Acid's Note-

Nya~

Here's the second part.

I would advise everyone to grab tissues or some shit but that'll just sound condescending. Just know that this is meant to be sad.

This is essentially Rev's POV of everything you just read. Hopefully it will justify some of his actions from the previous chapter. Please know that I fucking hate writing dialogue for the roadrunners. Doesn't-it-get-annoying-to-read-text-with-these-stupid-hyphens-in-between-every-single-word? Because it sure is annoying to write them out. Jeez, how do people who frequently write fics for this cartoon stay sane after writing dialogue like this? I blame the writers of Loonatics; Rev's fast talking bullshit was never funny and if it never existed, I-wouldn't-need-to-do-this. Rob Paulsen was that gag's only saving grace. :P

Here goes nothin'.

Enjoy, y'all.

PAPER PLANE

Rev Runner wandered aimlessly in the field outside the coyote camp. It was the first time in awhile that he was able to come outside. His father always kept him cooped up. Rev respected him and always followed his rules, but he was sick of being caged up all the time. So today, he decided to be a little bit rebellious. His father was still at work, as one of the generals in that same camp. But it didn't seem likely that he'd come out side. Rev didn't have a whole lot of time to be out here. The sun was setting, and it was almost seven o'clock, which was when his father left the camp for the night.

Then he noticed him.

He saw a young coyote, about Rev's age, on his knees just outside the plasma barricade. He was wearing the normal gray prisoner uniform with the number "420" stitched to it like a name tag. He was dirty from head to toe, covered in sweat and dried blood.

The roadrunner saw something in his eyes- a fascination, perhaps? He felt utterly sorry for the poor thing. He knew they were enemies by the rule of nature, but he didn't see anything wrong with this particular one. He seemed so harmless…so hopeless.

Rev smiled and waved at him.

The coyote's eyes widened. He starred at Rev, obviously stunned, before smiling and waving back. It didn't last long though. From the other side, the prisoners were all called back to the inside of the gray building for the night. The coyote, seemingly hesitant, ran over there.

The roadrunner couldn't stay any longer either. He knew his father would be leaving the camp any second, and he knew how angry he'd be to see his son here, out of the hospital.

Rev had been living in the hospital near the camp for a long time now, ever since even before the war started. Though the doctors couldn't pinpoint what he had, they all knew he was seriously ill. Even if his father wasn't as overprotective, he still wouldn't be allowed to leave the hospital.

He understood why his father was overprotective- they were the only ones left in their family. Rev's mother died about ten yeas ago from pneumonia and his younger brother, Rip, had been killed in a raid at an early part of the war. He knew why his father was protective of him, but that doesn't mean that he wants to be protected in the first place.

Besides, leaving the hospital a few times wouldn't hurt him all that much, right?

~XXX~

On one of the days Rev was able to slip out of the hospital, the coyote was holding a paper plane in his hand. The roadrunner noticed it right away and was confused by it. What was he going to do with it?

The coyote tossed it to the other side of the barricade. The little plane swiftly glided into Rev's open palm. The roadrunner curiously unfolded and read over the letter. It didn't say very much, it was just as simple hello.

Rev smiled, very thankful for this letter. The next day, he had one of his own, with a rather similar message written on it. Before long, they had their own way to communicate with each other, without the stupid barricade getting in their way.

This continued sending paper planes back and forth to each other for the next few weeks. And at last, Rev felt as though he had a reason to look forward to tomorrow. Every day that passed didn't have to be so boring any more. He had a reason to wake up in the morning and smile.

Finally, since he had gotten sick, someone cared about him. He knew his father loved him, but this was different. The coyote cared for the roadrunner's happiness and desires. And Rev cared for the coyote's.

Soon enough, he stopped caring for him…and started to love him.

With each passing day, he grew to love him more and more. All he wanted was to leave this stupid Hell of a hospital one and for all, break through those goddamn barricades, and run to the coyote; to embrace him, to kiss him.

And so Rev decided to express that it one of his letters. He didn't go into much detail; he was aware of the all too high possibility of the canine not returning those feelings. Rather than going into the full extent of his feelings for him, he just wrote three simple words- "I love you."

However, before Rev could give him the plane, the coyote gave him one first. Much to Rev's surprise, there were three familiar words on that letter- "I love you."

He stared at that letter for a good long while. So the feeling was mutual. He smiled and tossed his own plane.

The coyote caught it and unfolded it. His eyes widened at the three simple words. The two looked at each other through the plasma barricade. They smiled lovingly at each other. Without thinking, they both but their hands up to the barricade, lining them up perfectly.

Zap!

They felt the shock go though their bodies. They both winced in pain and took a step back. They looked at each other again and laughed at each other's impulsiveness. Although Rev couldn't hear the coyote's laughter, he was still happy to share this moment with him. It didn't last long, though. From the other side, the prisoners were called to start working. The coyote ran over to the gray building, smiling and waving good bye.

Rev waved back. However, once the coyote was gone, he fell to his knees and screamed in absolute anguish. His weakening body couldn't handle the shock the barricade gave him. He had to go back to the hospital as soon as possible. He made it back just in time, too; almost immediately after he changed back into the hospital gown and got back into the bed to make it seem as if he never left, he had a seizure. None of the doctors could explain this occurrence. Although Rev made it out okay, this worried his father greatly. He questioned his son about how this could have happened.

He refused to tell them anything.

~XXX~

For months afterwards, the coyote and roadrunner wrote love letters to each other and sent them as paper planes. Unfortunately, due to his body growing weaker and in order to decrease the chance of getting caught, Rev wasn't able to come every single day. He came as often as he could, but not as often as he wanted. Even so, he treasured all of the letters the coyote sent to him. He had them all in a nice, neat stack that he hidden under his pillow. When he wasn't going through treatments and was all alone in the room, he'd pull one out and read it to himself. Each time he read one, he'd blush and the depths of his heart would warm up.

Despite all the time that had passed, however, they still didn't know each other's name. At one point, the coyote sent a letter asking for Rev's name. The roadrunner thought about telling him, but then that would ruin the excitement of this love. That was what Rev loved the most about this- the excitement, the suspense of not being caught. Knowing each other's name would take away from that. So he replied, "When this stupid war ends, we'll tell each other our names." The coyote agreed to the deal. It felt weird, being in love with someone whose name you don't know. But seeing him and reading his letters satisfied him enough to make that matter unimportant.

Besides, the war would be over soon.

There were frequent reports about how the war was almost over. Rev would always update his lover on the status in his letters. And once the war ends, the prisoners would be freed, and then at last the two could meet and finally learn each other's name. They didn't care who won the war at this point, they just wanted to finally be able to speak to each other in person, hear each other's voice, feel each other's embrace.

And that wasn't all; Rev was making a steady recovery. The doctors kept saying all of his symptoms were steadily improving. And because of that, for the first time in a long time, his father began to smile. The father and son would talk about what would happen once Rev was in the clear for a release, how they would celebrate.

Unbeknownst to Rev's father and doctors, this was happening because of a coyote. It was almost as if those letters were as powerful as the bogus medicine the doctors were giving him. And unbeknownst to the coyote, Rev was sick. Not once did the avian tell his canine lover about how sick he was, or that he was even sick in the first place. He didn't want him to worry about him. Besides, he would be better soon enough.

He was a flower, living without sunshine. And a flower without sunshine is doomed to die. But the coyote was a ray of sunlight that shone down on the flower in its time of need, and it was healthy and happy.

Unfortunately, those letters had to be read in secret. And one day, that secret was revealed.

Rev was rereading the coyote's most recent letter. It described the passion he had for him, how much he loved him. It was one of the most romantic things Rev had ever laid eyes on.

All of a sudden, he heard his father's voice. "Rev."

Utterly surprised, Rev looked up from the letter and saw his father sternly standing there. "Pa, what're-you…"

"It's-already-past-seven, son." his father informed him. "What-do-you-have-there?"

"Nothing." Rev muttered, getting scared.

"Let-me-see-it, Rev." His father was taking on a much harsher tone.

"Y-Yes, sir." Nervously but obediently, Rev handed the love letter to his father, who impatiently snatched it out of his hands. As he read more of it, he seemed to grow angrier and angrier.

Rev was horrified at the possibilities of consequence. He hoped his father wouldn't be too upset. "Pa…"

"Where-did-you-get-this-from?" his father said with little emotion.

"From-a-boy." Rev answered. "…A-coyote-boy-who-happens-to-be-in-the-camp-you-work-at."

His father was silent for a moment before finally saying, "How-long-have-you-been-seeing-each-other?"

"A-few-months-now."

"Do-you-love-this-boy-back?"

"Yes."

"Do-you-know-his-name?"

"No. He-doesn't-know-mine-either."

His father seemed to sound angrier now. "Does-he-know-how-sick-you-are? That-you-shouldn't-ever-be-out-of-bed?"

Rev shook his head. "No. I…I-didn't-want-him-to-worry-about-me."

"What's-his-number?"

"420."

His father scowled. "That-little-shit…" he mumbled as he crumpled up the letter in his hands.

The young roadrunner gasped in horror. "Pa, don't!"

"Rev, I-never-want-you-to-leave-this-bed-until-you-get-better," his father snapped, now furious. "I-don't-want-you-to-go-near-this-boy. Do-I-make-myself-clear?"

"Why-can't-go-I-see-him?!" Rev suddenly snapped back. He wasn't going to act like an obedient little lapdog to his father. He was sick of this. "I-know-I-shouldn't-be-getting-out-of-bed, but-what's-so-bad-about-him?!"

"He's-our-natural-enemy, Rev. That's-what. You-wouldn't-understand; you're-just-a-child."

"I'm-seventeen-now, Pa. I'm-not-a-little-kid-anymore. And-it's-not-that-I-don't-understand. I-don't-wanna-understand!"

"YOU'RE-STAYING-IN-THIS BED!" his father than yelled, harshly throwing the crumbled letter into the nearby wastebasket. He then stomped out of the room.

Rev cried himself to sleep that night.

~XXX~

Three weeks had passed. Rev stayed obedient to his father's wish, but his condition was suddenly growing worse. He was slowly going through hearing loss and his legs were beginning to go through paralysis. To make matters worse for him, his eyesight was going bad as well. The letters, his precious treasures, were getting harder and harder to read.

Then, one afternoon, he had enough. He had to see him just one more time. He was dying; there wouldn't be another opportunity. He couldn't tell him the truth. He didn't want him to worry. Quickly, he wrote up his final letter to his love-

"I have to leave. My pa's making me go somewhere far away.

I'm sorry. I just found out today.

I love you. Good bye."

He changed out of his hospital gown and changed into dress clothes. He ran to the camp, his legs hurting like mad. He arrived at the prison, with the paper plane in his hand. The coyote's eyes lit up when he saw him. The roadrunner smiled a fake smile at him. He tossed the canine the paper plane and watched his confused reaction. He put up his hand, as if he were telling the roadrunner to wait. He then ran to the gray building within the camp and came back to the bird and tossed a new letter to him. Rev apprehensively unfolded and strained his eyes to read it-

"I'll wait for you until you come back.

I'll take good care of all your letters.

Let me know when I can see you again, okay?"

For about a minute, the avian just stood still as he held and read over the letter. This coyote really did love him…He didn't want to do this. He could feel a pang of guilt in his heart. Should he tell him the truth? He couldn't decide…He didn't want to decide.

He couldn't even bare to look at him anymore- looking at those beautiful eyes would just make him feel even guiltier. He quickly turned away and ran from the camp as fast as he could. As he ran, he cried the hardest he ever had in his entire life.

~XXX~

Nurses and doctors ran frantically around the room. In a panic, they were trying to gather everything they needed for this emergency treatment.

"How's his heart rate?" one of the doctors asked a nurse.

The nurse looked at the heart monitor. "Dropping fast," she replied.

A roadrunner threw the door open. "REV!" He went straight to the bed and kneeled beside it. He took his son's hand and held it tightly.

Rev was in immense pain. An oxygen mask was placed over his mouth. Tears cascaded down his feathered cheeks as he looked at his father and whispered, "Pa…"

"I'm-right-here-son." his father said soothingly.

"Pa, I…I'm-scared…"

"I-know, son, but-just-relax-and-it-will-all-be-over-soon."

"I'm sorry, general," a nurse said, with sympathy in her voice. "We're going to have to ask you to leave.

The older roadrunner stood up and looked at the nurse angrily. "I'm-not-going-anywhere! My-son-is-dying-and-he-needs-me-here-now-more-than-ever-before!"

"I know, General Runner." the nurse said, trying to calm him down. "But we can't have visitors in here. It's for the best."

"Rev!" the general yelled as he was hauled out by two other nurses.

He stood right outside the door, rage bubbling inside him. Rev wouldn't even be in this condition if he hadn't kept getting out of bed to see that damn coyote.

This was Prisoner #420's fault…

~XXX~

General Ralph Runner was finishing up his shift at the prison camp. He saw his youngest prisoner, #420, holding a single paper plane in his hand, staring at it dreamily. Ralph never hated anyone more than he did at that moment.

"What's-this?" he asked the young coyote, scornfully staring at the little plane.

"Nothing, sir." #420 said, looking up at him.

"Let's-see-about-that." the general said, snatching the paper plane away from the coyote.

"No, wait!" the coyote cried out, trying get it back. But some roadrunner soldiers held him back.

The general read over the letter. He felt utterly disgusted. So this is what his son had been writing to this pathetic creature. What a disgrace. He ripped it apart right in front of the young, heartbroken coyote. His solider laughed mockingly.

All of a sudden, #420 screamed like a banshee and broke free from the soldiers' grip. He balled his hand into a fist and punched Ralph in the beak, knocking him to the ground.

"The-Hell's-wrong-with-you?!" a soldier speedily snapped as he grabbed a hold of the coyote, who was now kicking and screaming like a spoiled child would.

Ralph was quiet for a moment, seeming as though he was taking this all in. And then he finally said, "Take-this-one-to-the-chamber."

The two soldiers looked at the general. "Huh?"

"Take-him-to-the-chamber. I-want-this-one-dead."

"B-But sir," a soldier stammered, "this-is-a-pretty-minor-offence-and-it-isn't-worth-killing…"

"I-gave-you-an-order!" the general yelled furiously.

The soldiers then carried the coyote to the execution chamber.

"I'm-sorry, Rev…" Ralph muttered.

~XXX~

Although Rev didn't know it, his nameless lover had now been dead for four months now. The young roadrunner had other problems to deal with, however. His entire body was now paralyzed- he was completely immobile. He was hooked to dozens of machines, clinging to life. The gentle beeping of the heart monitor grew slower as his heart rate decreased little by little every passing day.

He shouldn't have pretended to be strong.

He should have told his coyote the truth. He should have told him that he was sick the first opportunity he got.

He should have told him his name…and he should've asked for the coyote's name.

But he didn't. He wanted to make the love "exciting." How selfish of him. Perhaps it was because he clung to the false hope that he could get out this alive, that his father would have accepted this once he got better. But he would never get better, and he'd never learn his coyote's name, whatever it was.

His poor pa…He was going to be the last one left now. Ma and Rip were already long gone, and Rev would be soon. Rev made some horrible mistakes, and now his father was going to have to pay the price.

But Rev didn't regret everything.

He didn't regret leaving the hospital in the first place. He didn't regret falling in love. He didn't regret writing those letters.

All he truly regretted was not properly saying good bye.

He wasn't going to get better. His father knew that. That's why he told the doctors to take him off life support. Rev would only continue to suffer if he was just lying motionless in a bed, with the love of his life out of his reach.

And so the doctors shut all of the machines, except for the heart monitor. Rev suddenly found it hard to breath, and everything was beginning to go numb.

It was the final moment.

Ralph sat in the chair by his son's bed and held his hand. Rev glanced at his father, who was smiling sadly, tears filling his eyes. "Good-bye, my-son." he softly whispered.

Rev smiled a small smile…and shut his eyes forever.

Acid's Note-

;A; Poor babies.

Epilogue's coming up next.

-Acid