought his hands down around his fluffy, feathered shoulders. He peered around at the few remaining crewmen scrambling to remove the props from the previous scene and saw that they were all sufficiently occupied with their work to notice them. He discreetly and fluidly leaned down and, as expeditiously as he could, placed a small kiss on the cheek of Daffy’s bill. He then removed himself, much to both of their dismay, with the same degree of grace and poise. The grey bunny then leaned around him to grab another chair from close by and pulled it over to the two of them and sat down.
They sat in a relatively peaceful silence for a short while, allowing Daffy to recover some semblance of stability with his senses. He was able to make out the world around him just fine after a time. The only true problem he was facing at the moment was the onslaught of the stench of burnt feathers that was currently radiating off of his face. Their quiet had soon been disturbed by the shuffling of several rapidly approaching feet and the clambering of noisy conversations. The stage setup crew started piling in once more from the back storage rooms and standby rooms that were filled with readily available equipment. The pair looked on with apprehensive and forlorn expressions as they sat watching the alacritous crewmen prepare for the next scene. They observed them rolling out new and heavy props that looked almost certainly like they would involve more egregious violence for Daffy. Bugs, with a near sudden heaviness descending upon his heart over the possibility of more injury to his little duck, waited for the said mallard to finish his cup before deciding to say anything about the matter," Daff.....I need to talk to you."
"A-about what, dear?" he stuttered as he looked on at the bunny with worry in his eyes. He was taken aback by this and prepared for the assumed worst as he placed his hands in his lap and attentively listened to what Bugs had to say.
"I don't like how harmful your scenes are. Dey ain't gettin' any easier on ya’ and I'm....I'm afraid for you, Daffy. I’m afraid for your safety. I'm afraid that....,” Bugs’ lip quivered slightly as his gaze fell from Daffy to the floor. He searched deep within himself for the proper way to convey his sentiment, something that felt the most loving, yet unequivocal, for the situation. When he found the correct words, he raised his eyes to meet that of the black duck’s and reluctantly accorded himself to say, with a shaky whisper,”…one….one of dese days will mean the end of your acting career and....and maybe even....your life, Daff….even your….."
Bugs trailed off weakly while his voice began to waver and break. His sight began to lightly blur the image of Daffy before him and, after a soft blink of his eye lids, a thin, stray tear made its’ way down the fur of the rabbit's cheek. The immense weight of the potentiality of losing his love was too much for him to bear. The pain he had been carrying in secret for so long welled to the surface in that moment and forced him to look away once more, causing him to look down at his feet, the tiles, anything that wasn’t Daffy. He attempted to stifle his sobs to avoid onlookers from noticing by slowing his breathing. He also tried to dry his cheeks and eyes with the palms of his hands, but this too was a difficult endeavor.
Daffy felt a searing wave of grief wash over him as he watched Bugs disintegrate by his side. To see his lover reduced to this lamentable disposition was both heart wrenching as well as personally diminishing due to him believing that Bugs’ anguish was a result of his lack of care over self-preservation, or rather his indifference to his lot in life at the studio. Whatever the case could truly be, one thing was absolutely certain to him; he could not bear to see his love in this state. He outright repudiates letting this continue any further. He did not care if others would see him proffer warmth and love to his mate. The studio and the world be damned; he needed to comfort his beautiful bunny.
“Hey….thsweetheart, listhen…,” he expressed softly, finally breaking the awkward discontented atmosphere that indwelled within the space between them. Daffy leaned over and brought his now steadied hand to meet Bugs’ chin and gently, yet assuredly, lifted it around and up so that they were looking into one another's eyes. The lamentable rabbit did not resist his touch; he moved with his lover’s motion to allow his face to commensurate to that of the mallard’s.
"Now listhen, I'm not going to lie to you or try to thsugar coat thisth. I’m going to lay it out asth thstraight asth I can; in thiths kind of work I can’t guarantee that I won’t get that kinda hurt. I can’t thsit here and thsay they won’t put me in more thsituationsth like today. I don't want to lie to you and promiseth thsomething I can’t actually oblige. However,…” he moved his hand to cup Bug’s cheek before continuing in a tender, more amative tone,” ….thisth doesthn’t have to be my life forever. I can find work doing thsomething elthse. Oncthe my contract runsth out I can….I can be thsomething elsthse. I could do thsomething totally different. I know that deep down thisth job won’t work to my benefit down the line and thsomeday….it really could lead me to being put out to pasthure before I’m due.”
Bugs hung on intently to every word that Daffy had spoken thus far. He sat with a countenance of assiduity and presentness as he listened further,” ….thsweetheart…I'll be fine for the time being. Like I justh thsaid; I can’t guarantee that I’ll be thsafe all the time with thisth job, but I can tell you that it won’t lasth forever. I’m thstuck for now, unfortunately. There’sth not much I can do with that. What I can do, though, isth make thsure that nothing keepsth me from you while I am here." he paused after seeing the bunny brighten a little before continuing,” I’m not gonna leave you hanging out to dry like that. I’m not gonna let you go it alone or let you fall apart if I can help it. You’ve got me thstuck to you no matter what. I’ve enjoyed building what we have together and I don’t want it to thstop…,” he gave a small chuckle before finishing,” ….and you know me; I can't justh leave you to float along out there on thstage by yourthself. Who elsthe isth gonna' make you look good in front of the camera, right?"
Bugs smiled warmly and giggled out of genuine contentment as he melted into his lover's lovingly impassioned touch. He sighed smoothly and calmly while closing his eyes, which prompted Daffy to do the same. He opened one eyelid and responded back to the duck, his demeanor slipping slightly as he asked," you promise?"
"I promisthe, my dear. Crossth my heart," he said as he smiled. The two were so enraptured by their conversation that they almost neglected to notice that the crewmen were nearly finished setting up the new props and altered scenery for the next scene. Daffy begrudgingly removed his hand from Bugs’ cheek and gave a small, disgruntled grunt as he saw that the cameras and lights were repositioned for filming already. The pair imperturbably stood up and stretched their lightly stiffened limbs, all the while shaking out any mild numbness that afflicted them while they sat.
“On with the thshow, I thsupposthe,” Daffy groaned as he threw Bugs a raised brow and a coy smile. The grey bunny returned his love's smile in kind and, before he had time to truly think about any of the consequences, planted a quick kiss on the tip of Daffy's awaiting puckered bill before once again having to be thrown back into their inauspicious vocations.
The director arrived to take his place behind the cameras once again and bellowed out the all too familiar phrase that Bugs and Daffy had become dolorously accustomed to hearing over the years,” places everyone, places! And.......ACTION!!"
End