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Bugs looked up from his newspaper to the sight of his roommate holding his cup of coffee and looking outside the window with an unreadable expression on his face.
Bugs put down his newspaper and stared for some time, observing. Usually, when he looked at Daffy for a minute or two, the duck made a tacky comment about it, but this time, he didn't even seem to notice.
"A penny for ya thoughts?" breaking the unusual silence between them.
Daffy's face suddenly shifted. It looked like he didn't expect that.
"Depends. Not one penny is enough, so how many are we talking about here?"
Bugs wasn't worried, but if he were, his face would soften a bit at the sight of his best friend still having his touch. He was about to say something back, but Daffy newly bought watch began to ring.
He saw Daffy's feathers getting a bit tense as he looked at his watch. The playful expression he held towards Bugs turned into the one he held before.
Daffy shut his eyes for a second and let out a sigh and looked back at Bugs, and sat up to go forward their door.
"Duty calls. Work's real hard, you know rabbit, not that you would understand from all the slumping around all day, loudly chewing carrots, and reading stupid books nobody knows what they're about."
Daffy reached for the door. Bugs noticed the duck hesitated for less than a second.
"Well, not all of us get to have the easy life." and he closed the door shut.
Bugs stared at the door and then to old cup of coffee in front of him. Since when did Daffy drink coffee anyways?
He sighed.
Daffy had been quiet these days. Well, quiet in the eyes of Bugs.
He seemed to talk about the usual nonsense he was always on about, got into troubles and made Bugs repair the problems, have his rude mouth run wild, and well, just him being the black insufferable duck that he always is.
But Bugs noticed how his pace was a bit slower than usual, how he was more tense on his recliner, how his mind wandered off more, and how he took less proper take of his feathers and looked less in his well beloved mirror. In short, Daffy was tired. Both physically and mentally.
To any toon or human, this would look normal from all the wacky things Daffy would do throughout the day, but Bugs isn't any toon. He's known Daffy for almost 80 years. He's his roommate and best friend. This soft feathered black duck had nothing to hide from him, and he knew that Daffy was never, ever tired from just some silly ideas of his.
So, what was the cause? ACME, probably. Well, not probably, surely.
Ever since Daffy got hired to work for them in the lab department, this sight of him began to show.
Bugs couldn't focus on his book. His thoughts kept trailing back to those expressions that just didn't suit those huge shiny eyes in the slightest.
He sighed. Got up and distracted himself with cooking.
Even though these days he would eat alone since Daffy came back home in unusual hours, but he always made food for two anyways and had one other dish prepared for when Daffy got back.
Hours passed. He ate, washed his dishes, tried to do a little bit of reading; but all of those were stained by the idea of a certain back duck and his tired eyes.
It's been around one hour since the sun had set, but he can't just take another minute of thinking about this. So he decided to go to bed.
Bugs slowly opened his eyes to the sound of doors being opened and shut. Normally, Bugs' sleep wasn't light nor deep. But when he was on edge, he happened to notice every little sound.
He looked at the clock, 3:17 AM. He frowned as he got his robe and got out of the room. He looked around and saw the bathroom lights beneath its closed door.
Bugs walked towards their bathroom and held his ears close to the door. He heard heavy pantings and choked coughs. Oh dear.
"Daff, ya good there?" Bugs tried to ask in a hushed voice so he wouldn't startle the duck, but also one that could be heard.
He heard a small sudden gasp that was immediately silenced. "Yo- you're awake?" With the most shaky voice Bugs has ever heard from the duck.
"Woke up from the sound of the doors. Is everything alright, Daff?" Maybe he was worried after all. I mean, after this, how could he not be worried?
"Uh.. yeah, yeah."
Bugs heard ruffling sounds.
"Don't worry your dumb baby carrots sized brain so much."
Then the faucet opened and he heard splashes of water.
The door knob began to shake, and Bugs immediately stood farther. And a black duck with messy feathers, wet cheeks, and wide, unreadable eyes showed up.
They stared at each other. Bugs looked at his best friend, trying to decipher his face. He looks terrible. Way too terrible for someone like Daffy.
Daffy wanted to let out a cough god knows how long he had been holding but stopped himself.
He sniffed and looked somewhere else. "Well, this duck needs his beauty sleep." Another sniff.
Daffy walked away from Bugs and went for his bedroom. "Night, Bu-"
Before he could finish, Bugs held his wrists. Daffy looked at Bugs' hand, then to Bugs.
They stared at each other again until Daffy almost let out another choked cough.
"Daff, uh.. how about you, uh.." Bugs looked elsewhere. He didn't know what he was doing exactly, but he knew he shouldn't let Daffy just go like that.
"How about you sleep in my bedroom tonight?"
Daffy looked at him bewildered, blinking multiple times. This time, he let out his cough, little tear drops forming in his eyes. Bugs deeply frowned. Before Daffy could answer, Bugs slowly dragged him to his room, next to the bed.
Bugs got into his side of the bed, looking at Daffy and waiting for him to come next to him.
Daffy just stood there, staring at the bed. "We ain't got no bed bugs, ya know, Daff."
Daffy let out a breathy scoff and awkwardly got into the bed, facing away from Bugs.
Bugs stared at Daffy's back as it went up and and down unevenly, he listened to Daffy's coughs and each time his heart sank more.
He wanted to ask him what the hell was going on and what had they done his goofy black duck, but he knew this just wasn't the right time.
Instead, he gently placed his fingers on the duck's back. He felt Daffy shiver by his touch.
Bugs slowly moved his hand down to Daffy's stomach and tighten his grip around him as he moved him closer.
Bugs didn't know if this was alright, but for now, this is all the support he can do.
After a while Daffy's breath took a normal pace, but his coughs still continued until he finally got some shut eye.
Bugs got startled awake by the sound of Daffy's alarm going off as Daffy immediately widen his eyes open.
They were now in each other's embrace, Bugs' chin was placed above Daffy head that was resting on Bugs' chest.
Daffy began to move when Bugs pulled him tighter. "You ain't going nowhere, doc."
"But-" Bugs loosened up Daffy's watch, turned it off, and threw it across the room.
"Hey! That was expensive!" The duck pretended to scold. "Eh. I'll buy you another one."
Bugs burried his head deep into Daffy's feathers. "Watches don't suit ya anyways." He mumbled.
"What did you say?" As Daffy tried to pull his head upward, but Bugs pushed it down with his chin. "Sleep, Daffy." The duck let out a "hmph", and he got himself comfortable on Bugs' chest.
Daffy will come back to him. His tired eyes will be gone as if they were never day, he'll not longer twitch from the sound of a stupid alarm. He will do anything to make sure of that. Anything.
But right now, he just needed to make sure this duck will get his complete beauty sleep.