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The party was in full swing, a celebration packed to the brim with the colorful characters of pretty much the Looney Tunes ensemble...which was saying quite a bit. No one had seen the entire Looney Tunes cast this happy in...well, a while. Coyote vs ACME had finally been released and not only had raked in raving reviews, it looked to be well on its way to doing well at the box office....a feat the Looney Tunes hadn't performed since the original Space Jam film.
Pepe Le Pew was popping the champagne bottles open for everyone to enjoy, sometimes accidentally squirting someone in the face like poor Elmer Fudd. Granny was doing a wild can-dance on the tables, laughing the entire way. Foghorn and Yosemite Sam were both working together (a rare feat) trying to get the karaoke machine up and running....only for electricity and soot to sputter in their faces. Eventually, someone got the bright idea to try and sing by themselves. Soon, a whole chorus of singing voices had joined together in a rendition of 'Sweet Caroline.' Horribly off-key, but you get the point.
No one was quite fully drunk but quite a few weren't fully sober either. Some definitely wanted to get more drunk however, to the point where Pepe was making sure to hide the wine and champagne bottles from a few more than eager Toons, most notably a very overeager Tasmanian Devil, who was reaching over the bar countertop to try and grab them. Thankfully, as a Looney Tunes himself, Pepe had experience with dealing with his fellow Tunes so he could distract them long enough to keep the bottles out of reach far enough without angering anyone.
In short however, everyone was having a genuinely swell time all around. The mood was light, no one was getting hurt (some personal pride excepted), and for the first time in a long LONG while, the future seemed to be looking good for the Looney Tunes (the looming Paramount-Warner Bros Deal notwithstanding). It was rare for all of the Tunes to be together as a group like this, especially in a situation that didn't require some sort of horrific urgency, so they were making the most they could out of it.
But there were some certain Looney Tunes that were DEFINITELY spending time a little closer together than normal.
---
At a corner away from where the main party was taking place, Bugs Bunny made his way over to one Daffy Duck. The duck was currently chuckling at a joke Porky seemed to be telling him, holding a small glass of champagne in his hand. Daffy seemed to be genuinely smiling and laughing, a rare sight to see. If Bugs were a lesser Toon, the whole picture would have stopped him in his tracks right then and there.
But Bugs was FAR from a lesser Toon, he was a Toon with decades of experienced control over his emotions. So what if the sight of Daffy laughing like this made him a little soft? Then again, he's always had a soft spot in his head for ol' Daffy. He couldn't help it. The duck had this way of making him feel in ways he didn't usually.
Bugs notices Daffy starting to show signs of wanting to continue the conversation with Porky so he supposes he should make his entrance now. He walks forward a little bit, summons a carrot from his hammerspace, and bites into it before leaning against the wall and starting his usual routine.
"Ehh...what's up, duck? Oh, and Porky too," the rabbit adds as an afterthought, nodding to Porky.
The duck's face looks surprised for a second before it immediately scrunches into a familiar sneer the second he recognizes who he sees. "Oh...it's just YOU." Porky smiled knowingly, quickly walking to another area as he decided to give the two Toon superstars some space.
"The one and only Daff," Bugs smirked. He straightened himself up from off the wall. "Gotta say, you did great in the movie. Really sold the act."
"Great?! Of COURSE I did great!" Daffy bragged, banging a fist to his chest. "Playing the part of someone gone completely mad is not just an easy bit after all!"
"Of course Daffy," Bugs grinned, flicking his carrot stump into the nearby trash can.
For a brief moment, there was a pause in the conversation, both of the Toons soaking in the atmosphere of the party continuing to go on around them. Daffy was stealing glances at Bugs, trying and failing to pretend he was looking at something else. After a few seconds, the duck cleared his throat, catching Bugs' attention again.
"Well...I er...hmph, I suppose YOU played a decent part as well....not as good as me of course!" Daffy added hastily. "But still...adequate enough."
"Aww Daff," Bugs pretended to be supremely touched, though not quite mockingly placing a hand to his chest. "That just might be the nicest thing youse ever said to me."
"It is indeed a rare compliment from yours truly!" Daffy stated. "I would HOPE you accept it Long-Ears, it's not something I give out often." Daffy looked to the side, looking like he wanted to say more but stopped himself, unspoken words on his tongue.
Bugs chose not to comment further, instead choosing to lean slightly closer to the duck. And if Daffy noticed this action (which he always did)...well, he wasn't one to complain at all.
—
From a slightly further distance away, Tweety and Sylvester were in the midst of having their own conversation. Unlike his feathered co-star, who played a fairly important role in the movie, Sylvester himself only had two cameos, both of them unspeaking. Now, the cat wasn't angry about it. Not at all. If anything, he was happy Tweety managed to get to play something outside the norm...something he knew the bird had been desperately begging for.
Still, Tweety couldn't resist teasing the cat as he perched on his shoulder, nuzzled against the cat's neck. "Making an entire sculpture of me out of the litterbox because you missed me, hmm?"
"They told me to do that!" Sylvester blushed, looking to the side to avoid that familiar knowing look and sly smile (the same one he had come to love). "You were supposed to be gone for thirty years in the movie after all!"
"Sure, sure." Loathe as he was to do it, Tweety slowly released himself from the cat's neck, leaning himself back on Sylvester's shoulder and closing his eyes in thought. "You know, it was fun playing a bad guy for a change. Haven't done it since Carrotblanca."
"If you ask me," Sylvester remarked, smirking a little at Tweety. "You do make for a VERY scary bad guy. I was genuinely WORRIED for Wile E in that scene where you tried to kill him."
"Awww Puddy," Tweety cooed adoringly, opening his eyes and staring at his partner of several years running now. "To be fair, I'd be worried too. Movie or not, no one REALLY wants to get on my bad side after all."
"Don't I know it."
---
Finally, the stars of the show, Wile E and Road 'Roadie' Runner themselves were having a private moment of their own. Being that this was a party with only the rest of the Looney Tunes present (no humans allowed), Wile E felt much more comfortable speaking without his signs this time around. The same could be said for Roadie.
"All's well that ends well, my feathered friend," Wile E murmured, swishing a drink glass around in his hand. He looked at Roadie, who seemed to be staring at nothing in particular at the party going on around him. The bird looked....content.
"You know, after everything this film has gone through, I can't believe we actually managed to do it." Roadie spoke up. Unconsciously, he leaned himself against Wile E, who stiffened a bit at the contact before the coyote relaxed himself into it. "It's truly a miracle and I don't take it for granted."
"I wouldn't either," Wile E added, wrapping an arm around Roadie to pull him closer. If Roadie noticed, he didn't say anything. "It gave both of us the depth we needed after years. You especially."
"I know," Roadie smiled, looking up at Wile E with shining, radiant eyes. "That entire courtroom scene where I take the witness stand is going to be in my memory for a LONG time."
"I would hope so," Wile E replied. Without thinking, he brushed a loose feather from Roadie's cheek, gently putting it back into its spot. "You truly did amazing. I could not have asked for anyone better. Also," Wile E couldn't help but smirk, "I hope certain people finally understand that you are not mindless and far from 'just a prop.' You're so much more. And I'm glad to know humans are finally seeing the reason of just WHY I haven't caught you yet."
"Well, you kind of already did catch me." Roadie remarked, brushing his head against Wile E's shoulder. "What the public doesn't know won't hurt them after all."
Wile E chose not to say anything else, choosing to soak in the moment with his partner by his side.