Work Text:
"Eh, what's up, doc?"
A familiar voice greeted, coming from the one and only Bugs Bunny. The anthropomorphic rabbit was chewing on a carrot as he stood in the courtyard of St. Looney's for the Exceptionally Looney.
'Exceptionally Looney' was right, especially for the most looney toon there: Daffy Duck.
The institutionalized duck pried his eyes off his artwork, his painting session now interrupted by that despicable bunny.
"Oh, you! Took you long enough to visit me! Which shouldn't even matter anyway, because I told the nurses NOT to let you in." Daffy spat out with a huff, holding his paintbrush as he carefully brushed it against the surface of his canvas. Despite his copious amounts of suffocating 'therapy', there's still something about that bunny that still gets on his nerves.
"Well, you can never get rid of this bunny." Bugs replied back, finishing his carrot as he glanced at his side, looking beyond all the bushes and trees to the wall where he had placed that car jack. That oughta be useful for two particular humans later.
"Get rid? Oh, get rid! RID-diculous..." Daffy adjusted the small, round glasses on his beak, quickly becoming eerily calm again, "Oh well. doesn't matter. I could use a model for my art, and you'll have to do. Why are you wearing that?"
Ah, right. The trenchcoat. Honestly, Bugs didn't know why he was wearing it right now either. His scenes aren't until later! But wearing it made him feel more reassured in a way—as if it was a showcase of his efforts for his beloved duck.
"I'm trying out a new style." Bugs lied smoothly. As much as he would like to tell Daffy the real reason, he couldn't. If he did, he'd have to mention ACME, and well... he doesn't want Daffy to go crazy. Sure, the toon is always crazy, nothing new about that, but that kind of crazy? It only left a bitter feeling in Bugs's heart, especially knowing what caused it. It was just another reminder of what he's fighting for.
"Whatever, whatever. Just stand over there, maybe strike a pose. I need something to inspire my delicate artistry." Daffy caved in as he gestured Bugs to stand nearby, dipping his paintbrush onto one of the many paint colours on his palette.
Bugs simply rolled his eyes as he stepped towards the area Daffy told him to pose at. Daffy Duck, still ever so pushy. He just stuck with his regular pose: which is just him standing there while holding a carrot, which he pulled out of his trenchcoat. He wanted to give Daffy something familiar to work with. Though he did mentally note to restock his trenchcoat with carrots for later.
Daffy began painting Bugs, their conversation dying out until all that filled the air was the sound of music playing from the gramophone. It was instrumental and soothing... obviously something Daffy would have never played willingly.
As Bugs stood there, he couldn't help but stare at the duck. Sitting there, weirdly calm as he painted. It felt strange. Normally, Daffy wouldn't have this much patience for art, let alone painting. Hell, he's not even erratically mishmashing brushstrokes all over the canvas! It was like seeing a total stranger. Well, if the stranger still had attitude. Bugs was thankful for that. But he still had to admit...
Seeing Daffy like this felt wrong.
After a while, the duck finished his masterpiece, looking at his canvas as he nodded a few times, humming in thought. Bugs walked over to admire the new piece and smiled once he saw it.
It was colourful.
It was messy.
And even if it was a painting of Bugs...
It was still oh, so Daffy.
The bunny smiled at the sight. Even when the duck has gone quackers, remnants of himself still shine through. Remnants that reminds him of the duck he loves so, so much.
It only strengthens his resolve.
"It's beautiful, Daff." Bugs praised him, his gaze moving from the painting to Daffy himself, although the duck was still staring at the painting.
"Well, of course you'd say that. It's you."
The bunny couldn't help but laugh at that.
'God, I love you', Bugs thought but never said out loud. He couldn't handle Daffy's reaction to it (or lack thereof) in this state.
With one hand, Bugs suddenly grabbed the painting and swapped it out with an empty canvas he pulled from out of nowhere. Can't let the workers see the painting and realize he snuck in here, after all. Plus, ACME's got eyes and ears and eyes everywhere. He can't risk it.
"Whad'ya do that for? I was contemplating the composition." Daffy spoke but didn't make a fuss about retrieving the painting back, though he felt a little more empty once it was out of his sight. However, seeing the actual bunny in front of him subconsciously filled his heart with more than what was taken.
"So I can keep it." Bugs answered shortly before letting out a hum as he remembered something.
Daffy's supposed to paint the Project Sisyphus logo now for those two lawyers later—spoilers, much—and well, he'll have to subtly influence Daffy to paint said logo.
"Say, how about for your next painting, you get a pantless model?" Bugs suggested, pausing for a moment before finally adding: "Or a kind of Sisyphus."
Daffy froze at that final word.
Bugs winced at how blatant and obvious it was.
"Sisyphus? You calling ME a SISSY, PUSS?!" The duck immediately started yelling manically, eyes widening as he jumped out his seat, "I DON'T PUSH THE ROCKS, SISTER! I ROCK EACH PUSH!"
Aaaaand that was Bugs's cue to leave.
With a nonchalant shrug, the bunny immediately bolted back to the bushes where he came from earlier, towards the exit where the wall and the car jack was, leaving a cartoonish puff of smoke in the shape of himself. He did stop once he was out of range, witnessing Daffy's lunacy from afar whilst being hidden behind the bushes.
Bugs REALLY didn't want to remind him of Project Sisyphus in such an apparent way, but he couldn't think of any other way to word it.
'More like the author couldn't,' Bugs thought as he rolled his eyes at nothing in particular before staring back at the view.
Nurses were scrambling as Daffy bounced around everywhere, blabbering nonsense in true, crazy, ACME-induced fashion.
"I'M COVERED IN IT! IN CAKE AND EXPLOSIONS! WOO-HOOO, AHAHAHA!"
"Mr. Duck, calm down!"
What insanity. Despite that, Bugs couldn't help but smile. Oh, Daffy, you looney duck. ACME may have broken his brain, but it's still his.
Bugs looked down at the painting Daffy had made that he was still holding. Despite it being a painting of him, all he could see was Daffy.
"Don't you worry, Daff. We'll get you out soon."
With that whisper of a promise now etched in his mind, Bugs stuffed the painting in his trenchcoat and ran off, the faint sounds of Daffy's wacky screams and panicked nurses getting farther and farther away.