Chapter Text
The Road Runner was NOT happy to see Bugs Bunny near Wile E. He knew Bugs had helped Wile E. out with his case against Acme, but that didn't mean the Road Runner wanted him anywhere in his and Wile E.'s desert. Long ago, Bugs Bunny had come along, and Wile E. had attempted to catch him. That had sparked a lot of jealousy in the Road Runner, especially when he learned how flirtatious the rabbit was.
The Road Runner watched Bugs munch on a carrot then say something. He looked at Wile E., wondering if he'd have to move closer to read his signs, but then Wile E. opened his mouth.
Wile E. was talking?! To the rabbit?!?!
The Road Runner zoomed towards them "accidentally" hitting Bugs as he stopped. Bugs scoffed but dusted himself off and bit into his carrot. Wile E.'s ears lifted as he saw the Road Runner, and he went back to using his signs.
[ ROAD RUNNER ] The Road Runner beeped at him, wondering why he had switched back. Why had he talked to Bugs but not the Road Runner?
[ TALKING? ] Wile E. rubbed the back of his neck before putting up another sign.
[ NO ] Bugs looked between the two with a smirk.
"What's up, doc? Ya never hear his voice?" It would be so nice if the Road Runner could dig his talons into the rabbit's stupid face.
[ NO ] He hated to admit it. How could Wile E. speak to Bugs but never to the Road Runner? Wile E. was the Road Runner's coyote!
[ HE CAN'T ] Wile E. admitted. The Road Runner stared.
[ WHY? ]
"I'm curious too, why can't you speak to him?" Bugs asked, in a tone that indicated he already knew the answer. The Road Runner smacked him with his tail feathers.
[ I CAN'T SPEAK ] Wile E. hesitated for a moment. [ UNTIL ] He avoided eye contact as he slowly put up a new sign. [ I CATCH THE ROAD RUNNER ] The Road Runner looked at it, suddenly feeling scared. Was that why Wile E. was always chasing him? Just so he could talk, however that worked? The Road Runner wasn't a genius like Wile E. was, but this situation didn't make sense. He pointed his talons at Bugs, wishing he could wrap them around the hare's throat.
[ WHY? ] He didn't need to elaborate as Wile E. understood what he was asking.
[ IT'S A GAG! ] Flip! [ I DON'T TALK TO ANYONE ] Oh, so it was a weird toon logic thing. That didn't make the Road Runner feel any better. Wile E. still could have been trying to catch him so that he could speak whenever he wanted. He honestly wouldn't blame him for that.
[ IS THAT WHY YOU CHASE? ] The Road Runner looked at Wile E. He had hoped to ask that question in a much different context. In one where his coyote would admit that the Road Runner was his everything.
[ NO ] Wile E. flipped his sign around with a small smile. [ I PREFER SIGNS ]
"You do make the whole sign thing very funny," commented Bugs. He gave Wile E. a look that the Road Runner interpreted as "I'm a whore here to steal you away!" He quickly moved in front of Wile E. with a protective, "Beep! Beep!"
"Alright, I'm leaving, I just wanted to talk a bit about his Acme case." The Road Runner despised the way he said talk. He was glad his coyote preferred signs, but it still hurt learning Wile E. had a voice but couldn't talk to him. What did his voice sound like? Was it deep? Was it raspy?
[ HURRY UP ] Bugs put a hand up.
"Sorry, I ain't as fast as you, doc." He headed towards a burrow and disappeared into it. The Road Runner glared at it even a little after the rabbit was gone.
[ HE IS IRRITATING ] Wile E. moved his sign in front of him, so that he could see it. It was always nice to know that Wile E. got annoyed with Bugs and didn't want his affections. It was great knowing Wile E. only wanted the Road Runner's affections. The accomplishment didn't feel as great when realizing Wile E. couldn't speak to him but could to Bugs.
[ CHASE? ] The Road Runner asked. He didn't want to think about Wile E. speaking to Bugs; he just wanted to enjoy time with his coyote. Wile E. grinned and nodded. The Road Runner beeped at him then began running. But as he did, he couldn't help but wonder about what might happen if Wile E. did catch him: would he get to hear his voice?
...
A few days passed, and Wile E. had come awfully close to catching the Road Runner. This had excited the both of them as the Road Runner still longed to hear what Wile E. sounded like. It wasn't fair that Bugs could hear his voice, but the Road Runner couldn't. The Road Runner was much closer to Wile E.! They loved each other; Wile E. didn't love that dumb rabbit.
Another day came to an end with Wile E. getting exploded. Wile E. had mostly given up on Acme products which resulted in a lot less backfires, but sometimes he couldn't help himself and would pull out an old Acme tool. The Road Runner was proud of his progress, he really was doing better without Acme, it just wasn't an easy task to catch him regardless of what equipment was used.
[ SAME TIME TOMORROW? ] The Road Runner read the sign and smiled, brightly. Wile E. had been using it a lot which always made the Road Runner feel giddy. He liked the acknowledgement of their routine, and he loved seeing Wile E. want to continue it.
"Beep! Beep!" the Road Runner confirmed. Wile E. pulled himself up, wincing a bit at some of the bruises he had gotten. The Road Runner took a few steps closer to him. Wile E. wasn't badly injured, but he still wished to take away the pain he felt. He lightly pressed his beak against Wile E., hoping to comfort him. Wile E. stiffened but accepted it. The Road Runner cooed, wondering if the sound would be nice to Wile E. The coyote had admitted he preferred signs, but sound could still be comforting to him, right? His ears moved up, so the Road Runner assumed so, cooing more. If only he could hear something from Wile E. even if it was just a whine or a hum.
The loud sound of a car interrupted the Road Runner's coos, upsetting him a bit. But Wile E.'s reaction quickly made him smile again. His eyes widened, and his tail wagged. It was cute. If only he could have let out an excited bark or hello. The Road Runner would have given up lots of bird seed to hear that.
"Hey, Wile E.! And Road Runner, uh, hi!" Kevin greeted, getting out of his car. The Road Runner politely beeped while Wile E. waved a paw.
"You ready for dinner? Paige picked out a good place. She'll meet us there." Wile E. eagerly nodded. The Road Runner tilted his head. Dinner? Wile E. was going to dinner with Kevin and Paige? He hadn't mentioned that.
[ LEAVING? ]
[ DINNER ] was Wile E.'s response. It would just be dinner, right? The Road Runner didn't want to miss Wile E. for days again.
[ SEE YOU TOMORROW ] The Road Runner couldn't be more grateful to have a coyote who understood him so well. Many saw him as a mindless bird, but Wile E. could see he had thoughts and emotions. Wile E. fiddled with paws, looking a little shy.
[ UNLESS ] The Road Runner waited in anticipation. [ YOU EAT WITH ME ] He glanced at Kevin who looked surprised but not unhappy with the idea.
"I don't mind, and I don't think Paige will either." The Road Runner couldn't help but beep and run in excitement. He was going to have dinner with Wile E.! And with Wile E.'s friends...the Road Runner didn't appreciate them taking up Wile E.'s time, but he could tolerate them. They had supported and helped Wile E. out with the Acme lawsuit.
The Road Runner's run suddenly came to a stop as Wile E. opened a car door. The Road Runner almost rammed into it, and he could hear Kevin sigh in relief when he didn't. Wile E. playfully pushed the bird into the back of the car and took the seat beside him. The Road Runner couldn't help but gape. Wile E. had caught him off guard. He had done more than that; he had caught the Road Runner! Now he could hear his voice!!
[ TALK ]
[ I CAN'T ] Wile E. raised an eyebrow. [ REMEMBER? ]
[ YOU CAUGHT ME! ] The Road Runner had waited forever to use that sign. Wile E. looked astonished and quickly shook his head.
[ NO ]
[ YES ]
[ DOESN'T COUNT ]
[ TALK ]
"Uh, what's going on back there, guys?" Kevin who had just started the car was looking between them in confusion.
[ NOTHING ] Wile E. immediately put up. The Road Runner didn't let Kevin interrupt his mission. He put his sign closer to Wile E. who batted it away.
"Come on, if he doesn't want to tell you something, don't make him. I don't want a fight in the back of my car. I'm trying not to buy another one this month." Wile E. looked amused as he picked a different sign. [ I'M OKAY ] He pointed at the Road Runner. [ ANNOYING ]
[ SILLY ] The Road Runner pointed right back. He stuck his tongue out. He still thought Wile E.'s decision to stay mute was silly, but he wouldn't pressure him to speak. Even though, he felt himself getting more and more desperate to hear what his coyote sounded like.
"Okay, I'll trust you guys on that." Kevin smiled and began driving.
...
The restaurant Paige had picked was a good one. Wile E. was wolfing down some chicken tenders, while Kevin had a burger, and Paige had pasta. The Road Runner had decided to get some chili, deciding that would be easy to peck his beak into. It was no bird seed, but he liked it.
"So, Road Runner why did you want to come with us this time?" Paige asked. The Road Runner thought about her phrasing: this time. He looked at Wile E. who was still enjoying his meal. Wile E. had gone out to dinner with them before? And he had still come back. The Road Runner felt like running around again, but he stayed still and looked at Paige.
[ I SAW HIM ] He nodded his head in Kevin's direction. Paige looked at her uncle with a dramatic gasp.
"You never invited him, before?"
"I never got the chance to. He is hard to catch."
[ TRUE ] Wile E. paused his eating to agree. Kevin chuckled, "It was actually Wile E. who invited him." Paige grinned.
"Aw, that's nice of you, Wile E.!" The coyote resumed eating, looking a little embarrassed.
"Will you join us next week, Road Runner?" asked Kevin. The Road Runner hesitated. He was enjoying being with Wile E. and his friends, but he didn't want to intrude too much. Wile E. was happy with Kevin and Paige, and the Road Runner had quickly learned they wouldn't be making any moves on his coyote. He could trust the three to be together without any flirtations. He wasn't all optimistic about them, though. He wondered, bitterly, if Wile E. talked to his human friends. If he was using signs because the Road Runner had joined them.
[ MAYBE ]
"If you can come, we would love to see you again," Paige said, cheerfully. The Road Runner smiled then pecked more at his chili. He looked up and was surprised to see the sign, Wile E. was now holding up.
[ JOIN ] After he noticed the Road Runner read it, he flipped the sign around. [ DINNER ] The Road Runner could feel his heart beat faster. Wile E. wanted him to join them again! The Road Runner smirked.
[ TALK ] Maybe he could get a really good deal out of this. If Wile E. used his voice to ask, he would definitely agree to going. That had to be close enough to catching him. Wile E.'s ears flattened in annoyance.
[ NO ]
[ TALK ]
[ NO! ]
"Talk about what?" questioned Paige. The Road Runner studied her expression. She looked confused. That's when the Road Runner remembered: Wile E. preferred signs. Maybe he never had talked to her and Kevin!
[ VOICE ] Both Kevin and Paige stared in shock at Wile E.
The coyote made a dramatic sighing motion. [ VOW OF SILENCE ]
"So you can talk?" Kevin exclaimed. The Road Runner felt a lot of pride for figuring that out before him despite not hearing Wile E.'s voice...yet.
[ YES ] Flip! [ I PREFER SIGNS ]
"I can respect that."
"Even if they're limited?" Kevin teased, slowly getting over his shock.
[ YES ] He turned it. [ TALKING IS LIMITED TOO ] That got the Road Runner curious. All he ever could do was beep and use signs, so he never could talk like Wile E. and the humans were able to. Kevin and Paige seemed good at it, so he wondered if Wile E.'s voice was very quiet. Maybe the signs were louder in a way? The Road Runner really really wished he could hear his coyote's voice.
"Will you ever break your vow?" Paige asked. Wile E. looked over at the Road Runner with a grin. The bird's feathers ruffled in excitement.
[ YES ] The Road Runner couldn't wait until that day came.