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It was a beautiful, cool morning in the otherwise silent New Mexican desert. A jolly Road Runner zipped down a stretch of asphalt all too familiar, before it gave way to dirt and rock, until reaching his desired destination: a mountain. His coyote’s mountain.
Roadie had decided to surprise Wile E. at his cave today, perhaps even catching him off guard a bit and waking him up. That would be funny, and different! The bird tittered at the thought, zooming up the mountain to the mouth of his friend’s cave at his typical breakneck speed.
It had been months since the ACME lawsuit, and their eternal Chase had only become more exciting, with new life breathed into it by the normally defined lines of their relationship being blurred. ‘Friends’ didn’t even seem to suffice anymore, proper words even evading the genius’ grasp.
The two of them, predator and prey, fell back into routine– this time, sans ACME products. Every new trap was Wile E.’s own invention, which meant that there were less of them, as they took more time to prepare and execute. To fill in the gaps, they often just… ran. No gadgets, no traps, no tricks. Just their feet, the ground, and each other.
Roadie loved it. He craved it.
He hoped, he really hoped, he could convince his coyote to just run today.
Unfortunately, he wasn’t sure he’d get any sort of activity from Wile E. Coyote today.
He’d entered the mammal’s cave, carefully maneuvering around the odd piece of furniture and random homemade contraptions, only to find him still sleeping in his bed.
Road Runner could, almost instantly, tell that something was wrong. Something would be interfering in their Game today.
“Beep?”
Approaching the coyote and calling out to him in a calm, yet questioning voice did nothing to wake Wile E. from his slumber.
“Beep beep beep?”
Worry crept up Beep Beep’s spine and neck; he reached out to touch Wile E.’s arm, to shake him lightly. In an instant, a warm, cracked paw was grabbing back at him, pulling a little too hard on an unexpecting wing.
Oh, no. Was this a trick so he could catch me?
But he found himself crashing onto the bed a beat later, next to his longtime predator, whose other paw found its way around the bird, digging into another bundle of brilliant blue feathers.
Wile E. sighed, chest rumbling, as he ruffled the beautiful birdie’s plumage for a few more moments.
It felt so good.
Roadie allowed himself to melt at the contact, cooing. Wile E. seemed satisfied with this, if the sleepy smile on his face was any indication.
Did he actually die, and go to heaven? Road Runner couldn’t help but wonder. To be touched so tenderly by his precious, oblivious coyote… it was something he thought he’d only ever experience in his dreams.
One set of claws stilled as the canine blinked one, then both eyes open. His smile only grew, upon seeing his unexpected bed mate.
While barely moving otherwise, he produced a sign from hammerspace.
[ TRUCE TODAY ]
A statement, not a question. Roadie blinked with a short nod of his head, watching the coyote flip his sign over.
[ I’M SICK ]
Ah, so something was wrong. The (slightly confused but deliriously happy) bird could now take note of how his companion was shaking, and how his nose dripped with cartoonishly thick snot, and how his eyes watered slightly…
It made Road Runner’s heart hurt.
[ CAN I GET YOU ANYTHING? ]
He sat up slightly, one of Wile E.’s paws still buried in the feathers near his hips. If he didn’t think about it too closely, he wouldn’t blush…
But the other toon just shook his head, pulling Roadie back down, arms fully enveloping him now.
“-- eep!”
They laid there, silent, for at least a hundred heartbeats (Road Runner counted), before Beep Beep even considered hugging his coyote back.
He gingerly did so, wrapping his thin wings around the thin toon… and was promptly squeezed in return.
It felt like they should’ve been doing this all along.
Road Runner closed his eyes, snuggling into a scraggly chest full of fur, his heart threatening to burst out of his chest.
Coyote eventually fell asleep, wheezy breaths squeaking adorably in Roadie’s ear. It was the sweetest sound he’d ever heard.
—
Wile E. woke up several hours later, to find the Road Runner still lying in his arms, but wide awake. That wobbly, sick smile from earlier formed across his face, as he peered down at the top of his birdie’s head, eyeing the gorgeous feathers. He allowed his snout to brush against them, forcing a powerful sneeze to blow a sickly deluge of snot against the opposite wall of the cave.
Roadie ignored it, sitting up and artfully blocking the snot mural with his body.
[ CAN I GET YOU ANYTHING? ]
He pulled out his previous sign, determined to nurse the coyote back to health. He had never cared for another sick being, but he had to try. So they could go back to their routine. Their Game.
He’d spent the entire time that Wile E. was asleep thinking about it, ultimately coming up with diddly squat. But maybe the other toon would know?
[ CHICKEN SOUP ]
Indeed, the coyote had solutions. Of course he did; he was a genius, after all.
[ AND MEDICINE ]
He sat up in bed as well, reaching for a human grade cell phone on a stack of wooden crates being used as a nightstand.
[ KEVIN AND PAIGE WILL BRING IT ]
He texted with one hand, reaching out and grabbing the air with the other. Not certain what he wanted (but certain what he wanted), Roadie scooted closer, and was rewarded by being pulled into Wile E.’s side, nearly perching himself in the coyote’s lap.
He was sure he was blushing this time, but there was nothing he’d rather be doing.
Eventually, the text was sent, and a promise of the best chicken soup ever and some cold medicine was made in return. After putting his phone back, Wile E. squeezed Roadie, rumbling happily.
Roadie felt a bit like a teddy bear, the way that Wile E. seemed to hold onto him for comfort. It was adorable, of course, but… this sort of vulnerability from the coyote felt so… odd for him. Out of character.
But he couldn’t say no. He was pulled in, literally and figuratively, by the sweet embrace of his ill sweetheart, and he didn’t want to pull away. Ever.
So he didn’t.
He let Wile E.’s sick, scraggly body rest against his own, the pair fitting together ever so nicely. To soothe the occasional coughing or sneezing fit, Road Runner would smooth his wings over his coyote’s bony shoulders and spine, cooing and beeping softly.
They waited like that for a good few hours, no signs exchanged between them, until Wile E.’s human lawyer/best friend duo arrived with (homemade!) chicken soup and cartoon-grade cold medication.
The pair said nothing of how their toon counterparts sat on the bed together, simply wishing Wile E. would feel better and dropping off their requested spoils. The air in the cave was… a bit awkward at their intrusion, despite their presence being asked for; they themselves just felt like third wheels, really, so there was no point in lingering for too long.
After Kevin and Paige left, Roadie peeled himself out of bed long enough to gather the medicine and soup, moving to hand them to Wile E. until a sign nearly hit him in the beak.
[ FEED ME ]
Road Runner sat back, blinking incredulously at the words before him.
[ REALLY??? ]
Coyote only nodded, lips curling upward joyously.
Is this the real Wile E. Coyote??? Beep Beep couldn’t help but think. Because seriously, what had gotten into him?!
How did being sick turn him into this touch starved, desperate puppy?
Shaken out of his thoughts by the slight brush of paw pads against his leg, Road Runner snapped his attention back to the impatiently-waiting-to-be-fed coyote, sighing and opening the bag that the humans had brought. Somehow, they’d thought to pack a bowl and spoon. That was useful. The birdie carefully poured some soup into the bowl, loaded up the spoon with delicious-smelling broth and veggies, and guided it to Wile E.’s open, expecting mouth.
Wile E. swallowed the bite, rumbling happily. Paige had said she decided to make the soup herself, just because, which is why it had taken them longer than expected. She had really made something amazing, as each delicious bite warmed the coyote’s soul more and more.
Soon enough, the bowl was empty; Roadie refilled it, eventually feeding his starving partner the entire helping. Wile E. was so grateful and full that he swallowed the cold medicine without (much of) a fuss.
After eating and taking the unpleasant, syrupy medication that tasted like glue and shame, the coyote laid down again, his body heavy with soup and sleepiness. Naturally, Roadie laid next to him, expecting to be cuddled.
However, he was met with a sign, the cardboard resting in between them on the bed uncomfortably.
[ THANK YOU ]
At receiving a confused look, Wile E. decided to clarify, adjusting his position slightly in order to comfortably flip the sign over.
[ FOR STAYING ]
His cheeks turned pink, not a symptom of his illness but a pleasant flush of… a feeling Roadie couldn’t place. Was it embarrassment? Or was it fondness?
The same darn smile he’d been cracking all day- the adorable, wobbly one- spread across his snout. In a swift motion, the coyote threw the sign out of bed and grabbed Roadie, holding him close and nuzzling the side of his neck.
Roadie, left without time to properly react, ‘meep’ed in surprise, but quickly melted into the embrace of his beloved. He shuddered, sighing at the snotty nose pressing into a sensitive spot.
It was truly wonderful, other than Wile E. being sick. Roadie didn’t want it to end.
—
The pair woke almost simultaneously the next morning; Roadie had been startled awake by the abrupt ending of a wonderful dream, while Wile E. was startled by the other being startled.
They stared at each other for a few beats, nothing but their loud but even breathing filling the otherwise silent room.
Wile E.’s head was much clearer, his lungs less full of gunk. He could feel bony wings grasping at his back and a pair of strong, powerful legs intertwined with his own. He knew, immediately, that Road Runner was, and had been, in his bed.
His cheeks bloomed into a bright red, but… he didn’t move.
Beep Beep felt like he was glued in place by a pair of eyes.
It could’ve been seconds, minutes, or even hours before either of them moved again; he simply couldn’t tell.
[ FEELING BETTER ]
Wile E. finally signed, blush still present. Roadie simply nodded.
[ THANK YOU ]
The coyote quietly leaned his head down, angling his snout to touch the tip of Road Runner’s beak. He held it there, letting his eyes flutter closed for a moment. Road Runner’s eyes remained opened, the bird shocked at the… kiss? If it could be called that.
Nervously, Coyote pulled back, searching for a hint of what Roadie was feeling on his face– only to see the bird looking completely gobsmacked.
[ WAS THAT… TOO MUCH? ]
Wile E. was now worried, pulling back from the other’s touch.
[ NO!!!!! ]
Roadie cursed himself, desperately grabbing onto his precious coyote with his free wing. Wile E. relaxed slightly, averting his eyes sheepishly.
[ WILE E., I’VE LIKED YOU FOR A LONG TIME ]
There was no point in hiding it anymore. Things had gone too far.
Wile E. stared at the new sign, his fur slowly bristling. His pupils dilated, growing wider and wider until they took up nearly all of his eye space. Road Runner braced himself to be rejected; to be told this was all a big misunderstanding.
Until he felt the body next to him settle with a relieved sigh.
And skinny, scruffy arms wrap around him.
And a blessedly snot-less nose rub into his neck feathers.
He smiled, pecking the top of his coyote’s adorable head.
“Beep beep beep.”
You’re welcome.
—
They settled back into their routine shortly after, their Game continuing like nothing had happened. Predator and prey continued to chase each other through the desert… during the day, at least.
At night, they joined each other for… something different. Something quiet and precious; something that needed to be guarded fiercely.
So they do, keeping the soft touches, warm cuddles, and snout-to-beak kisses confined to the cave.
They sign to each other, unearthing feelings buried for 77 years in messy but beautiful fashion.
They begin to build a life together, not taking for granted the fact that the most precious creature was always right there, the whole time.